Join us for a conversation with Mitch Horowitz, author of Occult America: The Secret History of How Mysticism Shaped Our Nation.
WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 18, 7 pm (SPECIAL TIME)
WHERE: The lovely Seaside Theater, World2Worlds Island in Second Life, or watch the live video on the Web.
Mitch Horowitz and his book
For our Halloween program, we’ll talk about how mysticism, Spiritualism and belief in the occult have been important to the US from its very beginning. George Washington and other Founders were Freemasons, Abraham Lincoln consulted with mediums, and occult beliefs shape pop culture to this very day, in the hip-hop music of Jay-Z and the recently released bestselling novel The Lost Symbol by Dan The Da Vinci Code Brown. And of course, Halloween itself is a massive celebration of the occult.
You don’t have to believe in mystic secrets and talking to the dead to recognize the powerful effect occult beliefs have had on our nation. Occult practitioners helped shape some of the best things about America, such as equal rights for women and the abolition of slavery. Occult practices here have always been given an uniquely American stamp, used for self-improvement, with do-it-yourself techniques, and connected with progressive political causes.
Horowitz is a writer and publisher on metaphysical themes. He has appeared on the History Channel, The Montel Williams Show, CBS News Sunday Morning, and just completed a stint guest-blogging on one of my favorite blogs, Boing Boing. As editor-in-chief of Tarcher/Penguin in New York, he has published some of today’s leading titles on world religion, esoterica, and the metaphysical.
Join us for a fascinating discussion.
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