Occult America: The Secret History of How Mysticism Shaped Our Nation
by Mitch Horowitz
Bantam (2009)
Thirty-four years ago I opened Lemuria to offer books for sale that were at the time not offered in my community. I felt the need to reflect the life-style of the counter-culture movement through my inventory with a lot of emphasis on New Age therapeutic spirituality and occult (hidden or obscured) texts. I named the bookstore Lemuria. I figured “Lemuria” was a label to inform my desired readers that books of alternative knowledge and hidden wisdom would be included as part of my inventory.
Horowitz’s book is a readable reflection of the physic highway from our nation’s Free Masonic roots to the birth of the New Age era. Occult America fits this jigsaw puzzle of Ouija boards, Astrology, clairvoyant religious teachers, women’s rights, symbology, numerology, etc. into a well-organized historical presentation. Occult America is well written and interesting without academic-like pitfalls.
Enjoyable sections on Manly P. Hall and Edgar Cayce were well done. My favorite essay was “Go Tell Pharaoh: The Rise of Magic in Afro-America” focusing on Voodoo and Hoodoo and Frederick Douglass’ story of his John the Conqueror root. However, I did feel that the last section, “Aquarius Rising,” to be rushed with not enough information concerning the state of counter-culture thinking today.
Over the years Lemuria has expanded its inventory, keeping at its roots the need for alternative thinking and ideas.
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