Santa Muerte & How To Work With Holy Death In The Aquarian Age

Introduction: Holy Death Comes in Many Forms

I’ve always felt drawn to Holy Death. She first revealed herself to me through Nephthys, and not long after, Hel stepped forward. But it wasn’t until I encountered the Mexican folk saint aspect we know as Santa Muerte that everything clicked into place. Something about the cultural expressions of devotion around Santísima simply made my heart leap. The colours. The candles. The tenderness of her devotees. The way she is fiercely loyal to her people.

Still, I don’t believe Holy Death belongs to any one culture. She never has. Beings this ancient and vast are not confined by borders or passports.

My relationship with Holy Death has evolved since 2010, and today—with Neptune finally going direct in Pisces, illuminating my 9th House of philosophy and spiritual expansion—I feel ready to share what I’ve learned and why my loyalty lies with her.

Why Gatekeeping Holy Death Makes No Sense

Let’s get this out of the way:
If you’re in the gatekeeping camp, you’ll hate this post. And that’s perfectly fine. I’m not here to please anyone but Mami herself.

Some people insist that I should stick to Hel because I’m Swedish and genetically Nordic. Lovely theory, but spectacularly useless in practice. I’ve never felt at home in my own language or culture (though I love Norse myths and the runes). As a neurodivergent CPTSD survivor with hyperlexia, the language I grew up in is the same one used to wound me. It still tastes bitter on my tongue.

English came next—courtesy of a culty Evangelical church where I promptly gaslit myself into believing doctrines that made no sense whatsoever. It was my first taste of community, so I tolerated the cognitive dissonance. But it left me with religious trauma and a set of divine associations that are still a bit jangly and high-voltage.

Spanish, on the other hand?
The way “Santísima Muerte” rolls off the tongue?
Absolutely delicious. Comforting. Safe. My entire nervous system exhales.

But this is only part of the story.

Trying to culturally gatekeep a being as ancient, primal, and cross-cultural as Holy Death is about as logical as threatening eternal damnation for failing to follow the “right” dogma. It’s the same energy—albeit with a different aesthetic.

Why I Work with Santa Muerte (and Not Hel)

The short answer:
She fits the architecture of my soul.

Like Hel, Santa Muerte champions the underdog and has zero patience for bullies. Unlike Hel, she brings warmth, colour, and a kind of streetwise tenderness that resonates with my psychospiritual wiring. She has appeared in my dreams more than once, and every time, her presence has been electric, unmistakable, and oddly comforting.

She also plays extremely well with Angel Magick, which is a huge part of my practice. I’ve always lived between worlds—quite literally, as I currently live beside a graveyard—and I’ve always gravitated toward the Death Goddesses (and they toward me). While I knocked on many doors and had a few knocks on mine, only Santa Muerte answered fully.

Two years ago, within two hours of asking her for a sign—specifically bones—I found an entire roebuck skull while walking the dogs. It’s now cleansed, painted, and sitting proudly on her altar. That level of responsiveness told me everything I needed to know.

And finally, she’s a working Goddess. A magical Goddess. A Goddess with a living, evolving body of praxis backed by centuries of devotees. She isn’t theoretical. She’s present here and now. And for that, I sincerely thank my Mexican friends.

The Aquarian Age and the Rise of Cross-Cultural Deity Work

Now let’s zoom out to the larger pattern, because this is where it gets interesting.

We are living in the early stages of the Age of Aquarius—an era defined by global connection, decentralised spirituality, and the dissolution of old hierarchies. The Internet is now humanity’s collective library, oracle, and crossroads. You can learn about Vodou, Shinto, Ifá, Norse devotionals, Hindu mantra practice, and Mexican folk saint veneration from your sofa in Yorkshire.

And the spirits know this.
The deities know this.
The angels definitely know this.

In this era, divine beings from every culture reach further, wider, and more often. They nudge. And they appear in dreams. People who have zero ancestral or cultural connection to Mexico are hearing Santa Muerte’s voice with absolute clarity… because she is reaching out.

Gatekeeping is rapidly becoming impossible. Not because people are ignoring cultural context, but because the spiritual world is no longer operating through the same isolated channels it once did.

What About Cultural Appropriation?

Good question—and a necessary one.

Here’s the thing: there’s a world of difference between disrespect and syncretism. And syncretism is, frankly, one of the most Pagan things imaginable.

Let’s look at our own multi-layered, gloriously messy history:

• Alexandria
The ancient world’s magical melting pot. Greeks, Egyptians, Jews, Persians, and Nubians all lived, traded, philosophised, and practised magick side by side. Isis was adored by people far beyond Egypt. Greek philosophers wrote hymns to Egyptian deities. Egyptians incorporated Greek philosophical concepts into temple theology.

• Rome
Rome collected Gods like teenagers collect enamel pins. When Romans moved into a new territory, they didn’t erase the local Gods — they integrated them. Celtic, British, Germanic, Egyptian, and Near Eastern deities found new homes and new worshippers across the empire.

• Hermeticism and the Mystery Schools
The entire Hermetic tradition — which underpins Western esotericism, ceremonial magick, astrology, and the occult revival — is a fusion of Greek philosophy, Egyptian priestly wisdom, Jewish mysticism, and Babylonian cosmology. Without syncretism, the occult as we know it wouldn’t even exist.

Syncretism is the ancestral norm.
Cultural purity is the modern invention.

