You may know Melissa Nierman from Personal Rainbow, walking tours of Salem, or her hilarious and ambient Instagram reels- but when she's not cracking jokes and teaching history, what's this witch really like? We love talking to Melissa about anything and everything because she's so smart and cool, but Melissa herself might be the most fascinating topic of conversation yet...
What's your sun/moon/rising?
Leo Sun/ Aries Moon/ Virgo Rising
What are a few favorite products from the shop?
Omg so many! I love the books, Witches, Witchunting and Women and I Tituba: Black Witch of Salem. I use the Gentle Facial Cleanser every morning and Boundaries in a Bottle every time I leave the house! The You Are on Native Land Pin is a staple on my backpack and the Psychedelic Science Sticker on my laptop. I also OBV stan my Salem postcards and DIY Tour zine!
What brought you to HausWitch?
True love???! Fate??! Just a few months after HausWitch opened in 2015, I was visiting friends in Salem and saw a sign in the window for a New Moon Meditation happening that very night. I ended up attending and that's where I met my future wife, Erica, who happened to be the founder of HausWitch. Witchy romance ensued!
What's your "brand" of witchcraft?
I find a lot of my magic in sharing how I see the world, which is often very outsider/ alien from another planet/ Brendan Fraser in Encino man. We can get so caught up in the mundaneness of everyday reality that we forget that we Made it All Up and that so much of what is considered "normal" is actually pretty weird. Tours have been a great medium for that (see Tours as Magic article) and also creating kind of absurd, but actually serious videos.
What's your favorite ritual tool?
I love Tarot! I read for myself everyday (BTW Neo Tarot Deck is my newest fave) and enjoy sharing the Tarot with others, because it is SO accessible. I really believe everyone is "psychic" and have been co-hosting a monthly Community Tarot Salon for folks to learn and practice together every last Tuesday of the month for the past 5-ish years through HausWitch (BTW the next one is July 26th and it's always virtual now)!
What's your favorite show to binge watch?
I'm openly hooked on TV cooking competitions! I've def seen every single episode of Chopped, but I also love Beat Bobby Flay, and Guy's Grocery Games (Guy Fieri = light being).
Finish this sentence: On a full moon, we can find you...
Stoned and sweating, lifting weights with an instructor from the Obé fitness app (not a paid advertisement, but it's truly helped me to feel powerful in my body). Moon gazing on my porch to follow.
Who are your favorite historical/fictional/celebrity witches?
My very first celebrity/ witch crush was Neve Campbell in The Craft <3 Pamela Coleman Smith, the genius artist who created the Smith-Waite Tarot deck. All the magical folks of the Golden Dome School!
Social Media:
@now.age on Instagram
