Protection Amulat: The all-seeing eye

THE ALL-SEEING EYE as Protection Against the EVIL EYE

The All-Seeing Eye -- a single human eye surrounded by radiating beams of light -- is found in many eras and cultures. It is generally a symbol of the watchful and protective power of the Supreme Being, especially when that entity is considered in a solar or heavenly context. It appears on the Great Seal of the United States, and is among the many beautiful symbols of freemansonry, where it represents the Great Architect of the Universe.

In regions where the evil eye belief occurs, the All-Seeing Eye is one of many forms of reflective eye-charm used as apotropaic talismans against the this danger. In its specifically protective role, the All-Seeing Eye appears on at least one North American Good Luck Coin to "guard" the bearer "from evil." A similar talismanic function was assigned to the protective Wadjet Eye or "Eye of Horus" of Ancient Egypt and the Third Eye of Buddha in India. Even the Mexican ojo de venado charm, an ancient shamanic amulet made from a psychedelic legume seed is given an eye-related name: ojo de venado means "Deer Eye."

What can I use as an altar?

Having a space to use as an altar is not necessary to all
forms of magic. Here's why:

An altar is narrowly defined as a permanent or temporary
ritual place set aside for the worship a deity or deities.
This may or may not be the same as a ritual space reserved
to perform a magical spell because a given system of magic
may or may not include worship or even any contact with a
deity or deities. However, in common terms, a place reserved
to perform a magical spell is also called an altar by many
people, even if no worship takes place there.

But call it what you will -- an altar or a ritual space --
you still need a place to perform a spell, right?

Both the young and the poor may not have a space large
enough to set aside as a dedicated altar. Most people in
this situation work on top of a bureau drawer or a kitchen
table or a nightstand by the bed -- anything with a flat
surface. As with the kitchen pot that doubles as a cauldron
(see below), your work will go better if you somehow
mentally separate the furniture's use as an altar-space from
its everyday use.

In other words, your concentration and dedication to the
spell you intend to cast might benefit if you cover the
makeshift altar with a cloth (you can use a scarf or
bandana), or mark its four corners with flowers, or fan
incense smoke across the surface to clear it off before you
pout down the tools you will be using.

Likewise, when you are done, you may clear off the altar and
wipe it down with the bandana or scarf, or even clean it
with a damp cloth and furniture polish, to return it to its
"everyday" function.

Where can I learn more about real magic?

There are so many different cultural traditions in which magic is a factor that there is no one source that could teach your everything about the entire subject.

A good introductory book that outlines many of the types of magic, so that you can set your sights for closer examination of what most interests you, is "Practice of Magic" by Draja Mickaharic. It explains in easy, simple terms the various types of magic found in numerous cultures and provides pointers toward more specialized books on each area of magic. It is available through amazon.com.

After you read that book, you will be prepared to embark on a study of the type of magic that you feel most interested in, whether it is African American hoodoo rootwork or ceremonial magic or Solomonic magic, or Mexican brujeria.

Do you have to be a certain religion to prectice real megick?

Spell-casting and other forms of magical work, such as divination or augery, spirit communications, astral travel, and the like are found in virtually every culture and in virtually every religious group.
No one religion can claim them.
You could ALSO be an atheist and a mage.

How long shall I wait for real magick spells to work?

People often ask, "How soon will i see results?"

In my experience, if a mojo hand, free magic spell, spell kit, or dressing oil is going to work for you, there will be definite "movement" within a week. Many people report amazing and complete results the first day. Some spells are traditionally worked over a period of time, such as 9 days, after which one is instructed to "watch and wait" for 3 days. In these spells, the results are expected to come about after the waiting period is over. Usually i would wait three weeks to see if there is any movement toward the results i desired -- and three months to wait for definitive results.

But be aware that not all spells work for every person every time. Like sports contests and wars, there may be a winner and a loser ... or, as with farming, some crops may thrive while others fail. You do your best and try to get the results you want with all the knowledge, dedication, and will-power you can bring to bear on the event -- and if you win, it's a triumph, and if you lose, it is defeat.

Magic is no different than any other area of life in this regard.

