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
How to Pray to Santa Muerte
Prayer is one of the ways that we acknowledge Santa Muerte to show that we are devoted to her and wish to build a relationship with her. Prayer, however, is a deeply personal process, and there is no right or wrong way to do it. Most religions have some physical method of prayer, like the Christians who clasp their hands and lower their heads, or the Muslims who kneel and bow, but there is no doctrine for Santa Muerte devotees which dictates how devotees must pray to her.
Remember that Santa Muerte accepts us all, and this includes those of us who follow one religion or another. Because of this, devotees of Santa Muerte who are also followers of a particular religion may pray to Santa Muerte using the rules of prayer dictated by their own religion. This is why it is common to see Santa Muerte devotees in Mexico, which is a Catholic majority country, praying to Santa Muerte in much the way that Catholics pray to Jesus and the Virgin Mary.
For those devotees who are not members of organized religions, or those who wish to leave their old religions behind, prayer to Santa Muerte is not something you should overthink. A simple way to pray to Santa Muerte is to close the eyes and speak the words which you want Santa Muerte to hear - the words may be spoken aloud, as whispers, or in your own head the way you might talk to yourself.
Prayer is a good way to ask the Santa Muerte for favors, and many Santa Muerte petition rituals will often involve some element of prayer, but getting something should not be the only reason why you pray. It is also possible to pray to Santa Muerte without asking for anything at all in return. For example, you could offer prayers of thanks for the blessings which Santa Muerte bestows on you, like the blessing of each day you are allowed to live, or prayers of invitation, like inviting Santa Muerte to be next to you on your morning walk.
What you decide to pray to Santa Muerte is also up to you. Some devotees make a plan for what they want to pray about, and others simply improvise as they go along. The prayers you recite may be poetic or conversational, they may be your own original words or words written by another person, like the prayers I share on my own website, SantaMuerteMagick.com. A prayer may be a single sentence, like, “I love you, Santa Muerte,” or an entire collection of prayers, like the Santa Muerte Rosary, which is shared in the next chapter, and which can take up to a half hour to recite from beginning to end.
When you pray to Santa Muerte, the last piece of advice I have is to acknowledge the Santa Muerte in your prayer, so your intention of communicating with Santa Muerte is made clear. This can be accomplished the same way you might begin a letter to a friend, by acknowledging the friend by name at the top of the letter. In other words, you can start your prayer to Santa Muerte by simply saying, “Santa Muerte,” and then continuing with whatever you want to say. You may also put your acknowledgement of Santa Muerte at the end of the prayer, by reciting something like “Thank you Santa Muerte,” or even, “In your name, Santa Muerte, amen.”
Remember that Santa Muerte accepts us all, and this includes those of us who follow one religion or another. Because of this, devotees of Santa Muerte who are also followers of a particular religion may pray to Santa Muerte using the rules of prayer dictated by their own religion. This is why it is common to see Santa Muerte devotees in Mexico, which is a Catholic majority country, praying to Santa Muerte in much the way that Catholics pray to Jesus and the Virgin Mary.
For those devotees who are not members of organized religions, or those who wish to leave their old religions behind, prayer to Santa Muerte is not something you should overthink. A simple way to pray to Santa Muerte is to close the eyes and speak the words which you want Santa Muerte to hear - the words may be spoken aloud, as whispers, or in your own head the way you might talk to yourself.
Prayer is a good way to ask the Santa Muerte for favors, and many Santa Muerte petition rituals will often involve some element of prayer, but getting something should not be the only reason why you pray. It is also possible to pray to Santa Muerte without asking for anything at all in return. For example, you could offer prayers of thanks for the blessings which Santa Muerte bestows on you, like the blessing of each day you are allowed to live, or prayers of invitation, like inviting Santa Muerte to be next to you on your morning walk.
What you decide to pray to Santa Muerte is also up to you. Some devotees make a plan for what they want to pray about, and others simply improvise as they go along. The prayers you recite may be poetic or conversational, they may be your own original words or words written by another person, like the prayers I share on my own website, SantaMuerteMagick.com. A prayer may be a single sentence, like, “I love you, Santa Muerte,” or an entire collection of prayers, like the Santa Muerte Rosary, which is shared in the next chapter, and which can take up to a half hour to recite from beginning to end.
When you pray to Santa Muerte, the last piece of advice I have is to acknowledge the Santa Muerte in your prayer, so your intention of communicating with Santa Muerte is made clear. This can be accomplished the same way you might begin a letter to a friend, by acknowledging the friend by name at the top of the letter. In other words, you can start your prayer to Santa Muerte by simply saying, “Santa Muerte,” and then continuing with whatever you want to say. You may also put your acknowledgement of Santa Muerte at the end of the prayer, by reciting something like “Thank you Santa Muerte,” or even, “In your name, Santa Muerte, amen.”