The evil eye is a popular belief that somebody can voluntarily or involuntarily bring disease and disgrace to another person by looking at them, usually brought on by envy. In some cultures, the belief is focused on children, where someone can inadvertently give a child the evil eye by complimenting them, as it draws in negative energy. If you think you or someone you know is suffering from the evil eye, you can use the methods below to help diagnose and cure it.

Diagnosing the Evil Eye

Before taking steps to cure the evil eye, one must first be assured that the evil eye is indeed the cause of the malady or the misfortune.

• Notice the symptoms.

The negative energy of an envious person can cause physical symptoms that are not related to a disease, such as weakness, eye infections, upset stomach, fever and nausea. Also, it is likely that the affected person will have personal, family or professional problems without any apparent cause.

• Follow the coal method.

This method is practiced in Eastern Europe. Simply drop a piece of charcoal into a pan of water. You can also use the head of a match that has burned. Sinking is a good sign, while floating means a person or child has been affected.

Usually a parent or healer performs these rituals, if the sufferer is a child. If not, the sufferer can perform them.

• Try the wax method.

Another method is to drip hot wax into holy water. Watch how the wax reacts. If it splatters, it means you or the child you are testing for have the evil eye. The same is true if it sticks to the side. People in the Ukraine employ this method.

• The oil method.

With this method, the person diagnosing the condition drops oil into water. If it forms an eye, the child is thought to have the evil eye. Another way is to pour oil over a lock of the affected person’s hair into a glass of water (preferably holy water). If the oil sinks, then the person has the evil eye.

Methods For Curing the Evil Eye

• Try the touch method.

The easiest way to cure the evil eye, according to some, is to have the person who caused the evil eye touch the child. Since the evil eye is usually unintentional, the person should have no problem with simply touching the child. The child can be touched on the hand or forehead.

This belief is most prominent in Hispanic cultures. And the method is believed to work because evil eye is sometimes caused by a person complimenting a child without touching him or her. Having the person then touch the child resolves it.

• Use an egg.

In Mexico and Latin countries, some parents use an egg. They pass the egg over the child’s body, commonly a prayer is said along with this such as the Our Father, and then put the egg in bowl beneath the pillow. They leave it there during the night and check to see if the white is foggy in the morning. If it is, the child was affected by the evil eye. This method also cures the evil eye at the same time.

We have a nice little post on one method of using the egg for cleansing. It can be found here: A Cleansing Ritual

• Try hand gestures.

Some say that making certain gestures with your hand can ward off or cure the evil eye. One gesture is the mano cornuto, which is just a fist with the index and pinkie extended (horned hand). Point your hand down when making this gesture. Another is the mano fico, where you stick your thumb in between your index finger and middle finger (fig hand) in a fist.

Some Italians carry a little red horn (corna) around by wearing it or keeping it on a key chain. The horn is worn in place of making the horned hand sign.

• Find a six-sided mirror.

One method said to cure the evil eye is the use of a mirror to reflect back bad energy. This method is used in China. You simply hang the mirror in a front window or on the front door.

Some people in India also use mirrors to cure or ward off evil eye. However, instead of placing it in the home, small mirrors are sewn into clothes or worn on the body.

• Use a healer.

Folk healers often provide cures for the evil eye. If you don’t feel confident in healing the evil yourself, you can try a healer, who will perform the rituals for you.

Preventing the Evil Eye

Prevention is better than a cure, and there are a number of different ways to prevent being a victim of the evil eye. Here are just a few of them:

• Use a pink coral bracelet. Some suggest that putting a pink coral bracelet on your child will help protect against the evil eye. Others suggest having the child wear a buckeye has the same effect.
• Try a red string. In Jewish cultures, parents use a red string to fend off the evil eye. For instance, sometimes it’s tied around a crib bar or the stroller handle.
• Have the baby wear a jet amulet. In some Hispanic cultures, babies wear an amulet made of black jet. Often, it’s shaped as a small fist. You may see it with red and black beads on a gold chain.
• Use the spit method. When someone gives your child a compliment, you can try spitting over your left shoulder three times and then touching wood (or knocking your own head) three times. This method is most often used in Russia.
• Scatter salt. One Sicilian method of protection is to scatter salt on the floor inside the front door or outside the house. The salt (with innumerable grains) is supposed to confuse evil-casters.
• The urine method. Another method Sicilians use is the urine method, where everyone in the house pees in a bucket. Then the urine is spilled in front of the house. It’s similar to the practice of “marking your territory” used by animals predators the world over.
• Try an eye charm. Many cultures use eye charms to protect against evil eye. You can wear one on a necklace, for instance, or use one as a key chains. In Turkey, these little charms are made out of blue glass, but other cultures make them out of other materials.

More information about the Evil Eye, along with more preventions and cures, can be found here:

• Averting The Evil Eye
• Evil Eye