The Coins of Holy Death: A Tool of Divination and Magick for Santa Muerte Devotees
Digital Web Book by Arnold Bustillo
Buy the paperback at https://amzn.to/4gFqoej
Digital Web Book by Arnold Bustillo
Buy the paperback at https://amzn.to/4gFqoej
Mini Altar Made of Coins
In addition to serving as a tool for divination, the Coins of Holy Death may also be used as a mini Santa Muerte altar at which petitions for various requests can be made.
In the tradition of Santa Muerte, an altar is a representation of our relationship with Holy Death. While not technically required in order to be a devotee of Santa Muerte, many devotees choose to establish a Santa Muerte altar as a sign of their devotion and to establish a physical place where Santa Muerte can be petitioned and honored.
Altars to Santa Muerte can be as unique as the people who build them, and all you need to establish an altar is a depiction or representation of death itself. The depiction of death you choose as the anchor for your altar can be a depiction of Santa Muerte herself, wearing a cloak and carrying a scythe, or an item commonly associated with death, like a replica human skull. If you require a more subtle representation of death, you can establish a “covert” altar, that is one hidden in plain sight, anchored by a vase of dead roses, or a bowl of dead leaves. Anyone who is strapped for cash, or simply away from all available options, could draw a simple skull on a piece of paper, and use this as the foundation for an impromptu Santa Muerte altar. Again, the only thing you need to establish an altar to Holy Death is a depiction of death, and how you choose to depict death upon your altar is entirely up to you.
All this being said, the symbols which are depicted on the Coins of Holy Death make this set of 14 coins the perfect “mini-altar” or “travel altar” that can be taken anywhere and serve multiple purposes. When you are not using the coins for divination, you can rely on the images depicted on the coins to establish an altar to Santa Muerte at which you can petition, pray, and show your reverence for the Skeleton Saint.
If all that is necessary for an altar to Santa Muerte is a depiction of death, then The Skull coin serves as the perfect foundation for a mini, coin based altar. In addition to The Skull, several other coins can be incorporated in order to create the effect of a complete Santa Muerte altar, as shown in Figure 54 and Figure 55 that follow.
Coin Altar in Flower Formation:
In the tradition of Santa Muerte, an altar is a representation of our relationship with Holy Death. While not technically required in order to be a devotee of Santa Muerte, many devotees choose to establish a Santa Muerte altar as a sign of their devotion and to establish a physical place where Santa Muerte can be petitioned and honored.
Altars to Santa Muerte can be as unique as the people who build them, and all you need to establish an altar is a depiction or representation of death itself. The depiction of death you choose as the anchor for your altar can be a depiction of Santa Muerte herself, wearing a cloak and carrying a scythe, or an item commonly associated with death, like a replica human skull. If you require a more subtle representation of death, you can establish a “covert” altar, that is one hidden in plain sight, anchored by a vase of dead roses, or a bowl of dead leaves. Anyone who is strapped for cash, or simply away from all available options, could draw a simple skull on a piece of paper, and use this as the foundation for an impromptu Santa Muerte altar. Again, the only thing you need to establish an altar to Holy Death is a depiction of death, and how you choose to depict death upon your altar is entirely up to you.
All this being said, the symbols which are depicted on the Coins of Holy Death make this set of 14 coins the perfect “mini-altar” or “travel altar” that can be taken anywhere and serve multiple purposes. When you are not using the coins for divination, you can rely on the images depicted on the coins to establish an altar to Santa Muerte at which you can petition, pray, and show your reverence for the Skeleton Saint.
If all that is necessary for an altar to Santa Muerte is a depiction of death, then The Skull coin serves as the perfect foundation for a mini, coin based altar. In addition to The Skull, several other coins can be incorporated in order to create the effect of a complete Santa Muerte altar, as shown in Figure 54 and Figure 55 that follow.
