Salem Spiritualism Tour (2018-2022)

Radical Occult: The Spiritualist Movement

(May-November)

A century before Salem became a sanctuary for modern witchcraft, another spiritual movement challenged the institutional structures of the time - social, political, and religious. Known as Spiritualism, it not only promoted the power of the individual to connect with the spirit realm, but openly embraced the belief in the continuance of life after death. Well-respected historical figures - Queens, best-selling authors, president's wives, inventors, suffragists and abolitionists - all openly participated in séances and trance mediumship. And yet until recently, Spiritualism has been almost entirely erased from our collective memory. Join local clairvoyant and DIY historian, Melissa Nierman, in a small-group journey through Salem sites related to the Spiritualist movement, as we explore the very concept of the “occult” and the power of bringing “radical” histories to the forefront.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Visit unexpected sites hidden within Salem’s most beautiful and historic neighborhoods

• Understand the direct correlation between the Spiritualist movement and modern-day witchcraft

• Explore the Victorian relationship to death, mourning, and “occult forces” considered mundane today

• Learn about other related non-conforming groups, such as Quakers and Transcendentalists

• Examine how and why we identify certain belief systems as “occult” and not others

• See how present-day technologies were once understood as paranormal forces

• Discuss belief systems around the afterlife, ghosts, ectoplasm, materialization, and trance mediumship

• Talk about the commercialization of spirit communication as a sellable product and board game

2 hours. 10+ stops. 6 people max.