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
The Altar
In the instructions that follow, you will find that I recommend for you to create each magick seal at your Santa Muerte altar. While I have discussed the topic of the Santa Muerte altar in my other books and on my website (SantaMuerteMagick.com), I want the content of this book to stand on its own, so I would like to share here a few notes about the Santa Muerte altar and how it is generally viewed in the tradition of Santa Muerte. Feel free to skip ahead if you already understand the basics of the Santa Muerte altar.
If the relationship to Santa Muerte is the foundation for Santa Muerte magick, then the altar is a representation of that relationship. However, just as a wedding ring is a representation of a marriage, the absence of a wedding ring does not denote the absence of a spouse. A marriage is a relationship that exists whether or not a ring is worn, and devotion to Santa Muerte is a relationship that exists whether or not an altar is present. In other words, one does not technically need an altar to successfully craft a Santa Muerte magick seal, but if one is able to build an altar, then the altar should be constructed out of respect for the Santa Muerte. Likewise, a wedding ring is not technically required to enter into a marriage, but if you’re able to afford a wedding ring, then there is no reason not to invest in one.
The nice thing about Santa Muerte devotion is that there is no doctrine which dictates what an altar should be or how one should be constructed. Many devotees believe that any depiction or representation of death can serve as the foundation for an altar to Santa Muerte, and altars can be permanent or temporary. Large, life sized statues of Santa Muerte that are left permanently in place have been used as altar centerpieces, but so have simple prayer cards that are pulled out whenever an altar is needed, and stored away in a purse or wallet when not in use. A cell phone displaying a downloaded image of the Santa Muerte can form the basis for an altar, and so can a rosary or necklace that features a Santa Muerte medallion.
Keeping in mind that the Santa Muerte is the personification of death itself, an altar does not need to depict the Santa Muerte exactly, and any representation of death can serve as an altar to the folk saint. For example, an altar can be established using a plastic skull from a prop shop, or even using the image of a simple skull sketched onto a piece of paper.
For covert devotion, an altar may consist of a symbol associated with Santa Muerte, like a globe of Earth (to represent her power over us all), the owl (which represents her wisdom and knowledge of magick), the scales of justice (which represent death as the great equalizer that treats us all the same), and the scythe or sickle (which represents the power of Santa Muerte to cut the thread of life). Animal bones and dead houseplants can also serve as centerpieces of altars to Holy Death, because they also represent the energy of death itself.
In addition to the types of altars described already, I have spoken in other writings about the “altar in one’s heart”. If the only item that is necessary to erect an altar to Santa Muerte is a representation of death, then it is fair to consider here the creation of an astral altar - an altar that exists only in the mind’s eye of the devotee. If you’re able to visualize a depiction of death in your mind’s eye, then consider it a depiction as valid and powerful as any other.
If you are absolutely unable, for whatever reason, to erect even the most basic of altars, and if visualization in your mind’s eye does not come easy for you, then you may still craft the magick seals which are found below. Instead of creating each seal at a Santa Muerte altar, simply say the following words, out loud or to yourself:
“In your name, my Holy Death,
Magick seal I craft, be blessed.”
Then proceed to make and use the seal as described in the chapters that follow. This brief and simple prayer is sufficient to convey your intent of creating the magick seal in the name of Santa Muerte, which is the same intent conveyed when you create the seal at an altar.
It is absolutely your choice whether you erect a physical altar, an astral altar, or no altar at all, but I would personally caution you against being lazy in your work with Santa Muerte. Effort is just as important as intent, and it is generally believed in magick that like attracts like. If you are unable to erect a physical altar because you lack the resources, or the privacy, to do so, then working without an altar is not an act of laziness, but rather a way of rolling with the punches, which is to be commended. On the other hand, if you do not want to erect an altar just because you cannot be bothered to do so, then you are being lazy. If like attracts like, then you should not be surprised if lazy effort on your part attracts lazy results from Santa Muerte.
If the relationship to Santa Muerte is the foundation for Santa Muerte magick, then the altar is a representation of that relationship. However, just as a wedding ring is a representation of a marriage, the absence of a wedding ring does not denote the absence of a spouse. A marriage is a relationship that exists whether or not a ring is worn, and devotion to Santa Muerte is a relationship that exists whether or not an altar is present. In other words, one does not technically need an altar to successfully craft a Santa Muerte magick seal, but if one is able to build an altar, then the altar should be constructed out of respect for the Santa Muerte. Likewise, a wedding ring is not technically required to enter into a marriage, but if you’re able to afford a wedding ring, then there is no reason not to invest in one.
The nice thing about Santa Muerte devotion is that there is no doctrine which dictates what an altar should be or how one should be constructed. Many devotees believe that any depiction or representation of death can serve as the foundation for an altar to Santa Muerte, and altars can be permanent or temporary. Large, life sized statues of Santa Muerte that are left permanently in place have been used as altar centerpieces, but so have simple prayer cards that are pulled out whenever an altar is needed, and stored away in a purse or wallet when not in use. A cell phone displaying a downloaded image of the Santa Muerte can form the basis for an altar, and so can a rosary or necklace that features a Santa Muerte medallion.
Keeping in mind that the Santa Muerte is the personification of death itself, an altar does not need to depict the Santa Muerte exactly, and any representation of death can serve as an altar to the folk saint. For example, an altar can be established using a plastic skull from a prop shop, or even using the image of a simple skull sketched onto a piece of paper.
For covert devotion, an altar may consist of a symbol associated with Santa Muerte, like a globe of Earth (to represent her power over us all), the owl (which represents her wisdom and knowledge of magick), the scales of justice (which represent death as the great equalizer that treats us all the same), and the scythe or sickle (which represents the power of Santa Muerte to cut the thread of life). Animal bones and dead houseplants can also serve as centerpieces of altars to Holy Death, because they also represent the energy of death itself.
In addition to the types of altars described already, I have spoken in other writings about the “altar in one’s heart”. If the only item that is necessary to erect an altar to Santa Muerte is a representation of death, then it is fair to consider here the creation of an astral altar - an altar that exists only in the mind’s eye of the devotee. If you’re able to visualize a depiction of death in your mind’s eye, then consider it a depiction as valid and powerful as any other.
If you are absolutely unable, for whatever reason, to erect even the most basic of altars, and if visualization in your mind’s eye does not come easy for you, then you may still craft the magick seals which are found below. Instead of creating each seal at a Santa Muerte altar, simply say the following words, out loud or to yourself:
“In your name, my Holy Death,
Magick seal I craft, be blessed.”
Then proceed to make and use the seal as described in the chapters that follow. This brief and simple prayer is sufficient to convey your intent of creating the magick seal in the name of Santa Muerte, which is the same intent conveyed when you create the seal at an altar.
It is absolutely your choice whether you erect a physical altar, an astral altar, or no altar at all, but I would personally caution you against being lazy in your work with Santa Muerte. Effort is just as important as intent, and it is generally believed in magick that like attracts like. If you are unable to erect a physical altar because you lack the resources, or the privacy, to do so, then working without an altar is not an act of laziness, but rather a way of rolling with the punches, which is to be commended. On the other hand, if you do not want to erect an altar just because you cannot be bothered to do so, then you are being lazy. If like attracts like, then you should not be surprised if lazy effort on your part attracts lazy results from Santa Muerte.