Effigy Crafting Intensive with Matthew Venus

Join us at Malliway Bros for a truly one of a kind event as we are joined by Matthew Venus for a special two day intensive workshop.
Tickets for this class are $115 and can be purchased with cash at the event!

In this hands-on interactive workshop, using a cloth effigy/poppet, we will create a unique spirit vessel designed to act as an ally to its caretaker. Drawing upon techniques from his book Ensouling the Effigy Matthew will guide students through diverse aspects of the physical crafting, spirit conjuring, and magical enlivening of a maumet (a unique spirit assistant) that they may take home to keep as a personal guardian, magical assistant, and protector. Students will be led through various aspects of spirit work and sigil crafting and incorporate a variety of botanical and mineralogical matera, as well as personal tokens of their own choosing in crafting the magical maumet. The weekend culminates in a ritual of ensouling and naming of their maumet before attendees bring them home.

Bio Matthew Venus
Matthew Venus an artist, folk magician, and traditional witch based in Salem, Massachusetts whose craft is centered around a deep heart of animism and a dedication to ancestral and land based traditions. His practice is further enriched by his role as Tata Ndenge in a lineage of Quimbanda de Angola, and his experiences as an Aborisha in the Lucumí Orisha tradition. Over the past two decades Matthew has been sharing his teachings with students around the world through classes and courses which explore a diversity of topics related to witchcraft and folk magical traditions.

Matthew is the owner and lead apothecary of Spiritus Arcanum (@spiritus_arcanum) an online and brick and mortar shop which specializes in handcrafted ritual incenses, oils, and talismanic art. Additionally, he is the co-founder of the Salem Witchcraft and Folklore Festival (@SalemWitchFest) which hosts both in person and online events centered around magical education, community building, and activism.