An occultist confronts modernity — The following is the introduction to the author’s Uncertain Places: Essays on Occult and Outsider Experiences (Inner Traditions, Nov 8, 2022). To write on metaphysical themes is to live in a state of constant uncertainty. Or at least it ought to be that way. The simple fact is: we do…

There exists a strain of thought today, some of it in academia and political commentary, that historically links occult and New Age movements to fascism and rightwing extremism. Even if one writes with critical sympathy on occultism, as I do, its diffuse history and influence — intellectually, spiritually, socially, and…

And that’s just how Vernon Howard wanted it — By the mid-20th century, prosperity ministries and extreme motivational seminars created a chasm between the ideals and reality of popularized metaphysics and positive-thinking spirituality. Yet one of the most distinctive and skilled spiritual thinkers of the era deftly avoided this pitfall. He was a man who began his career in…

The extraordinary career of scientist Richard C. Cabot is a case study in collaboration — and results — Amid a wave of medical licensing laws, the early 20th century was not a promising moment for religiously or psychologically oriented approaches to medicine. Most physicians regarded any form of mind or faith-based methods, even when used as complementary treatments, as smacking of Christian Science, a philosophy they considered cultish…

The radical metaphysics of Neville Goddard’s first book — Although he died in relative obscurity in 1972, mystic Neville Goddard (1905–1972) now ranks among the 21st century’s most widely followed writers and lecturers in alternative spirituality. Search results for the mononymous Neville’s talks number in the millions. His books, once relegated to literature tables at New Thought churches (and…

Why the radical metaphysics of thought-causation just might work — I believe that some of us dedicated to experimental spirituality and mind metaphysics must attempt to theorize the mechanics and delivery systems behind what we experience and observe. There exist, of course, manifold risks of personal bias toward a favored thesis. But to limit the wish to “know thyself” to…

The Art of War is arguably the most widely read work of philosophy in history — for a reason — “The violent and stiff-necked die not by a natural death.” — Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, translated by Lionel Giles Given its posterity and vast range of translations, the ancient Chinese martial guide The Art of War may be the most widely read work of philosophy in history — actually…

A New Thought pioneer’s radical idealism — Metaphysical writer and minister Joseph Murphy (1898–1981) encouraged his readers and listeners to live by an entirely different scale of values. Most of us born in the West grew up with the notion — almost wholly untested — that mood and outlook result from personal circumstance. Emotions are symptoms. …

How much do we really understand about ancient Hermeticism? Review of Wouter J. Hanegraaff’s ‘Hermetic Spirituality and the Historical Imagination’ — Hermetic Spirituality and the Historical Imagination: Altered States of Knowledge in Late Antiquity by Wouter J. Hanegraaff, Cambridge University Press, 2022, 400 pp., hardcover, $135.00. Hermeticism is the ever-elusive philosophy. Since late antiquity, following a jagged and indirect path, the amalgam of Greek-Egyptian thought has promised seekers a whisper of…