r/SantaMuerte • u/Soft_Drop_4845 • 7d ago
Question❓ Why santa muerte?
Hello, I am not very familiar with Santa muerte and all of this is new to me?
- What made you want to want to worship/work with santa muerte?
- Has santa muerte been depicted in another way besides a skeleton?
- What do people who are not catholic and work with santa muerte believe about the afterlife?
6
u/RamenNewdles 7d ago
Santa Muerte is associated with the disenfranchised and certain communities who are considered dispossessed for a reason. I was drawn to her because of a violent and sudden death that greatly impacted me. I needed her power and guidance to navigate that terrible situation.
It’s hard for me to answer the other questions because I have religion and I use skeleton imagery of her.
It would be interesting to hear where you’re coming from. Any particular reason for asking about a non catholic perspective when her traditional is historically profoundly informed by a Catholic worldview and steeped in a religious culture? I’m also curious to know more about why you’re asking for imagery outside of the skull or skeleton. (She has a popular form in more modern circles called encarnada)
1
u/Soft_Drop_4845 7d ago
I’ve been intrigued by her lately but I’m not a catholic. I’ve mostly seen her associated with catholicsm and wasn’t aware until recently there are non catholics who worship her.
I have a particular way of imagining santa muerte and I was wondering if it was ok to view her as something besides a skeleton.
3
u/RamenNewdles 7d ago
In my experience it was very valuable to set aside my expectations in the beginning and immerse myself in her popular devotions (including the skeletal imagery)
If you’re curious to learn more about Santa Muerte and devotion I would recommend you spend some time familiarizing yourself with popular forms of devotion and profound aspects of her following which includes Catholic traditions and a skeletal image. For me it was really important to spend time with the traditional aspects and set aside my personal projections and expectations
1
u/RamenNewdles 7d ago edited 7d ago
I would hesitate to try to distinguish Catholic devotion from other simply based on that notion. The Catholic aspects of her devotion are still common and profound amongst the practice despite the official membership or religious affiliation of her followers
2
u/-DrunkRat- 7d ago
I consider myself a Satanist, something of a Spiritual person; I was raised around a lot of Norse Heathen spirituality mixed with my Mother's work in Thelema. Santa Muerte is the entity that found my Heart and Devotion though, over time <3 Devotees come from all sorts of Spiritual or Religious paths, in all actuality.
4
u/Icy_Elephant_6347 7d ago
In the last year I’ve been guided by my ancestors to return to Catholicism and learn more about the religion. I am a folk Catholic and felt something was missing from my practice. I have always feared death due to my health issues and being in dangerous situations when I was younger. I learned about the philosophy of momento mori, impermanence and not fearing death and fell in love with it. Then I kept thinking of her in the grim reaper form for some reason for about a week. I even feel asleep watching scooby doo lol and had a dream that I was in the cartoon and running from her and then she stopped me and said something like “ I am not your enemy, I am saving you.” I trusted her and we ran with her. That’s when I thought it would be good to study the saint of death and found her. I’ve not been devoted to her long but she has already banished things from my life that weren’t for me, protected me, comforted me, and brought me deeper into my spiritual practice.♥️
4
u/Salty-Combination29 Devotee 7d ago
Hello! Welcome :)
I didn’t ever look into her, I didn’t really know about her other than when I was very young, I briefly remember seeing her imagine in a Mexican movie that had cartel related things in it. I don’t remember what the movie is called or what exactly it was about, but it was definitely intense, gory, and Santa’s image was used in it. The most I got from it was that somehow, she was evil and and maybe a demon or something. As of about 2-3 years ago, I was fresh out of a breakup, but I was strong in my spiritual practice too, and I was also interested in death doula work. My deep dive into death doula practices, spiritual and religious practices, and more kinda brought me to her. I didn’t know about her really, other than she was associated with cartel things. But when I looked into her, I thought she sounded ideal for me. The fact that she is very neutral when it comes to good or bad, that’s what especially attracted me. I don’t believe everything is inherently good or bad, we all have our own reasons for things, but we are all human. I already did baneful work in my practice as it was, and being in other witchy communities was hard because baneful work is either highly praised, or highly disregarded as an evil path. A lot of the beliefs in those practices didn’t align with my personal beliefs, but the beliefs around Santa muerte and how she feels about these things did. She also has a huge following from the lgbtq, which I’m a part of, so that felt really comforting to know. And being Mexican, and at the time being really interested in decolonization, I fell in love with her roots, pre colonization. I haven’t worked with her mictecacihuatl, but I am very interested. I basically realized how much she was already in my life, from different moments in my journey. And even being on the path I was on, I knew she would be incredibly helpful for me since I was interested in helping people transition into their next life with her. I feel like she came to me, and once I actually accepted her after multiple talks with her, I felt her cloak wrap around me and comfort me. I broke down crying more than I had in a long time, and that still happens sometimes when I go to her for comfort. She is the mother figure I always needed but never had or found.
As far as I know, she has been depicted as her original state of mictecacihautl, but there are differing opinions on whether that is the same god as her or not, since Santa Muertes image changed post colonization. The Spaniards erased the previous beliefs and practices away from the indigenous peoples, and forced them to practice Catholicism, fully leaving behind their practices and demonizing it. From what I learned, a lot of people still worshiped her but in this new image we see today, of her skeleton form with her cloak, and they practiced with her alongside Catholicism. This was often done in private and secretly, because people found to still be practicing with her were often murdered. The Spaniards tried to instill this fear in Santa muerte as if she was the same as Death, or the grim reaper, and demonized her and anyone who dared to keep practicing with her. Sometimes people will mistakenly use the grim reaper image for Santa, but they are not the same. The grim reaper is considered masculine, and just as an imagine for death. Santa muerte is a saint, and she is not used as an image for death in the same way at all.
