Mitch Horowitz

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Not to be confused with Mitchell Hurwitz.
Mitch Horowitz
Horowitz speaking in Kansas City, Missouri in 2019
BornNovember 23, 1965 (1965-11-23) (age 58)
Occupation(s)Writer and editor
Websitemitchhorowitz.com Edit this at Wikidata

Mitch Horowitz (born November 23, 1965) is an American writer in occult and esoteric themes. A frequent writer and speaker on religion and metaphysics in print and on television, radio, and online, Horowitz’s writing has appeared in The New York Times,[1] The Washington Post,[2] The Wall Street Journal,[3] Time,[4] and CNN.com,[5] and he has appeared on NPR,[6] CBS News,[7] NBC News,[8] and Vice News.[9] He is the former editor-in-chief of TarcherPerigee.[10] His best-known works are Occult America (2009),[11] The Miracle Club (2018),[12] and Modern Occultism (2023).[13] In 2022, Ferdinando Buscema noted that "Horowitz is among the most articulate and respected voices in the contemporary occulture scene."[14]

Early life[edit]

The son of a legal aid attorney and a medical secretary, Horowitz grew up in Bellerose, Queens, before moving to New Hyde Park, New York.[15][16][17] He was raised in a traditional Jewish household and had an Orthodox bar mitzvah.[18][19] He developed an interest in the occult through books of folklore at his local public library, book-club catalogs at elementary school, and astrological content, such as newspaper horoscopes, whose references he historically researched.[20] Before entering publishing, he worked as a police reporter.[21] He identifies as a "believing historian" and has participated in many of the spiritual movements he writes on, such as Theosophy, New Thought, Transcendental Meditation, and the Gurdjieff Work.[22][23][24]

Writing and Lectures[edit]

Horowitz is the author of Occult America: The Secret History of How Mysticism Shaped Our Nation, which received the 2010 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award,[25] and was noted for exploring the impact of occult and esoteric philosophies on mainstream politics and culture; the Washington Post stated that "Horowitz teases out fascinating stories of the 'dreamers and planners who flourished along the Psychic Highway'... In showing how the paths of these figures occasionally intersected with the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass and Franklin D. Roosevelt, Horowitz argues that the influence of the occult extends beyond the séance room and into the mainstream of American thought.”[26]

His 2023 book Modern Occultism was noted for its historical comprehensiveness, surveying occult-themed philosophies from late-antiquity to the present.[27][28]

Writing in The Washington Post in 2010, Horowitz identified themes and language from occult scholar Manly P. Hall in the speeches of President Ronald Reagan, including the story of an "unknown speaker" at the signing of the Declaration of Independence and America’s assignation "to fulfill a mission to advance man a further step in his climb from the swamps."[29]

Horowitz has argued that occult and UFO themes are increasingly converging due to the Many-worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics and has postulated that interdimensional theorizing could provide a unifying hypothesis of anomalies, from ESP to cryptids.[30]

He has contextualized New Age figures and books, such as Edgar Cayce, Neville Goddard, and The Kybalion, as contemporary expressions of Gnostic and Hermetic themes.[31][32]

Horowitz advocates for the validity of academic parapsychology research, defending its findings in books, articles, and talks,[33][34][35] and he is a critic of professional skepticism.[36][37]

Horowitz has called attention to the worldwide problem of violence against accused witches, helping draw notice to the human rights element of the issue.[38]

Horowitz has also written on alternative spirituality for Politico,[39] Salon,[40] Big Think,[41] U.S. News & World Report,[42] Gnosis: Journal of Gnostic Studies,[43] Parabola,[44] Esopus,[45] Fortean Times,[46] and the Religion News Service.[47]

Horowitz has lectured at spiritual centers including the Philosophical Research Society,[48] the Theosophical Society in America,[49] and numerous Freemasonic lodges;[50] universities such as Rice University,[51] Duke University,[52] and The New School for Social Research;[53] and cultural venues including the Anthology Film Archives,[54] the Mark Twain House and Museum,[55] and Hancock Shaker Village.[56]

