Los Aluxes: Mysterious Mini-Creatures of the Forest

Are there such entities as inter-demensional beings? Is there a way to interact with them? Do they have special abilities and perhaps an important role in the lives of us humans? Many Mayan people have heard of or claim to have seen certain magical creatures that rule the forest and farmlands, known as Los Aluxes.  They are often compared to Leprechauns, perhaps because of their small stature and clever, if not mischievous ways. They are rarely seen and very playful.

There are offerings made to them in hopes that they will not cause harm like sickness in people, especially children, and the milpa where all the food is grown.  Our friend, Edgar Peraza Chan, is the curator of X-Kansil (place of learning) Botanical Gardens in Acanceh, Yucatan and a J-Meen (traditional holistic doctor) who first brought my attention to the existence of Los Aluxes. There in the garden of 300 cataloged  medicinal plants is also a plaque dedicated to the story of the Alux.

They only come out at night and "sprout in the light of the moon." Los Aluxes demand respect and sweets. If they do not get what they want there may be problems for the people that inhabit the land where they also live by night. It is especially bad to think of them as a menace or evil. Crops can be destroyed, sickness can ensue, and the illness is both spiritual and physical including fever, etc. They prefer pozol and honey, and apparently they are easily pleased and willing to protect those who provide an offering for them.

I believe I may have witnessed their presence while aboard a night bus heading East toward Cancun's airport from Merida, Yucatan, but I didn't know then about them. Looking out into the bush I saw a softly illuminated large, rectangular area with these bright balls of light bouncing around like crazy. I think it must have been them. So far, I have never heard of them referred to as illuminated beings, but remembering that they are said to be created in moonlight, there is the possibility.

Making an offering to God, the ancestors, and Los Aluxes is perhaps the most important aspect of the job of a Mayan priest, but anyone can make an ernest offering. Being open to these ultimately beneficial entities can have a surprising effect on a connection to such mysterious phenomena.

Mal De Ojo- The Evil Eye

While enjoying an afternoon with my family at our J-Meen’s (Mayan healer) house, Don Luis, who is his son-in-law and protege, walked with me through their medicinal garden describing the uses of all the flora and fauna. There were several plants used to protect against mal de ojo.  I wasn’t sure I understood what the true translation of mal de ojo was. Bad of eye didn’t make sense to me. When I got home I went to my Spanish dictionary. It gave me: jealousy. Then it dawned on me that you could also define mal de ojo as “the evil eye.”

So I began to ponder mal de ojo as a spiritual problem I hadn’t given enough thought to before, but ought to. Physical and psychological  manifestations will result for the jealous type. For instance, studies have been done on a people experiencing jealousy, revealing that it can literally be blinding. Psychologically, someone experiencing a heightened level of jealousy can become consumed with grief, anger, and delusion, not being able to eschew the mental possession. Whether unintentional or not, mal de ojo targets a victim out of jealousy, with dark spiritual energies. Folklore says that it often happens to children, therefore they are given talismans to wear for protection.

Countless cultures around the world warn about the evil eye since antiquity, and talismans and remedies that protect against it.  The Judaic Hamsa (meaning five, thought to represent the five books of Torah) a symmetrical hand with two thumbs on either side and an eye in the middle, is often worn on a bracelet of 40 red knots. There are similar bracelets worn in Mexico called Azabache.  The evil eye is quite feared by many around the world, believing that it can cause terrible luck, sickness, and death. Another amulet used traditionally in Mexico is the ojo del venado or “eye of the deer.” It is a seed that resembles just that, and is known to have aphrodisiac, shamanic, and psychotropic properties since it contains dimethyltryptamine (DMT) as well as other alkaloids. It’s magic is usually reserved for wearing it as protection.

Our J-Meen family knew that we were victims of mal de ojo and that we were surrounded by this type of negative energy. Their way of helping us arrive at spiritual realizations such as this is not direct. It takes much discussion and gentle guiding from a healer to illuminate what the dis-ease is, what it is caused by, and how to ask God and the good spirits for aid. We have had many treatments and prayers to ward off negative energies. We burn copious amounts of copal, and wear stones such as amber, obsidian, and jade to keep evil away and our sacred energies within. The karmic repercussions of giving the evil eye are bound to play out in this small part in the drama of life. Right thought and right action are helpful tools in protecting yourself from this karmic reaction, as well as being a victim of the evil eye. In the new year and new era may God bless us so that we may be able to live out our divine purpose and help others do the same, and protect us from mal de ojo.