Santa Muerte October 2009

El Dia de los Muertos is a sacred Feast of honoring and venerating the dead at the beginning of November. Foods, drinks, candles, flowers, and more are offered to those who have passed in remembrance of both those known as ancestors, as well as those whose names are unknown.

Who is Santa Muerte?
By Myth Woodling, Wed, Oct 14, 2009

Have you heard of Santa Muerte (Saint Death), also known as La Santísima Muerte (Holy Death), La Santa (the Saint), La Madrina (the Godmother), La Huesuda (Boney Lady), La Nina Blanca (the White Girl), Querita Muerte (Beloved Death), or La Flaquita (Skinny Girl)? She is the Latina Grim Reaper, the personfication of death.

Santa Muerte is a folk saint whose popularity is steadily increasing, but her veneration is very controversal. Though she is not offically cannonized as a saint by the Catholic Church, she recieves a great deal of devotion at public and private shrines in Mexcio. During El Dia de los Muertos (November 1), she is often depicted as La Catrina, a lady who is joyously attired for the festival.

Some articles about her refer to her veneration as a Mexican "death cult" and state that her devotees include "drug lords," "prositutes," "fortune-tellers," and magicians--"especially in crime-ridden communities." Some of these articles often fail to mention that her devotees also include taxi drivers, police officers, hairdressers, and housewives. Most of her followers consider themselves good Catholics. Santa Muerte's image might be displayed on a home altar with roseries and several Catholic saints, in spite of the Catholic clergy's displeasure with her veneration.

Santa Muerte has also developed a following in the USA, usually in areas with a large Mexican population (i.e.New York, Houston, Los Angeles). She had originally moved into these areas with immigrants, but not all her devotees in the USA are Hispanic.

People pray to Santa Muerte for life-saving miracles, for love, for luck, for money, for general blessings, for protection. Or to dominate enemies. Death is a powerful figure in the world and eventually comes to all people of all classes.

The images of this popular saint can be seen on tee-shirts and tatoos. Some people refer to her as their "patron saint."

Her statues come in a varity of colors which can be used to petition different requests.

Not all sources agree of the symbolism of the colors. However, the list above seemed to agree mostly with what I read elsewhere. For example, a natural stone color La Santa Muerte or bone color La Santa Muerte was suggested by one website as being ideal for a family altar, as it would assist dealing with the everyday problems and promote harmony--rather like the Brown La Santa Muerte listed above. I got the impression that white was often used.

Interestingly, I found one website selling lots of Santisima Muerte products, including a 12" statue which was decorated with gold, purple, green, white, black, red, and blue, "7 colours for all purposes."

Some people set up an image of Santa Muerte on an altar (ofrenda) along with photos and prized possessions of their beloved dead family members and friends in honor of those deceased, as part of the observances for El Dia de los Muertos.

Other people keep an altar set up especially to Santa Muerte with her image year around.

The following advice on how to set up a Santisima Muerte altar in the home to protect your family, home, and work is by Mexica.

"How to make a Santisima Muerte Mexican Altar (Holy Death) In Your Home" by Mexica www.ehow.com/how_4650060_mexican-altar-hold-death-home.html

1. The first step is to chose a spot for you [sic] beautiful Santa Muerte altar. Now my mom has her Santa Muerte on a bookcase on the highest shelf, this signifies that the Santisima Muerte is overlooking everyone that comes in..She sees them and they see her. Her altar is in the living room.

Most commonly altars are put in places where they are easily accessible and on public display. But of course this choice is your own, just make sure the place you chose is easy for you to get to, clean up and maintain beautiful.

2. Now that you've chosen your spot for your Santisima Muerte altar, you're going to put your statue(s) in the middle of the place where you are putting all your items..If you don't have a Statue please work on getting one, it is very important that you have one. (Please see resources for where to purchase items for your altar.) Put your plaque of the Santa Muerte image in the middle for now. If you have a red or green colour cloth lay this down before you put your items.

3. Now you are going to organize you offerings for the Santa Muerte.

First off, have your glass of water next to your statue of plaque.

Next, you need a shot of glass of Tequila.

Third, your plate of offerings for the Santa Muerte, this should include rice (raw), beans (raw), chiles, fruit (apples and oranges), bread this can include tortillas and bolillos, also it is very important that you keep something sweet for your altar this can include conchas [a type of sweet roll], cookies, or Mexican candies. Please make sure that when making choices for your offerings make sure it is nothing raw like meat because the last thing you want for your lovely altar is to be buzzing with flies.

Now that you have most of your items, place your flowers for the Santa Muerte, along with other items you can have money and cons if you are asking her to help you with that or picture of family members you are praying for. Remember to always keep your altar respectful and beautiful.

Tips & Warnings

Don't forget your incense.

And your candles ... you can make really nice candle holders by using glass coke bottles and putting white stick candles in there.

Change the items in your altar weekly; you don't want anything spoiled or rotten.

Don't let just anyone touch your altar, home altars especially those of the Santa Muerte are a family altar not for the public to touch, just family.

You can use oils and special waters to clean and cleanse your altar.

