SANTISIMA MUERTE
MOST HOLY DEATH,
MICTECACIHUATL:
KEEPER OF MEN'S FIDELITY
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
I was intrigued by the lucky charms encased within what seemed to be a dire and forboding figure, and so i asked who "he" was, but i was quickly corrected: La Santisima Muerte is a SHE. I was then given a long story of how she keeps men faithful to their wives and will judge and kill men who violate the sanctity of marriage if called upon to do so, because her husband was unfaithful to her, causing her to commit suicide, and to hate and punish all unfaithful men.
The shop owner, Mrs. Cantu, even took me in a corner, away from my husband and taught me how you perform a seven-knot spell for La Santisima Muerte -- it's virtually identical to the hoodoo nine knot spell for a Nation Sack, but you keep the knotted string that has been smeared with semen tied around her statue, for safe-keeping. The statue is actually designed with a groove around the base to accept the wound-up string. After that, she gave me a Santisima Muerte holy medal as a gift and told me with smiling eyes to not let my husband see it.
Later, down in San Jose, California, at Dos Aguas Botanica, where i bought my first statuette of Santisima Muerte, i was told that "women perform a novena to her to keep men faithful."
And in Sebastopol, California, at the Flea Market, where i first encountered her image on a novena booklet, i asked the old woman selling it, in my broken ugly Spanish: "La Santisima Muerte -- la razon por la que? [gesture of praying hands] Por que ... oracion?" -- and she replied, "Matrimonio" -- marriage.
So who was this Holy Death? Where did she come from? Why does she judge men and protect women's marriages?
 |
|
|
One occult shop owner without much knowledge of Mexican folk culture loftily explained to me that she is "The Angel of Death," a European or Judeo-Christian concept that accounted for her skeletal visage, but certainly did not explain why Mexican gardeners were gravely showing me the Santisima Muerte holy cards in their wallets and telling me that "She is The Virgin Mary as a skeleton" -- which itself begged the question -- "Why on earth would folks want to depict the Virgin Mary as a skeleton in the first place?"
 |
|
|
Eventually i ran into the true story, as least as scholars of Mexican culture present it these days: La Santisima Muerte is a "banned saint," the Roman Catholic "cover" for an ancient Aztec goddess named Mictecacihuatl, a death goddess and co-ruler, with her husband, of the underworld.
Mictecacihuatl, the wife of the Aztec death god Mictlantecuhtli, is the sister to the Aztec heavenly goddess Tonantzin, who has been syncretized with the Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Guadalupe. That's why Mictecacihuatl became "Most Holy Death, The Virgin Mary as a Skeleton."
As to the idea that this goddess was a living woman who committed suicide when her
husband proved unfaithful, i am not so sure. I consider the stories of
her death and subsequent haunting of the living to be similar to, or influenced by,
the folk tales of La Llorona, the weeping woman who mourns for her
dead children, and who is a cautionary popular figure along the Texas, Arizona, and
California border. In other words, the goddess is thus demoted to the status of a ghost.
Here is a nine-day cycle of prayers to Santisima Muerte, taken from a Mexican Novena booklet. It begins with a separate prayer to the string that has been covered with the semen of the beloved and knotted with seven knots. This "Ejaculatory" prayer is recited as the string is wound around into the groove in the base of the statue. Following this, the oration for the "First Day" is to be recited. This "First Day" of the spell should be a Sunday, for reasons that will become apparent later within the text.
NOVENA
HOLY DEATH PRAYER
For all the days.
NOVENA
SANTA MUERTE ORACION
Para todos los dias.EJACULATORY Death, dear to my heart,
don't abandon me, protect me,
and don't let ____name____
have one moment of peace;
keep him restless and bothered
with the thought of me always.(*Say Three Our Fathers*)
JACULATORIA Muerte querida de mi corazon no
me desampares de tu proteccion,
y no dejes que fulano.......
