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
Introduction
The Santa Muerte, as she is known today, is a relatively new phenomenon. Despite the fact that the number of her devotees continues to grow, there remains to be much confusion over how to practically approach Santa Muerte. As someone who owns a website dedicated to the practice of Santa Muerte magick (www.SantaMuerteMagick.com), I get emails all the time from people asking me whether or not the urban legends they’ve heard are true. Many of the emails I get come from people who seem genuinely scared about approaching the Santa Muerte, and some who want to know whether or not they will be doomed to some terrible fate after asking the Santa Muerte for help. Personally, I think the Santa Muerte is the kindest, most loving energy you could ever approach.
I first met the Santa Muerte in Tijuana, Mexico, where I lived for many years, between 2016 and 2022. My mother had retired to the border city, and after visiting the city for myself, I decided to stay (I was a bit of a nomad at the time). It was during the first couple of days of my arrival in Tijuana that I noticed all the depictions of what I mistakenly believed to be the Grim Reaper. I asked my mother about the depictions, and she proceeded to explain to me that the statues and altars of the cloaked skeleton were not the Grim Reaper, but the Santa Muerte, or Saint Death, a Mexican folk saint with the power to destroy whatever stands in the way of what you want.
I was immediately fascinated. I devoured any information I could find on the saint. I purchased Spanish language booklets sold in the local botanicas (spiritual supply shops), and visited her public altars to watch how the locals interacted with the Skeleton Saint, as she is sometimes called. I read any book and watched any video that I could find about her. The more I learned, the more I came to love and understand the Santa Muerte. Eventually I found myself joining the locals by making offerings at the public altars, and even constructing a personal altar of my own in the Tijuana apartment where I lived.
During the time that I was living in Tijuana, I worked primarily as a freelance writer for American businesses in need of marketing and blog content. When I would make offerings to the Santa Muerte, I would ask that she smile upon my efforts in business and that she would send me clients who would buy my work. Today, most of what I write is dedicated to spreading knowledge about the Santa Muerte, and helping people understand her as much as possible. I like to think that the Santa Muerte saw promise in my abilities as a writer and decided to put me to work as a writer for her growing community of devotees.
Which brings me to this book that you’re reading right now.
This book was inspired by all the questions I’ve received through my website. Hopefully it does a good job of answering some of the questions you might have, and gives you a foundation from which you can start on your own path of Santa Muerte devotion.
I first met the Santa Muerte in Tijuana, Mexico, where I lived for many years, between 2016 and 2022. My mother had retired to the border city, and after visiting the city for myself, I decided to stay (I was a bit of a nomad at the time). It was during the first couple of days of my arrival in Tijuana that I noticed all the depictions of what I mistakenly believed to be the Grim Reaper. I asked my mother about the depictions, and she proceeded to explain to me that the statues and altars of the cloaked skeleton were not the Grim Reaper, but the Santa Muerte, or Saint Death, a Mexican folk saint with the power to destroy whatever stands in the way of what you want.
I was immediately fascinated. I devoured any information I could find on the saint. I purchased Spanish language booklets sold in the local botanicas (spiritual supply shops), and visited her public altars to watch how the locals interacted with the Skeleton Saint, as she is sometimes called. I read any book and watched any video that I could find about her. The more I learned, the more I came to love and understand the Santa Muerte. Eventually I found myself joining the locals by making offerings at the public altars, and even constructing a personal altar of my own in the Tijuana apartment where I lived.
During the time that I was living in Tijuana, I worked primarily as a freelance writer for American businesses in need of marketing and blog content. When I would make offerings to the Santa Muerte, I would ask that she smile upon my efforts in business and that she would send me clients who would buy my work. Today, most of what I write is dedicated to spreading knowledge about the Santa Muerte, and helping people understand her as much as possible. I like to think that the Santa Muerte saw promise in my abilities as a writer and decided to put me to work as a writer for her growing community of devotees.
Which brings me to this book that you’re reading right now.
This book was inspired by all the questions I’ve received through my website. Hopefully it does a good job of answering some of the questions you might have, and gives you a foundation from which you can start on your own path of Santa Muerte devotion.