The Unexpected Relevance of Medieval Monsters

Monsters once lived at the heart of pop culture, albeit during what was arguably the weirdest time to be alive: the Middle Ages. In intrepid, faraway lands you’d find them: neckless men with their faces in their stomachs – known as “blemmyae” – or yet another being, known as a “panotti”, with ears big enough…

Her Tarot Cards Came to Life

Poking out of the treetops in Tuscany, and spread across Etruscan ruins, is the sparkling masterpiece of French-American artist Niki de Saint Phalle, Il Giardino dei Tarocchi — The Tarot Garden. De Saint Phalle acquired the land in the 1979 through a close friend, and from the get-go her intent was to transform its 14-acres…

The Witch-Proof Windows of Vermont

Drive around enough of Vermont’s picturesque streets, and you’ll become puzzled over an architectural anomaly that even the locals can’t explain. Or, maybe it’s just that the explanation is a little too eerie for comfort. You see, the anomaly in question is called a “witch window…” Witch windows are cockeyed windows that have been a staple…

The Secrets of Esoteric Paris: A Spiritualist Guide

Like a moth to a très spooky flame, esoteric figures have always flocked to Paris in pursuit of deeper, mystical truths about the universe; from medieval alchemists to cult tarot card readers; mystic bent Surrealists to a long running society of Freemasons – it’s not just the way that this city protects its esoteric heritage,…

Dream Catching at the Ends of the Earth in the Name of Art

Some minds are cornucopias; sources of creative ephemera. Such is the case for artists and photographers Nicholas Kahn and Richard Selesnick, a dream team bringing fairytales to life for the new millennium. They agreed to open up the Pandora’s Box of their creative process to share how the heck their fantastical worlds manifest themselves, and show why…

The Vault

The Secret World of After Hours Magic in New York City

One of the most magical evenings you can spend in New York City, is also one of its most secret. Imagine walking down one of the busiest thoroughfares in the city, the famous Thirty Fourth Street, making your way past tens of thousands of people, who every day come to visit some of Manhattan’s most…

Pssst! You've stumbled across content that is exclusive to Nessy's Keyholders.

There’s a new way to access the really special stuff from Messy Nessy Chic …

Hidden beneath the surface layers of the internet, there’s a place where we keep our most secret addresses, untapped archives, creator’s inspiration, collector’s guides, explorer’s manuals, obscure research and much more… And it’s made for our keyholders only!

Apply now to unlock the Vault

Keyholder Login

60 Seconds Inside a Paris Coven

Meet Xenia Rybina, the Parisian witch you never knew you needed in your life. Her artistic talents range from fashion illustration to stop-motion animation; esoteric embroidery to straight-up witchcraft. Which, she explains, gets a bad rap. “Let me tell you something, we are all witches,” she tells us from her Paris apartment, snake in hand.…

Drop Everything, and Let’s Run Away with Ernst Kreidolf’s Flower Fairies

Some stories deserve to be told in a whisper. Tales of hidden flower kingdoms on the edge of a river bank, where caterpillars dance with apple blossoms and fairies fly on butterfly wings. Such are the tales woven by 19th century children’s book pioneer Ernst Kreidolf, whose meticulous watercolours fleshed out the richest fantasy worlds…

A Field Trip to Meet the 21st Century Witches of Cornwall

At a glance, it’s just another postcard perfect village in North Cornwall. But delve deeper into the misty valley of Boscastle, and you’ll find it harbours a special kind of magic. Literally. “There are legions of witches across Britain,” says Simon Costin when we ring him for a chat, “Or people who identify as witches…

Behind the Curtain of New York’s Thriving Subculture of Fortune Tellers

Search “psychic” in New York City on Google Maps, and you’ll be flooded with addresses of not only psychics, but astrologers, tarot card readers, palm readers, and others invested in the business of the esoteric. This is a city where the supernatural thrives, where even in the midst of skyrocketing rent prices, a psychic –…