If you’re like me, you always look for luck and prosperity symbols to incorporate into your daily life. Whether these amulets and symbols actually work or not, their presence can offer calm, peace, and safety in the belief that there is protection around you and your home. Personally, I own jewelry or home decor of Evil Eyes, St. Christopher pendants, Hamsa hands, Maneki-nekos, and horseshoes. The basic service of the symbols and their origins can help if you’re looking to feel more lucky or protected in your life!
Evil Eye
Evil eyes are common protective charms in many countries like Turkey and Greece. The origins of Evil Eyes, also called nazar, date back to 3,300 BC. Although the name includes the word “evil,” the charm is meant to ward off evil in the form of a glare with negative intention (usually envy and jealousy) toward the wearer. The charm’s work is done once it breaks, which is often interpreted to mean that the charm has warded off and protected the wearer from an Evil Eye. Evil Eye colors also serve different purposes, but the most common colors are dark blue and light blue. My Evil Eyes have mostly been gifted from friends and family, and I have dark blue, purple, pink, and light blue Evil Eyes. Dark blue represents good luck and karma, purple represents removal of obstacles, pink represents calm, and light blue represents general protection. I have a dark blue Evil Eye in my room at home and a light blue in my dorm at school! I also wear a dark blue Evil Eye anklet daily (and I feel like many good things have happened to me since I began to wear it this year!).
St. Christopher
St. Christopher pendants are intended to be protective charms for travel and general life. Stemming from Catholicism, St. Christophers were adopted by surfers in the 1950s and 60s, giving them a more ambiguous practice. St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers, sailors, and the guardian of children and students. Legend says St. Christopher carried a child across a river, who was actually Christ. The protection provided by the necklace comes from the image of St. Christopher carrying the Christ child across a river. I have purchased all of my St. Christopher pendants from Get Back Necklaces, whose St. Christophers are adopted to be St. Chris on a surfboard rather than crossing a river with a child. However, more traditional iterations of St. Chris can be purchased online.
Hamsa Hand
The Hamsa Hand is tied into the Evil Eye. It is a hand shaped symbol, with two thumbs, and an evil eye in the middle. Adopted into many cultures, it is used in Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. For the latter two, the fingers are tied to the body’s chakras. The thumb is tied to the solar plexus chakra, the index finger is tied to the heart chakra, the middle finger is tied to the root chakra, and the pinky is the sacral chakra. It’s meant to provide protection, and can be displayed with the hand up or hand down. When the hand is down, it is meant to bring good things to you. When the hand is up, on the other hand, it is a protection against evil. My Hamsa Hand necklace was purchased from a spirituality vendor at Shops at Agora in Downtown Harrisonburg, but again, these can be found online or at spirituality shops! My Hamsa is downward facing, and a dark blue eye.Â
Maneki-neko (lucky cat)
In Japanese, Mankei-neko means “beckoning cat.” These cats are meant to bring luck and prosperity to their owners, beginning with a legend that a cat beckoned a man from being struck by lightning at the Gotoku-ji temple, where it is now the patron of the temple. Again, the different colors represent different intentions, and the hand that is beckoning means something as well. Right hands are for money, left hands are for people, and both hands are both money and people. I keep my Maneki-neko in my bedroom at home, and it’s a black lucky cat with a raised right hand. Black Mankei-nekos are used for “home safety and warding off evil.”Â
Horseshoes
Considered to have gotten their luck from two different stories, horseshoes are another luck/protective symbol. One theory says that 8th century Chladeans thought the crescent shape of a horseshoe represents the moon and goddess protection against the curse of the evil eye. The other theory comes from St. Dunstan (the Catholic patron saint of blacksmiths) tricked the devil using a horseshoe, which when hung over a doorway, would prevent the devil from entering. Additionally, there are seven holes on a horseshoe, which is considered a lucky number because of its frequent occurrence in nature (days of the week, colors of the rainbow, seven seas, seven continents).
Now that you’ve heard a brief overview of each protector, which will you choose? Whichever you select (or if you pick them all!) you are sure to be protected and well-cared for in the next steps after you begin to wear them or keep them in your home.