Supernatural
The word supernatural (from Latin: [supernātūrālis] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) is used for things that some people believe are real, but that are not part of nature or can’t be explained by the scientific laws of nature. Because we cannot prove whether these things are real, people often disagree about these things.
Some say that we should talk about things without talking about the supernatural, because we cannot prove that supernatural things are real. Other people say that although we cannot prove supernatural things in a scientific way, they are real. Some examples of supernatural things or examples are:
- Sorcery
- miracles
- precognition
- demonic possession
- souls, spirits, ghosts, religion visions, wraiths, shades, poltergeists, ectoplasms, invisible people or apparitional experiences
- monsters
- yōkai, yūrei or obake
- angels or saints
- demons, dybbuks or asuras
- mōryō
- extraterrestrial creatures
- legendary creatures
- God, gods or kami
- Satan, devils or fiends
- parapsychology
Supernatural Media
Saint Peter Attempting to Walk on Water (1766), painting by François Boucher
The Archangel Michael wears a late Roman military cloak and cuirass in this 17th-century depiction by Guido Reni.
Schutzengel (English: "Guardian Angel") by Bernhard Plockhorst depicts a guardian angel watching over two children.
The patron saint of air travelers, aviators, astronauts, people with a mental handicap, test takers and poor students is Saint Joseph of Cupertino, who is said to have been gifted with supernatural flight.
Theodor von Holst, Bertalda, Assailed by Spirits, c. 1830
Mephistopheles (a medieval demon from German folklore) flying over Wittenberg, in a lithograph by Eugène Delacroix.
Depiction of witchcraft in John William Waterhouse's painting The Magic Circle (1886)
Related pages
- Religion
- Belief
- Mysticism
- Spirituality
- Superstition
- Ritual
- Near death experience
- Naturalism (philosophy) - the idea that the supernatural does not exist
