Mitch Horowitz (born November 23, 1965) is an American author, publisher, speaker, podcaster, and television host specializing in occult and esoteric themes.
"[22] The son of a legal aid attorney and a medical secretary, Horowitz grew up in Bellerose, Queens, before moving to New Hyde Park, New York.
[26][27] He developed an interest in the occult through books of folklore at his local public library, book-club catalogs at elementary school, and astrological content, such as newspaper horoscopes, whose references he historically researched.
In showing how the paths of these figures occasionally intersected with the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass and Franklin D. Roosevelt, Horowitz argues that the influence of the occult extends beyond the séance room and into the mainstream of American thought.”[36] He has also noted that Rosicrucianism and the Shakers have contributed to America's history of religious experimentation.
[39] Furthermore, Horowitz has contextualized New Age figures and books, including Goddard, Edgar Cayce, and The Kybalion, as contemporary expressions of Gnostic and Hermetic themes.
[63] In spite of its continued marginalization in mainstream academia, Horowitz advocates for the validity of academic parapsychology research, defending its findings in books, articles, and talks,[64][65][66] and he is a critic of professional skepticism.
[72] Horowitz has called attention to the worldwide problem of violence against accused witches, helping draw notice to the human rights element of the issue.
[83][84] He is also featured in documentaries including Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror, directed by Kier-La Janisse, a selection of SXSW 2021.
[18] Horowitz published titles in world religion, esoterica, and the metaphysical,[91] as well as works in philosophy, social thought and politics, including Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity by director David Lynch,[92] 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl by Daniel Pinchbeck and Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush’s War on Iraq by Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber.
[94] Serving as guest host of the public radio program Interfaith Voices, Horowitz in 2016 interviewed David Lynch about Transcendental Meditation, ideas, and creativity.
[98] Horowitz has also published work by scholar of religion Jeffrey J. Kripal,[99] computer scientist and UFO theorist Jacques Vallée,[100] memoirist and novelist Whitley Strieber,[101] and historian Gary Lachman.