Evil Eye and Hex Removal: Polish Traditions for Cleansing

What urok, the evil eye, means in Poland

Urok is the Polish word for the evil eye: misfortune thought to pass through a look, often an envious one, sometimes even an admiring one. Babies, brides, beautiful animals and good harvests were thought especially at risk. A child who suddenly cried without stopping, a cow that gave no milk, a run of small accidents — all might be blamed on urok.

That is why you still see red ribbons tied to prams in Poland today. Red was the colour that turned the eye away. People also spat lightly three times or said 'tfu, tfu, na psa urok' — 'the evil eye onto a dog' — after praising a child, so the praise would not do harm.

Signs people associate with a hex or heavy influence

In folk belief, people describe a hex or urok as a sudden heaviness: tiredness without reason, a run of bad luck, quarrels in the house, a feeling of being watched or drained, or a sense that 'nothing goes right'. I write these down because people ask, not because they prove anything. Many of these things have ordinary causes too.

So please, moja droga: if you are ill, exhausted, anxious or low, see a doctor first. Cleansing is a spiritual practice that can sit beside proper care; it is never a replacement for it.

Egg cleansing

In many Slavic villages, and in folk traditions well beyond them, a fresh egg was rolled slowly over a person's body while prayers were said, from the head downwards. The egg was believed to draw heaviness into itself. Afterwards it was cracked into a glass of water and looked at, then poured away far from the house, often at a crossroads or into running water.

When I perform an egg cleansing for someone far away, I work on their behalf: their name spoken, the egg passed over a candle and a written name, the reading noted, the egg disposed of properly. I describe what I saw in my letter, but I do not pretend it is a medical test or a certain verdict.

Pouring wax: lanie wosku

Lanie wosku, pouring wax, is best known in Poland from St Andrew's Eve, Andrzejki, when young people pour melted wax through the hole of a key into cold water and read the shapes as signs of the future. In eastern Poland and neighbouring lands, healers have also poured wax over water held above a frightened or troubled person, to 'pour out' fear or a bad influence.

I use wax in both ways: to read, and to cleanse. Beeswax is melted, prayers are said, the wax is poured into cold water, and the shape it takes is looked at and then buried or burned. It is a beautiful, old practice, and I describe it honestly as a spiritual one.

Salt, herb smoke and water

The simplest cleansing is salt and smoke. Salt is sprinkled in the corners and on the threshold and later swept out of the door. Dried mugwort, rue or wormwood is burned slowly, its smoke carried through each room. Water with a pinch of salt is used to wash the hands, the doorframe or the face, with a prayer.

These are things you can do for yourself, at home, with respect. Open a window while you smoke the rooms, and never leave burning herbs unattended.

Protecting yourself afterwards

The old way is always: first clean, then guard. After a cleansing, people tied red thread on the left wrist, hung rowan or garlic by the door, and kept blessed herbs in the house. Some carried a small pouch of salt. I write about these guardians in my post on protection spells for your home.

If you would like me to do this work for you, look at my evil eye removal, hex removal and egg cleansing spells. Results vary, and a spell is not a guarantee — but done with care, it is a real kindness to yourself.

Words and prayers in cleansing

Every one of these cleansings was done with words. Village healers murmured prayers — often Christian ones, the Our Father or a prayer to the Mother of God — mixed with older formulas asking the trouble to leave and go 'where the dogs do not bark and the cocks do not crow', far from people. The exact words changed from village to village and were often kept private.

When I cleanse, I speak plainly in my own words, naming the person and asking for what is heavy to be lifted and carried away. I do not pretend to recite secret ancient charms that I cannot show you. What matters is sincerity, care and the old order of things: first cleanse, then guard.

You can do this too, in a small way. Hold a glass of water, say aloud what you wish to let go of, and pour it away outside, away from your door. It is simple, and simple things were always the heart of folk magic.