Suspiria: Dance, Dream, and Power Through Grief [Film Analysis]

Suspiria (2018), directed by the brilliant Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name) continues the director’s tradition of subverting filmgoers’ expectations by confronting oft-repressed thoughts and oft-ignored truths. A reimagining of the original by Dario Argento, the film investigates its evasive subject matter through entrancing cinematography and attention to detail. The audience leaves the movie having stumbled mentally into a place we previously avoided; the realm of nightmares, manipulation, and rejected reality. The movie uses the concept of witches to refer to an archetypal image of woman as an almost feline source of danger. Through magic the teachers of the film’s expansive dance academy can cast spells with a twirl, contortion, or hand gesture. They can influence others’ minds through dream or telepathy, or express feeling into physicality through ritual—the way both dancers and real-world witches do. Suspiria is a profound and thought-provoking film which uses the ideas of witchcraft, dance, and manipulation to ruminate on individual growth. 

“Mater Suspiriorum,” after whom the film is named, is a figure sourced from an esoteric book by Thomas De Quincey called Suspiria De Profundis. The book describes the mythological existence of three ancient entities known as The Three Mothers: The Mother of Tears, The Mother of Darkness, and Mater Suspiriorum: the Mother of Sighs. In this case “sigh” refers to the deep feeling of helplessness during a horrible situation, and also the sigh of release after the situation is over. It is implied that the Three Mothers are necessary forces of nature; each is a type of savior which comes to earth periodically to forgive the sins of the people after a horrible event, such as a war. Mother Suspiriorum forgives the mistakes that have caused people’s deepest suffering. The sighs of overcoming  tragedy are what fuels Mother Suspiriorum. She then provides this power to her human witches—where in a perfect world it would be used to bring balance to the world. Suspiria could be said to be a film about the fear of our own inner feelings, and the sudden, ultimate surrender to them. Through surrendering we can heal, but we also must eventually forget, and when we forget, the past will repeat itself. “Why is everyone ready to believe the worst is over?”

The central theme which links the film’s many ideas is dance. The action takes place in a modern dance academy, mixing rhythmic ballet with expressionist passion. The striking dance scenes express the plot in subtle ways; something as simple a a series of jumps becomes a representation of our protagonist (played by Dakota Johnson) Suzy’s  inner world. Each student is devoted to perfecting their art and each teacher wants each girl to succeed. It is likely that many of the film’s witches started out as dancers and ended up as witches—but only those with a spark of magic in them, which is carefully monitored by the teachers and spoken of through telepathy. Depending on the goals of the witches, a dancing body can act as a living voodoo doll, a source of raw power, a sacrifice—in short, a moving body can cast a spell. 

It is well reported that contemporary religious witches utilize ritual dance, and this practice has been attributed to mystics forever. Each new initiate will be taught traditional forms of dance and feel how energy is accessed and controlled by them. The organized, rhythmic, trance-inducing dances often give way to free-form and weaving dancing as the ritual builds to full intensity, and often collapsing isn’t a gesture, it’s a necessity. In Suspiria the idea of witches dancing is removed from a forest bonfire and planted into a secretive dance company… which is perhaps more accurate to real life a majority of the time.

I think much occult power lies in the idea of wielding a hidden force. By this I mean any form of power that is intentionally kept hidden. Hidden force is every coven alive in a witch hunt, every group conspiring to overthrow a government, and every rebel cabal. Hidden force is also the secrets we keep, the unmentioned discovery of a betrayal, the dreams which haunt us perpetually, the sprains and strains we walk on supported solely by grit, the traumas we carry, and the knowledge we keep to ourselves. A hidden force is our secret weapon: it is our claws. In a way, the witches of Suspiria use the secrets of the subconscious as a medium through which power and influence can flow. This is why the movie contains so many unsettling dream sequences and why Madam Blanc (played by Tilda Swinton) mentions the “sending of dreams” to the students of the dance academy. Dreams are the hidden fuel within each of us, and a malevolent person with supernatural abilities may be able to take advantage of them—we are quite vulnerable when sleeping.

Alex Sanders teaching a young initiate

Dream magic is an important aspect of the western occult tradition. The dream is our inner doorway through Yesod into the realms of impression and memory. Dreams teach us of the energy imprint we are leaving behind in this life and hold the keys to the lessons we must once again remember. In Suspiria the dream sequences show memories of past suffering and the scars the characters carry. The concept of the occult dream and concealed force blend together: the dream brings our deepest sufferings to the forefront and makes us face them, and through facing them we become stronger. The dream is a medium through which hidden power is gained. This is the magical power of Mother Suspiriorum’s anointed bloodline, and each night we see it coursing through each girl at the dance academy. Mother Suspiriorum teaches her disciples and anyone under their influence the power that can be taken back from grief.

