I felt the sensation that there was something here, that I was meant to find.
And yet, as I scoured the area as well as I could, I'm not sure if I found what it was. The sensation was so strong, that as the lady who owned the stall was talking to me, I noticed my eyes were shifting around and scanning over her inventory rather than making eye contact like I normally do.
There was *something* here that I had to find.
I'm pretty good at being able to spot interesting and unusual items in these kind of places. Whether it's tucked away under a table, or hidden behind something else; I can usually find something that most people overlook. And it's been proven, too, as I have been to these places with other people and have had to point out the cool stuff they've missed seeing.
So, this particular stall held a lot of spiritual and religious related artifacts / jewelry / stones, etc. There were gongs, singing bowls, beaded bracelets, wind chimes, pyramids, tapestries, etc. All interesting things, for sure.
Again, I didn't know why I felt the sensation that I was overlooking something, but I really examined the place, even so much as poking my head into the back area where the proprietor was sitting (with someone else), just to see if there was something there that wasn't on display.
The first thing that got my attention was this,
A little yard ornament depicting a sleeping boy monk/Buddha with his head on a rock. I thought it would be perfect for my front porch, and it was.
The second thing, that later caught my interest, was this,
A weird little golden tree decorated with blue eyes. Its called a Nazar.
It was a surreal object to come across, as I have never seen anything like it. When I commented on it to Trina, she said it was from Buddhism, an artifact that was intended to repel the "evil" eye, by reflecting it.
My initial hunch was that it had its origin in Africa or Haiti, however, as I found out this morning, the origin of the evil eye and this particular kind of object; goes back to the Old Testament.
"Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats." (Proverbs 23:6)
And possibly, even beyond Mesopotamia, over 5,000 years ago.
Greek philosophers and scholars have also made mention of the "evil" eye, with names from Plato to Plutarch and Pliny the Elder.
Was *this* what I was supposed to have found?
I have never heard of a Nazar before, but there was something striking about this object that I had to get it. And as I researched it, I began to learn a lot of interesting things.
The evil eye is thought to be a curse, passed on from one person to the next. It favors those who have light-coloured eyes, such as green, with blue being especially receptive to the effects of the evil eye. Those with blue eyes, are also thought to be the ones who transmit the eye eye, and propagate its effect into the world. This is why Nazars usually are colored blue.
Turkey, at the moment, has a strong belief in this idea.
And Islam, also, has made mention of this concept. Coming from the words of the Prophet Muhhamed himself, when he said, "the influence of an evil eye is a fact..." (Sahih Muslim, book 26, number 5417)
The harmful effect of the evil eye, can include but is not limited to, having bad luck, being susceptible to illness and general moral depravity/depression/etc.
The more I thought about what many would today dismiss as a silly superstition; the more I think there is something to it. Think about whenever we get cut off in traffic, or someone does something we don't like. What do we do? We glare at them. We give them the "eye", and oftentimes, its a menacing one and/or filled with bad intent/disapproval.
So what does "glaring" at someone have to do with any kind of curse? Well, this is my own theory, but I am quite aware and conscious of the effect eyes can have on this world.
Being somewhat hard of hearing for most of my life, I would pay extra attention to body language, facial expressions and eyes, of course. And from experience, I learned that certain people of a certain attitude, happen to have eyes that appear a certain way. Don't ask me to deconstruct exactly how I came across the metric I've developed, but I'm 100% convinced that if you spend enough time to look at someone's eyes, you can gain an intuitive understanding of where they are upon a hierarchy of.. well, something.. goodness, maybe? Moral righteousness? Spiritual development? I really don't know exactly what I am measuring, only that I know I like certain people who have a certain type of "look" that appears in their eyes.
The eyes are the windows to the soul, as they say, and I feel completely in agreement with that.
One thing that I have been noticing lately in myself, even before I came across this Nazar idea; is that I have been softening my gaze whenever a child or toddler makes eye contact. Last week, as I was at the car registry and waiting in line, there was a child looking at me with innocent, curious eyes and I felt compelled to look back and not give it any "cynicism" if that makes any sense. You know when you walk about your daily business, you can't possibly make eye contact with every person you cross paths with, so your eyes will shift around, look through them, possibly look at the them with indifference, and that says something about your thoughts. About where your feelings lie.
It is said that 98% of communication is non-verbal, this includes the unconscious information that a pair of eyes can transmit. It is not simply whether someone is squinting, or has shifty eyes, but rather there is something else that is being communicated that we lack the proper words for. There is *something* else that is being broadcasted whenever you match someone's gaze. Think about the information that comes from shaking hands with someone new. Or being given a hug. A kiss. Or even the way someone smiles. Then consider the opposite of such gestures, and all such actions and thoughts can become transmitted to the psyche of another, with possibly, long term effects. Hence, the "curse" that Nazars are intended to ward off.
According to further belief in the evil eye, it is said that children and those of great attractiveness are most susceptible to its effects. Islam actually suggests that if you admire the appearance of a child, then you must spit upon its face, so as to humble whatever compliment was given. Crazy, huh? There is a second option of course, which involves saying, "God has willed it" or something where an expression of humility is outwardly stated.
So, with all that said, I'm not sure if this is the droid I .. er, artifact I was looking for. I don't know what caused that feeling in my gut to appear, but maybe it was imagined. I don't know. All I know is that I picked up something unusual for only twenty bucks, and learned a great deal from it. And wrote an entire blog entry.
Not a bad bargain. Trina actually had another Nazar that was white instead of gold, and I may go back next week to get it for my mom. Her birthday is coming up, and I'm still trying to figure out what to get her. A series of small gifts and a photobook is what I'm thinking.
We'll see. I don't think I can get George Clooney to pop out from a giant birthday cake and surprise her.
Anyways, new day. Its cloudy out. Looks pretty blah. Later on I'm invited to go to Gynger's place, who I haven't seen since early.. Uh.. January of this year, I think. So, a long time. I plan on eventually writing about her more in detail, since I haven't discussed her on this blog, and I think it's important to do so.
Watch out for the evil eye, people. Spit upon the faces of anyone who you might find attractive.
Especially Clooney. Let him know you've read this post. He'll understand.
