The Italian Evil Eye Explained: Signs of Il Malocchio, Saint Michael and How to Protect Yourself
Roman mosaic of the Evil Eye from Antioch. Dated to the 2nd century CE. Hatay Archaeology Museum, Antakya, Turkey.
What Is the Evil Eye?
The Quiet Curse + Gaze of Devastation
In Italian folk belief, the evil eye is a spiritual affliction caused by envy (invidia) or admiration untempered by protection. It can be cast intentionally — through resentment or malice — or unintentionally, simply by looking at someone or something with intense energy or desire. That’s why it’s so dangerous: even those we love can curse us without ever meaning to.
It’s not just superstition. To this day, it’s a lived reality in many Italian and Italian-American households — a spiritual truth passed from grandmothers, aunts, and folk practitioners like myself.
I first heard of il malocchio from my italian cousin and aunt. A party was being hosted in my honor at my first holy communion (which is a big day for us catholics!) and during this celebration we are adorned with gifts, money, gold saint medallions and jewelry from our Italian American family members (Italians are never ever cheap). One of my friends had been invited to the celebration and my aunt pulled me aside and said “that girl, beware of, she’s giving you the malocchio!”. I never really understood what they meant until I was older and realized the power of the jealous gaze from this friend myself - they were right, she was always giving me malocchio!
As a folk healer trained in diagnosing and removing the evil eye, passed down through my Sicilian lineage, I’ve seen the damage it can do when left untreated — but I’ve also seen how powerful protection and removal can be when done properly, with Italian Folk remedies.
Saint Michael, High Priestess Chelsea 2025
My Own Story: How I Learned the Hard Way About the Evil Eye
I wasn’t always this serious about spirituality and the evil eye. Like many of us raised around Italian superstitions, I grew up hearing about malocchio, the evil eye, and all the things I should do to protect myself—wear my mano cornuto, pray to St. Michael etc. But when I was young, I didn’t take it seriously. I shrugged it off, thinking it was just old world superstition my family worried about.
At the same time, I had a friend who I now recognize was deeply jealous of me. Back then, I didn’t realize what jealousy could do energetically. She was mean to me, bullied me subtly and sometimes not-so-subtly, and made everything a competition. Every time I was around her, I felt off—like something in my gut was warning me. Over time, I started to get physically sick more often. I’d get random migraines, feel anxious for no reason, and it felt like I was stuck in life. No matter what I did, nothing would move forward.
Eventually, we had a massive falling out and stopped being friends. And then something strange happened—my life began to shift. My health improved. I started to feel like myself again. It was as if a cloud had lifted.
I then was encouraged to visit an Italian folk healer - it was just someone that we knew who could do “this thing” with olive oil and water to rid the evil eye. Without knowing my story, she told me I had been hit with the malocchio, and that it had come from someone very jealous. I knew instantly who she was talking about. That moment changed everything for me. I began taking spiritual protection seriously—wearing my mano cornuto, praying, and learning how to spiritually cleanse myself and my space.
That experience is what awakened me to the reality of spiritual harm caused by jealousy and why I now speak so openly about protection. The evil eye isn’t just an old superstition—it’s a real force of energy, and it’s something I help people recognize and undo every day in my work.
Symptoms of Malocchio
So how do you know if you've been hit with the evil eye? While it should never replace professional medical care, many of us know the unmistakable signs that something spiritual is off. In Italian folk tradition, symptoms include:
Headaches and dizziness
Sudden sickness or fatigue with no clear cause
Loss of love, friendships, or harmony
Discord in the home or relationship
Financial troubles, sudden job issues, or bad luck
A feeling of heaviness or spiritual weight
If you feel like everything is going wrong — all at once, out of nowhere — it might be more than just a bad day. Il malocchio could be the hidden thread pulling things apart.
Italian symbols of the cornicello, the mano cornuto (hand and horn) and the mano figa (fig fist)
How to Protect Yourself
Thankfully, our ancestors left us with powerful symbols of protection, many of which are still used today in both Italy and the Italian-American communities. Many of the symbols are ancient and come from the Roman world of superstition and belief! Anyone can use these symbols for protection as they are an open belief to all and I’m sharing them with you to help add protection to your homes and yourself.
