What do you think?
Rate this book
Modern Occultism: History, Theory, and Practice
From Cleopatra to Chaos A Vibrant, Epic History of Occultism in Thought and Practice
In his most sweeping historical work, occult scholar and widely known voice of esoteric ideas Mitch Horowitz presents a lively, intellectually serious historical exploration of modern occultism, from astrology and alchemy to the dawn of Theosophy and modern witchcraft—and the spiritual revolutions that followed.
In this lively, full-circle history, Mitch
Preservation of “hidden wisdom” in late-ancient Hermeticism.Rebirth of esoterica during the Renaissance, including Kabbalah, ceremonial magick, alchemy, Gnosticism—and the backlash culminating in the Thirty Years’ War.Rise of the modern “secret society,” such as Rosicrucians, Freemasons, and Illuminati.Migration of religious radicalism to the New World, including how enslaved people devised the magickal system of hoodoo.Wave of occultism ignited by John Dee, the Romantics, Franz Anton Mesmer, Eliphas Lévi, and P.B. Randolph.The revolution brought by occult explorer Madame H.P. Blavatsky.Growth of New Thought and mind metaphysics.How fin de siècle scientists devised clinical protocols to study the supernatural.Occult influences in a delicate topic weighed maturely.Heterodox movements and figures such as The Process Church, TOPY, Michael Aquino, and Anton LaVey.Pioneering voices including Manly P. Hall, Aleister Crowley, Rudolf Steiner, Edgar Cayce, Carl Jung, Gerald Gardner, Jack Parsons, Annie Besant, G.I. Gurdjieff, Alice Bailey, Austin Osman Spare, and Carlos Castaneda.Surprising occult influences on wide-ranging modern icons such as Frederick Douglass, Sigmund Freud, and Isaac Newton.How models of interdimensionality are loosening the hold of materialism on modern thought.
In his most sweeping historical work, occult scholar and widely known voice of esoteric ideas Mitch Horowitz presents a lively, intellectually serious historical exploration of modern occultism, from astrology and alchemy to the dawn of Theosophy and modern witchcraft—and the spiritual revolutions that followed.
In this lively, full-circle history, Mitch
Preservation of “hidden wisdom” in late-ancient Hermeticism.Rebirth of esoterica during the Renaissance, including Kabbalah, ceremonial magick, alchemy, Gnosticism—and the backlash culminating in the Thirty Years’ War.Rise of the modern “secret society,” such as Rosicrucians, Freemasons, and Illuminati.Migration of religious radicalism to the New World, including how enslaved people devised the magickal system of hoodoo.Wave of occultism ignited by John Dee, the Romantics, Franz Anton Mesmer, Eliphas Lévi, and P.B. Randolph.The revolution brought by occult explorer Madame H.P. Blavatsky.Growth of New Thought and mind metaphysics.How fin de siècle scientists devised clinical protocols to study the supernatural.Occult influences in a delicate topic weighed maturely.Heterodox movements and figures such as The Process Church, TOPY, Michael Aquino, and Anton LaVey.Pioneering voices including Manly P. Hall, Aleister Crowley, Rudolf Steiner, Edgar Cayce, Carl Jung, Gerald Gardner, Jack Parsons, Annie Besant, G.I. Gurdjieff, Alice Bailey, Austin Osman Spare, and Carlos Castaneda.Surprising occult influences on wide-ranging modern icons such as Frederick Douglass, Sigmund Freud, and Isaac Newton.How models of interdimensionality are loosening the hold of materialism on modern thought.
434 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 19, 2023
105 people are currently reading
368 people want to read
About the author
Mitch Horowitz
66 books231 followersMITCH HOROWITZ is the editor-in-chief of Tarcher/Penguin and the author OCCULT AMERICA: THE SECRET HISTORY OF HOW MYSTICISM SHAPED OUR NATION (Bantam, Sept '09), which has been called "a fascinating book" by Ken Burns and "extraordinary" by Deepak Chopra. Visit him online at www.MitchHorowitz.com
"
"
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
March 10, 2024
Meh. A little more sterile than I prefer my occult books.
January 16, 2025
Good book, tough audiobook. Segments felt very long and some times became word-salad after a while.
I like the authors approach and POV...mileage will vary between readers. Considering the amount of history the topic covers the book does as good a job as you could hope at keeping it somewhat streamlined.
I like the authors approach and POV...mileage will vary between readers. Considering the amount of history the topic covers the book does as good a job as you could hope at keeping it somewhat streamlined.
