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Anima Sola
Based on Roman Catholic tradition, the Anim a Sola or Lonely Soul is an image depicting a soul in purgatory , popular in Latin America, as well as much of Andalusia, Naples and Palermo.
Anima Sola

Contents
Brief history
Various interpretations of the image
Magical traditions
Santería and Lukumi
References

Brief history
While scholars hav e thus far not prov ided a history of the Anima Sola (or Ánimas del purgatorio in Spanish), the practice of pray ing for the souls in purgatory extends at least as far back as the Council
of Trent in which the following was determined:

"Whereas the Catholic Church, instructed by the Holy Ghost, has from the Sacred Scriptures and the ancient tradition of the Fathers taught in Councils and v ery recently in this Ecumenical sy nod (Sess.
VI, cap. XXX; Sess. XXII cap.ii, iii) that there is a purgatory , and that the souls therein are helped by the suffrages of the faithful, but principally by the acceptable Sacrifice of the Altar; the Holy Sy nod
enjoins on the Bishops that they diligently endeav or to hav e the sound doctrine of the Fathers in Councils regarding purgatory ev ery where taught and preached, held and believ ed by the faithful" The Anima Sola, a holy card
(Denzinger, "Enchiridon", 983). [1 ] representation of this folk religion
figure
Various interpretations of the image Lonely Soul
The Anima Sola is taken to represent a soul suffering in purgatory . While in many cases chromolithographs depict a female soul, many other figures such as popes and other men are commonly depicted Venerated in Roman Catholic
in chromolithographs, sculptures and paintings. In the most commonly known image of the Anima Sola, a woman is depicted as breaking free from her chains in a dungeon setting surrounded by flames, Church, Santeria,
representing purgatory . She appears penitent and rev erent, and her chains hav e been broken, an indication that, after her temporary suffering, she is destined for heav en. Haitian Vodou,
Louisiana Voodoo,
Pray ing to the Anima Sola is a tradition in many way s unlike that of the more widespread cult of saints. In lieu of pray ing to a saint who then appeals to God, the Anima Sola represents souls in purgatory Dominican Vudu,
who require the assistance both of the liv ing and the div ine to ameliorate their sufferings in the afterlife. [2 ] Folk Catholicism
The Anima Sola is common throughout much of the Catholic world, though is perhaps strongest in Naples, where it is referred to as "the cult of the souls in Purgatory ." In Latin America, one source Attributes Soul in purgatory,
reports, the Anima Sola is "a belief still deeply rooted in the mass of the campesinos. The dev otion dates from the first colonizers, who probably brought the image in which the soul is represented as a flames, broken
woman suffering torments in purgatory with chains binding her hands. A legend concerning the 'thirst of Christ', about which Scripture seems to say nothing, passes from mouth to mouth: They say that chains
in Jerusalem, there were women who gav e drink to those who were being crucified. On the afternoon of Good Friday it fell to a y oung woman, Celestina Abdenago, to go up Calv ary . From a jar she gav e a
drink to Dismas and Gestas, y et she despised the Sav iour; and for that reason, he condemned her to suffer thirst and the constant heat of purgatory ."[3 ]

Magical traditions
As with many Catholic sy mbols, the image is also appears in spiritist traditions. As described in The Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells by Judika Illes:

Anima Sola translates as the "lone soul" or "lonely spirit" and refers to a v ery specific v otiv e image. Based on Roman Catholic v otiv e statues (but now a standardized chromolithograph), this image is particularly popular in Latin
American magical traditions. It depicts a woman standing amidst flames, eternally burning y et nev er consumed. She gazes upwards, holding her chained hands towards heav en. Is her soul burning in the fire of Hell or does her
heart burn with the fire of lov e?

Allegedly unrequited lov e is what drew this poor soul into her predicament: the Anima Sola traded eternal salv ation for the joy s of temporal lov e. She is inv oked in only the most desperate lov e spells. [4 ]

Another interpretation is that the sacred figures most frequently inv oked include the "Lonely Soul" [Anima Sola], who requires pray ers because of her predicament; San Silv estre, magical because of the date of his feast day ; and Santa Elena and
San Onofre. [5 ]

Santería and Lukumi

In Santería or Lukumi, the Afro-Caribbean religion of Cuba, there is a sy ncretization of the Anima Sola with the Eshu Alleguana. The Eshus are the Div ine Messengers, the Tricksters, The Masters of the Roads and the Doors that are necessary for
all pray ers to reach their intended point. Eshu Allegwanna, one Eshu among hundreds, is thought to be the oldest of the Eshus, and to hav e existed on the Earth since a primordial time long before not only people, but before many of the gods of
the religion, existed in the world. Therefore, he is sy nchronized with The Lonely Spirit, as many of the African Gods were sy ncretized with Catholic saints, or hidden behind them, in the first centuries of slav ery , when the practice of the African
religions were oppressed. Anima Sola is grouped in a triad in some traditions with The Intranquil Spirit and the Dominant Spirit.

References
1. Hanna, Edward (1911). "Purgatory" (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12575a.htm). The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
2. Lancaster, Jordan (2005). In the shadow of Vesuvius: a cultural history of Naples (https://books.google.com/books?id=TnM1g0oKkN0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=history+of+naples&hl=en&ei=M1gjTIm8NcKSOJXu9bkF&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&res
num=3&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=purgatory&f=false). I.B.Tauris. ISBN 978-1-85043-764-2. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
3. "El Anima Sola" (http://www.cibertol.com/mitos/elanimasola.htm). Cibertol.com. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
4. Illes, Judika (2004). The Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells. London: Element Books. ISBN 978-0-00-716465-3.
5. Perry, Mary Elizabeth; Cruz, Anne J., eds. (1991). Cultural Encounters: The Impact of the Inquisition in Spain and the New World (http://content.cdlib.org/xtf/view?docId=ft396nb1w0&chunk.id=0&doc.view=print). Berkeley: University of California Press.
ISBN 978-0-520-07098-1. Retrieved December 20, 2011.

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