The witches of the dance academy are constantly connected by a near-flawless telepathy. This is typically shown through glances between each other where words are unspoken. Each witch can sense when something important is about to happen, and each keys in to lend their power in the moment. This is the psychic connection that often happens with a close coven, albeit with less Hollywood perfection. When all members are psychically connected and have some astral ability, messages, pictures, symbols, and words can be sent to each other at a distance through magic mirrors. After this is mastered, aids can be discarded, thought can be sent simply over an invisible matrix. It is not uncommon for even the new initiate to “sense” when something is happening, as if a psychic phone tree has been activated. 

Throughout Suspiria we get the impression that there is a family among the witches, that they are united by an old, traditional culture with a hierarchy of power, and over the years much corruption has crept in. Part of the journey of the story is the struggle for power and the fight to hold onto power obtained far in the past, even to the detriment of all. Every church, cult, or coven must navigate the challenges of the abuse of power and continue scrubbing tarnish to restore gold to brass. Every society faces these challenges and must seek to fight for what is good every day. 

Pulling from history, occult literature, art, and psychology, Suspiria tells a tale that is both as bleak as it is inspiring. It tells us about the knowledge that our nightmares grant us, the power which comes through healing from grief, the corruption and love that can exist in a tight-knit group of people, and the strength of the power which we choose to keep hidden. 

Witches: The Rebel Force Charged By A Goddess

—By Bethany Hutton & Austin Shippey

The Lamia in the Penthouse, Virgil Finlay

Throughout all of the modern Western world's history and myth, witchcraft has been feared because of the fact that witchcraft cannot be dominated or controlled by simple worldly forces. Witchcraft and superstition arise from the natural phenomenon and eternal laws of the universe. Magic has always been extraordinary, and has always allowed individuals and groups to accomplish extraordinary things. Witchcraft has always been a form of psychic persuasion over the restrictions of life, and it has always caused people to revere and fear it, whether it is coming from a shaman or deity in ancient minds, to a haggard and wicked peasant woman in modern minds. A witch has always been someone who, like a classical demigod, can harness power from the other world and use it to their own advantage. A witch through their magic inevitably becomes a free agent as they become aware of their full capabilities. Witches are those wise enough to work on becoming enlightened beings through their own spiritual alchemical volition, and in that process absorb and transmute the powers that have always existed. In the more fearful, shepherded monotheistic minds, these kinds of people represent a danger to the delicate fabric of any fragile, poorly structured, unsustainable society. Even in our current day, "witch" is thought of as an insult by many people. Follow our timeline back through history, and you arrive in the Early-Modern period of Europe, where monarchy allied with a man-warped Christian faith and began to dominate the globe, where being called a "witch" would eventually lead to a torturous, humiliating, maddening death sentence to any innocent or guilty person accused. In our secular, scientific world, people who now identify as witches, and are truly capable of making profound things happen through their ancient disciplines, are legion, and we work to make the world a safer and better place. Largely through the work of our ancestors, we understand the profound and important purpose behind all of this complex, controversial, sensational, and absorbing occult history. Modern witches across the globe understand that witchcraft is about freedom. We understand how to use it. We ourselves are the driving force of our own lives. We are fully awake, and we see the magic in everything.

In the ancient world there existed mystery cults, organized temples where many members would accept initiates into their midst, by means of ritual, in order to transfer a quantity of universal wisdom to the initiate. We've all heard of some version of the same phenomenon as the mystery cult; whether it be a local freemason lodge, a Catholic consecration of clergy, or a secret sorority at a university. Mystery schools/groups and their rituals are one of the primary, most effective ways of teaching grand, wisdom-filled lessons to people who will cherish and pass it on. This is very precious stuff.

In ancient Rome, against this standard convention of state religion, the priesthoods of the mystery cults rejected the benefits of social and economic hierarchy by intentionally uniting the classes through a holy endeavor, meaning everyone from kings, queens, emperors, women, and slaves could pass through that mysterious veil of initiation into the mysteries of our existence, and therein gain wisdom, encouragement, and ability to tackle the strains of worldly life. Watched over by the Gods, Goddesses, and Ancestors these societies bestowed wisdom upon any soul brave enough to seek it. The progenitors of these groups also rejected financial and social power in favor of a more subtle power, the power of language, symbol, higher awareness, and magic that we call religion. 

Learn more about mystery cults here.