April 24, 2024
I might be a wee bit of an over reader on the subject of occult history which may have contributed to my disappointment in finding nothing new here. But even just in terms of Mitch Horowitz books there’s a lot of repetition. If you’ve read Occult America also by Horowitz or Manly P. Hall’s Secret History or America… you’re not going to find too much more here. He does go into Blavatsky, Crowley, and the Golden Dawn… though not as well or deeply as other books on the topics. Perhaps the most interesting to me, because I haven’t already read much about it elsewhere, was the history or evolution of Satanism and the bits about the Process Church. I’ve written down some of the source references for that material and plan to delve further. Overall it’s not a bad book for a generalized,updated outline of Occult History. The author sticks well to the facts, but it is a bit sterile, as other readers have said. I’d still refer people looking for a historical outline on this topic to Colin Wilson’s book The Occult before referring them to this. It’s just a better read. It goes deeper into most topics and the language isn’t as clinical.
December 2, 2023
The best one yet!
A history of this subject matter written from an objective viewpoint is difficult to find. When you add the need to provide an overview that includes a variety of unrelated groups with differing, if not opposed ideas, the task enters the realm of the impossible.
Mitch Horowitz has done an excellent job here. I've been studying the occult and related subjects for over 40 years. This is the first work I've seen that provides so much information, with an admirable level of literacy, that also manages to respect both the readers and subjects at the same time. Any histories I've found tend to be limited to two or three groups at best, and are neither particularly well researched or written. Often the author has some kind of axe to grind, which makes for dull, tedious reading.
Anyone with even a passing interest in occultism, the New Age movement or even general spirituality as practiced today could get a lot out of this book.
A history of this subject matter written from an objective viewpoint is difficult to find. When you add the need to provide an overview that includes a variety of unrelated groups with differing, if not opposed ideas, the task enters the realm of the impossible.
Mitch Horowitz has done an excellent job here. I've been studying the occult and related subjects for over 40 years. This is the first work I've seen that provides so much information, with an admirable level of literacy, that also manages to respect both the readers and subjects at the same time. Any histories I've found tend to be limited to two or three groups at best, and are neither particularly well researched or written. Often the author has some kind of axe to grind, which makes for dull, tedious reading.
Anyone with even a passing interest in occultism, the New Age movement or even general spirituality as practiced today could get a lot out of this book.
January 10, 2024
I want to believe, said a friend of mine recently. So do I, so do I.
I come from a particularly religious region of Poland, but I was fortunate enough to reject many of the ideas that the environment I grew up in attempted to instill in my mind. My skepticism towards organized religion had been growing bigger and bigger until I reached a conscious decision to leave the Catholic Church through an act of apostasy. But before, in my childhood, I had gone through it all, bizarre rituals, shameful confessions, the ingestion of the sacramental bread. Satisfying my rebellion, which coincided with the ever-present "Satanic panic", I used the pentagram symbol rather liberally, and in a few cases bordering on vandalism.
The Satanic panic is featured prominently towards the end of Modern Occultism, and the book gives a scintillating insight into how some Western countries and organizations based on Christian values used to always find some other scapegoat in face of their own internal scandals. This is not to say that all organized religion is evil; but if there is one thing I learned as a teenage pipsqueak, it was to defy organizational behemoths. To distrust not the man, but the structure they represent. To try finding my own spiritual path, unfettered by the requirements of this or that dogma.
How refreshing it was to read Modern Occultism!
The book ends with a few sections on modern offshoots of Satanism after LaVey, as well as with a rather far-fetched theory on how to reconcile modern science (especially quantum physics) with the occurrence of paranormal phenomena. Horowitz is a believer (and he never suggests otherwise), so certain sections of the book are not just of informative, but also of speculative nature. To either reject or accept Horowitz's divagations, I must familiarize myself better with some aspects of the replication crisis that modern science is battling nowadays, and I need a deeper understanding of some of the more exotic concepts from the world of physics. But this is exactly what he prescribes - to doubt, to seek, and to keep an open mind.
Apart from several chapters where Horowitz philosophizes on the state of modern scientific methodology, the book is a real jewel and its only weak point is that it ends too soon. We start with the ancient and perennially rediscovered Hermeticism with all its misinterpretations and misuse. The giants of connivance and mystery are represented richly. Apart from the aforementioned LaVey, we get characters such as Madame Blavatsky or Ron L. Hubbard. Connections unspoken of in the mainstream are revealed, such as Goethe's involvement with the original Illuminati group, at the end of the eighteenth century in Bavaria. And who knew that a clear association could be found between spiritualistic seances and the growth of modern feminism?
