Uploaded November 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Mitch Horowitz is a historian of alternative spirituality and one of today’s most literate voices of esoterica, mysticism, and the occult.
Mitch illuminates outsider history, explains its relevance to contemporary life, and reveals the longstanding quest to bring empowerment and agency to the human condition.
He is widely credited with returning the term “New Age” to respectable use and is among the few occult writers whose work touches the bases of academic scholarship, national journalism, and subculture cred.
Mitch is a writer-in-residence at the New York Public Library, lecturer-in-residence at the Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles, and the PEN Award-winning author of books including Occult America; One Simple Idea: How Positive Thinking Reshaped Modern Life; and The Miracle Club.
He has discussed alternative spirituality on CBS Sunday Morning, Dateline NBC, Vox/Netflix’s Explained, VICE News, Kesha and the Creepies, and AMC Shudder’s Cursed Films, an official selection of SXSW. Mitch hosts and produces a feature documentary about the occult classic The Kybalion, shot on location in Egypt and releasing in early 2022.
Mitch has written on everything from the war on witches to the chequered career of professional skeptic James Randi for The New York Times, Boing Boing, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Time, Politico, and a wide range of ‘zines and scholarly journals. He narrates audiobooks including Alcoholics Anonymous and Raven: The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People (the author of which handpicked him as the voice of Jones).
Mitch’s books have appeared in Arabic, Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Korean, and Portuguese.
Mitch worked for many years in publishing, including as a vice president at Penguin Random House where he was editor-in-chief of Tarcher/Penguin, an imprint dedicated to metaphysical topics.
His book Awakened Mind is one of the first works of New Thought translated and published in Arabic. Mitch received the Walden Award for Interfaith/Intercultural Understanding. The Chinese government has censored his work.
Show Notes:
The power of masterminds
The New Thought Movement
Napoleon Hill and Neville Goddard’s teachings
Writing and the habits of writing
Using different platforms to test material
The myth of the self-made person
The significance of the word, “Miracle”
Book recommendations on the creative process
Mitch’s writing process
Mitch’s Website: mitchhorowitz.com
Mitch’s Twitter: twitter.com/MitchHorowitz
Mitch’s Instagram: instagram.com/mitchhorowitz23
Artist Decoded Patreon: patreon.com/artistdecoded
Originally Posted 11.28.2021
Mitch Horowitz is a historian of alternative spirituality and one of today’s most literate voices of esoterica, mysticism, and the occult.
Mitch illuminates outsider history, explains its relevance to contemporary life, and reveals the longstanding quest to bring empowerment and agency to the human condition.
He is widely credited with returning the term “New Age” to respectable use and is among the few occult writers whose work touches the bases of academic scholarship, national journalism, and subculture cred.
Mitch is a writer-in-residence at the New York Public Library, lecturer-in-residence at the Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles, and the PEN Award-winning author of books including Occult America; One Simple Idea: How Positive Thinking Reshaped Modern Life; and The Miracle Club.
He has discussed alternative spirituality on CBS Sunday Morning, Dateline NBC, Vox/Netflix’s Explained, VICE News, Kesha and the Creepies, and AMC Shudder’s Cursed Films, an official selection of SXSW. Mitch hosts and produces a feature documentary about the occult classic The Kybalion, shot on location in Egypt and releasing in early 2022.
Mitch has written on everything from the war on witches to the chequered career of professional skeptic James Randi for The New York Times, Boing Boing, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Time, Politico, and a wide range of ‘zines and scholarly journals. He narrates audiobooks including Alcoholics Anonymous and Raven: The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People (the author of which handpicked him as the voice of Jones).
Mitch’s books have appeared in Arabic, Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Korean, and Portuguese.
Mitch worked for many years in publishing, including as a vice president at Penguin Random House where he was editor-in-chief of Tarcher/Penguin, an imprint dedicated to metaphysical topics.
His book Awakened Mind is one of the first works of New Thought translated and published in Arabic. Mitch received the Walden Award for Interfaith/Intercultural Understanding. The Chinese government has censored his work.
Show Notes:
The power of masterminds
The New Thought Movement
Napoleon Hill and Neville Goddard’s teachings
Writing and the habits of writing
Using different platforms to test material
The myth of the self-made person
The significance of the word, “Miracle”
Book recommendations on the creative process
Mitch’s writing process
Mitch’s Website: mitchhorowitz.com
Mitch’s Twitter: twitter.com/MitchHorowitz
Mitch’s Instagram: instagram.com/mitchhorowitz23
Artist Decoded Patreon: patreon.com/artistdecoded
Originally Posted 11.28.2021
