HOLY DEATH

Santa Muerte is a holy figure venerated in Mexico and whose name translates to S
aint Death or Holy Death.
She is thought to be a syncretic figure combining elements of Meso-American as
well as Catholic beliefs.
Generally, she appears as a skeletal figure dressed in a long robe and carrying
a scythe, a globe, or both.
Her robe is usually white, but the figure has been dressed in other colors as we
ll,
depending on the aspect to which her devotees appeal to her for assistance and f
avors.
For example, you may find a green figure that is petitioned for prosperity or a
red figure petitioned for love.
Images of Holy Death are highly individualist and personal. In fact,
Santa Muerte has many aspects too numerous to describe in this brief article.
Suffice it to say that there is probably no problem or situation that she cannot
address for the faithful.
Although the Catholic Church has condemned her worship,
likening Santa Muerte to the devil and labeling her followers as Satanists,
it is estimated that her number of followers total in the millions. However,
since most prayers and rites are performed privately in the home, that number ma
y be a very low estimate.
The veneration of Holy Death has entered into the United States by Mexican immig
rants
who have brought the beliefs of their culture along with them.
Here Santa Muerte has been absorbed into the practice of Hoodoo where the two pr
actices
have had contact with one another.
When I first heard of Santa Muerte I was intrigued by her mythology and by the d
evotion of her followers.
However, I was hesitant to welcome her into my own sacred space as I
did not come from the culture in which her veneration originated and I
was somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of bringing myself closer to the person
ification of Death.
I continued to read about Santa Muerte and learned that her
long scythe is symbolic of her power to sever negative influences and as a tool
of harvesting
it can also represent reaping the rewards of your hard work.
The globe represents her domain, she literally has the whole world in her hand.