Coin Altar in Flower Formation:
Figure 54 - The Flower Coin Altar
As depicted in Figure 54, seven coins from the Coins of Holy Death have been arranged to represent a mini Santa Muerte altar. At the center is The Skull coin, which serves as the foundational depiction of death which is required to establish an altar to Holy Death. Surrounding The Skull are six more coins, arranged to appear like petals on a flower, each one bearing a symbol representing items that you are very likely to find upon a full-sized Santa Muerte altar.
The top three coins show images of items which are often depicted on the body or in the hands of Santa Muerte, such as a crown, a scythe, and the scales of justice. Here, The Crown coin represents the authority which Santa Muerte has over every living life, The Scythe coin represents the power of Santa Muerte to cut the thread of life, and The Scales of Justice coin represents Santa Muerte’s role as The Great Equalizer, because we are all equal under Santa Muerte.
The bottom three coins depict images of items which are often left at Santa Muerte altars by her devotees; a flame of light, an apple, and a rose. The Flame coin represents the offering candles which devotees commonly use to petition Santa Muerte, The Apple coin represents the sweet treats which devotees offer to Santa Muerte in order to curry favor with the Death Saint, and The Rose coin represents the flowers and decorations which devotees often use to customize and beautify their altar spaces.
Coin Altar in Body Formation:
The top three coins show images of items which are often depicted on the body or in the hands of Santa Muerte, such as a crown, a scythe, and the scales of justice. Here, The Crown coin represents the authority which Santa Muerte has over every living life, The Scythe coin represents the power of Santa Muerte to cut the thread of life, and The Scales of Justice coin represents Santa Muerte’s role as The Great Equalizer, because we are all equal under Santa Muerte.
The bottom three coins depict images of items which are often left at Santa Muerte altars by her devotees; a flame of light, an apple, and a rose. The Flame coin represents the offering candles which devotees commonly use to petition Santa Muerte, The Apple coin represents the sweet treats which devotees offer to Santa Muerte in order to curry favor with the Death Saint, and The Rose coin represents the flowers and decorations which devotees often use to customize and beautify their altar spaces.
Coin Altar in Body Formation:
Figure 55 - The Body Coin Altar
The Body Coin Altar, as shown in Figure 55, uses the same seven coins that were used to form The Flower Coin Altar, but arranged in a slightly different manner in order to represent a more bodily outline of Santa Muerte herself. For starters, The Skull coin is placed slightly overlapping The Crown coin, to create the illusion that a skull is actually wearing a crown.
Next, The Scythe and The Scales of Justice coins are positioned to appear as if they are being held in the hands of Santa Muerte, because depictions of Santa Muerte often feature her holding a scythe in one hand, and the scales of justice in the other. The Apple coin is placed over the belly of Santa Muerte, to represent her acceptance and enjoyment of the sweet offerings which devotees often give her. Finally, The Flame and The Rose coins appear as if they were placed at the feet of Santa Muerte, because devotees often leave candles and flowers at the feet of full-sized Santa Muerte altars.
The Flower Coin Altar and The Body Coin Altar are two options you can use in order to arrange the Coins of Holy Death into a Santa Muerte altar that is both powerful and portable. While you are free to use either of these arrangements in order to establish an altar to Santa Muerte, you are also free to rearrange the coins, add different coins, or remove any of the coins which I have shown.
Additionally, you do not need more than a single coin in order to establish a Santa Muerte altar using the Coins of Holy Death. As previously stated, all you need to establish a Santa Muerte altar is a depiction of death, which means you can use The Skull coin, The Scythe coin, or even The Grave coin to create an altar to Santa Muerte. Since Santa Muerte is also known as The Great Equalizer, even The Scales of Justice coin would work for this purpose. Since these are all symbols depicting death, either one will work to establish a single-coin altar at which you can pray, petition, and show reverence.
