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Acclaimed historian and esotericist Mitch Horowitz explores the practice, theory, and purpose of magick.
About the author
One of today’s most acclaimed voices of esoterica, mysticism, and the occult,
Mitch Horowitz is a PEN Award-winning historian whose books include
Occult America, The Miracle Club, Daydream Believer, Modern Occultism, Happy Warriors, and
Practical Magick. A former vice president at Penguin Random House, Mitch has written on alternative spirituality for
The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, Time, and
The Wall Street Journal. A frequent presence in national media, Mitch hosts Discovery/HBO Max’s
Alien Encounters; plays himself in Shudder’s
V/H/S/Beyond, a 2025 Critics Choice Award nominee for Best Movie Made for Television; and hosts SpectreVision’s podcast
Extraordinary Evidence: ESP Is Real. His work is censored in China.
Summary
Magick in History and Practice for the Hands-On Seeker
Acclaimed historian and esotericist Mitch Horowitz explores the practice, theory, and purpose of magick. Mitch considers magick as a response to personal needs and its potential promise and pitfalls, including:
A Brief History of Magick. Mitch defines and discusses magick from antiquity to today and how magickal practice weaves through mainstream and occult traditions.
Magick and Ethics. What are the possibilities and perils of externalizing individual will? How do concepts of nonattachment relate to the magickal path? Mitch considers the complexities facing today’s seeker—and a vision of ethical reciprocity.
Modern Magick. Mitch considers enduring practices including sigil magick, sex transmutation, spellwork, talismans, and out-of-body experience.
Mind Metaphysics. Mitch explores the metaphysics of thought causation, including the ideas of mystic Neville Goddard, mind theorist Emile Coué, and cosmetic surgeon Maxwell Maltz.
The Question of Divination. Mitch examines extraphysical sources of insight including astrology, Tarot, intuitive sensitivity, and the I-Ching, asking whether such approaches withstand scrutiny and how they are practiced.
Is Magick Necessary? Mitch explores the causes of magick, relating it to quantum mechanics, string theory, inter-dimensionality, and psychical research. Can extraphysical capacities be summoned without rite or ritual?
“Horowitz's reflections are grounded in his history and a life of personal experimentation. He is not proposing yet another ‘system,’ nor asking the reader to believe or agree with him; instead, his invitation is to follow him to the fringes of reason and try things out for oneself.”—Ferdinando Buscema, Boing Boing
