OCCULT AMERICA: The Secret History of How Mysticism Shaped the Nation
By Mitch Horowitz

Mitch Horowitz’s newly released Occult America: The Secret History of How Mysticism Shaped Our Nation should be required reading for anyone who aspires to be an informed practitioner of personal spirituality in the modern age. Even the most experienced and well-read among us is sure to learn a considerable amount from this carefully researched and thoughtfully presented study of esoteric traditions and their part in shaping the mindset of 21st-century America.

Horowitz’s careful scholarship and knack for intriguing details makes this survey of pioneering figures constantly engaging. From the trance readings of the “Poughkeepbtemsie Seer” Andrew Jackson Davis to the roots of the New Thought Movement in Phineas P. Quimby, we are introduced to dozen of unique characters, each with his or her own contribution to a tapestry of occult teachings that is as old as America itself. From Mesmerism to Theosophy to the Secret Teachings of All Ages, Horowitz’s own genius lies in fitting all the historical pieces together, showing us the background and context of each teaching, and helping us to understand what they collectively have to offer us in the 21st century. One of the final chapters, “The Greatest Mystic Who Ever Lived in America,” is an especially cogent and even-handed assessment of the life of Edgar Cayce, with a particularly insightful closing section on the little appreciated ethical dimension of the man’s work.

This invaluable addition to anyone’s library, however, is not easy reading simply because it really makes us think. The challenge of this book is how it makes us confront the inevitable contradictions to be found along any path of transformation. In fact, reading this book reminded me of an axiom from Shivas Irons, the central character in Michael Murphy’s classic novel Golf in the Kingdom, depicting an old Scottish golf pro who taught spirituality through the game of golf. Shivas Irons writes that the barometer of a person’s enlightenment is how he or she deals with a paradox.

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