There is something wonderfully simple about Mitch Morales’ prescription for an increasingly complicated world: Look up.
The Austin native and founder and CEO of IMXP has built a company around immersive experiences that bring people together for extraordinary natural phenomena, particularly total solar eclipses. Its recent Iceland Eclipse gathered thousands of people from more than 75 countries beneath the skies of Iceland’s Snæfellsnes Peninsula.
“I think it’s one of the most transformative experiences that a human can have in the natural world,” Morales says.
His path to the cosmos began closer to home. After working in technology and entrepreneurship, Morales founded Austin’s Euphoria music festival in 2012 and eventually grew it to roughly 20,000 attendees. But the isolation of the pandemic helped crystallize what mattered most to him.
“I get so much value from being around people in really immersive environments,” he says. That realization became part of the inspiration for IMXP.
Today, Morales describes IMXP’s events as “celestial gatherings,” designed not simply to entertain but to create connection, curiosity and awe. In August 2027, the company heads to Egypt for a total solar eclipse over Luxor, followed by another eclipse experience in Australasia in 2028. IMXP ultimately envisions producing a shared eclipse experience from the moon.
For Morales, however, the most meaningful part may be what happens right here on Earth.
During totality, he has watched strangers cry, hug, and momentarily forget whatever might otherwise separate them.
“All of the differences melt away in that moment,” he says. “We’re all here trying to make the most of this life, trying to see some cool things, have some interesting experiences.”
That perspective feels particularly fitting during a season devoted to gratitude. Morales believes celestial events can remind us how extraordinary the seemingly ordinary world already is.
“We live in this amazing world,” he says. “There are so many other things in nature that are just as beautiful and can be experienced if you just remember to slow down and get out of your busy life for a second.”
IMXP will bring that philosophy home March 19-22 with COHERENCE, a four-day gathering in the Texas Hill Country centered around connection, creativity, and the spring equinox.
And when Morales considers what he is most thankful for, his answer is surprisingly grounded for someone dreaming about the moon.
“Just the opportunity to be alive in this time,” he says.
For more information, visit www.imxp.org.