un solo momento tranquilo,
molestalo a cada inquietarlo
para que siempre piense en mi.(*Se resan 3 Padres Nuestros*)
FIRST DAY Most Holy Death
The favours that you have
to grant me:Make me overcome all
difficulties so that for me
nothing is impossible,
no obstacles, barriers,
no enemies, that no one
does me any harm,
that everyone is my friend
and that I am victorious
in all my dealings and things I do;
May my house be filled with all the good
virtues of your protection.(*Three Our Fathers*)
PRIMER DIA Muerte Santisima:
Los favores que me tienes que
conceder:Haras que venza todas las
dificultades y que para mi no
halla nada imposible, ni
obstaculos, infranqueables, ni
tenga enemigos, ni que nadie
quiera hacerme dano, que
todos sean mis amigos y que yo
salga vencedor en todas las
empresas o cosas que haga;
Mi casa se llenara de bienes
con las virtudes de tu proteccion.(*Tres Padres Nuestros*)
SECOND DAY
Death Saint, my great treasure,
never go away from me at any time:
You ate bread and gave me bread, and
as you are the powerful owner of
the dark mansion of life and
Empress of darkness, I want
you to grant me the favour that
___name___ is at my feet
humiliated and repentant
and that he never leaves my
side when I need him, and that
you make me get what was
promised to me.
(*Three Our Fathers*)
SEGUNDO DIA Muerte Santa, mi gran tesoro,
no te apartes en ninguna ocacion:
Pan comiste y de el me diste, y
como eres la poderosa duena de
la oscura mansion de la vida y la
Emperatriz de las tinieblas, quiero
que me hagas el favor de que
fulano......... se presente a mis
pies humiliado y arrepentido y
que nunca mas vuelva a irse de mi
lado, mientras yo lo necesite. Y
has que me cumpla lo que me ha
prometido.(*Tres Padres Nuestros*)
THIRD DAY
Jesus Christ Conqueror who on the cross
was conquered, conquer ____name____
that he is overcome by me. In the
name of God, you are a ferocious animal;
you will come back to me as a
tame sheep, mild as the Rosemary flower.
Adored Death, I implore you
earnestly that with this titanic force
that God gave you, instill in
____name's____ heart
that he has eyes for no one but
me, and that I am his everything,
that you grant me this which I ask,
having great faith in this Novena,
and I light a candle every Tuesday of
every week at twelve midnight.
(*Three Our Fathers*)
TERCER DIA Jesucristo vencedor que en la cruz
fuiste vencido, vence a fulano......
que este vencido conmigo. En el
nombre del Senor si eres animal
feroz, te volveras manso como
cordero suave como la flor de
romero. Muerte adorada: Te suplico
encarecidamente que con esa fuerza
titanica que Dios te dio me intro-
duscas en el corazon de fulano.......
que no tenga ojos, mas que para
mi, ye que yo sea todo para el,
hazme el favor que te pido con
mucha fe en esta Novena, ye te pren-
dere una vela todos las martes de
cada semana a las doce de la noche.(*Tres Padres Nuestros*)
FOURTH DAY Dear Death: I ask you with
all my heart,
that as God made you
Immortal, and the powerful owner and
Queen of the Darkness Unknown hereafter,
that with your great powers,
which you have over all mortals,
make ____name____ unable to
eat at any table or sit in any chair and
grant that he has no peace; I wish that he becomes
obliged to be humble and devoted
at my feet and that he never again
goes away from me.(*Three Our Fathers*)
CUARTO DIA Muerte querida: Yo te pido con
todas las fuerzas de mi corazon,
que asi como Dios te formo
Inmortal, ye poderosa duena y
Reina de las tinieblas del mas alla,
que con ese gran poder que
tienes sobre todos los mortales,
hagas que fulano....... no pueda en
mesa corner, ni en silla sentarse, ni
tranquilidad tenga, deseo que lo
obligues a que humilde y rendido
venga a mis pies y que nunca
jamas se aleje de mi.(*Tres Padres Nuestros*)
FIFTH DAY Glorious and Powerful Death,
taking advantage of your kindness,
as my protector and owner, I ask this
favour: As the invicible madam that
you are, I beg that you make
____name____ so that he can't enjoy strolling
around, so hat he can't walk or eat with other women,
or sleep unless he's at my
side. Grant that his thoughts are about
me only, by his own choice,
and that he gives me the happiness
of having all of his love.(*Three Our Fathers*)
QUINTO DIA Gloriosa Y Poderosa Muerte:
Abusando de tu bondad, como
mi proctetora y duena te pido este
favor: Como senora invencible que
eres te ruego que hagas que
fulano....... no pueda en paseos
gozar, ni con mujeres andar ni
comer, ni dormir si a mi lado no
esta. Que sus pensamientos sean
solo para mi, lo mismo que su
voluntad y que me de la felicidad
de todo su amor.(*Tres Padres Nuestros*)
SIXTH DAY Oh Sovereign Lady! In that the
Holy Trinity in our Eternal Father
has blinded the life of all mortals
to the fact that you will come
to everyone sooner or later,
whether rich or poor or
in youth, who does to us all the same,
old, young, child;
we enter your domain of death
when God decrees.
