I’m a Francophile. So when the editor of the French magazine Science et Inexpliqué asked to interview me as a historian of the occult I was happy to comply.
My correspondent, perhaps expecting more sensationalistic replies, was apparently less happy. After I returned my responses he ghosted me (no pun intended). Hence, I offer our exchange for your judgment. Or, as my hero Rod Serling used to say, “submitted for your approval.”
- What drove your interest in occult and esoteric themes ?
I became interested as a young child — I was fascinated with folklore, mythology, and mysticism. I wanted to learn the history behind daily horoscope columns and the origins of popular superstitions. That fascination remained with me into adulthood.
- You pretend that “mysticism shaped the United States.” What are your main discoveries in this field?*
The American colonies developed an early reputation as a safe-harbor for people with radical religious ideas. As early as the mid-to-late 1600s the colonies were a destination for people fleeing religious persecution in the Old World. Some of the nation’s first cities, such as Philadelphia, were founded by people accused of heresy in Europe. Hence, outsider traditions were always formative in American life.
