Ensouling the Effigy

“Every now and then you approach a book with high expectations, based on foreknowledge of the author. Sometimes those expectations are superseded and you realize that what you are reading is an essential contribution to the field of magical practice, a modern classic that fills a hole that most people had not even realized was there! Ensouling the Effigy is such a modern classic, providing not just a breath of fresh air but a veritable gust of wind into the ever-increasingly more popular area of working with spirits as an essential part of magical practice.

Matthew Venus combines historical scholarship with decades of practice to provide a work that manifests his views and experience of the world. It is rich with lucidity and insight, and will both reinforce and challenge the reader’s own insights. Decades of experience literally sing off the pages in this comprehensive, accessible and extremely practical work. Ensouling the Effigy is not a book to just be read, it is itself a spirit vessel that guides the reader through a wealth of practices. The practices are provided with a concise clarity that everybody will learn from, irrespective of their level of experience. There is a lifetime of invaluable material within this book, please do not ignore it, but treat it as the treasure that it is.”–David Rankine, author of The Grimoire Encyclopaedia

“Ensouling the Effigy by Matthew Venus is a book that lives and breathes and is itself an example of the art that it teaches. As you turn the pages you are transported through times and places to follow the development of ideas and methods to call and create objects of power and spirit. This book is a trip to the witches’ sabbath that waits outside of time. While it is the best book I’ve read on poppets, effigies, spirit vessels, and the like, it is so much more. It is a true guide for any that wish to embrace the spirit work at the core of witchery. The author’s passion and vast experience are undeniable and compelling. I will be reading this book several times because I am sure it will answer questions I am yet to formulate.–Ivo Domínguez Jr. author of Spirit Speak: A Comprehensive Guide to Connect Beyond the Veil

“A masterful work! Ensouling the Effigy elevates the praxis of magical artifice to the epitome of Craft and Arte. This book is truly a gift to contemporary magical practice, and will be a legacy for generations to come!”–Coby Michael author of The Poison Path Herbal: Baneful Herbs, Medicinal Nightshades, and Ritual Entheogens

“Matthew Venus’ expertise is rivaled only by his commitment to ensuring that expertise not be a barrier to engagement. Those who are fortunate to have taken his courses, attended his conference lectures, or witnessed his teaching in action know him to be eloquent, engaging, and generous. It is not surprising, then, that Ensouling the Effigy is as sophisticated as it is welcoming, as rigorous as it is encouraging, and an embarrassment of riches as far as techne, episteme, and a priority on praxis. It is anchored in a genuine love and fealty toward the recognition of how historical texts inform contemporary practice, but it does not fall into the traps that purely academic or anthropological studies do. This is knowledge-as-wisdom, a practiced and embodied understanding of inhabiting the world of the witch, not just replicating the witch’s actions as they exist in history. Learn, yes, but do, too! It’s rare to find a voice in occulture whose priority is on inviting you into the conversation, not just being the loudest voice in the room, and that is what Venus offers in his debut book. Ensouling the Effigy is sure to be a canonical work on the living practice of witchcraft for many generations to come.” –Sasha Ravitch, author, educator, and consultant

“Ensouling the Effigy is a work that goes straight to the heart of one of the most venerable of all magical arts, the ecstatic process of creation, whereby material objects assume spiritual power.

Going beyond the familiar use of poppets in ‘sympathetic magic’, Matthew’s work provides an engaging and erudite discussion of the making and en-spiriting of vessels, which may serve the cunning as points of mediation between spirit and flesh.

Filled with practical formulae, and a comprehensive discussion of the history and philosophies underpinning this noble art, Ensouling the Effigy is a welcome addition to the library of any who seek to understand the role of magician as maker, and who desire to learn of the means by which body is given unto spirit.”–Martin Duffy author of Effigy - Of Graven Image and Holy Idol

“Matthew Venus brings to light powerful acts of witchery that were once hidden in the shadows of secrecy. Ensouling the Effigy can be easily viewed as a sacred text that blends old world magick with more modern techniques that will help you create relationships with the spirits. I’ve been studying Traditional and Folkloric Witchcraft for years and I’ve never seen a more thorough book on spirit conjuration, enchantment, and empowerment. Each chapter takes you further down the crooked path with the spirits.”–Chris Allaun, author of Whispers from the Coven

Matthew Venus is an artist, folk magician, and witch in Salem, Massachusetts. His craft centers on animism and ancestral, land-based traditions. His practice is enriched as Tata Ndenge in a lineage of Kimbanda Angola and his experiences as an Aborisha in the Lucum Orisha tradition. For over two decades, Matthew has shared his teachings worldwide through courses on witchcraft and folk magical traditions.

Matthew owns the apothecary of Spiritus Arcanum, a shop that specializes in handcrafted incense, oils, and talismanic art. He cofounded the Salem Witchcraft and Folklore Festival, which hosts events around magical education, community building, and activism.

Adrienne Rozzi is an artist, illustrator, printmaker, and magical practitioner dedicated to honoring the multi-faceted archetype of the Witch.