To witches of the persecution ages beginning in the 1500s and not ending until the 1700s, as the legends and accounts say, according to unreliable confessions often obtained after arduous torture, there were certain people in the unscientific, superstitious peasant villages, who, in exchange for otherworldly knowledge and ability, the knowledge of old gods and demonized angels, cast aside the social safety net of Christendom and its most powerful monarchs, crossed over the black and white line of Christian dualism into the secret society of witches, and they shed their past baptism to serve the deities of the old times; the primordial and indigenous deities of nature, fertility, and the chaotic workings and patterns of our world. The shadows have always, always been leading people through to the light. 

Listen to my podcast episode on witchcraft here. 

We follow the witchcraft phenomenon to the late 19th century, where the folklorist Charles Leland obtains a handwritten document of the oral folklore of a cult of witches who believed their traditions and legends to be passed down from pre-Christian or, as they called it, "the olden times." "The Gospel of the Witches" describes the pagan folklore behind the forbidden and secretive witch meetings where participants offered their prayers through joyful, mischievous, and free dancing, singing, spellcasting, and "playing the game of benevento until the last of our oppressors shall be dead." Suddenly, readers could envision a preserved link between the fears and oppressions of medieval to current day society and the wise people of the ancient persuasion; those who held onto beliefs in pagan gods and goddesses, spirit familiars, spells and magic, and all sorts of tantalizing ritual practices because, for one reason or another, their society couldn’t do it for them. Sensational stuff, you say? Well, it still goes on today in a million different varieties and rituals, across the globe. I believe that paganism never died. In Aradia: Gospel of the Witches Leland presents the information in earnest, and with little fanfare or recognition, with the simple hope of helping preserve an obscure patchwork of beauty and bravery. This is a story of ancient truths coming suddenly into the light of day, to either be believed, or disbelieved in.

G.B. Gardner

In 1950s Britain, after the last of the anti-witchcraft laws was repealed, Gerald Gardner was the first person to begin describing witchcraft to a modern public as something that should be tolerated and accepted as much as any faith should in a free society. For this, he is called the Father of Modern Witchcraft. Gerald Gardner collaborated with several other local English covens to organize the "Operation Cone of Power" as a massive magical attack against Adolph Hitler and his Nazi army. In a torchlit ritual held in a nighttime meadow, several independent covens of witches congregated, formed a ring of linked hands, and danced circling around a bonfire while chanting, "You cannot cross the sea! You cannot come! You cannot come!" They then rushed toward the fire simultaneously, sending a massive channel of psychic energy in the direction of Hitler's armies. Due to unexpected foggy and stormy weather conditions, an invasion of the British Isles was cancelled, and remained safe from Nazi invasion.

Writing about mysticism, medieval heresy, mystery cults, and 20th century occult lineages, Gerald Gardner explained these many events and beliefs as well as publicly stating, in a confidence not enjoyed since pre-Christian times, nearly 2000 years at that point, that there are people who believe in magic and gather together in secret to experience the beauty of it. Even today, that simple fact is often a shocking and intriguing idea to the common, mentally weak person. To wise witches, this is just some of the painful history of our world, a story of mankind’s sins against one another, a story of belief in energies beyond our understanding.

As the spiritualist revolution began to spread across the globe, kickstarting the modern spiritual communities, Witchcraft rose as the single most brazen, bold, and powerful occult force shepherding in the Age of Aquarius. Heralded in by witches, pagans, and hippies, an age of tolerance, freedom, and philosophy has been growing ever since alongside a more global, social understanding of religion. 

Witches Alex and Maxine Sanders at witch altar

Throughout the countercultural hippie boom of the 1960s ands 1970s, again in Britain, Alex Sanders was hailed by his initiates and contemporaries as a bona-fide, real-life witch king. He frightened and bewildered the public with demonstrations of occult ceremonies, interviews on sensational, forbidden, and culturally progressive topics, and his challenging of the conventional paradigm of the religious landscape of the 20th century. In an act scarcely understood by the contemporary world, Alex presented himself to the televised, curious public alongside his radiant wife and Witch Queen, Maxine Sanders, alongside an expansive lineage of followers. Together, they awakened the visions and powers of an ancient world in a modern Industrial Age. Stunning listeners with bold philosophies about God, nature, and freedom, in full color photographs across television, print books, and news, the Alexandrian witches used their cunning to enchant the masses, and in doing so hugely assist, through spreading ancient and long-forbidden philosophies, the coming of a new age where all will be free to worship as they please, thus challenging the world's ignorant view of witchcraft, and helping the ancient wisdom to survive into the future.

