Evil Eye Psychology

The concept of “the evil eye” is very popular in many Eastern cultures.  It is the idea that people, by putting their attention on you, can negatively affect you.  For example, it is commonly believed that they may be jealous of some positive aspect of your life experience.  Their feeling may range from very mild to an extreme ill will towards you.  It is said that this can cause you to have feelings of illness, heaviness, depression, and even more severe results. 

Without denying this reality, as science has in fact proven that we are able to have energetic affects on each other by the opinions and feelings that we hold about each other, I want to share a different view of the situation.  For those who feel down and want to blame the weather, or their horoscope, or the evil eye (all potentially valid factors of interference), I offer this reflection.

Last week I got sick.  I am normally very healthy, thank God, but over the weekend I had a little, bothersome headache and cold.  Here are two different thought patterns that I could have about this:

Giving Weight to the Superstition?

I had a fleeting thought of the fact that I wore a new dress and must have looked beautiful on the weekend.  I had a lot of energy and did charity in the public eye.  People must have looked at me with envy and I therefore became sick soon afterwards.

My Prevailing Empowering Thought Process

I also was aware that I only slept for a few hours last weekend because a friend was visiting from out of town. I ate a lot of sugary foods because we attended celebrations on several evenings.  And I haven’t exercised in over a week due to lack of time.  So under these conditions it is not surprising that I became under the weather.

The critical difference between the first and second thought processes are that in the second one I was empowered.  I immediately recognized how I contributed to my illness and took steps to remedy that through taking better care of myself.  Without saying that the first case is untrue, I would rather not think badly of my fellow people, attributing some bad intentions to them where there may not be any.  Even if there are negative feelings being secretly harbored in people, I would pray for them to find contentment in their lives and then I would move on to centering myself in what I need to do to affect change.

The problem I have found with the evil eye philosophy is that it disempowers people from seeking higher wisdom about what they are doing to contribute to their situation.  It is much easier to blame some nebulous “other”.  Or is it?  We are the ones that lose out when we don’t take adequate responsibility for our parts in contributing to our life experiences. 

I am not saying that one should not take adequate precautions about flaunting one’s good fortune, if inspired to do so.  Pray your protective prayers if you like.  Wear your evil eye amulet.  Do what makes you feel comfortable, but remember that at the end of the day, the majority of your experience is what you have created with your own thoughts and actions.