However you decide to craft a Santa Muerte altar made of coins, using the altar is as simple as treating it as any other altar. While there are many formal prayers and petition rituals that you could perform at an altar, formality is not required in order to approach and show reverence for Holy Death. Once you establish your altar made of coins, you only need to put your focus upon the altar and speak from the heart if you would like to communicate with Santa Muerte. If you want to ask for help or for a favor, then simply stand over your altar made of coins and make the request just as if you were making the request of an old friend. Leaving an offering for Santa Muerte would be as simple as placing the offering on the table or surface next to the altar made of coins.
One of the main benefits of an altar made of coins is its small size and portability. You can craft this altar on a hotel nightstand, if you are traveling away from your home altar, or you can place this altar in a desk drawer, if you want to keep the symbols of Santa Muerte physically close but also under the radar, such as if you’re at work, or living with uptight Christians.
Because of the magickal significance of the symbols depicted on the Coins of Holy Death, you can also carry certain coins on your person to serve as a type of magick charm for specific purposes - essentially a mini-altar in your purse or pocket. For example, for good luck on a job interview, you might carry The Skull and The Crown coins in your pocket. For good luck in court, or in a situation where you will be judged or graded, you might carry The Skull and The Scales of Justice coins. For protection and good luck on a romantic date, you can carry The Skull and The Rose coins. If you work a risky job, or must travel to an area where you don’t know anyone, you might carry The Skull and The Scythe coins, to cut down danger that might come your way.
Next, The Scythe and The Scales of Justice coins are positioned to appear as if they are being held in the hands of Santa Muerte, because depictions of Santa Muerte often feature her holding a scythe in one hand, and the scales of justice in the other. The Apple coin is placed over the belly of Santa Muerte, to represent her acceptance and enjoyment of the sweet offerings which devotees often give her. Finally, The Flame and The Rose coins appear as if they were placed at the feet of Santa Muerte, because devotees often leave candles and flowers at the feet of full-sized Santa Muerte altars.
The Flower Coin Altar and The Body Coin Altar are two options you can use in order to arrange the Coins of Holy Death into a Santa Muerte altar that is both powerful and portable. While you are free to use either of these arrangements in order to establish an altar to Santa Muerte, you are also free to rearrange the coins, add different coins, or remove any of the coins which I have shown.
Additionally, you do not need more than a single coin in order to establish a Santa Muerte altar using the Coins of Holy Death. As previously stated, all you need to establish a Santa Muerte altar is a depiction of death, which means you can use The Skull coin, The Scythe coin, or even The Grave coin to create an altar to Santa Muerte. Since Santa Muerte is also known as The Great Equalizer, even The Scales of Justice coin would work for this purpose. Since these are all symbols depicting death, either one will work to establish a single-coin altar at which you can pray, petition, and show reverence.
However you decide to craft a Santa Muerte altar made of coins, using the altar is as simple as treating it as any other altar. While there are many formal prayers and petition rituals that you could perform at an altar, formality is not required in order to approach and show reverence for Holy Death. Once you establish your altar made of coins, you only need to put your focus upon the altar and speak from the heart if you would like to communicate with Santa Muerte. If you want to ask for help or for a favor, then simply stand over your altar made of coins and make the request just as if you were making the request of an old friend. Leaving an offering for Santa Muerte would be as simple as placing the offering on the table or surface next to the altar made of coins.
One of the main benefits of an altar made of coins is its small size and portability. You can craft this altar on a hotel nightstand, if you are traveling away from your home altar, or you can place this altar in a desk drawer, if you want to keep the symbols of Santa Muerte physically close but also under the radar, such as if you’re at work, or living with uptight Christians.
Because of the magickal significance of the symbols depicted on the Coins of Holy Death, you can also carry certain coins on your person to serve as a type of magick charm for specific purposes - essentially a mini-altar in your purse or pocket. For example, for good luck on a job interview, you might carry The Skull and The Crown coins in your pocket. For good luck in court, or in a situation where you will be judged or graded, you might carry The Skull and The Scales of Justice coins. For protection and good luck on a romantic date, you can carry The Skull and The Rose coins. If you work a risky job, or must travel to an area where you don’t know anyone, you might carry The Skull and The Scythe coins, to cut down danger that might come your way.