T H E  E V I L  E Y E

An icy glare, a murderous glance...if looks could kill. The Evil Eye is a universal concept that has deep roots in human history. It is a look inspired by malice, and jealousy...the look of envy.

Envy - from the Latin word invidere, the original meaning of which was invasive, negative.

It was thought that the possessor of the Evil Eye was unconscious of this power, escaping bad luck by passing it on to those he inflicted his gaze upon.

         Why the Eye? The act of looking, or staring, is more focused than that of other senses. Our visual target is more often than not the focal point of our attention...thus making looking more intrusive.

         The Evil Eye has been blamed for bad luck, disease, malignity and even death. There is an old tale of a witch in Ireland whose very gaze caused a farmer and his two plow oxen to fall dead in the field.

To ward off the Evil Eye, in Turkey a bit of blue stone, an 'eye' amulet, is traditional. Eye makeup in ?India originated from the belief that it would not only ward off the malicious gaze, but prevent the wearer from unconsciously inflicting her Evil Eye on someone else. The locket, heart -shaped or otherwise, may have originated as charm against the Evil Eye. Boats in ancient times, in Egypt and elsewhere in the Old World, had eyes painted on their hulls to guard against misfortune.

         Jealousy is green-eyed, and blue or green eyes are thought to be more suspect of being evil.

T H E  T H I R D  E Y E

         The legendary Third Eye is the window that opens up into the realms of the "inner worlds". It sees beyond into the realms that are beyond the physical.

         Physically, this point, located at the center of the forehead, can be considered to be like a pipe, starting at the point between the eyebrows. This is also why different systems assosciate this Chakra (Light Centers) with the pituitary gland, wheras others regard it as having its center in the pineal gland. This is the eye of consciousness.

         On another level the Third Eye is that organ which carries over into the physical body the karmatic urges which impel us to follow one or another type of action. This is the Chakra of clairvoyance, telepathy and other forms of psychic perception. The all pervading power of this Chakra affects man's spiritual development.

         Esoterically the two physical eyes have meaning as well. It is the right eye that is considered the "Eye of Wisdom";. it coresponds magnetically with the Third Eye, whereas the left eye corresponds with the intellectual brain, the thinking faculty. The Kabbalistic triangle of Kether, Chochmah and Binah shows this. Chochmah and Binah, or Wisdom and Intelligence, the Father and the Mother, are on the same plane and react mutually on one another.

         The color of the Third Eye is indigo, a mixture of red and blue.

Sources: The Evil Eye, by Hakim Bey; The Skinny on the Evil Eye, Discovery; and Optic Doron.