The challenge these new ways of life continue to present to a Christian culture constantly demands immediate action in protest, as Christians continue to be intolerant of truly harmless lifestyles, including the lifestyles of pagans. Alex Sanders was a truly touched mystic, an out and proud bisexual man during homophobic times, and an arbiter of necessary social chaos, who knew that people of our modern age were going to need the power and liberation taught by the ancient spirits; that once again the world would have to reconnect with its ancient origins.

Even through decades of protest against witch activity, which continues to this very day, witches of an uncountable amount of lines, traditions, and covens continue to invoke the powers of magic in an otherwise cold, sterile, rigid, secular world. Through the most difficult times witches have healed the sick and established communities in secret. In the twenty-first century, witches and mystics of all types are proving to the world through our accomplishments that magic is a source of power greater than mortals can comprehend. 

Magic and mysticism in our present day, from organized groups, to solitary practitioners, to the legendary wizards of folklore, and everything in between, is still an act of rebellion, simply because it is an act of taking back personal power from your own inner self, as well as reaching out to mysterious entities that we have given names. In a world where life can be seen as disposable by brutal government regimes, in a world where the desperate outcry for equality—a cry for basic human freedoms—is being treated by empathy-lacking people as entitlement, delusion, or going against the grain. To stand for the worth of each human as a soul without agenda, to treat all humans as divine, with inalienable rights, to recognize the inherent worth of the planet without demanding profit in return, is considered foolish by many. Witchcraft and magic is a force which boggles the minds of foolhardy, mindless, and heartless people. Witchcraft stands strong through ages where the world threatens to become a nightmare of pollution, murder, neglect, deception, and oppression. Witchcraft sees, like a primitive animist, the human religion as removed from the illusions of society set in time and dictated by man-written laws. So remain the mysteries of the wilderness, obscured in darkness, for all those who are foolish and courageous enough to brave a transformative, initiatory journey into them. 

Perhaps it is time for each of us to reconnect with the lost spirits of our ancient ones, all of our Gods, Goddesses, spirits, ancestors, and their stories. Could such powerful forces manifest empathy and foster needed progress within the masses? In a climate where politicians inflict all sorts of personal biases onto the law, regardless of our supposedly secular society, our souls cry out for a change in humanity's abuses of power in the name of superstition and illogic, and for free spiritual expression to be enjoyed by all in many different ways. Maybe all of us need to open our minds to the idea that all deities and ancestor spirits are, at the trunk of the tree of life, interconnected. Our world cries out for true connection to each other, a community-focused life, an end to self-inflicted social and emotional tyranny of assembly line or feudal mentality which pits us against each other, an end to the grief and violence inflicted by one another. We all cry out in our souls for freedom. Men cannot hold in the tears of his past. Women across the globe can no longer be silenced, abused, and murdered for daring to claim their rightful sovereignty. Perhaps it is time mythology permeated Western culture beyond aesthetic appeal and hobby, or cultish fanaticism. Perhaps the ancient truths about the gods, known the world over before Christian domination, are entering the collective souls of the Western world at this very moment. I pray this inevitable shift grants us some wisdom, perspective, and compassion for life. I hope that the world will awaken, and start turning the grief into change.

The organization WITCH protesting in front of Chicago Federal Building in 1969. Click on the photo to learn more about them.

Before concluding, I want to say that I do not intend to dictate any religious dogma other than some truthful words of wisdom. They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. In a truly enlightened world, I believe people can handle learning a few more tricks. Freedom, protected by those who uphold democracy, can survive into the future so long as a tyrant doesn’t take absolute power and destroy all of the work of the past. Religion does not exist to chastise or shun the mortal world. Religion is meant to make our lives better, it is supposed to make all of us more thoughtful, more empathic, and through guiding constructive action, not detestable people. That's what religion and philosophy was written for; for affirming the value of life, that is why life first raised eyes to Heaven. Do not demonize those who desire change, which is the only logical approach to unsustainable systems, for hear the words of Mother Earth, who says to all peoples, "I am the that which is attained at the end of desire." God is life and love. God is Source energy. God is within every single one of us.

I am thankful to the preservers of magical knowledge, and those who paved the way for future spiritual exploration, those people who offer guidance when the wanderer queries into the dark empty space, "Who, or what, is out there? Who, or what, am I?" You and I are the inheritors of the Earth, we who's hearts are guided by the stars of love, empathy, and joy. They are not the inheritors of the Earth, they who scorn and ravage the Mother and Her creatures. Those who see the energy behind all things, and seek to guard it with all their life, to this day continue to pass on our teachings. Truly self-governed voters in a Democracy are the true inheritors of the power of the government. Today, in 2021, we have forces threatening our democracy with their votes, and from within. We must outvote them every time, forever. We must reject them like weeds. We must become interested in directly causing positive change within the world.

