🌍 Soft Practices from Around the World — Part 3 of 8
No gurus. No apps. Just quiet rituals you can keep. See all posts in the series.
In rural parts of southern Italy, a quiet tradition lived for generations:
a small ring of salt by the door.
Not formal. Not explained. Just a pinch, scattered in a soft circle —
a boundary drawn with care.
Not to keep the world out, but to invite only what’s good in.
Some believed it protected the home from the malocchio, the evil eye.
Others said it cleared the air, or kept the peace.
And some just said, “It’s what we do.”
Even without superstition, there’s something grounding in the gesture:
Pouring salt into your palm. Stepping outside. Naming your space.
Try it:
If it’s dry out, go to your front step or back door.
Take a small amount of salt in your hand — just a pinch.
Scatter it in a loose ring or line at the threshold.
As you do, take a breath and think:
Only what nourishes may enter.
Only what belongs may stay.
No need to believe in magic.
Sometimes boundaries are enough.
Let it be yours.
✨ Curious to learn more?
- Why Italians Believe in the Evil Eye (Malocchio) – My Bella Vita