Every page is a new revelation, and not only is it fascinating, but it is also all pretty cogent. Across some four hundred pages, figures as remote and unusual as Hillary Clinton, Mahatma Gandhi, William Burroughs and the Beatles are featured, each of them embroiled in the world of the occult in their own, distinct way. One constatation seems particularly resonant: that we, our civilization, are provoked and inspired and mesmerized (pun intended, Franz Mesmer) by what's mysterious and occult (from the Latin word occultus; lit. 'clandestine', 'hidden', 'secret'). Even those (and sometimes particularly those) who are vocal about the dangers of spiritualism or magic are unknowingly pulled into this dynamic, unstable vortex of occult ideas.
As I mentioned above, it was a rather short-lived affair that I had with Modern Occultism. It could easily go on for twice as long, but Horowitz decided to beget a condensed and excellently sourced overview of the multifaceted richness of occultism. Everyone can find something to their liking in this book, but eventually, it's only a springboard to more advanced topics. Even if it's all in our minds only, why not do it if it makes us feel better? The beauty is, we do not have to subscribe to any set of predefined notions and beliefs. We only have to do one thing. Try.
I come from a particularly religious region of Poland, but I was fortunate enough to reject many of the ideas that the environment I grew up in attempted to instill in my mind. My skepticism towards organized religion had been growing bigger and bigger until I reached a conscious decision to leave the Catholic Church through an act of apostasy. But before, in my childhood, I had gone through it all, bizarre rituals, shameful confessions, the ingestion of the sacramental bread. Satisfying my rebellion, which coincided with the ever-present "Satanic panic", I used the pentagram symbol rather liberally, and in a few cases bordering on vandalism.
The Satanic panic is featured prominently towards the end of Modern Occultism, and the book gives a scintillating insight into how some Western countries and organizations based on Christian values used to always find some other scapegoat in face of their own internal scandals. This is not to say that all organized religion is evil; but if there is one thing I learned as a teenage pipsqueak, it was to defy organizational behemoths. To distrust not the man, but the structure they represent. To try finding my own spiritual path, unfettered by the requirements of this or that dogma.
How refreshing it was to read Modern Occultism!
The book ends with a few sections on modern offshoots of Satanism after LaVey, as well as with a rather far-fetched theory on how to reconcile modern science (especially quantum physics) with the occurrence of paranormal phenomena. Horowitz is a believer (and he never suggests otherwise), so certain sections of the book are not just of informative, but also of speculative nature. To either reject or accept Horowitz's divagations, I must familiarize myself better with some aspects of the replication crisis that modern science is battling nowadays, and I need a deeper understanding of some of the more exotic concepts from the world of physics. But this is exactly what he prescribes - to doubt, to seek, and to keep an open mind.
Apart from several chapters where Horowitz philosophizes on the state of modern scientific methodology, the book is a real jewel and its only weak point is that it ends too soon. We start with the ancient and perennially rediscovered Hermeticism with all its misinterpretations and misuse. The giants of connivance and mystery are represented richly. Apart from the aforementioned LaVey, we get characters such as Madame Blavatsky or Ron L. Hubbard. Connections unspoken of in the mainstream are revealed, such as Goethe's involvement with the original Illuminati group, at the end of the eighteenth century in Bavaria. And who knew that a clear association could be found between spiritualistic seances and the growth of modern feminism?
Every page is a new revelation, and not only is it fascinating, but it is also all pretty cogent. Across some four hundred pages, figures as remote and unusual as Hillary Clinton, Mahatma Gandhi, William Burroughs and the Beatles are featured, each of them embroiled in the world of the occult in their own, distinct way. One constatation seems particularly resonant: that we, our civilization, are provoked and inspired and mesmerized (pun intended, Franz Mesmer) by what's mysterious and occult (from the Latin word occultus; lit. 'clandestine', 'hidden', 'secret'). Even those (and sometimes particularly those) who are vocal about the dangers of spiritualism or magic are unknowingly pulled into this dynamic, unstable vortex of occult ideas.
As I mentioned above, it was a rather short-lived affair that I had with Modern Occultism. It could easily go on for twice as long, but Horowitz decided to beget a condensed and excellently sourced overview of the multifaceted richness of occultism. Everyone can find something to their liking in this book, but eventually, it's only a springboard to more advanced topics. Even if it's all in our minds only, why not do it if it makes us feel better? The beauty is, we do not have to subscribe to any set of predefined notions and beliefs. We only have to do one thing. Try.
