Well-known voice of occult and esoteric ideas, Mitch Horowitz, discussed his research into the history and prevalence of the positive thinking movement in America. As he looked at a variety of modern and ancient inspirational literature, he kept coming across the principle that thoughts are causative. "What we think, and what we continually dwell on has some authentic, and concrete effect on our actual experiences," not just on a psychological level but in our lives out in the world such as in jobs and relationships, he argued. But for positive thinking to work, people have to take actions to accompany it-- you can't just be sitting in an armchair, he added.
He cited Ronald Reagan as an example of someone who was immersed in positive thinking, along with some occult philosophies. "Reagan was a model of self-belief, and he found the ability in personal circumstances or when he was facing personal difficulties to define himself in the strongest terms possible." Yet, Horowitz also noted that not everything that happens to us is the result of thoughts. "I don't believe there's anyone listening who hasn't seen somebody suffer an illness, or hasn't seen an innocent life snuffed out," he said, adding that we don't live under just one "mental super-law or law of attraction"-- we live under many laws and forces of which the mind is one.
One of his favorite treatises on positive thinking is a little pamphlet called It Works from 1926. It contains one simple exercise-- make a list of your desires, and revise the list until you think you really have it right. Study it three times a day-- morning, noon, and night. Don't talk to anybody about it-- and "watch what happens!" Horowitz finds this particularly useful because it allows us to tap into what our true goals are, which may have become suppressed. For more, check out his mini-documentary: "One Simple Idea: A Short History of Positive Thinking." Horowitz also touched on his study of occult ideas and practices in America.
New Head of the Fed
First hour guest, investment advisor Catherine Austin Fitts talked about the confirmation of Janet Yellin as the new head of the Federal Reserve. Yellin is well-qualified for the position, Fitts commented, but the challenge she's going to face is dealing with the two sides of the financial equation-- the federal budget, and the monetary policy which the Federal Reserve manages. The fiscal situation has really gotten out of hand in recent years as "we've had a lot more popularity for solving our problems with debasement of our currency than with balancing the budget," she remarked.
News segment guests: Dr. Peter Breggin, John R. Lott