13 Magick Seals of Santa Muerte
Digital Web Book by Arnold Bustillo
Buy the paperback at https://amzn.to/3NNPAC8
Digital Web Book by Arnold Bustillo
Buy the paperback at https://amzn.to/3NNPAC8
Introduction
The concept for this book was inspired by another book, called “Los Siete Sellos Sagrados de la Santa Muerte”, which translates to The Seven Sacred Seals of Holy Death. I first saw that book, “Los Siete Sellos...”, for sale in the local botanicas (spiritual supply shops), of Tijuana, Mexico, where I have lived for several years. It was a thin book, sold for around 5 US dollars, that gave instructions for using seven magick seals created in the name of Santa Muerte. I was instantly drawn to the book, and the idea of incorporating seals into the practice of Santa Muerte magick, but the book was not perfect.
For starters, the book was only published in Spanish, which I admit is not a fault in and of itself, but it did make me think that there was an entire audience of English speaking devotees out there that was missing out on the concept of Santa Muerte magick seals. The second issue I had with the book was the way it incorporated Catholic language and undertones. While it is true that many devotees of Santa Muerte identify as Catholic, the fact is that many devotees do not. Many identify as members of other religions, or as in my case, identify with no religion at all. Finally, the seals shared in “Los Siete Sellos...” were not easy to reproduce by hand, because the detail in the images was either too complex, or sometimes difficult to discern. If you wanted to use any of the magick seals shared in that book, you needed to either cut them from the pages of the book, or create a photocopy.
The purpose of this book, which you now hold in your hands, is to improve on the shortcomings which I identified in “Los Siete Sellos...”. First, this book is written for my English speaking audience, because English is my first language, and the only language in which I truly feel comfortable communicating.
All references to Catholicism have been removed, because I want to continue spreading the idea that Santa Muerte, or Holy Death, is for everyone, not just Catholics, and not just those who are religious. I know that Santa Muerte is for everyone because Santa Muerte accepts us all, evidenced by the fact that Santa Muerte, as death itself, will one day come for us all.
The seals shared in this book are also very simple in design. Each of these seals was created with the intent of making them as easy to understand and recreate as possible - whether you want to draw them on paper, paint them on a wall, trace them in powder on the floor, or scratch them into the dirt.
In all of the books that I have written about Santa Muerte magick, accessibility has always been top of mind - in other words, I want to make it as easy as possible for anyone who reads my work, no matter their personal circumstance or financial situation, to feel as if they too can perform magick in the name of Santa Muerte. One thing I like about the idea of magick seals is that they are very accessible. You do not need lots of money, time, experience, space, or privacy to create and place a magick seal.
As I have said from the beginning of my career as a writer for Santa Muerte, there is no wrong way to petition Santa Muerte. As long as you can clearly convey your intent in your magick petition, then you have just as much chance of getting what you want from Santa Muerte as anybody else. The use of magick seals is not the only way to create a petition. In my first book, “Santa Muerte Prayer Magick,” I shared a method for petitioning based entirely on the power of prayer alone. In my second book, “Santa Muerte Devotion 101,” I shared a more elaborate system of petitioning, incorporating herbs, candles, color symbolism, and magick prayers. In this book I share another system, another tool for your magickal toolbox, which you are free to adopt, adapt, or simply set aside. What all these systems have in common is that they are designed to convey your intent, to make your request to Santa Muerte as clear as possible. The system you decide to employ for the goal you want to achieve will depend on your personal preferences and the resources you have available. If Santa Muerte accepts us all, then by extension she also accepts all of the magickal systems and methods which her devotees choose to use in order to practice magick in her name.
Ultimately, the tools we use to convey our intent - be they magick seals, magick prayers, herbs, candles, et cetera - have no inherent magick power. The magick comes from Santa Muerte directly, by virtue of the relationship we have with her. She interprets our intent, and then decides whether or not to grant what we seek. In my experience, the more you build your relationship with Santa Muerte, the more you are likely to notice success in your practice of Santa Muerte magick. And all you need to form and build a relationship with Santa Muerte is to acknowledge her, to pray to her, to offer time and attention to her, to make petitions to her, and to embrace her presence in your life.
