La Flaca (The Skinny One), Nina Santa (Holy Girl), La Calaca
(The Skeleton) are just some of the names given to the skeleton saint La
Santisima Muerte (The Most Holy Death).
Although she is not recognized by the Catholic Church, her
followers consider her a saint. Some believe that she is the Virgin Mary
(specifically Our Lady of Guadalupe) representing the way she would look in
death. Others believe her to be a representation of the Aztec ruler of death.
It’s believed that Santa Muerte is rooted as far back as to
the Aztecs, particularly to the goddess Mictlancihuatl (the Aztec goddess of death) and the wife of Mictlantecuhtli
(the Aztec god of death) who
together ruled over the underworld and the world of the dead.
Interestingly, the spider, the owl and the bat are
associated with Mictlantecuhtli (the Aztec god
of death) as they are with Santa Muerte.
Because she is known as the Lady of the Dead, and for other
similarities, she and Santa Muerte are considered one in the same.
Mictlantecuhtli has been described as a bloody skeleton
figure. He wore necklaces made of human
bones and his clothing oftentimes was adorned with bones, teeth and
eyeballs. Mictlancihuatl was viewed in
much the same way. In the ancient Aztec
culture skeletons and bones were viewed differently than they are today. The Aztecs saw them as symbols of fertility,
health, and abundance.
Death was an important part of life to the Aztecs, an
extension into another world. Life went
on even after death. The dead were never
forgotten. Instead they were honored and
invoked. They held special rituals in
honor of the deceased which is where, in my opinion, the feast of Day of The
Dead started. They believed that forty
days after a persons death the spirit would return.
The beauty of working with Santa Muerte is that she is a
complete and total magical system in herself.
This means that she can be called upon for every single need a person
may have. Unlike the Saints and other
deities who can only be called upon for issues that are within their particular
workings or patronage, Santa Muerte has no limits or restrictions.
Santa Muerte does not separate good and evil. There is no distinction between the two in
her eyes. Petitions are just petitions,
cries for help in time of need. She will
respond to requests of any nature and will never cast judgment upon a person
for what they ask or who they are. Santa
Muerte will grant many requests that are shunned by other Saints.
Whether Santa Muerte began as the symbol of the Aztec goddess of death or the representation of Our Lady
of Guadalupe will never be resolved.
Today, she represents a strong influence for many followers of the
Catholic Church and beyond. She can be
used with or without other spirits and Saints by anyone willing to follow
her. Santa Muerte accepts everyone
alike. There are no rules.
Please see my online course on Santa Muerte for more information.
http://curiouscurandera.com/acatalog/Email_Courses.html