In 2009, Horowitz was on the faculty of the urban holistic learning center, the New York City Open Center,[57] for its annual Esoteric Quest.[58] He presented lectures at the Open Center entitled The Psychic Highway: New York’s 'Burned-Over District' and the Growth of Alternative Spirituality in America[59] and Made in America: The Hidden History of ‘Positive Thinking’.[60]

Chinese government censors excised nearly 40% of a Mandarin translation of Horowitz's 2014 book One Simple Idea, a history of the positive-mind movement.[61]

Film and Television[edit]

Horowitz has appeared on television shows including Vox/Netflix's Explained;[62] History Channel's Ancient Aliens;[63] The UnXplained with William Shatner;[64] and The UnBelievable with Dan Aykroyd;[65] and the Travel Channel's Mysteries at the Museum.[66]

Horowitz hosted, co-wrote, and produced the 2022 documentary The Kybalion, directed by Ronni Thomas and shot on location in Egypt.[67][68] He appeared on seasons I and II of Shudder’s Cursed Films on AMC+, a selection of SXSW 2020.[69][70]

He is also featured in documentaries including Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror, directed by Kier-La Janisse, a selection of SXSW 2021.[71][72]

Horowitz plays a newscaster in the Paramount feature film My Animal, directed by Jacqueline Castel, a selection of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.[73]

Publishing[edit]

At Tarcher/Penguin, Horowitz published titles in world religion, esoterica, and the metaphysical,[74] as well as works in philosophy, social thought and politics, including Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity by director David Lynch,[75] 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl by Daniel Pinchbeck and Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush’s War on Iraq by Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber. He has published a number of works by religious scholar[10] Jacob Needleman, including The American Soul: Rediscovering the Wisdom of the Founders and What is God?[76]

In 2003, Horowitz published a trade-sized "Reader’s Edition" of The Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manly P. Hall.[77] In 2022, he introduced Taschen's reissue of Hall's original work.[78]

Horowitz has edited and introduced anthologies including Neville Goddard's Final Lectures[79] and The Secret History of America by Manly P. Hall.[80]

Horowitz has also published work by scholar of religion Jeffrey J. Kripal,[81] computer scientist and UFO theorist Jacques Vallée,[82] memoirist and novelist Whitley Strieber,[83] and historian Gary Lachman.[84]

Horowitz has narrated audiobooks including Alcoholics Anonymous;[85] Raven: The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People;[86] and The Jefferson Bible.[87]

Horowitz wrote a historical introduction to Sacred Bones Records' 2020 reissue of the 1905 illustrated occult work Thought Forms: A Record of Clairvoyant Investigation by Annie Besant and Charles Webster Leadbeater.[88]

Personal life[edit]

Horowitz has two sons and lives in New York City.[89] He is partners with filmmaker Jacqueline Castel.[90]

Selected bibliography[edit]

  • Happy Warriors: The Lives and Ideas of the Positive-Mind Mystics (2024)
  • Modern Occultism: History, Theory, and Practice (2023)
  • Uncertain Places: Essays on Occult and Outsider Experiences (2022)
  • Daydream Believer: Unlocking the Ultimate Power of Your Mind (2022)
  • The Miracle Habits: The Secret of Turning Your Moments Into Miracles (2020)
  • The Miracle Club: How Thoughts Become Reality (2018)
  • Mind as Builder: The Positive-Mind Metaphysics of Edgar Cayce (2017)
  • One Simple Idea: How Positive Thinking Reshaped Modern Life (2014)
  • Occult America: The Secret History of How Mysticism Shaped Our Nation (2009)

References[edit]

