SassyCon 2026

Matthew Venus is a traditional witch, artist, and folk magician based in Salem, Massachusetts, whose craft is centered around a deep heart of animism and a dedication to ancestral and land-based traditions. Over the past two decades, Matthew has been sharing his teachings with students around the world through classes and courses that explore a diversity of topics related to witchcraft, herbalism, and folk magical traditions. His practice is further enriched by his role as Tata Ndenge in a lineage of Quimbanda Angola, and his experience as an aborisha in the Lucumí Orisha tradition. Matthew is the owner and lead apothecary of Spiritus Arcanum (SpiritusArcanum.com), an online and brick-and-mortar shop that specializes in handcrafted ritual incenses, oils, and talismanic art. He is also the co-founder of the Salem Witchcraft and Folklore Festival (SalemWitchFest.com), which hosts online and in-person events centered around magical education, community building, and activism. He is also the author of the recently published book Ensouling the Effigy: The Witch's Arte of Enspirited Objects.