Occult America: White House Seances, Ouija Circles, Masons, and the Secret Mystic History of Our Nation

Horowitz, editor-in-chief at Tarcher/Penguin, writes from a base of knowledge that comes from deep experience in publishing (and selling) literature in the "New Age" genre. However, although his book does contain references to new editions of books that he has produced, such as  The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Reader's Edition)  and  The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages , it is remarkably free of the hucksterism, credulity, and outright gullibility that accompanies so much New Age writing. While so many writers in this genre intentionally obscure or ignore the long history of esoteric thought--especially through the 19th century--that is behind their claims, Horowitz goes a long way towards dispelling the ignorance that is so often a foundation for fallacious belief, whether within "occult" traditions or mainstream thought.The book presents a fascinating array of characters, from Johannes Kelpius to Nicholas Roerich. The historical scope runs from the late 17th to the early 20th century, with relatively little discussion of the revival of esoteric traditions in Sixties counterculture or afterwards. While it profiles well-known figures such as Joseph Smith, Jr., Andrew Jackson Davis, Helena Blavatsky, Manly Palmer Hall, Marcus Garvey, and Edgar Cayce, it also provides colorful biographical sketches of lesser-known figures, quirky personalities who nonetheless had a profound and lasting effect on esoteric and alternative thought in the U.S. There are discussions of Freemasons and Rosicrucians, as well as the origin of the popular Ouija board. There is a profile of "American dreamer" Henry Wallace, a member of FDR's cabinet who flirted with "occult" beliefs in the 1930s. There is also a thoughtful discussion of "Prophet of Hate" William Dudley Pelley, whose fame for a near-death experience with "Spiritual Mentors" transformed into a white supremacist movement that spawned the notorious Posse Comitatus and Aryan Nations.Despite its breadth, as noted by other reviewers, the book is far from comprehensive. For example, it makes no mention of either mystic Alice Bailey or astrologer Dane Rudhyar, both of whom were major contributors to New Age trends in 20th century America. With the exception of a fascinating chapter on African-American occult traditions, including hoodoo (and its influence on abolitionist Frederick Douglass), most of the individuals discussed were from the majority, Anglo-American culture. There is little to no discussion of Jewish, Chinese, or Hispanic mystics, all of whom contributed to the rich melting pot of American "occult" thinking. There is also no discussion of the contributions to esoteric thought in America by Native American mystics and visionaries, or the effects that Shakerism, Mormonism, and Spiritualism had on the Paiute leader Wovoka's ill-fated Ghost Dance and subsequent syncretistic blends of Native, Western, and Eastern spirituality by "plastic shamans" and others.The book's principal emphasis is on trends of thought, rather than on individuals, with an aim towards providing evidence for the author's central thesis: That ideas once considered "fringe" have now been integrated into mainstream thought. What I enjoyed most about the book is the author's effort to avoid ridicule or mockery in his presentation of a parade of admittedly eccentric and off-beat characters whose own autodidactic and uncritical approaches, as well as their personal revelatory experiences, led them to interpret the world in some exceedingly strange ways. Horowitz does make the compelling and fascinating case that "occult" thinking was not a stereotypical or imagined Satanism, but infused the origins of American religious traditions in Christianity and Islam that continute to thrive today.Occult America provides a highly readable introduction to the subject for non-academic readers. Two other books I highly recommend for a much more comprehensive and in-depth treatment are  A Republic of Mind and Spirit: A Cultural History of American Metaphysical Religion  by Catherine Albanese and  Claiming Knowledge: Strategies of Epistemology from Theosophy to the New Age , by Olav Hammer. Although currently out-of-print,  Fantastic Archaeology: The Wild Side of North American Prehistory  by Stephen Williams, will appeal to readers who are interested in how misguided "occult" beliefs about ancient Native Americans conditioned popular thought in 19th century America.  The Invention of Sacred Tradition , edited by James Lewis and Olav Hammer, offers a collection of pertinent essays with a more global perspective.