Magical people have an important role to play here. We will continue sending our intentions out upon the winds, as we have always done, for the future good of all who are living. We will encourage wisdom and invention over superstition and fear. The Charge of the Goddess written witch priestess Doreen Valiente, with "charge" meaning a call to action, or the bestowing of a responsibility, says: "KEEP PURE YOUR HIGHEST IDEAL, STRIVE EVER TOWARDS IT, LET NAUGHT STOP YOU OR TURN YOU ASIDE."

May we use our precious powers and abilities more wisely and effectively than past generations.

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The Rosary of Santa Muerte

A la bio, a la bao, a la bim bom ba, La Santa, La Santa, rah rah rah!

{Photo: my prayer corner. Santa Muerte has her own personal altar in the living room.}

During a winter of my life, overcoming hereditary gut issues (the bowels of Hell), mastering ADHD and depression, healing from a childhood hindered and ultimately taken by the devils of this world, and ultimately finding my salvation through constructive rebellion, performing arts, writing, and promulgating my own syncretic magical traditions, my coming of age story has been obfuscated by the demons of trauma and abuse that unhealed people inevitably inflict. My life has been one of solitary character development, constant inner and outer conflict resolution, and experiencing ancient spiritual medicines. It is all of our fates to face and conquer evil so that we can develop as souls. It is the fate of the species to face much hardship until we come into collective maturity. The current shift into the Age of Aquarius has been prophecized as intrinsic to our spiritual evolution by mystics for millennia… a change is surely coming, but will the old world go to the grave fighting, and how many of us will it drag to Hell with it?

Satan, the Opposer, the Evil One, the dualist hind parts of Creation, ever spites the Kingdom of God, and we let Him implement His primordial Beast systems through our sinfulness, carelessness, or disempowerment. It is our duty on this planet to raise the vibrations of even the evilest of spirits. The same evils we have all suffered from during life’s long journey continue to be written into the system day by day, year by year, and we are still unable to democratically change our systems, even as they fail across all frontiers. First world countries continue to write our children’s trauma-based mind control into legislation and curriculum every day, and we aren’t disgusted that more parents aren’t demanding change; in fact, it’s difficult to get a majority of voters to care about reforming education or finance. Those in positions of power have sold their soul to a pyramid scheme, a rigged game, their minds are owned by fearmongers, and they aren’t allowed to think outside of the ingrained paradigm. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Unfortunately for the many, the few egos in positions of monopolistic power, their employees, and customers continue to perpetuate and enforce sickness upon the global human body and ecosystem. Only the bravest of us are capable of finding outlets for demanding small daily progress. Mother Earth endures unceasing defacement at the hands of capitalist, colonialist, patriarchal, war-hungry, compassionless, pure-evil systems, and puppet politicians bankrolled by money-hungry corporate donors, and Antichrist leader after Antichrist leader refusing to reject the unsustainable endless growth inherent in capitalism, and instead switch to a truly free market where workers—the people—own the means of production, instead of reptilian CEOs dictating as modern Lords with their army of serfs held in indentured servitude, neglect, and fear. Late stage capitalism is a Death Cult of the most destructive and perverted mentalities known to history, and the wounds of its failures are festering. Because of capitalism, a replicable or editable set of competitive and cutthroat business customs, the bodies and minds of the first world’s workers are willingly neglected and destroyed, those whom it has no use for left for dead, and those outside of its governance forsaken by empathy backed by action. Our military will exploit financial pressures to send students to fight unnecessary wars in order for those in charge to pillage wealth, and then leave our veterans, who served as some of our real-life superheroes, traumatized by the horrors of war, and without counseling or housing. Our “culture” is so amoral as to further betray the disenfranchised houseless population by using them as street-corner propaganda to further convince people that it is ever-necessary to submit ourselves to abuse at the hands of systems that weren’t written to guarantee our livelihoods in the first place. This isn’t even to mention how modern countries abuse the planet for an insatiable abundance of resources to feed a corporate-brainwashed consumer class. We collectively need to begin treating exploitation like the sin it is, and work to redistribute resources to the countries across the globe in states of perpetuated and steady crisis, and to begin making reparations for the crimes of history which the privileged still benefit from. We need to rebel against the false god worshipped by the privileged and predatory upper class, this idol, this beast system, this Moloch. We must demand our corporations and communities put their money where their mouth is, and actually help humanity instead of lining elite pockets. We need voters who see the corruption going on in front of our eyes, and who care about humanity. In our present day, evil is winning, the planet is governed by (unhealed) pathological and psychopathic mobs, and the Gods and ancestors are angry. The planet has strayed far from righteousness, and Love for each other as family will be our only salvation. Now is the time for the old world order to die a holy death, before it’s too late.

