In Lebanon like in the rest of the Middle East and much of the world, survives a tenacious belief in the effects of negative energies grouped under the term of "evil eye". This evil eye is believed to be the product of jealousy, envy or ill-will, and is very often produced involuntarily (and sometimes unconsciously) by certain people. Adults that are touched by an "eye" can experience loss of money, poor health and other mishaps; children and animals are known to be gravely ill and sometimes die from it, because they are too weak to resist hateful vibes. As a result, there is not one home, shop, or vehicle that isn't equipped with one protection or another. Christians and Muslims naturally use amulets from their own faiths, but everyone regardless of denomination uses blue objects, some of which are featured in this set. These blue objects: the watchful eye, horseshoe, bead, hand, are very old, some going all the way back to antiquity. If you happen to visit Lebanon, keep an eye out for the watchful eye: it is always there in some discreet place, even in pubs and nightclubs. Parents pin a blue bead and holy medals to their babies' clothes. Children's shoes are also believed to bring luck and are attached at the back of cars, near the exhaust pipe.

Who knows what these protective items will do to your computer work? ;^) If you notice some unusual good luck flowing your way, do let me know *g*.

Talismans set © Joumana Medlej, March 2003
CedarSeed