Eyeliner as a Sacred Ritual
Cosmetics, protection and devotion to the Goddess.
I first started wearing eyeliner when I was thirteen years young. Lipstick was not yet allowed, but eyeliner was. Those Bollywood movies inspired me. I loved watching the beautiful Indian women adorn their faces, their eyes becoming more expressive with every dark line. There was something mystical about it that fascinated me long before I had the words to explain why.
Ten years later, I became interested in ancient Egypt. Learning about the protective meaning of eye paint gave me a different understanding of something I had been doing for years. Unconsciously, I had begun my mornings with a ritual.
For some people, it was pure vanity. Somewhere within myself, I knew it meant more.
Beauty as Protection
Cosmetics have carried protective meaning across different cultures. In ancient Egypt, eye paint belonged to a world in which caring for the body and protecting it from harmful influences were closely connected. A surviving kohl container bears the image of Bes, a protective god whose appearance was intended to repel the supernatural forces believed to cause eye disease. Even the vessel holding the makeup carried a protective presence.
In Indian traditions, kajal has also been associated with protection against the evil eye. A dark mark could be applied with the intention of shielding someone from a harmful gaze. The same pigment that defined the eyes could carry a wish for protection.
I find that connection fascinating. The eyes are where we meet the world, where we look and are looked at. To place a dark line around them can hold meaning beyond the appearance it creates.
Those Bollywood eyes that captivated me as a girl eventually led me towards a much older relationship between beauty, ritual and protection.
Building a Relationship With Hathor
In my early thirties, I began building a relationship with Hathor, the Egyptian Goddess of joy, music and dance. I came to know her as Mother of Mothers, a presence I felt drawn to through my love of beauty, movement and the pleasure of being alive.
When I had her tattooed on my body, that relationship became something I carried on my skin.
Hathor’s connection with cosmetics made this bond even more meaningful to me. Mirrors and cosmetic palettes were offered to her, and adorning oneself could be a form of worship. Beauty belonged within her sacred world, alongside love, fertility, music and pleasure.
An Armor of Beauty
There was a period in my life when I decided to stop wearing makeup. My sister saw a vulnerability in me and reminded me: “Your eyeliner is your protection.” Her words brought me back to something I recognised instinctively.
My eyeliner carries a feeling of familiarity and protection. As I apply it, I intensify my gaze. I feel at home in that energy. There is something intimate about deciding how I will meet the world. My eyeliner is definitely an armour I have made my own.
With Love,
Mara Michels