The good news is, it’s possible to change our systems; in fact it’s done every day by those in charge; kind of like a make-it-up-as-you-go-along game; reality is fluid, fixity is an illusion. All power comes from cooperation. If you know someone in charge, we can collectively network to reject their abuses of authority, and demand redistribution of power and resources. It’s the story of history, and it’s very inspiring to continually study, and actively work to embody. We are the people, we are the potential, we are the power.

Santisima Muerte, alongside my array of familiar Gods, is helping me to heal & overcome the evils and frustrations of this mortal world. She guides each and every one of us, and is actively granting miracles across the globe. She and Her followers give me hope that a better world is possible. With Her, I feel a new world awakening. When humanity can mature beyond the limitations of the ego’s fear of its own death, we can finally step together into the ultimate truth.

El Diablo card from the Tarot De La Santa Muerte

This set of prayers are very traditional, with my own small edits. Like much of religion, nobody knows the original authors, but they structurally mirror the traditional set of Rosary prayers. Personally, for Santa Muerte, this is the set of prayers that resonates most intimately with my heart and soul, the prayers I feel She is most pleased to hear me pray, and to share with my students who are interested in working with this powerful Saint, who has such love for worshippers. The beauty that Santa Muerte has conjured through Her worshippers amazes me to behold, and I will love Her forever. This feared and revered Goddess, who was called by the ancient Aztecs Mictēcacihuātl, The Lady of the Dead, should never have been feared, but instead worshipped to, and with, our Creator, through Her, the Godmother of the Most Holy Death. She is the Mother of us all, who is the same being as the Father of us all, who manifests throughout creation by manifold faces and names. She blesses all who are receptive to the wisdom that it takes to understand Her and Her workings in all of our lives.

Santa Muerte helps me heal my ancestral roots by reversing the evils of war and colonization that my ancestors both perpetrated, and were subjected to. She helps me to embrace the death of the old paradigm and the new life of the living paradigm, the living Word of progress, righteous unrest among the faithful, and final justice. She has helped our ancestors from the ancient Mesoamericas as well as worldwide to persevere through the corruption of slavery and class division while never losing faith in God/dess’ Love. She offers redemption to living souls on this earth, a way to take the power of the church back into your own heart. She is a savior, one of many saviors who humble me daily. She is the legion of intercessing angels who are the hands of God in creation, who answer our prayers, and who award us for our holiness by guaranteeing liberty in our lives. She is a manifestation of God’s love for us, and our love for God. She is a wise Crone, a powerful Queen of Witches, and a generous Godmother. She is a guardian angel who guides all people to God’s grace. All Deities offer these same blessings, but Santa Muerte can help even during tribulations allow one to remain faithful and grateful. Santa Muerte can even rescue a lost soul from the damnation and desolation of the halls of Hell, as well as the purifying penitentiary of Purgatory.

Santa Muerte’s power is witnessed in manifestations and artistic depictions of the hooded holy ghost of Death. This spirit almost always bears a scythe, a blade with religious significance, used since ancient times to harvest grain. Often known as the “Grim Reaper,” this is the reappearance of the archetypal Angel of Death who will come for us all, and who leads departed souls through the darkness toward the light, serving as God’s charioteer to the Holy Death that is the Heaven of redeemed, or saved, souls. Santisima Muerte comes from Her regions in Mexico, but Her openness and accessibility to all people has allowed Her church to spread across the globe, and She has become one of the fastest growing religious movements. The wisdom texts teach us to love God’s creatures, and to respect the choices of Creator. Through much tribulation and doubt I have learned to simply have faith in the mysterious spirits, because I’ve witnessed how spirits can only exist through God’s permission, and I’ve learned that witnessing Divinity within the whole of creation is the surest way to reunite, on a cosmic and molecular scale, with God. The Saints, Angels, and Ancestors exist to guide us on the path to Paradise, and thus they should all be adored.

By praying with Santisima Muerte, we are praying for the souls who are trapped in the Hell of earthly karmic cycles, and inviting them to approach the Light. As we pray for the darkest aspects of our species, we pray for the darkest aspects of ourselves, and we pray that we may avoid the sufferings of Hell, the trappings of incarnation, and the demands of soul development through lesson-learning. When we worship, we are uplifting and spreading light through the darkness, to all of our ancestors, and to the nameless God/dess who created and sustains All.

