The Evil Eye; The Envious Blade
The Evil Eye post series:
The Evil Eye; The Envious Blade, being an introduction to the Evil Eye.
Blessed Oil and Bloodied Yolk; Diagnoses of the Eye, being a short resume of techniques to diagnose and remove the Evil Eye. To be made available Wednesday, June 1st.
A Short(ish) Guide to Diagnosing the Evil Eye by Geomancy, being a guide to diagnosing the Eye and finding its perpetrator. Patreon exclusive.
To Rid Yourself of the Eye; a Charm of Hawthorn, being a simple charm to lay the Eye to rest with the recitation of a spoken charm.
Hung and Pierced as the Corpse of Man; Spells of the Dame Hawtorn for the removal of the Eye, being a collection of four techniques to destroy and return the Eye by the work of the Dame Hawthorn. Patreon exclusive.
What is the Evil Eye?
Le Mauvais Oeil, el Mallochio, the Evil Eye; this condition appears in every culture's beliefs. It is a state resulting from another's spite and envy, which may be intentionally or unintentionally directed towards one's blessings. Children, pregnant women, beautiful people, and successful persons are all the more prone to falling victim to the Evil Eye. A child may fall ill with an invisible disease, or a baby might be born deformed and unhealthy; one's beauty may turn against them, and success may become a burden rather than a blessing. A cow's udder might shrivel and sour; a chicken's eggs may become bloodied.
The Evil Eye is an innocuous curse, digging its roots deep into the victim's life before it can be noticed. This is the result of the channeled rage, envy, disappointment, or spite held in the caster's heart. One does not need to be a witch, or spiritually inclined in any way to cast the Evil Eye; a killer stare, or a piercing gaze fueled by negative emotion is all one needs to sour their victim's blessings. Historically, you'll find examples of the Evil Eye attributed to beggars, spinsters, prostitutes, mothers grieving their child, jealous neighbors, or adulterers. Anyone who has something to gain from the downfall of another can cast the Eye, with or without the intention to do so.
The learned witch can acquire the skill to cast the Eye at will, channeling their fury through the left eye to blight their victim's crops, break bones, cause miscarriage, ruin mechanical engines, rot food, and cast a host of other hexes and curses. In this sense, it is the witch's prime weapon of blight, causing damage more direct and specific than most modern, ritualized curses would. A witch having learned to channel the Eye at will is a force of nature, best not meddled with.
How do we contract the Evil Eye?
The Evil Eye can be contracted at random; we might be caught off-guard by the gaze of a friend who's going through difficult times and wishes they could be doing as well as you are. We might come across an older person envious of our youth, staring daggers into our back. We might catch the eye of an especially perturbed individual. Sometimes, the Eye comes along with a backhanded compliment from a dishonest acquaintance. You might come across your ex while with your new lover, and their jealousy and unhealed heart might lash out through a dirty glance, or a fake smile presented with sustained eye contact.
When the Eye takes hold, a dark wind might pass you through; you might also suffer from an unprovoked migraine. You might feel a sudden pang in your stomach, or begin feeling nauseous. In our modern world, these things are often attributed to stress, overworking oneself, or dehydration, but the Eye carries a very specific signature that is easily noticed when one has experience with the subject. That said, most of us have contracted the Eye and lived with it without noticing, so this feeling might seem quite 'normal'. After all, if you suffer from regular migraines and have already contracted the Eye, how can you differentiate between the two once you are struck again?
Soon after being struck by the Evil Eye, the victim might feel as if they are walking around wrapped in a wet blanket; a general feeling of 'stickiness' and of drawing too much attention might be present. The victim will often fall ill, recovering within a day or two, but never going back to their full vitality. The attention span is shortened, the stress threshold lessened, and emotional triggers exacerbated. The victim may feel like there is a blockage in their gut, or may be made more aware of their spleen than usual. Sleep patterns might be disturbed for a few days or weeks, highlighting the various physiognomic effects of contracting the Eye: the eyes may droop, the lines of the face might deepen, the cheeks might hollow, the tone might seem awash.
Although witches and magical practitioners are more likely to be protected from the Eye, some are more prone to catching this maleficia; those who are ungrateful for their blessings, those whose ancestors do not watch over them, those whose subtle body is already riddled with holes due to trauma or illness, those who have broken pacts and lost the protection of their patrons, those with a weak inner fire, and those who do not implement various methods of spiritual protection and hygiene in their day-to-day. This makes them easy targets for the Eye to latch onto, especially if they are afflicted with any spiritual illnesses or crossed conditions.
What are the symptoms of the Evil Eye?
The symptoms of the Evil Eye are as many as there are leaves upon a tree; the matter of whether or not the Eye was cast with intentionality, the involvement of spirits, and the development of the disease, can all cause a variety of symptoms working synergistically to ruin the victim. There are, however, symptoms which are commonly shared between victims.
At the onset of the Eye, the victim will typically experience headaches, soreness of the eyes, tiredness, and a short cold-like illness. In strong cases, sharp pains may be felt, especially in the loins, legs, spleen, or stomach. In women, the Eye can cause heavy and irregular menstruation, and in men, sudden erectile dysfunction. The victim may recover from any acute symptoms within a few days or weeks, making way for much more worrisome, chronic symptoms.
After living with the Eye for a few weeks or months, the victim may develop symptoms of depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue, anorexia, pica, or obsession. Feelings of intense, misdirected envy, jealousy, and hatred might arise within the victim, causing them to lash out at those around them. This can lead some victims to attempt to cope using illicit substance and narcotics, or turn to desperate magics to better their situation. Along with these conditions comes a clear contrast; the victim's life might be idyllic, and perfect in every way, but their own emotional and mental state might be what one would associate with intense suffering. The many blessings they receive are pushed aside, ignored, or sabotaged by their own actions.
In the case of intentional maleficia, the Eye can cause a range of traumatic and violent events, such as broken bones, miscarriages, sudden lacerations, bruising, blindness, paralysis, chronic vomiting, kidney infections, etc... It can also affect small pets, cattle, and crops, but this is another topic entirely. Such extreme cases are exceedingly rare, and in such a situation, the help of a medical professional is preferred to that of the magical practitioner. Care should still be taken to remove the Eye, but this should be done when the victim has recovered.
Again, there is a clear difference between these symptoms and typical, mundane symptoms of illness. A sudden onset and seeming lack of cause can be great indicators that the Eye has befallen someone, but more subtle, energetic symptoms will be the tell-tale sign of maleficia in a victim. As such, the magical practitioner must apply their skills of observation, intuition, healing, and crisis prevention to successfully detect the Eye.
For more information on diagnosis, look forward to the second part of this post next Wednesday! For now, I’ve shared an in-depth method of diagnosis via Geomancy on my Patreon. Also on Patreon, I’ve already posted a few methods and charms of removing the Eye with the help of Hawthorn, the great Dame clad in White.
Cheers,
Mahigan