I can certainly go on record stating that i have found many benefits in my own life through the working of magical spells and that here in our shop we have had many customers provide us with feedback that they have had successful results with spell=craft -- but due to the nature of magic and the differentiation of attention and power among those who employ these spells, combined with the irregularity of feedback, we cannot be absolutely certain of their success rate.

Which magick spells are the strongest or most real?

I operate a small occult shop, and i continually ask my customers which spells work best for them -- and i'm happy to pass along some trends i have noticed in this regard.

If you believe you suffer from crossed conditions or have been jinxed, you may do better if you get that mess out of your way before you work on drawing money or attempt a love spell. Spells for Uncrossing and Jonx-Breaking are a great help. Some folks whose main problem is back-biting, jealousy, and gossip will benefit from working for protection from gossip before they go on to other magical acts.

By our customers' accounts, the money-drawing magic spells for luck in business and career provide a higher success rate than magic spells designed for casino gambling. In my opinion, this is because casinos set their own percentage of house winnings and it is difficult to prevail against them. However, certain gambling formulas and spiritual supplies, in particular Fast Luck, Attraction, and Lady Luck, can, in the right hands, we are told, increase the winning edge of gamblers who do not play long-shot games such as the state lotteries or betting casinos.

The various love-attracting mojo hands and love spells seem to have a high rate of success as reported by our customers. People regularly call to tell me that they have attracted the love of someone they wanted after performing a love-drawing lodestone spell or personalizing a candle magick spell for love. I myself have experienced such results. The Nation Sack, in particular, seems to work very well for women who have a man in sight and want to draw him closer and really make him stay in line. Those who use spell-work for fidelity and to reduce friction in the home report satisfactory results as well. But not everyone who uses these love spells reports success.

On the down-side of love-magic, it is my experience and that of my customers that Reconciliation magic spells are by far the most difficult of the love-spells to accomplish. Typical causes of failure include: residual anger on the part of either party, complete apathy on the part of the desired party, and/or a change of heart in the person doing the spell whereby they secure the return of the lover only to find that they didn't want that person's love after all because the problems that led to the original break-up remain even after the reconciliation takes effect.

I am often asked, "Will a lucky charm really make me lucky?" and the answer, is complicated because concepts of what luck is differ from culture to culture and from person to person.

For most people, luck is a "winning edge," an increase in the statistical odds that they will win money or get laid or whatever it is they want. They may carry a lucky charm or good luck token in the belief that it increases their success-to-failure ratio in specific areas of life. They may augment its efficacy by dressing it with oil. The charms you mentioned above are typical of those that people have given credence to through long custom.

Some people think that luck is the same as or a form of directed magical will -- e.g. casting a spell -- and they expect specific results from the act of carrying a lucky charm. These folks are more likely to prepare and carry a complex charm like a mojo bag or a Mexican "amuleto" bag. They use the prepared curio as a focus for their magical will.

Other people -- especially those from cultures where disease is believed to be caused by malevolent airs or the evil eye -- may carry what appear on the surface to be "good luck" charms and they may even call them that -- but upon investigation, the charms turn out to be apotropaic in nature, that is, they are intended to avert ill-luck, sorcery, or unnatural diseases. Among these supposed "good luck" charms can be found the various blue glass charms, hamsa hands, eye-in-hand charms, corno charms, mano fico charms , and so forth of the Middle East and Mediterranean, and theOjo de Venado (deer's eye) seed charm of Mexico.

For a bit more of what i personally think "luck" means to various people, and how "luck" intersects with religious belief and with a desire for protection, see the Lucky W Amulet Archive page on Luck, Protection, and Religion.

If magic spells are real, why doesn't everyone ust them?

Some people have no interest in the subject of magic at all. Some people come from cultures where magic is not valued. Some people belong to religious groups that actively oppose magic.

If vegetables are so good for you, why doesn't everyone eat them?

If marijuana is so bad for you, why do so many people smoke it?

If war is so evil, why do so many people become soldiers?

If tv is so attractive, why do so many people refuse to watch it?

The answer to all of these questions is this: People have free will and they make choices consistent with their interests, desires, emotional states, skill-sets, and the circumstances which put them into convenient proximity or keep them at an inconvenient distance from with various mental concepts and physical objects.