  1. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (July 4, 2014). "The Persecution of Witches, 21st-Century Style". The New York Times. New York, NY. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  2. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (January 9, 2019). "Machiavelli's 'The Prince' is looking pretty good in the Trump era". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  3. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (December 26, 2013). "A Nation That Accentuates the Positive". The Wall Street Journal. New York, NY. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  4. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (October 24, 2013). "The 10 Best Self-Help Books You've (Probably) Never Heard Of". Time. New York, NY. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  5. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (January 11, 2012). "How Thomas Jefferson's secret Bible might have changed history". CNN.com. New York, NY. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  6. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (September 19, 2009). "Jay-Z: A Master Of Occult Wisdom?". NPR. Washington, D.C. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  7. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (October 2, 2009). "God, Mystics, Yoga: What Americans Believe". CBS News. New York, NY. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  8. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (October 16, 2009). "Secrets Of 'The Lost Symbol'". NBC News. New York, NY. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  9. ^ "Your Horoscope For Today: Is Astrology B.S.?". Vice News YouTube channel. New York, NY. October 5, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  10. ^ a b People - 9/25/2006 - Publishers Weekly
  11. ^ Porter, Christopher (September 16, 2009). "The Found Symbols: Mitch Horowitz, 'Occult America: The Secret History of How Mysticism Shaped Our Nation'". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  12. ^ Garrett, Lynn (August 3, 2018). "Keeping the Mind, Body, and Spirit in Tune". Publishers Weekly. New York, NY. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  13. ^ Solomon, Will (November 26, 2023). "The Politics of the Occult: A Conversation with Historian Mitch Horowitz". CounterPunch. Petrolia, CA. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  14. ^ Buscema, Ferdinando (December 15, 2022). ""Uncertain Places: Essays on Occult & Outsider Experiences," is a trip". Boing Boing. San Francisco, CA. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  15. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (2018). The Miracle Club: How Thoughts Become Reality. Inner Traditions. pp. 9–10. ISBN 978-1-6205-5766-2.
  16. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (January 7, 2014). "Excerpt From One Simple Idea". Penguin Random House Canada. Vancouver, BC. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  17. ^ Horowitz, Mitch. "My Father Fought the Sex Pistols", Medium, June 4, 2018. Accessed December 23, 2023. "In 1977, we moved from our bungalowed Queens neighborhood of Bellerose to the supposedly safer and rosier environs of New Hyde Park, about three miles east."
  18. ^ "Life & Work with Mitch Horowitz". Voyage LA. Los Angeles, CA. October 15, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  19. ^ Esensten, Andrew (November 16, 2023). "Q&A: This historian says occultism isn't 'entirely at odds with Judaism'". J. The Jewish News of Northern California. San Francisco, CA. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  20. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (2010). Occult America. Bantam Books. pp. 6–7. ISBN 978-0-5533-8515-1.
  21. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (2018). The Miracle Club: How Thoughts Become Reality. Inner Traditions. p. 64. ISBN 978-1-6205-5766-2.
  22. ^ Kruse, Zack (2021). Mysterious Travelers: Steve Ditko and the Search for a New Liberal Identity. University Press of Mississippi. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-4968-3054-8.
  23. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (2022). Daydream Believer: Unlocking the Ultimate Power of Your Mind. G&D Media. pp. 116–124. ISBN 978-1-72-250577-6.
  24. ^ Mitch Horowitz (May 18, 2017). "David Lynch, Diving Deep with Transcendental Meditation". InterfaithRadio.org (Podcast). Interfaith Voices. Event occurs at 7:27. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  25. ^ "PEN Oakland Awards". Archived from the original on 2014-07-02. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  26. ^ Stashower, Daniel (October 25, 2009). "The United States of spooks and spirits". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  27. ^ Solomon, Will (November 26, 2023). "The Politics of the Occult: A Conversation with Historian Mitch Horowitz". CounterPunch. Petrolia, CA. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  28. ^ Crimmins, Deirdre (November 2023). "The Ninth Circle: Modern Occultism". Rue Morgue. Toronto, ON: Rodrigo Gudiño. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  29. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (April 30, 2010). "Reagan and the occult". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on 2011-08-10. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  30. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (2022). Uncertain Places: Essays on Occult and Outsider Experiences. Inner Traditions. pp. 10–35. ISBN 978-1-6441-1592-3.
