Faith
Why death is love
To someone who doesn't know her, saying that death is love sounds strange. For her devotees it is the central idea of their faith: Santa Muerte rejects no one, waits for everyone with the same patience and stays with you to the end. Here we explain why so many people feel this way.
Why death is love for her devotees
A mother's love doesn't ask what you did before it embraces you. That is how many devotees describe Santa Muerte: a presence that welcomes whoever arrives tired, whoever made mistakes and whoever no one else would listen to. That is why they call her White Girl or Godmother, family words.
She makes no distinctions
Death is the only certainty we all share. It makes no distinction between rich and poor, good and bad, famous and unknown. For many people who feel they are treated unfairly in life, that equality is a form of love: before her, at last, everyone is worth the same.
A reminder that time is short
Thinking about death is not thinking about sad things. It is remembering that our time with the people we love has an end, and that it is worth saying today what we feel. Those who keep Santa Muerte in mind often learn to forgive sooner, to give thanks more and not to put off what matters.
A love that does not end
On Santa Muerte altars there are almost always photos of relatives who have passed away. Many devotees feel that she watches over their departed and that the bond with them is not broken. Love goes on even when the person is gone: they are remembered, a candle is lit for them and they are spoken to.
A faith that keeps you company
Santa Muerte does not promise there will be no pain. What her devotees find in her is company in their pain: someone to talk to at night, to ask for strength, to thank when things go well. That constant company is, for them, the clearest form of love.
Start praying to her
If you want to draw closer to her, you can begin with the Santa Muerte prayer for love or with the nine days of the Santa Muerte novena.