Quick Specs
- Type: Drawstring pouch printed with an evil eye and hamsa mandala
- Fabric: Blue velveteen
- Size: About 6 1/4 inches wide by 9 inches long overall
- Print: Central eye with golden scrollwork, rings of eye beads, a band of hamsa hands and corner eyes, in blues, black, gold and cream
- Closure: Drawstring with two blue tassels
A Mandala of Eyes and Hands on Blue Velveteen
The front of this blue velveteen bag carries a round mandala built from eyes. At its center, an eye with a light blue iris sits inside a ring of golden scrollwork, and a dark flower opens around it with a small eye on each petal. Rings follow outward: a circle of blue eye beads, curling light blue scrolls, a band of small golden ornaments, and then a band of small blue hands, each with an eye in its palm, set between cream-colored dots. Each corner holds an eye or two in blue, black and white. The print uses deep blue, light cyan, navy and gold on a royal blue ground, so the pale rings stand out from the fabric around them. A darker blue gathered band runs across the top, where the drawstring cord passes through, and a shiny blue tassel hangs from the cord on each side. The bag measures about 6 1/4 inches wide by 9 inches long overall, which is roomy enough for a deck of cards or a handful of small things, with space left at the top for the gathers.
The eyes in the print belong to the evil eye belief, the idea of a curse brought about by a malevolent glare, usually inspired by envy. A museum catalogue says amulets worn or carried against it share one feature, an eye-shaped design that may be realistic or highly stylised, and lists glass eye beads among the commonest. The rings of eye beads in the print recall the nazar, whose traditional form is handmade glass in concentric circles of dark blue, white, light blue and black. The small hands belong to a second symbol, the hamsa, whose name comes from the Arabic khamsa, meaning five. In English it is often called the Hand of Fatima, and in Jewish use it is the Hand of Miriam. A British Museum curator notes that belief in the protective power of hand amulets dates back millennia, and reference works describe the hamsa as a hand-shaped charm used against the evil eye. Many hamsas carry an eye in the palm, as the hands on this bag do. The pouch gathers the two emblems into one mandala as a decorative piece.
Practical Ways to Use the Pouch
Use the pouch for a deck of cards, a set of runes, a few tumbled stones or a small charm, and the printed eyes travel along with whatever you keep inside. Reference works describe eye amulets as worn or carried, and a drawstring pouch gives you a place to keep a small one close, in a bag or a coat pocket. It also holds a piece of jewelry or a spare key for a trip. Stand it upright on a shelf with the mandala facing out, or lay it flat on a tray beside a candle. Because it comes with its own drawstring, it works as a small gift bag for a present, a keepsake or a card reading. Browse my Tarot and rune pouches collection for more pouches.
How to Use and Care for the Evil Eye Pouch
Three steps cover filling the pouch, closing the drawstring and caring for the velveteen.
- Open and Fill the Pouch
Hold the pouch by its gathered top and ease the opening wide with your fingers. Slide in your cards, stones or small charm one at a time, and wrap anything sharp or pointed in a cloth first so it stays clear of the fabric. Leave a little room at the top, so the gathers close without strain.
- Close the Drawstring
Pull the two tassels in opposite directions until the top gathers shut, then tie the cords in a bow if the pouch is going into a bag. When you stand it on a shelf or lay it on a tray, turn the mandala to face you so the central eye is the first thing you see.
- Brush and Store
Brush the velveteen lightly with a lint brush, moving in the direction where the pile feels smooth. A cleaning guide for velveteen advises against machine washing and ironing and suggests a dry cleaner for stains, so keep spills away from it. The same guide suggests hanging velveteen, so a hook by the door lets the pouch hang by its cords.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
I stock this pouch because it puts an eye mandala on a soft velveteen bag that suits a deck, a few stones or a small charm. The evil eye is a living folk belief in Turkey, Greece and many other places, and the hamsa belongs to living Muslim, Jewish and Levantine Christian communities. This pouch is a decorative reference to them, an entry point and never a stand-in for community, teachers or practice. If the hamsa or the nazar is part of your family’s faith, follow the customs you were taught. If either is new to you, learn its names and history from the people who keep it. For more pieces that carry the eye, see my evil eye collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Velveteen is a woven fabric, usually cotton, with a dense, even, short pile. Its pile is cut from the crosswise weft threads, while velvet's is cut from the lengthwise warp threads. That construction gives velveteen less sheen than velvet, a shorter pile and a stiffer hang. Velvet is traditionally silk, and velveteen was made to imitate it.
Several communities use it. Reference works describe the hamsa as significant to both Jews and Muslims, and Levantine Christians call it the Hand of Mary. In English it is often called the Hand of Fatima, and in Jewish use it is the Hand of Miriam. Because it belongs to living faith communities, this bag is a decorative reference, and people within those communities are the best guides to what a hamsa means and how it is used.
An eye in the palm is common on hamsas, and the hand is widely used against the evil eye. One Jewish source says people may have used the eye set in the palm to counteract the evil eye. A reference work records the Arabic saying khamsa fi ainek, meaning five fingers in your eye.
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