Mitch Horowitz
Author, "Occult America"
Mitch Horowitz is the editor-in-chief of Tarcher/Penguin and the author of "Occult America," awarded the 2010 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award for literary excellence. Horowitz has recently written for The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, and BoingBoing.
Horowitz is a Big Think Delphi Fellow.
Lincoln’s Wild White House Seances
Abe and Mary Todd Lincoln held seances in the White House trying to contact the spirit of their dead son Willie. Or was it a calculated political move?
Is Jay-Z an Occultist?
Symbols like the pentagram, the eye in the pyramid, and astrological symbols have a certain magnetic power. Rapper Jay-Z uses these images not because he believes in them, but because […]
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How the Ouija Board Swept America
The author gives a brief history of the Ouija Board, the wildly popular artifact that came out of the spiritualist movement and captivated America for a century. It is now […]
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Why People Need Alternative Spiritualities
People need modern doorways to explore universal religious and ethical ideas, and alternative spiritualities like the occultism and new ageism do just that, says the author.
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Does Quantum Physics Confirm The Occult?
Rather than discrediting the occult, recent scientific discoveries in quantum physics seem to reaffirm a place for mystical ideas. But the author cautions both sides not to jump to hasty […]
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Why Lincoln Held Séances in the White House
Historical records suggest that President Lincoln and First Lady Mary Todd may have held two séances to contact their dead son Willie. But even if these stories are not true, […]
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Liberalism and Feminism Were Born From the Occult
The author gives a history of occultism’s influence on American politics, explaining its deep-seated ties to liberalism and feminism.
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America Is a Laboratory for Religious Experiments
America has always been a magnet for those fleeing religious persecution, particularly those displaced by the Thirty Years War and the backlash against the religious liberalism of the Renaissance.
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What Is the Occult?
Some people think it’s something diabolical; others think it’s a mélange of superstition and nonsense. In truth, it’s neither of these things.
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Big Think Interview With Mitch Horowitz
A conversation with the author of “Occult America.”
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36 min
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Halloween as a Religious Holiday? You Better Believe It, Soldier
For a growing number of Americans—including many in the military—October 31st is returning to its Celtic and pre-Christian roots.