Mitch Horowitz: Occultism and the Fight for Reality - Live from CX
Dec 18, 2024
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Mitch Horowitz, an award-winning author and podcast host known for exploring occultism and mysticism, dives into the complexities of reality. He discusses the critical intersections of marketing and spirituality, revealing how unconventional ideas often clash with mainstream thought. Horowitz also examines the cultural significance of ancient mythologies in today's media and reflects on the transformative power of spiritual practices. His insights challenge listeners to reconsider societal structures and the role of belief in shaping human experience.
Mitch Horowitz discusses how collective occultism can reshape reality perceptions, providing emotional support during politically charged times.
The podcast critiques the focus on political strategies, advocating for community building through mutual aid and local engagement instead.
A conversation emerges around creating spaces of 'weirdness' to nurture diverse expressions, fostering innovation against mainstream cultural conformity.
Deep dives
The Importance of Life Insurance
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Collective Occultism and Reality
The discussion emphasizes how collective occultism can serve as a tool in altering our perceptions of reality, especially during challenging times. The speaker recounts a gathering styled like a Quaker meeting during an election, where sharing feelings mitigated the emotional impact of political outcomes. This practice highlighted a crucial distinction between media representations of events and real communal experiences, suggesting that genuine connection can counterbalance social anxieties stemming from collective political dynamics. The argument posits that engaging more with one another instead of fixating on political outcomes can yield more meaningful results.
The Call for Local Action Over Political Focus
The podcast critiques the tendency for collective energy to concentrate on political strategies rather than local community engagement. By proposing that only a small percentage of the population focus on electoral outcomes, it invites the rest to direct their efforts towards mutual aid, community building, and resilience. This shift from seeking solutions in centralized political systems allows communities the chance to address immediate needs and build sustainable support networks. As decisions increasingly affect local environments, fostering a culture of care and support proves vital in navigating crises.
The Digital Reversion to Mean Values
The conversation highlights a return to feudalism in societal structures, exacerbated by digital technologies that prioritize average responses over creativity. As systems readjust to an algorithmic conformity, the uniqueness of individual expression becomes compromised, leading to a culture that stifles diverse perspectives. The speakers draw parallels to historical patterns of cultural reversion, noting that as digital media evolves, the tools initially seen as liberating morph into means of control. This observation underscores the tension between finding individuality in a homogenized digital landscape and the necessity of fostering pockets of creativity.
Pockets of Weirdness as Cultural Resilience
The hosts discuss the idea of creating clusters of 'weirdness' as a response to mainstream culture's demands for conformity; these gatherings can serve as sanctuaries for diverse expression and exploration. They reference historical contexts where small enclaves of unique thought thrived under oppression, suggesting that even in modernity, spaces that welcome individual eccentricity can foster innovation and resilience. These clusters allow for spiritual and creative experimentation that diverges from prevalent narratives, emphasizing the necessity for communal experimentalism in a rapidly changing world. By cultivating environments where 'weirdness' is celebrated, communities can better navigate the complexities of contemporary life.
Award-winning author and host of Discovery/HBO’s Alien Encounters: Fact or FictionMitch Horowitz helps us create the conditions for a tide pool where only rivers seem to flow. This conversation was recorded on December 10, 2024, at CX in New York City.
🎧 Listen to Horowitz's podcast, ESP is Real, from SpectreVision.
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