If I'm not ___ can I still worship or work with Santa Muerte?
To ask if everyone is allowed to worship or if everyone is allowed to work with Santa Muerte may seem a bit strong but I think you get the point. I think it's interesting because I know you noticed this kind of behavior before. Someone questioning your practice, the way you show devotion or if you work with her or do workings with her. Questioning the validity of your choices, your practices even you as a person like your heritage.
I think it's worth pointing out why some people might behave like this. I think people hold Santa Muerte very close to the heart, she really means a lot to her devotees. Some people have been on the brink of death before she brought them back. She's helped so many people to cope with their own existential dread and helped them off the edge. Naturally, people will take her and anything related to her very seriously and will have a very strict devotion to her. This could lead to clashes when someone else may not able to match or exceed that same level of respect and devotion that they expect.
That's understandable but those aren't the one's we need to focus on. Let's talk a bit about those who are questioning you not from a place of holding a high standard of her devotion. Rather, I think it's more common that someone is questioning you for their own reasons. I know you know what I'm talking about. Maybe they asked you "since you're in this practice are you latinx," somewhat knowingly so they can question the validity of someone being in this practice if they are not latinx. Maybe you are latinx but you're not Mexican, they are still making it about ethnicity to feel closer to her "proximity." Maybe you are doing something that they don't do because it's not proper or right or traditional in some way. In that case, it may be for comparison reasons which makes them feel more "correct." In many of these cases you will see an underlying theme here of someone trying to garner self-validation. Simply put they feel as like if they can push you beneath them so that they will feel uplifted in some way so they try to question you and your methods to point out anything they deem inadaquate. As if they are the ones granting permits letting you know what is tolerated and what is not.
Firstly, this path has no authority, there is no high priest or pope of Santísima Muerte, this isn't a closed practice. It's also a contradiction to the beliefs that to Santa Muerte it doesn't matter who you are. That is to say, it doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, man, woman or child, it doesn't matter what language you speak or where you're born and so your lineage certainly doesn't matter, Death comes for all. No one is beyond the reach of Santa Muerte. That's the reason behind her holding the world in her hand, it's a symbolic or visual representation of her dominion, which is everything. We don't have any institution giving accreditation, there is no official handing out permits or licenses, none of that. All we can go off of is our own personal experiences and the stories that others tell us, sometimes old stories. Which ties back to the concept of elders. Just like there are no priests or popes we also don't have elders. Unless you mean elder in the traditional sense, that is to say someone in the community with decades of experience and knowledge that they willingly share with all. Regardless, the only authority there is, is her. Trust her, and in your experiences with her over what anyone or anything makes you feel or think. At the end of the day people can lie and make things up and we'll give people the benefit of the doubt or just believe them entirely when they tell us something. However, even that is not the same thing as experiencing something first hand.
Secondly, what happens to you is true. If you had a dream or an experience with Santa Muerte or at her altar or something then that's true and no one can tell you different. No one's ethnicity or self sense of authority can take that from you. There is no one out there that you necessarily need approval or recognition from to honor her or devote yourself to her. That may not be the case if you're doing workings in her name or with her help but I digress. It's fair to say that what is true for you may not be true for be, so if we're sitting in a room together it may be freezing for you but warm for me. However your feelings are not facts. That is to say that if I "feel" like this room is too hot and you "feel" it's too warm regardless the fact is that the room was a sensible 74 degrees. Your feelings and your truth don't change the facts. That applies to others as much as it applies to you.
Furthermore, their practice is not your practice and vise versa. What you do may not necessarily work for me and what works for me may not necessarily work for someone else. That applies to both devotional practices as well are practices with respects to workings, rituals etc. Just to clarify, not all devotees are practitioners and not all practitioners are devotees, and not all devotees that are practitioners call on Santa Muerte and those that do, not all do it on behalf of clients. Besides, one can follow something someone else did down to the last detail nevertheless results may vary. However, practitioners are aware that with the helping energies of other people or spirits they will get better results so many practitioners do so. Yet I think it's necessary to reiterate what I said earlier that when it comes to what you do in workings with her that you don't need anyone else's approval. The only permission you need is from her. If you're calling on her, asking her to lend her energy and her power towards something, then I think it's important that you have her consent otherwise I wouldn't say that that's appropriate to ask. If I knew someone that was calling on my name and my energy so that they come use it for a working they're doing for themselves without my consent, the first thing I would do would be to call back my energy and take back my power. The same would go for Santa Muerte, if you're doing something for you and calling on the energy of any spirit or deity you better have their consent. Other than that, someone else's devotional practices or magical practices are none of my business just like mine aren't any of your business.
I think this will help you understand that although some people have a lot of love for Santa Muerte and hold a high ideal or standard in their own personal devotion, it seems elitist for someone else to question anyone about anything. It doesn't matter if they claim their source is a guru or elder or high priest or any other title. But tell me what you think? Has anyone ever told you that you aren't allowed to honor Santa Muerte? Has anyone ever told you that you're not allowed to work with Santa Muerte? Have you every questioned yourself or questioned someone else? Do you think it's appropriate to ask? Do we have any leaders or authority besides Santa Muerte herself? Do you consider anyone particular group or person to be an authority in this practice? Why or why not? Let me know down in the comments.
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