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:
Her Scythe to cut the threads of life.
Her Robes to shield & protect.
Her Scales to enforce justice, balance, & tranquility.
Her Owl & Feet to traverse the universe in service of God.
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:
I shall protect you from evil.
I shall protect you from sudden death.
I shall protect you from dying alone.
I shall answer your prayers.
I shall perform miracles.
I shall never forsake you in your time of need.
I shall be your holy guide.
I shall heal your heart.
I shall satisfy your desires.
Souls in purgatory will be freed by means of this Rosary.
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.}