It's September 15, 2009, the day that millions of Americans will plunge into the false pop esotericism of Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol." If I could wave my magic wand -- or Freemasonic compass & square -- I would have all these readers first read Mitch Horowitz's "Occult America: The Secret History of How Mysticism Shaped Our Nation." Freemasonic symbols bedeck the cover of both books, but inside "Occult America" you'll find a cast of real mages and mystics who influence American destiny. Instead of silly tales of Freemasonic conspiracy, the book gives reliable insights into the ambitions of American Freemasons, and Masonry takes its place as one stone in a much more variegated and intriguing pyramid of American occultism. Once one has toured Mesmerism, Mormonism, Spiritualism, Theosophy, Christian Science, New Thought, hoodoo, and other indigenous spiritual movements with Horowitz, and met characters as compellingly curious as Andrew Jackson Davis, Frank B. Robinson, Black Herman, William Dudley Pelley, Baird T. Spalding and Edgar Cayce, the ersatz esotericism of Dan Brown will seem like a distraction from America's authentic "secret history."While "Occult America" neatly narrates many familiar episodes of American occultism - Joseph Smith's homegrown religion; the birth of Blavatsky's Theosophy; FDR's Vice-President Henry Wallace's politically disastrous flirtation with occult internationalist Nicholas Roerich - it is the exploration of the more arcane corners of the nation's surprisingly vast occult landscape that makes the book valuable. "Go Tell Pharaoh," a chapter on the rise of Afro-American magic, opens with the teenage Frederick Douglass finding his first steps toward freedom with the magical assistance of hoodoo worker Sandy Jenkins, who gave the young slave a piece of "John de conker" - a testicle-shaped magical root that Jenkins swore would protect Douglass from the brutality of his slavemasters. From this surprising anecdote Horowitz moves on to provide a rich portrait of "black" - Afro-American - magical culture. The complex interplay of genuine magical practice with theatrical magic can have no more intriguing exemplar than Black Herman, whose story Horowitz tells with his characteristic balance of scholarly detail and entertaining narrative voice. The calls for self-improvement by black-nationalist leader Marcus Garvey are shown to be rooted in the motivational metaphysics of New Thought; Noble Drew Ali's Moorish Science creatively mixed Garveyite uplift with eccentric theories of theological history and the pageantry of esoteric ritual and symbolism to conjure a hybrid mystery faith popular in urban black neighborhoods in the 1920s.No nation has excelled like America in spiritual hucksterism, and Horowitz's history doesn't flinch from acknowledging the dross that is mixed in with the metaphysical gold. It is no mere coincidence that Mormonism's founder Joseph Smith, bestselling proto-New Age author Baird T. Spalding and the "sleeping prophet" Edgar Cayce all dabbled in actual treasure-hunting. American history at its basest level can surely be seen as one long, self-serving gold rush, where the metaphysical and moral had always been sacrificed on the altar of personal wealth. "Occult America" rescues its cast of occult characters and movements from both their uncritical hagiographers and cynical critics, providing a nuanced overview that makes the book an important contribution to American cultural history as well as to the popular literature of esotericism. Horowitz makes excellent use of a wide range of sources (thoroughly documented and discussed in an appendix, freeing the book from footnotes), and - maddeningly missing from many works of this genre -- he includes a well-composed index."Occult America" is not without its blind spots. The role of psychical research in America's cultural conversation about the paranormal goes largely unexplored, as do popular literary figures like Upton Sinclair, Stewart Edward White, and John Neihardt. The "hidden hand" hypothesis of Spiritualism's origins in the magical manipulations of secret brotherhoods is barely mentioned in a single paragraph, despite its holding a key to a deeper and more challenging occult conspiracy than Dan Brown could ever dream up. I yearned for a more ambitious interpretation of the cultural meaning of the varied histories uncovered here. But to satisfy these personal longings of mine, the author would have to have written a different - and undoubtedly much less readable - book. "Occult America" will do much to both stimulate more responsible popular thought on America's occultisms, and encourage new exploration of these hidden, but vital, histories.

I bought this book after listening to a podcast interview with the author. A really great book. I read it in one sitting. It kept my attention the entire time. The author is a talented writer and the subject was addressed in an informative and entertaining manner.

Detailed and informative history of the occult in America from the 1800s to the 1960s (with occasional nods beyond that). What's particularly interesting is that it covers different ground than expected and the author is well balanced in his presentation, which is necessary with this kind of subject. The focus is on individuals who laid the ground for "seekers" and a wider influence on American society as a whole. As you would expect, this is a large area so some things are omitted or glossed over and the author's inclusion of some ideas and/or people may be questionable but a reader without expectation, a philosophical axe to grind ot an occult 'team' to support will find it a good read.

Horrible book! Satanic! Do not buy this!

Good read