Santa Muerte Devotion 101: Answers and Explanations for Curious Readers and New Devotees
Digital Web Book by Arnold Bustillo
Buy the paperback at https://amzn.to/41gmMKg
Digital Web Book by Arnold Bustillo
Buy the paperback at https://amzn.to/41gmMKg
Are Santa Muerte Devotees Obsessed with Death?
To the inexperienced outsider, it may appear as if Santa Muerte devotees have an unnatural obsession with death. This could not be farther from the truth. Many of us may love the Halloween season above all others, and some of us might have an affinity for dark and quiet places, but the fact is that devotion to Santa Muerte is just as much about life as it is about death.
When we acknowledge death, dress it up in cloaks of different colors and adorn its altar with fruits and flowers and booze, we acknowledge the finite nature of life, which in turn reminds us to cherish whatever life we have remaining. When we are able to come to terms with the fact that everything we love about this Earth will one day come to an end, it puts us on notice that we must live life on our terms, right here and right now. We must spend as much time as we can with the people that we love, and we must spend as much time as we can indulging in life’s physical pleasures.
Devotion to Santa Muerte is about the acknowledgement of death, the facing of death head on, rather than the avoidance of it. Death is not something that can be avoided, and facing it head on can be amazingly liberating. Make no mistake, death is coming for you. Every breath you take only brings you closer to death’s final embrace. You can try to ignore this fact and pretend that you will have forever to get around to the things that make you happy, but you will only be disappointed in the end. From this point of view, it would be fair to characterize Santa Muerte devotees not as obsessed with death, but as obsessed with life.
When we acknowledge death, dress it up in cloaks of different colors and adorn its altar with fruits and flowers and booze, we acknowledge the finite nature of life, which in turn reminds us to cherish whatever life we have remaining. When we are able to come to terms with the fact that everything we love about this Earth will one day come to an end, it puts us on notice that we must live life on our terms, right here and right now. We must spend as much time as we can with the people that we love, and we must spend as much time as we can indulging in life’s physical pleasures.
Devotion to Santa Muerte is about the acknowledgement of death, the facing of death head on, rather than the avoidance of it. Death is not something that can be avoided, and facing it head on can be amazingly liberating. Make no mistake, death is coming for you. Every breath you take only brings you closer to death’s final embrace. You can try to ignore this fact and pretend that you will have forever to get around to the things that make you happy, but you will only be disappointed in the end. From this point of view, it would be fair to characterize Santa Muerte devotees not as obsessed with death, but as obsessed with life.