1. The Mano Cornuto (Horns of Protection)
The mano cornuto means hand and horn in english. This protective hand gesture — often worn as a gold charm — is traditionally given to children during their Catholic baptism. In my family, we would pin a gold mano cornuto to a safety pin and secretly hide it under the baby’s clothing, so the priest wouldn’t see it. That charm would then be kept for life (I still have mine!). It wards off envy and shields the wearer from the evil eye.
You can also use this hand gesture facing down behind your back when you feel like someone is giving you the malocchio and you may not have any protection on you. There is much power in symbols within the realm of Italian Folk Magic and superstition.
2. The Cornicello (Little Horn)
This red chili pepper-shaped charm is a symbol of good luck, virility, and protection. It’s often worn around the neck or placed near entrances to ward off harmful energy. In antiquity, actual horns from animals would be used to ward off the evil eye but in modern day - we have switched to just using the symbol of the little horn.
3. The Mano Figa (Fig Hand)
Used especially for pregnant women — who are seen as highly vulnerable to malocchio — the mano figa protects life and fertility. It can be worn or placed in the home, particularly near doorways and beds.
These symbols are more than jewelry or decor. They're spiritual armor. Place them on doorways, entryways, bedrooms, or wear them on your body to protect yourself and your family
Saint Michael the Archangel
Saint Michael: A Powerful Protector Against the Evil Eye
In Italian folk tradition, spiritual protection doesn’t just come from amulets and rituals—it also comes through prayer and devotion to powerful intercessors. One of the strongest defenders against the malocchio and any form of spiritual harm is Saint Michael the Archangel.
Saint Michael isn’t just a saint; he’s a warrior. In Catholic tradition, he leads the army of angels against the forces of evil. In Southern Italian American folk magic, he is often called upon in times of danger—especially when someone believes they’ve been cursed, spiritually attacked, or hit with the evil eye.
When I learned I had been carrying the weight of someone’s jealousy for years, one of the first beings I turned to was Saint Michael. I began lighting candles in his honor, praying the traditional Prayer to Saint Michael, and calling on his sword of truth to cut through the energy that didn’t belong to me. His presence is strong, immediate, and fierce—and I often call upon him in my evil eye diagnosis and removal with clients - this is usually for those who are dealing with severe cases of malocchio, bad luck, or unexplained illness that they suspect might be spiritual in nature.
Devotion to Saint Michael might include:
Lighting a white or red candle in his name
Placing his image or medal near your front door
Reciting the Prayer to Saint Michael daily
Asking him to cut cords of envy, jealousy, and malice directed toward you
In Italian American homes, it wasn’t uncommon to find a statue or picture of Saint Michael in a prominent place—not just for decoration, but as a daily shield against harm. If you’re dealing with the evil eye, don’t underestimate the power of calling on him to stand guard over you and your home.
Me removing the evil eye off of my client, 2025
How Can We Remove and Cure the Evil Eye?
Here’s the truth: protecting yourself is important, but removing the evil eye isn’t as simple as waving an incense stick or lighting a candle. In Italian folk magic, the removal of malocchio is sacred — a ritual passed down from chosen healers who were initiated by ancestors and saints.
I was one of the lucky ones. I was taught the malocchio removal rite on Christmas Eve at midnight — the only time it can be properly passed down. This knowledge is not something you can Google. It’s a gift from the ancestors, and it comes with great responsibility.
We diagnose malocchio using an ancient form of divination with olive oil and water. By watching the patterns in the oil, we can see if the curse is present — and even determine whether the sender was male or female. In some cases, we receive the actual name of the one who sent it.
Then we perform the removal using:
Holy water
Salt
Protective tools
And most importantly, a secret prayer, handed down from our elders, spoken only in sacred context.
Think You’ve Been Hit with the Evil Eye?
If this post resonates and you believe you’ve been afflicted, don’t worry. I offer Evil Eye Removals where I can diagnose, remove the curse, and tell you who sent it — along with personalized protection guidance.
🧿 Book your Evil Eye Removal here
Remember, spiritual healing is not just about rituals — it’s about reconnecting with your power, your ancestors, and the deep wisdom that has lived in our culture for centuries.
I’m here to help you find clarity, protection, and peace.
With love,
High Priestess Chelsea
Italian Folk Healer, Psychic Medium, Jersey Girl