The real issue is respect:
Are you honouring the being as they wish to be honoured?
Importantly, are you giving credit where credit is due?
Are you approaching with humility rather than entitlement?

If yes—congratulations, you’re not culturally appropriating. You’re participating in the oldest spiritual technology humans have ever had: cross-pollination.

The Aquarian Age Demands a New Understanding

We are now globally connected. Cultures are no longer isolated. Deities are appearing across linguistic and geographic boundaries. People are forming genuine devotional relationships with beings they would never have encountered even 50 years ago.

The spiritual landscape has changed forever.

Holy Death is vast enough to hold all of this. She does not require passports. She does not require purity tests. And she certainly does not require gatekeepers.

She asks only for sincerity, devotion, and respect.

5 Signs You May Be Called by Santa Muerte

Not everyone who feels curious about Santa Muerte is being called —but when she wants your attention, she tends to make it wonderfully obvious. Here are five common signs devotees report:

1. Repeated Symbolism: Skulls, Bones, Owls, and Scythes
If skull imagery, skeletal figures, black roses, or owls start appearing everywhere — in dreams, online, in shops you “randomly” walk past—don’t ignore it. She’s famous for using unmistakable symbols.

2. An Unusual Sense of Safety Around Death Themes
Some people become inexplicably calm around graveyards, bones, or images of Holy Death long before they understand why. If you feel soothed rather than frightened, that’s a classic calling card.

3. Dreams or Visitations
Many devotees first meet Santa Muerte in the dream state, where she often appears cloaked, skeletal, or glowing with candlelight. Sometimes she doesn’t speak—she simply stands there, radiating that unmistakable sense of presence.

4. A Sudden Pull Toward Justice, Protection, or Life Transitions
She tends to reach out to those going through upheaval, trauma recovery, identity shifts, or moments when boundaries need reinforcement. If you’re rediscovering your power, she may be walking with you.

5. Bones, Feathers, or Unexpected Gifts Appearing
Santa Muerte is famous for giving tangible signs—bones, coins, keys, feathers, animals crossing your path, or even entire skulls (as well I know). When these “coincidences” stack up… they’re not coincidences.

If two or more of these resonate, she may be tapping you on the shoulder.

How to Begin a Devotional Practice to Holy Death

If you feel called, you don’t need to dive straight into elaborate rituals. Santa Muerte values sincerity far more than big displays. Here’s a grounded, beginner-friendly way to start:

1. Begin with a Candle and a Clean Surface
Choose a white candle for general blessings. A simple tealight is perfectly acceptable in the beginning. You definitely don’t need to rush out and buy a statue, but if you like to focus on an image of Santísima, you can print one you find online.

2. Speak to Her Naturally
You don’t need formal prayers unless you want them. Talk to her like you would talk to a trusted elder or wise friend. She responds beautifully to honesty and plain language.

3. Offer Water First
Water is universal, respectful, and energetically neutral. Place a small glass beside the candle. Replace it regularly—it shows attentiveness.

4. Keep a Journal of Signs and Dreams
Holy Death communicates in a mixture of symbolism, synchronicity, and sudden clarity. Recording the little things helps you recognise her patterns of communication.

5. Learn Her Traditions Ethically
Read from multiple perspectives, especially Mexican practitioners, while holding space for the living traditions she comes from. Some of the books I recommend for beginners are Devoted to Death (3rd edition, 2025), Santa Muerte: The History, Rituals, and Magic of Our Lady of the Holy Death and Secrets of Santa Muerte: A Guide to the Prayers, Spells, Rituals, and Hexes. (<– UK Amazon affiliate links. But please support your local book shop if at all possible.)

6. Let the Relationship Unfold at Her Pace
Santa Muerte is a powerful deity with her own timing. You don’t need to rush into building a full altar or buying statues. Begin slowly. Let her guide your next steps. When she wants something specific, trust me—she’ll make it abundantly clear.

Once you’ve made consistent offerings, spoken to her regularly, and shown willingness to learn, you’ll feel the relationship deepen in a way that is as loving as it is unmistakable.

A Quick Note on Hexes in the Aquarian Age

Before we wrap up, let’s address the elephant in the room.

Look, I don’t care which deity you work with or how justified you think you are. The Aquarian Age is about recognising that we’re all swimming in the same energetic pool. This isn’t about moral purity or pretending to be above anger. It’s about long-term energetic infrastructure.

Holy Death is a phenomenal protector. She defends her children fiercely. But we are all her children, and she is also a being of cosmic balance. If you ask her to do something that ultimately undermines your own evolution, she’ll either ignore you, reroute you, or teach you a lesson you’ll remember for the rest of your earthly incarnation.

True Power in the Age of Aquarius

In the Aquarian Age, power isn’t about striking out. It’s about holding your field, strengthening your boundaries, and choosing strategies that don’t poison the water we all have to share.

If you want justice, she’s unmatched.
And if you want transformation, she delivers.
But if you want to throw curses around like confetti, she’ll give you that look—the one that says, “Really? That’s what you’re doing with your incarnation?” She’s sick to the eye sockets with her children asking her to hex her other children. Yes, I said what I said because she showed me this in a dream vision.

We’re building a new spiritual architecture now, one based on clarity, reciprocity, and collective coherence. Hexing belongs to the old paradigm. So don’t piss in your own pool and stay blessed!