No Gates Kept

      Alright, maybe I have convinced you that Santa Muerte isn't evil, that believing in her doesn't have to contradict with your beliefs, while also giving you a bit of background information and now you're ready to start building an altar and a relationship with her. Let's get into it.     Firstly, I think it's important to note that you really don't need any one particular thing for a Santa Muerte altar. I think it's helpful to have some kind of imagery that will help you connect with her when you visit her altar but that doesn't necessarily have to be a 12 foot statue of her adorned with the most extravagant of offerings. A lot of this is going to depend on a few things such as your relationship to her, what's available to you as well as how much you're willing to offer. However let's talk about some of the basics of building an altar for Santa Muerte.     As I said before, you will probably want something that relates back to her. If y...

           I have never actually had anyone ask me this question. However I have come across some people who are locked in a struggle between their faith and their believe in Santa Muerte. Occasionally, I have seen comments online about this being wrong, or "Jesus loves you," or "Find God," or "Only God exists," or "God first," or some variation of that. I can sympathize with those that may have grown up in a religious household. This kind of environments could contributed to a foreboding scene of anxiety around anything that is considered unholy and could contribute to black and white thinking. I too grew up in a household where we believed in an almighty creator that made all. However, other than that my parent's never really pushed any other kind of religious beliefs on me, though that doesn't mean that they didn't instill a healthy dose of moral fiber.     So why is it that I don't have this need to go around policing people...

     Centuries ago, when the Spanish empire was on the rise, the newly formed kingdom of Castilla y León was dominating the Iberian peninsula. These two great kingdoms had come together under one religion and had successfully expelled muslims and jews after seven hundred years of cooperation, coexisting and intermingling. Religious zealousness was at an all time high and at the same time the were sending over voyagers to the "new world" in the name of God, gold and glory. The spread of diseases helped to wipe out large portions of the native population making it easy to overpower and overthrow the native peoples to exploit them and their resources.      After securing these resources in the name of God, the Peninsulares  were now trying to save these poor heathens. Missionaries were coming to the Americas in large numbers to help convert the native people. These holy men force their language and their beliefs onto these indios, reminding them that...

       Well... Why not? If you've read my first two posts ( Who is Santa Muerte & Is Santa Muerte Evil? ) you'll know a little bit about how Santa Muerte is an exalted personification of death and is neither good nor evil like many people she just is. Would it be better to exalt, praise, honor and revere an amorphous thing in the sky that people insiste is all good, all knowing, all powerful? I have and that was not like this.     This is going to get a little personal but you might be able to relate to this. Growing up I didn't feel like I fit in. I always knew I was different for a number of reasons and did my best to keep it to myself. Part of it was out of fear of being completely alienated, by peers, by family member and by god himself. After wearing a mask for so long it get exhausting.       Being devoted to Santa Muerte is nothing like that. It's a total relief and a weight off your chest to be able to be yourself. You ...

     Firstly, let's talk about what we mean by evil. If you try to define evil or even look it up yourself I'm sure you will find that you will use some combination of bad moral character, wrongdoing and causing harm to establish what is evil. The issue is that bad and wrong are not objective and measurable terms. However that hasn't stopped people from trying to measure and study it.     In the 1960s during the early days of psychology, Stanley Milgram, a professor at Yale university created and executed an experiment that we now realize is very controversial and unethical, some might even call evil. To make sure that they didn't inadvertently affect their behavior and therefore outcome, the participants were told that the study was about memory however the study was more so about obedience. Participants were lead into a room with a large device that has all sorts of lights and indicators. The researchers explained to the participants that in ano...

       Let's start with the basics and most frequently asked questions and what best to start with than this question. Who or what is Santa Muerte?     Santa Muerte is Spanish for Saint Death or Holy Death.  She is the thing that unifies us all. She doesn't care what is your race. She doesn't care where you're from or where you were born. She doesn't care about your ethnicity. If you're rich or poor. What you've done. What language you speak. Everyone is the same in the eyes of death. One way or another we all meet her. You might meet her before me or I before you, but at the end of the day we will all see her. So why not make friends with her now?     Some people leave this world kicking and screaming. Sometimes they leave this world in fear or full of regret. Wishing they could undo what's been done. Wishing they could go back and have a chance to do things differently. What do you think? Will you leave the world like this? Personally I pre...