People of every culture and faith on Earth have at least some awareness of the evil eye.  The evil eye is basically ill will or a curse that gets transmitted to someone by being looked upon with envy and/or greed.  In African belief, someone can also transmit the evil eye through possessiveness or base lust.  So one could well curse someone else through overprotective or obsessive love, or through the desire to have them, without regard to their feelings.

In some parts of the world, it is considered a life and death matter, and people have been killed because of accusations of putting the evil eye on someone.  Some celebrities even in Hollywood wear protective talismans because they are looked upon with jealousy all the time.

In African and diaspora faiths, protection against the evil eye is considered a matter of personal spiritual maintenance.  Often, it's so ingrained in our cultures that even someone who considers themselves absolutely Christian, will follow any reports of blessings with, "Praise God," or, "Thank the Lord," out loud instead of just thinking it or being more indirect.

Many anti evil eye talismans are shared by various cultures, so it's hard to say what started where, but some things are especially popular in Africa and the diaspora.  I'll focus on those in this article.

Figa or Mano Figa

The figa is popular in Brazil, but comes from an African power symbol.  It is basically a clenched fist.

What most of the more "happy go lucky" spiritualists won't tell you is that the one specifically against the evil eye is a clenched fist with the thumb pushed between the index and middle finger.  This is a rude gesture that basically means, "Screw you!" So I wouldn't recommend actually doing that with your actual hands.  In jewelry though, it's a good reminder to anyone who is eyeing you to check themselves.

You shouldn't buy a figa for yourself.  It should always be a gift to someone else to bring them luck.

Abrus Precatorius

These are a type of red and black beans that are extremely poisonous when they're raw.  Very few people in the world know how to cook them properly, so they shouldn't be eaten by others.  They can however be kept as decoration or drilled very carefully and worn as beads.  If you get ahole of some and want to wear them, don't try to drill them yourself.  If any of the insides of the beans gets into your bloodstream, you may die a painful death.

Just about any beans with a black "eye" are considered good protection against the evil eye.  Regular black eyed peas are considered especially lucky to eat with rice on New Years day.

Mirrors

Wearing small mirrored discs or diamond shapes basically reflects someone's gaze back at them.  It's easy to understand why this would be good protection.

Because of this, titanium treated, azotic gems are gaining in popularity.  Topaz is usually found very clear, and is symbolic of strength and protection, so it is a favorite for this.

Yellow tinted or gold backed round mirrors are symbolic of the sun, and reminiscent of Aten, the Egyptian deity.

Cowrie Shells

These are considered very lucky, but different groups have different beliefs about wearing them.  Some think it's good to wear them with the open side out, but some think it's best to wear them with the open side in.

Those who prefer the latter may have been influenced by Hindu beliefs in that the open side being out is symbolic of the open third eye of Shiva (destruction/calamity), rather than the closed one (peace).

Incense

Incense that is protective is often a matter of preference.  If there's a specific problem, a rootworker may prescribe a particular recipe, but generally most people use their favorite day to day.  There are also special incense sticks, cones, or slabs ready made for protection.

Myrrh is an old favorite.  Often people will use a "church mix" of frankensence, myrrh, and ambergris or rose.

Sage is seldom burned in sticks.  It's usually just bundled and burned, or burned wrapped in paper to hold it together.

Eye Symbols

Some people put reproductions of Egyptian or other African art featuring eyes around their house, especially in the livingroom.  You won't often see a Hamsa (hand with an eye) or Hand of Fatima in the southeast unless the person you're visiting is Jewish or Muslim.

Cobalt Blue Glasses

Many in the southeast love to use cobalt blue dinnerware and decorations.  This color is one of the colors of Yemalla, the Orisha of the sea, who is considered the Mother of all living beings on the planet.  Drinking from a blue glass is considered a blessing to the guest...that just as good fortune flowed to the host/ess, it will also flow to the guest.

Click here to continue to the next section on what to do if you are suffering the effects of the evil eye.