Santa Muerte is gaining followers among contemporary occultists in Europe and North America, a milieu distinct from the Mexican folk cult due to its middle-class orientation and emphasis on secrecy and tradition. This article argues that the Skeleton Saint's appeal in occultism stems from needs and demands specific to that milieu, not from inherent qualities of the symbol itself. Understanding her spread outside her original sociocultural context requires analyzing the new context she enters. The analysis draws on three recent English-language books on Santa Muerte aimed at an occult audience.
The article argues that the concept of revelation, traditionally central to religious studies, can be rethought through a white mutation in art history and literature. It explores how artistic and literary works, particularly those engaging with the 'Thou' and historical consciousness, manifest a form of revelation that is not tied to institutional theology but emerges from creative and philosophical engagements with the divine or the other. The author suggests that this perspective bridges religious studies, philosophy, and art history, offering a new understanding of spiritual practices and the study of Western esotericism.
Leah Hirsig, a Swiss-American schoolteacher, became the lover and follower of British occultist Aleister Crowley in the 1920s and was appointed the Scarlet Woman, the human avatar of the Thelemic goddess Babalon and Crowley's feminine counterpart. Her involvement in Thelema, from 1918–1919 until her departure in 1927–1930, is traced and situated within the changing roles of women in the early twentieth century, relating to the literary trope of the "New Woman." Esoteric movements of the time often offered heightened opportunities for women's leadership, but Hirsig's occult involvement was also shaped by gendered inequalities in work and reproductive rights.