Some curanderos, however, prefer to set up an altar for Santisima Muerte with certain other holy images or prayer cards of saints, including Santa Elena (St. Helena of the True Cross), Santa Marta (St. Martha of Bethany), San Cipriano (St. Cyprian), San Miguel Arcangel (Archangel Michael), San Antonio (St. Anthony the Hermit), the Cruz Santa (Holy Cross), and Jesucristo Vencedor (Jesus Christ the Conqueror).

Some claim Santisima Muerte does not like to share her altar space, but apparently, she doesn't mind sharing with the above saints, particularly San Miguel Arcangel.

To prepare the altar space area, it is suggested that one should first "clean" the place with basil water. It is necessary to choose a quiet, private place.

Other suggested adornments for the Santa Muerte's altar include pure water in a clean glass container, stones (white quartz, rose quartz), fresh flowers (red roses, yellow flowers, or white roses), red apples, white altar candles, white or different colour petition candles, and incense (although one can purchase "Santisima Muerte Incense," copal, sandalwood, or rose incense can also be used). A container of fresh cut herbs, either rosemary or rue, might be on the altar. Rosemary, an aromatic evergreen shrub with blue flowers which is associated with the Virgin Mary, seems to be associated with Santa Muerte, too. If the altar is to draw customers to a business, a pot of basil might be placed there. It is not unusual see a small container of holy water, as well.

Bread is particularly sacred--the staff of life. Thus, devotees advise some sort of bread (a small slice of bread, tortilla, or a small roll) should be on the altar. This bread must be changed often, at least once or twice a week, and it should never be simply thrown away. Ideally, the crumbs can be scattered outside under a tree or in a park for the birds.

Suggested drinks include either a glass of tequila, rum, brandy, mescal, sherry, or anisette.

It is said that Santa Muerte is fond of chocolate, which stimulates her sentimental side, therefore "it is advisable to have chocolate." Others advise a little bit of honey in a container and some forms of sweets are often suggested as Mexicana did above in ritual.

Everything should be arranged attractively on the altar as its beauty is also part of the offering honoring Santa Muerte. Basic black or white altar cloths seem to be common. None of the websites mentioned it, but it might be good idea, to keep a feather duster nearby to give the altar a quick dusting from time to time.

Judika Illes in The Encyclopaedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods and Goddesses, 2009, stated that if you petition Santa Muerte with a specific request, it is a wise practice to make her a "promesa" of something you will specially do for her. A "promesa," incidentally, can be almost anything. It can be a simple action, such as: "I will put this special honey on your altar," or "I will light a white candle to you daily for seven days." It might be more complicated, "I will recite your novena for a month," or even "I will make a pilgrimage to Mexico City to light a pair of candles at one of your public shrines." These are the same types of "promesas" made frequently to other Catholic saints.

Links to Information

"How to make a Santisima Muerte Mexican Altar (Holy Death) In Your Home" by mexica www.ehow.com

Steven Gray, "Santa Muerte: The New God in Town" Tuesday, TIME, Oct. 16, 2007 www.time.com/nation/

"BIENVENIDO A LA PAGINA DE LA SANTA MUERTE EN INTERNET" santamuerte.galeon.com

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Examples of Prayers to Santa Muerte, www.jesterbear.com/CPCholidays/

"La Santisima Muerte: Inside the Death Cult" www.krgv.com/news/local/story/La-Santisima-Muerte-Inside-the-Death-Club

"Follower of La Santisima Muerte Defending Her Faith" www.rickross.com/reference/santa_muerta/

"Paying tribute to death: Santa Muerte enjoys devout following" www.thefreelibrary.com/Paying+tribute+to+death

"Santa Muerte" www.jesterbear.com/CPCholidays/SantarMuerte.html

John Thomson, "Santisima Muerte: On the Origin and Development of a Mexican Occult Image." Journal Article Excerpt

SANTA MUERTE DE ORO

Purchase Santisima Muerte (Holy Death) products

Lucky Mojo www.luckymojo.com Mexico Santisima Muerte (Holy Death), White Resin Statuette, with Seeds As described on the web page, contents will vary; if you have a definite colour desire, please list colours below in order of your preference and we will try our best to fulfill your request. $10.00

"Santa Muerte III Padre Sings to Santa Muerte in La Lagunilla" Youtube video www.youtube.com

Photo of Santa Muerte www.jesterbear.com/CPCholidays/SamhainPhotos.html

Myth Woodling has been on the path of the Goddess since 1979. She has been active in the Maryland Neo-Pagan community since 1984 and was initiated into a Faery-Elven Wiccan tradition in 1986. When the Free Spirit Alliance, a fully democractic 501(c)(3) non-profit Pantheist organization was founded in 1986, Myth Woodling was one of its founding members. She served as its network coordinator for years as well as serving two terms as FSA president. Myth Woodling is now a member of the Chesapeake Pagan Community www.chesapeakepagans.org/, formed in 2003. In July 2007, Myth Woodling became elevated to the 2nd degree in the Protean Tradition of the Gardnerian lineage. Although she also owns a "La Santa Muerte" tee-shirt, Myth Woodling also has a rather large website focused on the "Goddess Aradia & Related Subjects" www.AradiaGoddess.com Email: jesterbear@verizon.net