  31. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (2019). "The New Age and Gnosticism: Terms of Commonality". Gnosis: Journal of Gnostic Studies. 4 (2): 191–125. doi:10.1163/2451859X-12340073. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  32. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (May 18, 2018). "Mitch Horowitz on "The New Age and Gnosticism" at Rice University, Gnostic America, 3/29/18" (video). youtube.com. Mitch Horowitz YouTube Channel.
  33. ^ Mitch Horowitz (February 15, 2022). "Case Closed: ESP Is Real - Mitch Horowitz speaking at Hereticon, 2022". Mitch Horowitz YouTube channel. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  34. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (August 17, 2022). "Is Precognition Real?". Boing Boing. San Francisco, CA. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  35. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (2022). Daydream Believer - Chapter 12: "The Parapsychology Revolution". G&D Media. pp. 167–232. ISBN 978-1-7225-2691-7.
  36. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (October 26, 2020). "The man who destroyed skepticism". Boing Boing. San Francisco, CA. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  37. ^ Horowitz, Mitch. "The Crisis of Professional Skepticism", Medium, February 27, 2023. Accessed December 23, 2023. "In any case, the crisis of professional skepticism now presents an irony in which self-perceived defenders of reason brutalize truth in its name. That is the antithesis of science, good criticism, and good ethics. Our culture needs a new cohort of skeptics who strive to do better."
  38. ^ McMaster, Andrew (October 30, 2017). "21st Century Witch Hunts Can End In Murder for the Marginalized". Global Citizen. New York, NY. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  39. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (December 30, 2014). "How Oral Roberts Changed Religion". Politico. Arlington, VA. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  40. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (July 19, 2017). "Steve Bannon and the occult: The right wing's long, strange love affair with New Age mysticism". Salon. San Francisco, CA. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  41. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (October 16, 2022). "Why the controversial book "Power of Positive Thinking" is still so popular after 70 years". Big Think. New York, NY. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  42. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (September 14, 2009). "Masons and the Making of America". U.S. News & World Report. Washington, D.C. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  43. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (November 13, 2019). "The New Age and Gnosticism: Terms of Commonality". Brill. Leiden, The Netherlands. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  44. ^ VOL.32:4
  45. ^ ESOPUS MAGAZINE ::: Archive Archived 2011-01-11 at the Wayback Machine
  46. ^ David Lynch | Profiles | Features | Fortean Times UK Archived 2009-04-20 at the Wayback Machine
  47. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (June 3, 2016). "The minister who taught Donald Trump to 'think positive'". Religion News Service. Columbia, MO. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  48. ^ "Videos On Demand: Lectures - Mitch Horowitz". PRS.org. The Philosophical Research Society. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  49. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (July 21, 2019). "Mitch Horowitz: The Secret Doctrine and America" (video). youtube.com. Theosophical Society YouTube Channel.
  50. ^ "Mitch Horowitz speaking engagements". TheMagpieMason. The Magpie Mason. December 1, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  51. ^ "Report on Gnosis: Journal of Gnostic Studies" (PDF). Religion Matters. No. VI. Houston, TX: Rice University. Fall 2019. p. 9. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  52. ^ "Offsite Event: Rhine Spring Benefit 2019 featuring Mitch Horowitz at Duke Episcopal Center". FlyleafBooks.com. Flyleaf Books. March 23, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  53. ^ "It Happened Tomorrow: Probabilities, Predictions, and Prophecies". VeraListCenter.com. Vera List Center for Art and Politics, The New School. September 11, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  54. ^ "Film Screenings: "The Devil Probably: A Century of Satanic Panic"". AnthologyFilmArchives.com. Anthology Film Archives. January 31, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  55. ^ Acevedo, Omar (November 6, 2023). "Modern Occultism with Mitch Horowitz and Colin Dickey" (video). youtube.com. Mark Twain House & Museum Programs & Events YouTube Channel.
  56. ^ Huberdeau, Jennifer (June 21, 2019). "Open Book with Mitch Horowitz". The Berkshire Eagle. Pittsfield, MA. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  57. ^ New York Open Center
  58. ^ An Esoteric Quest for Inner America