I hope you enjoy working with and praying with our Bony Lady, even if you don’t decide to pursue dedication to Her and become a Santa Muerte Devotee; as to serve as one of Her Devotees is to take on the responsibilities of Priesthood, mainly: appointment by the Deity (consecration), charge of ministry by the Deity (ordination into a station and taking vows of service), and sacrifice to both the celestial and cthonic aspects of Deity (alchemical-spiritual reunification, predominantly through ritual states of heightened consciousness, or worship/contemplation/prayer/meditation). Also, Devotees who are charged to work magic with Her must maintain an altar exclusively for Her, though her icons may adorn anywhere precious to the individual. Devotees to Santa Muerte come from all spiritual paths, from Indigenous, to New Age, from Pagan, to Christian, and all can bow to this form that God/dess has taken as the Angel and Saint of Death, because Death is a Deity who pervades and governs throughout the entire universe, wherever life is present. Another way to praise our Santa Muerte is to burn Her sacred incense resin, copal. She also enjoys liquor such as tequila and rum, as well as fine tobacco. She is also given food, sweets, and money as offerings; She loves those earthly delights which teach self discipline and moderation, as Spirit appreciates those very simple joys and sacred items and the importance they have to life. Santa Muerte loves being loved, and She loves to improve the lives of Her worshippers, multiplying our blessings to make our lives more divine. She loves those who live a life of steadfast and unshakeable righteousness that is higher than the laws of the land or the dogma of the false church of man, She loves those who face the reality of suffering, who embody the compassion for the human condition of a Saint, and have unlimited faith in the light.

Healthy life, aligned with God, is the state of worship the stars and trees dance in, and what we should idolize.

May you step into your death with faith and gratitude, and meet all of our deities, angels, guides, and ancestors there to greet you, so that we may worship together into eternity.

Amun.

---

THE SANTISIMA MUERTE ROSARY

(First bead ✝︎)

⚰︎ Opening Prayer:

“Santisima Muerte, Holiest Death, I offer these prayers for you.

From the altar of my heart, to your ears, may you find the words sweet & the meanings true.

Santisima Muerte, Holiest Death, I offer these prayers for you.

Amen.”

⚰︎ The Our Santa Muerte Prayer:

“Our Santa Muerte, who will come for us all, kind and gentle be your kiss.

When you come to end my life, may I be free of any regrets.

Thank you for this day, one more beautiful day, so I may have it to live, love, & laugh my own way.

Amen.”

(Beads two and six which represent the Two Pillars of the Qabalistic Tree of Life)

⚰︎ The Glory Be Holy Death Prayer:

“Glory Be Holy Death, blessed Death, peaceful Death. As you have been with me from the beginning, so you are with me now, & so shall you be with me always.

Amen.”

(Beads three, four, and five represent the Holy Trinity, the uppermost triangle on the Tree of Life.)

⚰︎ The Hail the Santisima Prayer:

“Hail the Santisima, full of love & grace.

The Lord & Lady are with you.

Blessed by you are the forsaken & forgotten.

Blessed by you are the abused & downtrodden.

Hail the Holy Empress, who holds power over us all.

Bless us with your love now & at the moment of our deaths.

Amen.”

(The Circle of the Rosary contains five mystery beads, and five sets of ten beads. The Mystery beads represent five-fold sets of mysteries; such as the Five Elements of the Magician, the Five Wounds of Christ, and the Five Habiliments or Tools of Santa Muerte. For the five Mystery beads, a Glory Be & an Our Santa Muerte are prayed. The sets of ten beads represent the ten spheres of the Tree of Life, and for each bead one Hail the Santisima is prayed, alongside contemplation of that set’s mystery.)

The Five Mysteries of Santa Muerte:

1. Her Scythe to cut the threads of life.

2. Her Robes to shield & protect.

3. Her Scales to enforce justice, balance, & tranquility.

4. Her Owl & Feet to traverse the universe in service of God.

5. Her Hourglass to travel between worlds to save & teach souls.

⚰︎ The Closing Prayer:

“Hail our Godmother Santisima Muerte, have mercy on us.

It is to you whom I turn to in times of need. Turn then, most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy towards me.

O Santa Muerte, please use your formidable powers on my behalf. Never forsake me, O blessed Mother of us all.

Amen.”

✝︎

---

I wish you much happy, nourishing prayer and meditation during these transformative times of our lives. I personally spend a lot of time praying in bed, and walking meditation; it restores balance to my soul. Prayer is healing.

