Ensouling the Effigy

Ensouling the Effigy; The Witch’s Arte of Enspirited Objects
Matthew Venus
Crossed Crow Books
ISBN 978-1-964537-03-0
$26.96

Most people are aware of poppets as a traditional form of magic, with numerous historical examples, and most Witches could assemble one if needed. Ensouling the Effigy, however, goes far beyond the basics, instructing the reader not just in the creation of magical objects but also in the skills and knowledge necessary for successfully and safely navigating the Otherworld in which spirits dwell and engaging in compacts and other explicit relationships with spirits.

For an object to be ensouled, it must have a spirit. Perhaps that spirit is an elemental, an ancestor, a daimon, a God, an angel, a familiar spirit, a household spirit or even a created spirit such as a maumet or servitor. Whatever it is, Venus equips you with the information you need to work with it. Introducing various types of spirits through an animistic lens, he enables the reader to enter into a world of spirits as rich and varied as the animal kingdom.

The text is divided into four sections: the first introduces the reader to the Otherworld and the kind of spirits you might encounter, while the second discusses numerous types of enspirited objects such as idols, dolls, human skulls, amulets, spirit pots and other containers, and he also considers the various materia you might use to craft such an object. The third section offers practical instructions for ensouling objects, using them and caring for them. In the fourth and final part of the book, Venus provides a formulary with recipes and rituals.

In contrast to many modern discussions of poppets which focus more or less exclusively on healing, Venus eschews sanitizing in favor of thorough treatment of both the process of creating magical objects and of the practice of working with spirits. With his meticulous and experienced approach, the first half of the book could stand alone as a primer on spirit working. The work as a whole is extremely thorough and thoughtful, and Ensouling the Effigy is worthy of a place on any magic worker’s bookshelf.