January 2, 2025
Just finished up this fantastic book…
- From my favorite esoteric punker historian Mitch Horowitz.
- This covers it all- starting in Egypt with Hermeticism, through the Renaissance and Alchemy, ‘Secret Societies’, Mesmer, Lévi, Theosophy, Jung, Jack Parsons, Chaos Magick, the Process Church, Wicca, New Thought, all the way up to Parapsychology and Quantum Physics, and everything in between. The influence of occult practices on modern society is just fascinating.
- I greatly appreciate Mitch’s clear, direct, and balanced writing. There was so much research put into this book. I walked away with an enormous list of new books to check out. An amazing mix of historical reference and storytelling, laying out a complete history of heterodox religions and ideas.
- I listened to the audiobook, read by Mitch, on Spotify. I loved it so much that as soon as I was finished with it I tracked him down and Venmoed him for the price of the book.
- Highly recommended for world history lovers and those interested in magick and the ‘unseen’.
- From my favorite esoteric punker historian Mitch Horowitz.
- This covers it all- starting in Egypt with Hermeticism, through the Renaissance and Alchemy, ‘Secret Societies’, Mesmer, Lévi, Theosophy, Jung, Jack Parsons, Chaos Magick, the Process Church, Wicca, New Thought, all the way up to Parapsychology and Quantum Physics, and everything in between. The influence of occult practices on modern society is just fascinating.
- I greatly appreciate Mitch’s clear, direct, and balanced writing. There was so much research put into this book. I walked away with an enormous list of new books to check out. An amazing mix of historical reference and storytelling, laying out a complete history of heterodox religions and ideas.
- I listened to the audiobook, read by Mitch, on Spotify. I loved it so much that as soon as I was finished with it I tracked him down and Venmoed him for the price of the book.
- Highly recommended for world history lovers and those interested in magick and the ‘unseen’.
July 24, 2025
This book did a great job of taking mysterious words and names from the world of the occult and secret societies, laying them out in a historical perspective, and explaining their meanings and reasons for existence.
I always love when a non-fiction book drives me to read new wikipedia articles. I still have a backlog of articles to read from this book. This book spans so many years, subjects, and people that it couldn't go in depth on all of them. I like being able to freely pick and choose which to follow-up on, as I'm sitting on the toilet with my hand-computer and a few spare minutes.
The author very slowly reveals himself to be more than just an authority on the occult. He describes himself as a "believer" so he isn't completely unbiased, but I think he does a good job of trying to be. His enthusiasm comes through, as does a few of his opinions (such as his disdain for Hubbard). I don't know if he's exaggerating, but he can't return to the UK because he's on a wanted list there for participating in certain groups.
I always love when a non-fiction book drives me to read new wikipedia articles. I still have a backlog of articles to read from this book. This book spans so many years, subjects, and people that it couldn't go in depth on all of them. I like being able to freely pick and choose which to follow-up on, as I'm sitting on the toilet with my hand-computer and a few spare minutes.
The author very slowly reveals himself to be more than just an authority on the occult. He describes himself as a "believer" so he isn't completely unbiased, but I think he does a good job of trying to be. His enthusiasm comes through, as does a few of his opinions (such as his disdain for Hubbard). I don't know if he's exaggerating, but he can't return to the UK because he's on a wanted list there for participating in certain groups.
January 30, 2024
Modern Occultism is a thorough and enlightening work by Mitch Horowitz, outlining and giving context to many of the forms and faces of occultism through the ages and into modern times. The chapter organization is well thought out, beginning with ancient Egypt and the Age of Hermes, spanning topics from Mormonism to Theosophy, psychology and politics, across time and continents. I recommend this tome to anyone seeking more information about occultism in general, as well as those who love history and all things off the beaten path (or should I say all things down the left hand path?).
My only real criticism stems from my editorial eye: quite a few typos throughout the book is a turnoff for me, as I believe it lessens the brevity and dignity of the subject matter. Obviously this is a problem that can be fixed with simple editing and corrected for future printings.
My only real criticism stems from my editorial eye: quite a few typos throughout the book is a turnoff for me, as I believe it lessens the brevity and dignity of the subject matter. Obviously this is a problem that can be fixed with simple editing and corrected for future printings.
