Legal Magic
“Many that live deserve death.
And some that die deserve life.
Can you give it to them?
Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment.
For even the very wise cannot see all ends.”
~j. r. r. tolkien, the fellowship of the ring
Legal magic is an interesting genre of spellwork. While many traditions have evolved their own blend of spells to aid them in the legal process, none have gone so far as to make legal magic a defining pillar of their own tradition as has the mystery school of La Santa Muerte.
Those critical of the devotion to La Santa Muerte would say that this is the natural result of having unrepentant criminals and societal undesirables make up a large portion of devotees. And the truth is, they’re absolutely right, but not for the reasons they might expect.
Throughout history, those who were economically or socially disenfranchised were victimized by the powers that be, whose attack dogs were the courts and legal systems. Corruption and injustice within the justice system is still alive and well today, especially in the birthplace of the Santa Muerte tradition: Mexico. The same can be said about the modern justice system in relation to Mexican migrants who often have little to no power in the courts.
For such people, being able to use magic to swing a court ruling in their favor was often a matter of survival. This is evident when we look at how the majority of spells for legal magic are largely focused on helping the defense as opposed to the prosecution. Below are two of the most common spells in legal magic. Use these as a springboard to tailor your own for your legal needs.
Tipping the Scales of Justice
Suggested Tools:
Color/Aspect: Green
Herbs/Scents: Myrrh, peach, plum, peppermint
Minerals: Lapis lazuli, quartz, tiger’s-eye, tourmaline
1. Assemble any tools and get into a meditative state.
2. Visualize yourself as a small person standing on one side of a pair of large, golden scales. On the other side stands the opposing party (the prosecution or defense).
3. Visualize that La Santa Muerte is holding the scales.
4. You and your opponent start out on even footing, but you slowly feel the scales tipping in your favor. Truth, justice, and purity are adding considerable weight to your side.
5. If you feel the other side tipping more strongly, ask that La Santa Muerte remove the weight of pretense, lies, and misdirectional truths from the opposing party, thus making their side lighter.
6. When you feel fully stable and convinced that your side is unequivocally heavier and that the scales of justice are overwhelmingly in your favor, end the meditation and carry that feeling within you during the course of the trial.
It is important to note that for this spell to work effectively, you actually have to be on the side of justice. If you know that you are guilty or if you are unaware that you are actually guilty, the spell will not work. Such failing will be due to the fact that truth, justice, and purity are not actually on your side to give you any additional weight. So, before performing this spell, have an honest discussion with yourself in that meditative state to know if you should waste any time and effort on a spell that is doomed to fail.
Expediting Jail Time
This is the most common spell in legal magic. It is also the number-one spell that converts people into lifelong devotees. While this spell should ideally be done by the person who is incarcerated, it can also be done by loved ones as a way in which the affected person can experience some “coincidences” that enable them to realize the error of their ways. Due to its preference of being performed while in prison, there are rarely any tools used in this spell.
Suggested Tools:
Color/Aspect: Green
Herbs/Scents: Grape, honeysuckle, licorice, lily, pau d’arco
Minerals: Amethyst, jade, jet, obsidian, pyrite
1. Assemble any tools (if possible) and get into a meditative state.
2. In your mind, replay the incident that led to your conviction.
3. Replay it from every angle of every person involved, including you, the victim, the onlookers, the police, God, etc.
4. Once you see the event from all angles, think of all the small decisions you made to create the event. Oftentimes, large actions are just the result of millions of tiny actions.
5. Imagine the event occurring differently. Replay it in your mind in such a way that would not have led to your incarceration. Replay as many scenarios as you can think of where your choices could have reshaped the history of the lives of everyone involved.
6. In your heart space, imagine the spirit of your victim, and talk to him or her. Ask for forgiveness, and express how you will make it up to them once released from prison.
7. After the meditation, the spirit of the victim—which is free from ego—will approach La Santa Muerte and advocate either for or against your expedited release.
This is a spell that often needs many repetitions. Most people who experiment with this spell do it as a “get out of jail free card,” which inevitably fails. For the spell to work, three things are needed: sincere remorse, an authentic apology, and a solid plan for how to rebalance your karma after release. Without any one of these (or even with a weak one), the spell will not work. If the spell is being done for a loved one in prison, as with all spells for other people, the ultimate effectiveness will depend entirely on them and where their heart is.
Also, the spell does not end once you are released early from prison. If you don’t take sincere action to balance your karma and fulfill your end of the deal to the spirit of the victim, La Santa Muerte will quickly create another “coincidence” where you find yourself once again in prison. This time you will have another strike on your record, a more severe sentence, and very little chance of successfully performing this spell again since it has been proven that your actions don’t live up to your words, no matter how remorseful or sincere.