The evil eye dates back about 5,000 years. The earliest known belief in the power of the evil eye predates ancient Roman and Greek times. The birth of the evil eye in antiquity was tied to many different cultures. Some had endured extreme hardship, others believed in curses, and many more tied the evil eye to their diety. Despite the differences between these religions and cultures, the intention of the evil eye has always been the same.
Symbology
Most commonly, the evil eye design depicts a single eye in blue, black, and white hues. Sometimes, you’ll find pieces with a full eye, complete with iris, pupil, lid, and eyelashes. Other times, the evil eye’s meaning and symbology are stylized as a single dot on a background to represent the pupil and the iris. It’s almost always featured on a blue background, as any shade of blue is a fierce protective color.
The Hamsa or The Hand Of Fatima is another version of an evil eye said to be from Islam and Judaism but archeological digs in the Middle East provide evidence that the Hamsa pre-dates these religions and originated with the Phoenicians, used as a protective symbol for an Middle Eastern goddess. The word "Hamsa" or "hamesh" means five. There are five digits on the Hamsa hand, but the number five has additional symbolic meaning in the Jewish and Islamic traditions. Five (hamesh in Hebrew) represents the five books of the Torah for Jews. In the Jewish religion, the Hamsa hand also symbolizes the Hand of God. Many Jews also believe that the five fingers of the Hamsa hand remind it’s wearer to use their five senses to praise God.
History of the Nazar
The evil eye is a “look” or “stare” that is believed to bring bad luck for the person at whom it is directed for reasons of envy or dislike. The perception of the nature of the phenomenon, its causes, and possible protective measures, varies between tribes and cultures. The evil eye is a talisman that is meant to protect you from these evil spirits. It is a curse or a legend believed to be cast by this malevolent glare, and usually given to a person when they are unaware. Evil eyes have many names from many different cultures, such as: nazars, mati (μάτι), deochi, malocchio, and many more.
Unconscious evil eyes: These types of evil eyes cause harm to people and things without necessarily intending to do so. Conscious evil eyes: These intend to cause harm and bad luck. Unseen evil eyes: These happen to be the most dangerous as they represent hidden evil.
In current times, if your in tune with your own energy and have a strong intuition you can sense when people are casting this negative energy onto you. People often cleanse it off of themselves or do a return-to-sender spell.
Most cases nazars are in jewelry, many to be worn to deflect negative energies throughout your day. Some are used for home decor, on doors, baby cribs, and mirrors
Nazar colors and what they mean
Dark blue: karma and fate protection, calm and relaxation, open flow of communication
Light blue: general protection, broadening your perspective, solitude and peace
White: purity and focus, clear clutter and obstacles, to start fresh
Black: brings you power and confidence, protection from evil energies
Red: brings you courage, more enthusiasm and energy, protection from fears and anxiety
Orange: happiness and protection, motivation for commitment, increased creativity and playfulness
Yellow / gold: protect your health, relief from exhaustion, sharper mind and concentration
Light green: success with your dreams, enjoyment and contentment, good health
Dark Green: garners happiness, balance in your life, freedom to pursue new ideas
Purple: boost your imagination, re-balance your life, to remove obstacles
Pink: protect your friendships, calming feeling, content and relaxation
Brown: protection from the elements, connection with nature, orderliness and convention
Grey: protect against sorrow, openness to new situations, reduce intensity of another color