November 20, 2023
A very disenchanting read, in the best sense of the word. The story of the occult is one of creating new ideas by bringing old ones back in transfigured form, or yet, inventing a fictionalized past or mysterious powerful entity to legitimize this ideas. At its worst we have a brewing ground for mythomaniacs, swindlers and everything in between, but at its best a place where experimentation and new ideas find nurture and refuge from political and religious intolerance bringing unpredictable developments in the most unexpected areas, and having a greater influence over the world that we give it credit for - and sadly not as much as conspiracy theorist would want you to think.
May 18, 2024
As a budding intellectual, Long time self proclaimed witch, And An early student of philosophy, I found this book fascinating and informative. Mostly focused on the history of occultism, I found the authors style fluid and easy to read, but with an expansive vocabulary. He includes lots of sources and footnotes for his information, and it's very clear that he did extensive research to write this book. A fantastic deep dive into the history of the strange and mysterious that clears up countless misconceptions of this topic that I myself was guilty of at one time or another. Really cannot recommend this title enough.
January 20, 2026
Brilliant and complete book or audiobook about the occult. From the early ages to the most recent decade.
All the great and not so great occultists pass by in this large book, the audiobook which I used is over 21 hours.
Blzvatsky, PD Ouspensky, Gjurdieff, the famous and illustrious Alistair Crowley, the most complete P Manly Hall, Neville Goddard and Rudolph Steiner, and lots, lots more. The Process church and the Manson family and the Nazi's and the occult. It's complete and so well read by the author. Mitch Horowitz is a brilliant historian and writer and a man who knows more than most people alive about this topic.
All the great and not so great occultists pass by in this large book, the audiobook which I used is over 21 hours.
Blzvatsky, PD Ouspensky, Gjurdieff, the famous and illustrious Alistair Crowley, the most complete P Manly Hall, Neville Goddard and Rudolph Steiner, and lots, lots more. The Process church and the Manson family and the Nazi's and the occult. It's complete and so well read by the author. Mitch Horowitz is a brilliant historian and writer and a man who knows more than most people alive about this topic.
March 2, 2024
Broad reaching without being dull, Horowitz presents a reasonably nuanced overview of modern occultism. For me the book is weakest when Horowitz pontificates on the some of more silly sideshows of our time, such as the sphinx erosion theory. It's just plain goofy. But that's a minor issue made more prominent for punctuating the end of the book. If you are new to the subject of occultism, or simply want a primer to a wide range of belief systems, I think there's a lot to enjoy here.
October 8, 2023
As always, high-quality, thoughtful, and very rigorous writing by Mitch Horowitz. This is a very historical novel, and much of it is familiar, but it is sprinkled with many insights. I think it’s a book that I will go back to. A lot of big ideas, and it really helps me understand how beliefs have shifted over time and what an incredibly important role they still play.
October 29, 2024
This is truly fantastic. This book attempts to be all-encompassing of known occultism. I listened to this the entire way through and found it extremely educational, but also humorous and useful. The book version has an index which is highly detailed. I feel like all occultists should read this and have access to it for reference purposes. Brilliant.
April 8, 2024
Sometimes I thought too much received anecdotal or superficial treatment, but that might just because the subject area is so massive. Still, a really solid book for showing just how ubiquitous occult practices and communities are. Once you see it…
May 6, 2024
Seems like a good bird's eye view of the field. Sometimes a little dry, but that may have just been because it didn't happen to be focusing on what I was interested in. The chapter on parapsychology felt particularly informative to me.
October 15, 2024
Mitch Horowitz has really carved out a space for himself as the best historian for the general public on occult history. One of his best books. Rivals that of his well-regarded PEN award-winning book Occult America.
December 6, 2023
Great tool. strong recommend. very accessible.
December 30, 2023
Tried a newer version of the occult history. Not great, lacked the weird tales vibes.
February 28, 2024
An exelent, well researched, if a bit dry overview of of the history of occultism. A good starting place and overview of different practices
October 18, 2024
Great book. Lots of interesting figures through out history discussed, easy to into if you have an interest for this sort of subject. Makes me want to explore the subject more.
December 18, 2024
the longest audiobook I’ve ever read!! The music at the beginning and end was magical
Appreciated the chronological journey felt like a “ooo” every time it tied to something familiar
Appreciated the chronological journey felt like a “ooo” every time it tied to something familiar
December 19, 2024
Tell my mystic friends I’m trying my best to understand them.
January 18, 2025
major info dump not like on sensational TV networks....some what scholarly!!!! Nice
March 2, 2025
Very academic, but very thorough.
October 30, 2025
Great mind.
March 10, 2025
An interesting read for sure. However, there really is nothing new presented here. Which is a shame. I really wanted to like this more.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews