“For all the problems in our country as long as we’re protecting the individual search for meaning, we’re going to make it. When we stop protecting that, that’s when we’re going to fail.” -Mitch Horowitz

Misunderstood and associated with sinister elements or conspiracies, the occult has, in fact, played a prominent role in promoting religious freedom, social justice, and the individual search. When we think of free-thinking societies, the freedom for all women and men, regardless of color or creed, to believe or doubt, we think of the value and protection of the individual search for meaning.

In this conversation, Mitch Horowitz, alternative spirituality scholar and PEN award-winning author of “Modern Occultism,” “Occult America,” “One Simple Idea,” “The Miracle Club,” “Daydream Believer,” and others examines the positive role of secret societies such as the Illuminati. Horowitz delves into the impact occultism has had on social movements including suffragism and abolitionism and how it fostered greater religious equality. He explores the significant influence of women on these movements with figures such as Madame Blavatsky and the Gnostic Cathars and highlights alternative approaches to spirituality such as Thomas Jefferson’s view of the Bible to reshape American spirituality.

Horowitz discusses how occultism sometimes must lower its profile (“light must be taken underground”) in order to protect the “individual’s search for meaning.” Finally, he asserts how occultism and mysticism can transcend political borders, creating a unifying effect.

Be sure to listen for Horowitz’s comparison of Gnosticism to the first twenty minutes of the 2024 film “Barbie.”

00:00 Introduction and Setting

04:54 The “Mystical Core of America”

10:02 Occultism, Enlightenment, Equality & Social Movements

15:41 Pushback Against Occultism

19:32 Secret Societies: “Sometimes Light Must Be Taken Underground”

21:15 The Illuminati— “Protecting the Search”

26:55 The Gnostic Cathars and Their Persecution

31:39 Madame Blavatsky, Gandhi, MLK

39:24 Modern Occultism People & Stories

46:00 Skeptical Inquiry: Debunking & Denialism

48:30 The “What-Ifs” of American Spirituality

57:15 UFO Disclosure as a Bipartisan Issue

01:09:10 “Turning Down the Heat” in 2024

Order the new book by Mitch Horowitz “Modern Occultism: History, Theory and Practice” https://amzn.to/3Tta3zA

#OccultismMisunderstood #SearchForMeaning #IndividualBeliefs

Edited subtitles for this video are available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Swedish.

New Thinking Allowed Guest Host Christopher Naughton is a former trial attorney and multiple Emmy Award-winning host of The American Law Journal television program and former host of New World Radio. His website is ChristopherNaughton.com. He is the author of “America’s Next Great Awakening: What the Convergence of Mysticism, Religion, Atheism, and Science Means for the Nation. And You.” To order, click here: https://a.co/d/aaG8uve

Naughton’s co-producer and editor is Valerie Jones, valerieajones.com.

“Occult America” https://a.co/d/bdmr4MD

“One Simple Mind” https://a.co/d/bjQd6dW

“The Miracle Club” https://a.co/d/fIGp2NB

“Daydream Believer” https://a.co/d/i9Y04EM

Mitch Horowitz Amazon Author Page t.ly/awOK4

For a short video on How to Get the Most From New Thinking Allowed, go to https://youtu.be/aVbfPFGxv9o

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Published on March 13, 2024