I implore you that ____name____
is much in love with me, not just
for physical beauty, but also
for my soul, and that he comes to me
faithful, submissive, kneeling at my feet.(*Three Our Fathers*)
SEXTO DIA !Oh Soberana Senora! a la que la
Divina Trinidad en el Padre Eterno
puso para cegar la vida de todos
los mortales, a la que a todos llega
mas tarde o mas tenprano y que
no le importan las riquezas o
juventudes, pues es pareja con
viegos, jovenes o ninos, a los que
habra de llevar a sus dominios,
cuando Dios se lo indique. Te
suplico que fulano....... se ena-
more mucho de mi, que no se fije
en la hermosura fisica, sino en la
de mi alma, y que venga a mi
sumiso, field, arrodillado a mis pies.(*Tres Padres Nuestros*)
SEVENTH DAY Liberate me from all evil, and
with the titanic power with which
God endowed you, make it so
that we enjoy eternal
heavenly nightless days.
Protector and owner: I beg you
to grant me the favors I request
in these prayers.
I ask that _______________________.(*Three Our Fathers*)
SEPTIMO DIA Librame a mi de todo mal, y
con este titanico poder que tienes
con el cual Dios te doto, haras
que gocemos eternamente, un
dia glorioso sin noches. Por eso
protectora y Duena: te pido me
concedas los favores que yo
deseo en esta Novena. Se hace la
peticion........(*Tres Padres Nuestros*)
EIGHTH DAY Miraculous and Majestic Death:
I ask that with your immense power
you return my beloved,
____name____. Don't let him for one minute
be sociable or tranquil
with anyone he comes across; neither with
friends nor with women may he be at ease.
Grant that while sleeping, he thinks of me,
and that he listens to the
words I say to you in his sleep,
and that he does what I ask.(*Three Our Fathers*)
OCTAVO DIA Milagrosa Y Majestuosa Muerte:
Te pido que con tu poder
inmenso me devuelvas el carino
de ........ No lo dejes un
momento sociego, ni tranquilo
con nadie se halle, ni con
amigos ni con mujeres contento
esta. Si esta durmiendo me este
pensamiento este en mi, y en las
palabras que yo te digo las
escuche y haga lo que yo te pido.(*Tres Padres Nuestros*)
NINTH DAY Blessed Protector Death:
By the virtues that God gave you
I ask that you free me from all
evil, danger, and sickness
and that instead you give me
LUCK, HEALTH, HAPPINESS AND
MONEY, that you give me friends
and freedom from my enemies,
also making ____name____
come before me, humbled
to ask my forgiveness, humble as a
sheep, keeping his promises and
always loving and submissive.(*Three Our Fathers*)
NOVENO DIA Muerte Protectora Y Bendita:
Por la virtud que Dios te dio:
quero que me libres de todos los
maleficios y peligros y enferme-
dades y que en cambio me des:
SUERTE, SALUD, FELICIDAD Y
DINERO, que me des amigos y
me libres de mis enemigos
haciendo tambien que fulano.......
se presente ante mi humilde a
pedirme perdon, humilde como
un cordero, fiel a sus promesas y
siempre amoroso y sumiso.(*Tres Padres Nuestros*)
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
This spell-work must be done at night. The prayers for both "The Third Day and "The Eightth Day" make that clear, for the former refers to "midnight" and the latter to the beloved being asleep while the work is underway.
The reason that it is necessary to begin this Novena on a Sunday night is because in the prayer for the "Third Day," mention is made of "Tuesday" -- but only if the first day is a Sunday will the third day will be a Tuesday.
Also, as the prayer of the "Third Day" makes clear, even after the nine-day novena cycle is completed, the supplicant must continue to offer a candle to Santisima Muerte "every Tuesday of every week at twelve midnight" as long as the spell is desired to be in effect. In other words, the Novena cycle gets things going, but to keep them working, a candle must be offered to Holy Death every Tuesday at midnight.
