Altar of My Soul:
The Living Traditions of Santería
Review of"Altar of My Soul: The Living Traditions of Santería", by Marta Moreno Vega, Ph.D.
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When I told someone I was reading a book about Santería, they wanted to know if it was scary. Santería first existed as a religion brought over by African Yoruba slaves to the Spanish colonies. With their religion demonized, they found a way to continue honoring their ancestors and Orisha by hiding them behind Catholic saints. Five-hundred years later, Santería initiates have to battle images put forth by movies like The Believers and the designation of &"cult" or "superstition" by mainstream religions or media.
The first time many people heard of the religion was due to cities or states trying to stop the animal sacrifices or because someone has corrupted the faith and committed a crime. The Believers, for instance, created a dark, corrupted image of the actual faith that was later used by a drug syndicate that corrupted it even more This led to a crime spree that cost many lives. To this day, even with the investigation proving otherwise, many people still blame Santería for the deaths in Matamoros. This would be the same as blaming Christianity for all of the criminals who believe they are Jesus Christ. In reality, the criminals used a perversion of Santería, Palo Mayombe and Christianity.
The animal sacrifices in Santería are also used for food. Seldom do you hear this compared to the Jewish Kashrut or the Islamic Halal traditions for slaying and preparing animals for food. Everyone who isn't a vegetarian requires the killing of animals. It just so happens that these animals also serve a spiritual purpose. In practice, they are used for more than the hamburger on your plate and very likely treated better, since they are cherished for the service they provide and must be healthy. Even with all the other similarities to other religions, the traditions of Santería and the sister religions of Candomblé and Vodun still suffer from unfair stigma.
Some of us remember seeing our grandmother's bóveda and the statues of African, Indian and Catholic Saints. We might remember the nearby botanica that sold herbs, candles, shells and various statues. Because more and more people are remembering that Santería is part of their own lives, and because the courts have supported their rights many times, the United States is starting to appreciate the traditions of these religions.
Marta Moreno Vega, Ph.D., provides a necessary book to show that Santería is not "scary". It's not the dark and mysterious plot of bad movies. It reminds us that religion is a wonderful growth experience rooted in humility, the unknown, family, community and knowledge. The book takes us through a spiritual and emotional development that starts with Dr. Vega's childhood. She revisits memories of her mother's adamant Catholicism and her grandmother's unspoken faith. We eventually see how the family returns to the original faith when crisis strikes, and how the faith would reunite broken families even after death.
"Altar of My Soul" introduces us to the growth of a spiritual person as she recognizes her future in a religious community. In Cuba she is introduced to her madrina and padrino - the godparents who would lead her in the faith. Through divination, Dr. Vega finds the primary Orisha that will guide her and the future she has in Santería. We follow her though speaking and spiritual engagements in Latin America and the spiritual home of Africa as she educates and celebrates the family of religions. She also introduces us to basic divination techniques, essential information about a few Orishas and some of the ritual. For the beginner, it's a great introduction to Santería without the sterile analysis of an outsider. For the Santería initiate, it's a wonderful story of a family member discovering who she is.
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