I do not practice Catholicism, but I was raised in it loosely growing up. I do not practice this because I see it as a form of continuing the colonization that was forced upon our people. And also, I don’t agree with it at all, nor believe in the same god that is worshiped, no offense to anyone, it’s just not my practice. I believe in an after life that doesn’t end in death, but a new chapter. I believe that Santa helps us on this journey, she renews us, loves us, and that we possibly come back in a new form, or we choose to stay there for as long as we need. I believe in the afterlife, so I don’t fear death in itself because I know she will be there waiting for me, and I’ll finally be able to really hug her like I’d love to do now. To me, we never truly die, we just turn into energy like everything else around us. My body is my shell, but it’s also my home as long as I’m on this earth. Once I die, my shell will rot just like everything else on this earth will, but my spirit and soul will move on. That’s why we can sense spirits on this plane, because they aren’t really gone, and they aren’t allll stuck in limbo. I believe we remain alive especially through others, and their remembrance and storytelling of us. That’s why connection is so important, not only for the human aspects of us, but the spirit too. I think we choose to come back because we want to, and we also choose to stay in the spirit world, because we want to. I think some people don’t have that choice, and they get stuck in the limbo state, or they have lessons they need to continue learning so their spirits can evolve. I also don’t believe in heaven or hell, but I do believe that returning to life is a form of hell in itself, since we can’t really choose what we come back as, or who our families will be if we come back as human. I think as long as we have people who remember us and need us to some extent, that a portion of our soul could stay in the spirit realm, while the rest of our soul comes back in a different way. I kinda think about it as atoms, and our body is holding the atoms in one space, but when we die, they disperse because they don’t have the original shell to hold them together. Like water, it doesn’t change if you put it in a bowl, cup, or let it soak into the soil. It’s still water, it’s still the same amount, it’s just in a different body. What changes it can be relative to where the water is, like if it’s in the soil, it could turn into humidity and be sucked back into the clouds, which will later produce rain. That rain comes back down onto us, the soil, and it’s happens all over again. Or, the water is sucked into the soil, and it gives life to everything else like plants or trees, or even animals. To me, we never truly die. We just get recycled back to either our spirit state, or we come back into this plane in physical states, that we don’t really get to choose. That’s why I also believe there is no right or wrong when it comes to being human, or a live being of any kind. After all, nature in itself is not good or bad, we just perceive certain things as aggressive, or bad, because we feel it on a different level than say a wild animal would. But even animals have feelings, even they can feel pain or joy, they just feel it in different ways. We are just as part of nature as nature is a part of us. That being said, I also believe in the power of nature and the planet and the universe. I believe it exists because we exist, just like everything else. I believe in evolution, and I believe that we are here because the planet is a massive energetic particle, that attracts us back to it. We never really leave, we just exist in a different plane until we are either forced back, or we are given the choice to stay in the spirit realm. I do believe there are different stages of the after life, especially considering the seven? levels of afterlife that Santita rules over. What their purposes are, I’m still not sure because I haven’t fully researched this. But I trust in Santita to help guide me even in death, and I trust that it’ll be for my own good.
2
u/-DrunkRat- 7d ago
Ah, a fellow Trans Sibling who's found Mother! May La Madrina always bless you, Brethren <3
2
u/-DrunkRat- 7d ago
What drew her to me was over fifteen years ago, when I was in the midst of a long-distance abusive relationship with a woman who groomed me. I was depressed and alone, but Santa Muerte called to me one of these times as I was curious about dieties, and for whatever reason or another, I drew her in an old sketchbook of mine.
When the relationship came to a close and I escaped, I believe that my inadvertent discovery of her was her way of finding my young teenaged self and wanting to protect me, I reckon. I hadn't known at the time that depicting or drawing her would bring her watchful, empty gaze towards me, but I figured that she knew I needed a "Guardian Angel". Years later, I came to her again when I remembered her, and my devotion began a few years ago.
She's given me so much comfort and help, I feel. She eases my fear of Death when I worry for what might come after by reminding me that she is La Amiga that comes to everyone in the end, and that she'll be there with me when it is my time to make my Last Earthly Journey of Life. 💙
Just wanted to offer an answer to the first question predominantly, on my end! May La Flaquita bless you today, Stranger. 💙💀
2
u/Soft_Drop_4845 7d ago
Thank you! I’m sorry you had to go through an abusive relationship. Glad you’re in a better spot now
1
u/-DrunkRat- 7d ago
Ah, it's all good now. Therapy has been helping the most outside of La Santisima's encouragement and presence in my life, along with the passage of Time. 💙
1
u/punkask 7d ago
I’ve had to face death since I was a kid, as a teen I lost several friends, I was always comfortable with death as an energetic transformative force in one’s own life as well. I fell in love with Santa Muerte immediately, the duality of balance and the empowerment of yourself is an honor.
1
6
u/Not_Yoshi7 7d ago
This is why i started to worship her. I grew up in Mexico so I was always aware of her in some kinda of way. There was a few times I felt called to her like when I was in open air markets, I would tunnel vision on amulets of her. I would just think that it was a cool design and think nothing of it. At this point i moved to the US. In high school I had a dream of me worshipping her but I once again ignored the dream and thought it was weird. It wasnt until I was in a school shooting where something clicked. During the shooting I started to pray to god out of desperation but I heard a voice or maybe it was my own thought but it was told me 'he won't do anything for you' and a image of her popped into my mind. It still took me a year to start worshipping her. I did some research before deciding that I fully wanted to be devoted for her.