Finally, it is worth noting that this prayer-cycle contains elements rather similar to the better-known Prayer of Intranquility designed to bring back a lost lover. The "Ejaculatory" prayer and prayers of "The Third Day" and "The Eighth Day" all make a point of condemning the wandering lover to have no peace or tranquility in his social life until he complies with the desires of the petitioner.
|
|
Order Santisima Muerte Dressing Oil from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co. |
$6.00 OIL-CAT-MUER
|
|
|
Order Santisima Muerte Incense Power from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co. |
$4.00
|
|
|
Order a Santisima Muerte Sachet Powders from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co. |
$4.00
|
|
|
Order a Santisima Muerte Bath Crystals from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co. |
$4.00 BCR-CAT-MUER
|
 |
Order a Santisima Muerte Novena Candle from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co. |
$8.50 CAN-GLC-SMUE
|
|
|
Santisima Muerte (Santa Muerte, Holy Death) Candle, Set on Our Altar |
$17.00 CAN-MIC-SMUE
|
 |
Santisima Muerte (Santa Muerte, Holy Death) Figural Candle, Black |
$7.50 CAN-FIG-SMUB
|
 |
Santisima Muerte (Santa Muerte, Holy Death) Figural Candle, Red |
$7.50 CAN-FIG-SMUR
|
|
|
Order a Santisima Muerte Medal from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co. |
$5.00 AMU-MEX-SANP
|
 |
Sterling Silver Santisima Muerte Holy Death |
$20.00 AMU-USA-SSSM
|
 |
Order a Santisima Muerte Statuette from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co. |
$15.00 STA-CAS-SMUB
|
 |
Order a Santisima Muerte Statuette from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co. |
$15.00 STA-CAS-SMUR
|
 |
Order a Santisima Muerte Statuette from the Lucky Mojo Curio Co. |
$15.00 STA-CAS-SMUW
|
 |
Santisima Muerte (Holy Death), bottle, painted, no contents, you fill |
$10.00 BTS-CAT-SANT
|
|
|
Santisima Muerte (Holy Death), bottle, painted, fixed with contents and candle |
$15.00 BTS-CAX-SANT
|
Acknowledgements:
Thanks to Daniel Serbin for the English translation of the Santisima Muerte Novena booklet, to
nagasiva yronwode for typing it out, and to Louise Lieb for helping me with
the side-by-side ASCII layout.
Search All Lucky Mojo and Affiliated Sites!
You can search our sites for a single word (like archaeoastronomy, hoodoo, conjure, or clitoris), an exact phrase contained within quote marks (like "love spells", "spiritual supplies", "occult shop", "gambling luck", "Lucky Mojo bag", or "guardian angel"), or a name within quote marks (like "Blind Willie McTell", "Black Hawk", "Hoyt's Cologne", or "Frank Stokes"):
 |
copyright ©
1994-2019 catherine yronwode. All rights reserved. Send your comments to: cat yronwode. |
| Did you like what you read here? Find it useful? Then please click on the Paypal Secure Server logo and make a small donation to catherine yronwode for the creation and maintenance of this site. |
LUCKY MOJO is a large domain that is organized into a
number of interlinked web sites,
each with its own distinctive theme and look.
You are currently reading
THE LUCKY W AMULET ARCHIVE by cat yronwode.