  59. ^ New York Open Center The Psychic Highway Archived 2009-06-18 at the Wayback Machine
  60. ^ New York Open Center Made in America: The Hidden History of ‘Positive Thinking’[permanent dead link]
  61. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (2022). Uncertain Places: Essays on Occult and Outsider Experiences, Chapter 23: The Preface the Chinese Government Banned. Inner Traditions. p. 275. ISBN 978-1-6441-1592-3.
  62. ^ "Full Episode: Cults, Explained - Netflix" (video). youtube.com. Netflix YouTube Channel. October 18, 2019.
  63. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (April 2, 2021). "Ancient Aliens: Mitch Horowitz on UFO Pioneers" (video). youtube.com. Mitch Horowitz YouTube Channel.
  64. ^ Bart, Lily (January 26, 2024). "Watch The UnXplained With William Shatner Season 3 in New Zealand on Netflix". Screen Binge. New York, NY. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  65. ^ "The Unbelieveable with Dan Aykroyd". The A.V. Club. Chicago, IL. November 14, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  66. ^ "Mitch Horowitz: Actor, Editor, Producer, Writer". Plex.tv. Plex. January 31, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  67. ^ Grobar, Matt (October 22, 2021). "Random Media Acquires 'The Kybalion'; WIA Sets Scholarship Program Partners; Sundance Institute's Kendeda Grantees; Newport Honorees". Deadline. Los Angeles, CA. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  68. ^ Thomas, Ronni (January 11, 2022). "The Kybalion: A Strange Journey from Short Form to Feature". Filmmaker Magazine. Brooklyn, NY. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  69. ^ Solis, Jorge (February 28, 2020). "Shudder's 'Cursed Films' Explores Scary Movies and Their Even Scarier Histories". Newsweek. New York, NY. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  70. ^ Squires, John (January 15, 2020). "Shudder's Documentary Series Exploring "Cursed" Horror Film Productions Set to Premiere at SXSW". Bloody Digusting. Mundelein, IL. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  71. ^ Harvey, Dennis (March 16, 2021). "'Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched' Review: A Diverting Survey of Folk-Horror Cinema and TV". Variety. Los Angeles, CA. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  72. ^ Nulf, Jenny (March 12, 2021). "Finding the Roots of Folk Horror in Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched". The Austin Chronicle. Austin, TX. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  73. ^ Galuppo, Mia (December 12, 2022). "Amandla Stenberg Sundance Horror Film 'My Animal' Lands at Paramount (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles, CA. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  74. ^ The Secret draws on long spiritual tradition - USATODAY.com
  75. ^ http://www.davidlynch.com Archived 2008-03-03 at the Wayback Machine Official David Lynch Website
  76. ^ http://www.jacobneedleman.com Official Jacob Needleman Website
  77. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (2018). The Seeker's Guide to the Secret Teachings of All Ages, "Appendix A: Bringing the 'Secret Teachings' Into the Twenty-First Century". G&D Media. ISBN 978-1-7225-0318-5.
  78. ^ Hall, Manly P. (2003). Manly Palmer Hall. Secret Teachings of all Ages. Taschen. ISBN 978-3-8365-9446-2.
  79. ^ Goddard, Neville. Neville Goddard's Final Lectures. Bronxville Public Library. Retrieved March 30, 2024. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  80. ^ Hall, Manly P. "The Secret History of America". Macmillan.com. Macmillan. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  81. ^ Kripal, Jeffrey J. (September 26, 2017). "The Super Natural: Why The Unexplained Is Real". PenguinRandomHouse.com. Penguin Random House. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  82. ^ Vallée, Jacques (2009). Wonders In The Sky: Unexplained Aerial Objects From Antiquity To Modern Times. TarcherPerigee. p. 336. ISBN 978-1-5854-2820-5.
  83. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (November 10, 2022). ""There's No Way"—Or Is There?: Whitley Strieber in conversation with Mitch Horowitz". Screen Slate. New York, NY. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  84. ^ Lachman, Gary (February 1, 2007). "Rudolf Steiner: An Introduction to His Life and Work". PenguinRandomHouse.com. Penguin Random House. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  85. ^ "Alcoholics Anonymous: Deluxe Edition". WVLS.org. T.B. Scott Free Library. September 9, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  86. ^ "Raven: The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People". PenguinRandomHouse.com. Penguin Random House. April 4, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  87. ^ "The Jefferson Bible". AudioFileMagazine.com. Audio File Magazine. January 5, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  88. ^ Besant, Annie (December 18, 2020). "Annie Besant and Charles W. Leadbeater - Thought Forms: A Record of Clairvoyant Investigation". SacredBonesRecords.com. Sacred Bones Books. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  89. ^ Mitch Horowitz - Authors - Random House
  90. ^ Horowitz, Mitch (2023). Modern Occultism: History, Theory, and Practice. G&D Media. p. 394. ISBN 978-1-7225-0626-1.

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