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RE: The Evil Eye in Egypt & Around the World
If i may ask, Yahia, what are your thoughts on the evil eye becoming such a commercial object, often re-purposed and integrated into consumerism and especially tourist culture?
Curious as to the thoughts on this from someone much more knowledgeable than i.
i was given one by a friend who visited Turkey when i was young. i was captivated by the design and what i perceived the symbol to be and wore it every day for a couple of years until it broke of wear and tear.
Thank you for providing more background on the symbols history and present culture, much enjoyed the read.
It's a fine question, dear @carmalain7. Frankly, I think it's human nature to appropriate, re-purpose and transform symbols to suit our needs (look at Christmas, and the commercial atrocity that has become).
Still, I believe that even in the worst case of consumerism or tourist culture (for example, the whirling dervishes in Egypt, which have more to do with Vegas than what Rumi intended) a germ of the original truth remains, in however diluted a form. Whether it is protection, in the case of the evil eye, or spiritual celebration, in the case of Christmas or Sufi dervishes, something of the purpose and power persists...
I hope this helps in some way to answer your question and thank you for stopping by for a read, my friend!