Here are some other LUCKY MOJO web sites you can visit:
OCCULTISM, MAGIC SPELLS, MYSTICISM, RELIGION, SYMBOLISM
Hoodoo in Theory and Practice by cat yronwode: an introduction to African-American rootwork
Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic by cat yronwode:a materia magica of African-American conjure
Lucky W Amulet Archive by cat yronwode: an online museum of worldwide talismans and charms
Sacred Sex: essays and articles on tantra yoga, neo-tantra, karezza, sex magic, and sex worship
Sacred Landscape: essays and articles on archaeoastronomy and sacred geometry
Freemasonry for Women by cat yronwode: a history of mixed-gender Freemasonic lodges
The Lucky Mojo Esoteric Archive: captured internet text files on occult and spiritual topics
Lucky Mojo Usenet FAQ Archive:FAQs and REFs for occult and magical usenet newsgroups
Aleister Crowley Text Archive: a multitude of texts by an early 20th century occultist
Lucky Mojo Magic Spells Archives: love spells, money spells, luck spells, protection spells, and more
Free Love Spell Archive: love spells, attraction spells, sex magick, romance spells, and lust spells
Free Money Spell Archive: money spells, prosperity spells, and wealth spells for job and business
Free Protection Spell Archive: protection spells against witchcraft, jinxes, hexes, and the evil eye
Free Gambling Luck Spell Archive: lucky gambling spells for the lottery, casinos, and racesPOPULAR CULTURE
Hoodoo and Blues Lyrics: transcriptions of blues songs about African-American folk magic
EaRhEaD!'S Syd Barrett Lyrics Site: lyrics by the founder of the Pink Floyd Sound
The Lesser Book of the Vishanti: Dr. Strange Comics as a magical system, by cat yronwode
The Spirit Checklist: a 1940s newspaper comic book by Will Eisner, indexed by cat yronwode
Fit to Print: collected weekly columns about comics and pop culture by cat yronwode
Eclipse Comics Index: a list of all Eclipse comics, albums, and trading cardsEDUCATION AND OUTREACH
Hoodoo Rootwork Correspondence Course with cat yronwode: 52 weekly lessons in book form
Hoodoo Conjure Training Workshops: hands-on rootwork classes, lectures, and seminars
Apprentice with catherine yronwode: personal 3-week training for qualified HRCC graduates
Lucky Mojo Community Forum: an online message board for our occult spiritual shop customers
Lucky Mojo Hoodoo Rootwork Hour Radio Show: learn free magic spells via podcast download
Lucky Mojo Videos: see video tours of the Lucky Mojo shop and get a glimpse of the spirit train
Lucky Mojo Publishing: practical spell books on world-wide folk magic and divination
Lucky Mojo Newsletter Archive: subscribe and receive discount coupons and free magick spells
LMC Radio Network: magical news, information, education, and entertainment for all!
Follow Us on Facebook: get company news and product updates as a Lucky Mojo Facebook FanONLINE SHOPPING
The Lucky Mojo Curio Co.: spiritual supplies for hoodoo, magick, witchcraft, and conjure
Herb Magic: complete line of Lucky Mojo Herbs, Minerals, and Zoological Curios, with sample spells
Mystic Tea Room Gift Shop: antique, vintage, and contemporary fortune telling tea cupsPERSONAL SITES
catherine yronwode: the eclectic and eccentric author of many of the above web pages
nagasiva yronwode: nigris (333), nocTifer, lorax666, boboroshi, Troll Towelhead, !
Garden of Joy Blues: former 80 acre hippie commune near Birch Tree in the Missouri Ozarks
Liselotte Erlanger Glozer: illustrated articles on collectible vintage postcards
Jackie Payne: Shades of Blues: a San Francisco Bay Area blues singerADMINISTRATIVE
Lucky Mojo Site Map: the home page for the whole Lucky Mojo electron-pile
All the Pages: descriptive named links to about 1,000 top-level Lucky Mojo web pages
How to Contact Us: we welcome feedback and suggestions regarding maintenance of this site
Make a Donation: please send us a small Paypal donation to keep us in bandwidth and macs!OTHER SITES OF INTEREST
Arcane Archive: thousands of archived Usenet posts on religion, magic, spell-casting, mysticism, and spirituality
Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers: psychic reading, conjure, and hoodoo root doctor services
Candles and Curios: essays and articles on traditional African American conjure and folk magic, plus shopping
Crystal Silence League: a non-denominational site; post your prayers; pray for others; let others pray for you
Gospel of Satan: the story of Jesus and the angels, from the perspective of the God of this World
Hoodoo Psychics: connect online or call 1-888-4-HOODOO for instant readings now from a member of AIRR
Missionary Independent Spiritual Church: spirit-led, inter-faith; prayer-light services; Smallest Church in the World
Mystic Tea Room: tea leaf reading, teacup divination, and a museum of antique fortune telling cups
Satan Service: an archive presenting the theory, practice, and history of Satanism and Satanists
Southern Spirits: 19th and 20th century accounts of hoodoo, including ex-slave narratives & interviews
Spiritual Spells: lessons in folk magic and spell casting from an eclectic Wiccan perspective, plus shopping
Yronwode Home: personal pages of catherine yronwode and nagasiva yronwode, magical archivists
Yronwode Institution: the Yronwode Institution for the Preservation and Popularization of Indigenous Ethnomagicology