According to one of Santa Muerte’s most read texts “The Grimoire of Santa Muerte” by Sophia diGregorio, these are the “Promises from Santa Muerte to Devotees Who Devoutly Pray the Rosary to Her:

1. I shall protect you from evil.

2. I shall protect you from sudden death.

3. I shall protect you from dying alone.

4. I shall answer your prayers.

5. I shall perform miracles.

6. I shall never forsake you in your time of need.

7. I shall be your holy guide.

8. I shall heal your heart.

9. I shall satisfy your desires.

10. Souls in purgatory will be freed by means of this Rosary.

11. Those who share the Rosary of Santa Muerte will always be dearest to my heart and I will never forsake them.”

    —The Grimoire of Santa Muerte”

I love this Spirit, and I hope that all who need Her may come to love Her and learn from Her, as I always will, as She guides us on our journey to an all-encompassing Heaven of God/dess Consciousness.

Gods bless you.

Thank you for visiting my sanctuary, and thank you for all of your online interactions. Together we are building a community unlike the world has ever seen.

With love & humility,

—Lord Matria 🌹

Summer Solstice 2022

{Tiny Santa Muerte & Jesus Malverde statues. Wearing the rosary my mom gifted me from the historic Olvera Street Marketplace in Los Angeles, California.}

{Finding joy in the chaos.}

One Trans Woman's Alchemical Journey of the Soul

——Contributed by Jane Doe

As a child, I remember such a beautiful and all-encompassing sense of femininity inside of me. My friends were girls, and I dreamt of being one. As I got older, the sense of femininity I had loved slowly dwindled and died off, but the same desire remained. 

I was fifteen when I discovered transsexuals online. They had such a vibrant, feminine energy to them that drew me in like a fish on a hook. I knew I was one of them. I knew I was a girl. But the thing about transition is that knowing you're a girl, and BEING a girl are two different things. It would take time to learn, as any girl would, the typical social cues, fashion, manor of speech, and to develop my physical appearance, not so unlike casting a powerful glamour spell. But one thing mattered more than anything. The development of my soul. 

I believe that our souls are innately gendered. I believe that we find genders that fit us, and for the majority of the world, it happens seamlessly. They exist and develop their self, their spiritual self, and their gender identity in tandem with one another. With transsexuals, it's a little different. We exist in limbo. Our given gender not quite matching our self and spiritual self. And, like with any engine failure, it's pretty easy to tell when it's not working the way it should. But, unlike engine failure, others really can't tell from the outside. Social pressure during childhood by those who don't understand can comfort one's pride, and the need to fit in forces the assumed gender to take hold, and keeps the illusion of movement going. Transition, both spiritually and physically, is the remedy to this failure. A sort of reconstruction of what should have been. 

When I initially came out, I had understood the failure of the engine, and the easily solved  failings of appearance and physiology, the things you could feel, see, and experience with me, were addressed. I wore girl's clothes, and began to fill them out by blocking my body's ability to use the male hormones, and supplemented female hormones to go through a typical female puberty. To everyone, I looked and felt like a girl, and as far as my gender identity went, the nagging pain and fear of gender dysphoria had been released. Still, something deep inside told me that there was still work to do.

It finally came to me in a dream, shortly after I was a year on female hormones. The small, childlike version of me, in a flowing white lacy sundress, no older than five or six years old. My long, butt-length dark brown hair, flailing wildly in the wind as I ran down the street of my grandmother's neighborhood, screaming a high pitched shriek of glee. I remembered how I had felt as a small child, roughly the same age. I realized it was me. It was my inner child, and I chased her. She had grabbed my hand, and pulled me in the direction she ran as I tried to keep up with her pace. She talked, and I couldn't make out the words, but I remembered their meaning. "You already knew. You already know. You were always me." 

I awoke with a bloody nose (common side effect of testosterone blockers like spironolactone) and recalled the dream. In an instant, I remembered what I had said to myself: that I always knew. I felt a warmth in my chest, an inner glow that I hadn't experienced in so long, and realized, then and there, that I had found the missing piece. That in search of what made me a woman, be it societal acceptance, sexual attractiveness, or physical similarity with the female body, I had ignored the search for what mattered most; my feminine essence. The sense of femininity that I had always possessed, and always concealed. It was ME. It was my spirit, wanting to burst forth, laugh, and be free, and in remembering where I came from, I came to know a fulfillment within the wholeness of me, and I now feel at peace.

If I had to say one thing to my younger self about this whole revelation, it would be this. Life might seem like it isn't for you. The pain, and fear of feeling different might feel like it can't be overcome. I'm here to tell you that it can be. That this is not permanent, and that most things rarely are. I'd also tell myself that transition isn't something to accomplish through brute force. Other people's transition timelines might make it look like a simple progression, but it's not, and that's okay. It's okay to be scared, to self doubt, and to exist in a state of perpetual metamorphosis. These are all things that will help you get to where you need to go. They helped us get to where we are. You. Will. Find. A. Way.

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