OJO DE VENADO
The Ojo de Venado or Deer's Eye charm is a Mexican form of
magical protection agaisnt the evil eye. Like many other
apotropaic charms of this sort, it is itself an eye.
The charm is made from the 1" diameter dark brown seed of Mucuna
pruriens, also known as M. prurita, and in English
called Velvet Bean or Cowhage. This plant is one of the many "Lucky Legumes," members of the pea
and bean family that contain toxic, hallucinogenic, or medicinal
alkaloids and therefore figure in good luck charms that come from shamanic antecedents. In the case of
the Ojo de Venado, the mature beans are considered both aphrodisiac
and very protective in Mexico and
Central America. Nowadays they are not eaten, merely carried for good luck, but they do
contain dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and related alkaloids, as well
as L-dopa, a precursor of the neural transmitter dopamine.
Each Ojo de Venado charm is strung on red string and finished off with a plump red
wool tassel. A holy Catholic
saint print is applied on one side and the bean is given a coat of varnish. The three charms shown here -- two
fronts and a back -- bear images of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, by
far the most common blessed
images associated with this lucky amulet.
The short cords on these charms mark them as pocket-pieces or rear-view-mirror
hangers to protect an automobile; i have sometimes seen them
with longer cords for wearing as necklaces, but most common
of all are the ones strung on hand-made red and black beaded chains, sometimes with
a little latch to open and close them around the rear-view
mirror post.
Botanical note: Mucuna pruriens seeds distribute
themselves by floating in water. Like other so-called "sea
beans," they regularly wash up on beaches, where they are
collected and kept as lucky pieces. Here, courtesy of
Scott Wallace (Scott.Wallace@shaysnet.com), who collected this
one from a Mexican beach, is a picture of a bean in its natural
state, with a ruler for size-comparison.
For other eye charms, see:
eyes
All-Seeing Eye
All-Seeing Eye on North American Good Luck Coin
cat's eye shell
eye-in-hand amulets
To order an Ojo de Venado Charm from the Lucky Mojo
Curio Co.
CLICK HERE
|
copyright © 1995-2003 catherine yronwode. All rights reserved.
Send your comments to: cat yronwode.
|
|
|
Did you like what you read here? Find it useful?
Then please click on the Paypal Secure Server logo and make a
small
donation to catherine yronwode for the
creation and maintenance of this site.
|
|
LUCKY MOJO is a large domain that is organized into a number of
interlinked web sites, each with its own distinctive theme and look.
You are currently reading
THE LUCKY W AMULET ARCHIVE by cat yronwode.
Here are some other LUCKY MOJO web sites you can visit:
|
OCCULTISM, MAGIC SPELLS, MYSTICISM, RELIGION, SYMBOLISM
Hoodoo in Theory and Practice by cat yronwode:
an introduction to African-American rootwork
Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic by cat yronwode:
a materia magica of African-American conjure
Lucky W Amulet Archive by cat yronwode:
an online museum of worldwide talismans and charms
Sacred Sex:
essays and articles on tantra yoga, neo-tantra, karezza, sex magic, and sex worship
Sacred Landscape:
essays and articles on archaeoastronomy and sacred geometry
Freemasonry for Women by cat yronwode:
a history of mixed-gender Freemasonic lodges
The Lucky Mojo Esoteric Archive:
captured internet text files on occult and spiritual topics
Lucky Mojo Usenet FAQ Archive:
FAQs and REFs for occult and magical usenet newsgroups
Aleister Crowley Text Archive:
a multitude of texts by an early 20th century occultist
Lucky Mojo Magic Spells Archives:
love spells, money spells, luck spells, protection spells, and more
Free Love Spell Archive
love spells, attraction spells, sex magick, romance spells, and lust spells
Free Money Spell Archive
money spells, prosperity spells, and wealth spells for job and business
Free Protection Spell Archive
protection spells against witchcraft, jinxes, hexes, and the evil eye
Free Gambling Luck Spell Archive
lucky gambling spells for the lottery, casinos, and races
POPULAR CULTURE
Hoodoo and Blues Lyrics:
transcriptions of blues songs about African-American folk magic
EaRhEaD!'S Syd Barrett Lyrics Site:
lyrics by the founder of the Pink Floyd Sound
The Lesser Book of the Vishanti:
Dr. Strange Comics as a magical system, by cat yronwode
The Spirit Checklist:
a 1940s newspaper comic book by Will Eisner, indexed by cat yronwode
Fit to Print:
collected weekly columns about comics and pop culture by cat yronwode
Eclipse Comics Index:
a list of all Eclipse comics, albums, and trading cards
ONLINE SHOPPING
The Lucky Mojo Curio Co.:
spiritual supplies for hoodoo, magick, witchcraft, and conjure
Hoodoo Rootwork Correspondence Course
with cat yronwode: 52 weekly lessons by email
Comics Warehouse:
back-issue catalogue of Claypool comics and albums
PERSONAL SITES
catherine yronwode:
the eclectic and eccentric author of many of the above web pages
nagasiva yronwode:
tyaginator, nigris (333), nocTifer, lorax666, boboroshi, !
Liselotte Erlanger Glozer:
illustrated articles on collectible vintage postcards
Jackie Payne: Shades of Blues:
a San Francisco Bay Area blues singer
ADMINISTRATIVE
Lucky Mojo Site Map:
the home page for the whole Lucky Mojo electron-pile
All the Pages:
descriptive named links to about 1,000 top-level Lucky Mojo web pages
How to Contact Us:
we welcome feedback and suggestions regarding maintenance of this site
Make a Donation:
please send us a small Paypal donation to keep us in bandwidth and macs!
SEARCH ALL OF LUCKY MOJO
There are 6,000 web pages at Lucky Mojo. You can search
for a single word (like mojo, hoodoo, pagan, or magick) or
an exact phrase (like love spells, witchcraft supplies, or rootwork course):
OTHER SITES OF INTEREST
Yronwode Family:
www.yronwode.com, the home page for the Yronwode family
Garden of Joy Blues:
www.gardenofjoyblues.com, former hippie commune in the Missouri Ozarks
Satan Service:
www.satanservice.org, theory, practice, and history of Satanism and Satanists