While the idea of Santa Muerte magick seals was inspired by previous authors, the designs and suggestions for creating and utilizing each seal presented in this book are my own work, based on my general knowledge of magick and my experience as a Santa Muerte devotee. Please understand that any suggestions I provide are not exhaustive, and you should feel free to come up with new and creative ways to make and use these seals in your own practice.
For starters, the book was only published in Spanish, which I admit is not a fault in and of itself, but it did make me think that there was an entire audience of English speaking devotees out there that was missing out on the concept of Santa Muerte magick seals. The second issue I had with the book was the way it incorporated Catholic language and undertones. While it is true that many devotees of Santa Muerte identify as Catholic, the fact is that many devotees do not. Many identify as members of other religions, or as in my case, identify with no religion at all. Finally, the seals shared in “Los Siete Sellos...” were not easy to reproduce by hand, because the detail in the images was either too complex, or sometimes difficult to discern. If you wanted to use any of the magick seals shared in that book, you needed to either cut them from the pages of the book, or create a photocopy.
The purpose of this book, which you now hold in your hands, is to improve on the shortcomings which I identified in “Los Siete Sellos...”. First, this book is written for my English speaking audience, because English is my first language, and the only language in which I truly feel comfortable communicating.
All references to Catholicism have been removed, because I want to continue spreading the idea that Santa Muerte, or Holy Death, is for everyone, not just Catholics, and not just those who are religious. I know that Santa Muerte is for everyone because Santa Muerte accepts us all, evidenced by the fact that Santa Muerte, as death itself, will one day come for us all.
The seals shared in this book are also very simple in design. Each of these seals was created with the intent of making them as easy to understand and recreate as possible - whether you want to draw them on paper, paint them on a wall, trace them in powder on the floor, or scratch them into the dirt.
In all of the books that I have written about Santa Muerte magick, accessibility has always been top of mind - in other words, I want to make it as easy as possible for anyone who reads my work, no matter their personal circumstance or financial situation, to feel as if they too can perform magick in the name of Santa Muerte. One thing I like about the idea of magick seals is that they are very accessible. You do not need lots of money, time, experience, space, or privacy to create and place a magick seal.
As I have said from the beginning of my career as a writer for Santa Muerte, there is no wrong way to petition Santa Muerte. As long as you can clearly convey your intent in your magick petition, then you have just as much chance of getting what you want from Santa Muerte as anybody else. The use of magick seals is not the only way to create a petition. In my first book, “Santa Muerte Prayer Magick,” I shared a method for petitioning based entirely on the power of prayer alone. In my second book, “Santa Muerte Devotion 101,” I shared a more elaborate system of petitioning, incorporating herbs, candles, color symbolism, and magick prayers. In this book I share another system, another tool for your magickal toolbox, which you are free to adopt, adapt, or simply set aside. What all these systems have in common is that they are designed to convey your intent, to make your request to Santa Muerte as clear as possible. The system you decide to employ for the goal you want to achieve will depend on your personal preferences and the resources you have available. If Santa Muerte accepts us all, then by extension she also accepts all of the magickal systems and methods which her devotees choose to use in order to practice magick in her name.
Ultimately, the tools we use to convey our intent - be they magick seals, magick prayers, herbs, candles, et cetera - have no inherent magick power. The magick comes from Santa Muerte directly, by virtue of the relationship we have with her. She interprets our intent, and then decides whether or not to grant what we seek. In my experience, the more you build your relationship with Santa Muerte, the more you are likely to notice success in your practice of Santa Muerte magick. And all you need to form and build a relationship with Santa Muerte is to acknowledge her, to pray to her, to offer time and attention to her, to make petitions to her, and to embrace her presence in your life.
While the idea of Santa Muerte magick seals was inspired by previous authors, the designs and suggestions for creating and utilizing each seal presented in this book are my own work, based on my general knowledge of magick and my experience as a Santa Muerte devotee. Please understand that any suggestions I provide are not exhaustive, and you should feel free to come up with new and creative ways to make and use these seals in your own practice.