Breaks and Cracks in Santa Muerte Magick

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In Mexico, where reverence for the Santa Muerte as we know it today was born, it's common to see people wearing any number of Santa Muerte amulets, bracelets, and other jewelry. It's also common for devotees to set up altars to the Santa Muerte in their homes. Where reverence for the Santa Muerte is high, local devotees have developed meanings for when seemingly bad things happen to their Santa Muerte items. In this article, we discuss what it means when damage occurs to a Santa Muerte amulet, charm, statue, figurine, or offering candle.

A Sign of Defense

Traditions vary, but my mother taught me that broken jewelry, or jewlery lost while you're wearing it, is a sign that the Santa Muerte has defended you against a curse or hex. Much like a plate of body armor will crack or break when struck by heavy impact (which is a sign that the plate worked to absorb shock from the impact), so too will your Santa Muerte jewelry break upon impact from negative energy. The same is true of statues and figurines that suffer breaks or cracks.

Repair, Make New, or Trash

If damage occurs to your Santa Muerte amulet, charm, statue, or figurine - and if you still have the item in your possession - you can either repair it, cannibalize it to make something new, or simply treat the item as regular trash. There is nothing disrespectful about throwing something away that bears the image of Santa Muerte. The Santa Muerte is death itself and understands wholeheartedly that all physical vessels are eventually discarded. After all, the power and blessings which Santa Muerte bestows upon us do not come from physical charms, her power and blessings come from the relationships that we hold with her in our hearts.

Good Practice

When you discover a break or crack in one of your pieces of Santa Muerte paraphernalia, you may find it good practice to make a special offering to Santa Muerte upon your altar to thank her for using her magick to protect you from negative influences.

Breaks and Cracks in Candles

The same is true of candles upon your altar. Remember that Santa Muerte is not a creation deity - she's the personification of death itself, and therefore can only kill, not create. When we petition Santa Muerte, we're not asking her to manifest our desires, we're asking her to kill the challenges and roadblocks keeping us from what we want. When a candle upon our Santa Muerte altar breaks or cracks, many devotees believe it's a sign that Santa Muerte is actively working to destroy the roadblocks standing in our way. Extinguish the candle and discard like normal. Light another candle on your Santa Muerte altar to finish the original working or offering. If the new candle burns completely without breaking or cracking, then consider the work done. Continue lighting new candles until one burns completely without breaking or cracking.