confessions of a supernatural nature
The probability of supernatural events has been a popular discussion topic of late. I have maintained a firm stance of absolute disbelief in the possibility of supernatural occurrences at any point in history for two reasons: reported supernatural events in history always have a possible explanation in the physical world that we now understand; and if we can’t prove the existence of supernatural forces now, why should we believe they occurred in the past and mysteriously stopped at the point we could test them?
But I’m beginning to suspect my unwavering declaration is slightly disingenuous. Last night I was given pause for thought on my own secretly buried and consciously dismissed belief in the untestable supernatural.
We’re preparing to leave our current country of residence and experiencing a measure of the typical stress levels that such an upheaval brings, regardless of the desire to make the actual move. Packing up the lives of two adults and a baby, while applying for jobs online to help ease our uncertain future, and dealing with the emotional anxiety of the family left behind in an insecure country on the brink of economic collapse, has taken its toll. (Obsessional blogging habits for which there is no time can be put in a therapy/relaxation category for now.)
Last night at 4am lightening struck our tin-roofed home. We have lots of thunderstorms here and they are often dramatic affairs, with a build up of furious winds and rumblings and flashings all over the sky. Last night there was no build up, no approaching storm, just one isolated crack of house-shaking, rib-cracking thunder and an accompanying strike that I’m sure hit our home and woke us both up in state of sheer terror. Now, I didn’t think it was Zeus teaching me not to take his name in vain, but I did have sneaky suspicion that our heightened anxiety gave an accompanying electric charge that attracted all the power of the storm to our one humble abode. That is superstition. That is taking a coincidental and unusual event, and building a pseudo-natural, untestable and ridicule-worthy hypothesis based on self-centred concerns.
Houses with sad histories retaining a sense of depression, my dog’s uncanny ability to read my thoughts (I’m sure my actions aren’t so repetitive and predictable), tandem thinking with my boyfriend, and, worst of all, a strange man with a dark aura who passes both my sister and I at times of change and trauma. All these things I believe have natural explanations, and would defend completely rational and logical reasons in any open discussion, but deep down my superstitious core believes there’s something more going on. Are these simply deep-seated irrational and primitive yearnings for a ‘more to life than this’? Or could there be aspects of the natural world we’ve yet to discover that would help explain any of this? And if so, is that all the supernatural is?
Violetwisp,
Love the picture. I do hope your transition goes smoothly.
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Thank you Cindy! And in the unexplained absence of Ark you are now my best blogging buddy – a status that is entirely dependent on picture admiration comments. 🙂
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Your last pic (up close lily?) was my favorite so far (supernatural post, I think). Would love to talk camera, lenses, etc. sometime. Have rebel digital, but my old slr lenses don’t focus we’ll with it 😞. Have one all purpose digital lens for it with stabilizer but a whole suitcase of lenses for my rebel that used film. Not great enough to haul around so do most of my pictures on iPhone (which I’m typing on now, so pardon staccato words).
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What do you mean “a strange man with a dark aura”? That sounds pretty creepy. Hope your move goes well.
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Thanks Ben. This man is even stranger if you happen to see him – we call him Bob, after the evil spiritman in Twin Peaks, although he’s a lot scarier …
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Both. We have “deep-seated, irrational and primitive yearnings for a ‘more to life than this’,” and we’re always discovering more about the natural world, thus allowing us to explain in natural terms phenomena that were once considered supernatural. Is this all the supernatural is? The answer to that question is above my paygrade.
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You’re right. I still find the self-centred denial of coincidence a strange trait to have. I wonder if it can be explained in evolutionary terms.
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well there are many aspects of the natural world that we still don’t know. ascribing them to superstition is just putting a place marker or what we are still ignorant about.
wish you well during the transition, i hope we will still get to hear from you
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The term “supernatural” conjures images of flaky fringe dwellers, dismissed as bat shit crazy by mainstream society. “Big religion” must carry some of the blame for the rolled eyes and side ways glances the moment the subject is trotted out. For centuries “heretics”, “witches”, or plain old run of the mill men of sensible science were burned at the stake as “examples” to any who dared to question the authority of the corporation of God.An eye to the wonder of the natural world was a one way ticket to the fires of hell. Over time burning at the stake fell out of favor – un Godly ponderings became supernatural; complete with stereotypes guaranteed to make people feel just as you do about possibilities beyond that deemed possible. Yikes – I’m ranting 🙂
The point is – my mind is open, I don’t line up crystals, chant or give the slightest thought to the supernatural – nor do I discount, ridicule, or question the possibility of matters outside our understanding of the physical world. Not for one second do I think God has anything to do with phenomena taking place every day when least expected.
View your experience as a gift. An opportunity to wake up your inner eye, trusting your instincts rather than falling victim to contrived, close minded social convention.
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Did I miss something? Is this addressed to me? If it is, which am assuming it is, do positing that having superstition as a place marker for what we don’t know a ridicule or a discount of the experience? I need help to understand where you are coming from or what I said that drew a rant from you!
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I’m not sure if you were talking to me or makagutu either. I do agree with you generally, and you’re right it’s important to have an open mind. However, I think it’s much more important to look for natural explanations and far too many of us human beings fall prey to our instinctive superstitious ignorance when coincidences come along. I pay attention to my instincts but I try not to trust them too much.
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That’s definitely what I believe, but then instinctively I have these odd thoughts that part of me holds on to. I guess I believe they’re possible (even taking coincidence into account) and that there could yet be an explanation in the natural world. Thanks for your wishes, I hope I’ll still blog from Scotland but I’m more likely to be an occasional lurker – certainly not a daily poster.
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There is, of course, a chance for greater complexity to the system we find ourselves inside. Ruling it out is nonsensical as absolutes are irrational. The reinforcing nature of superstitions is we always remember the few hits and not the billion-billion misses.
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I just replied to this on my page…this part struck me John, “we always remember the few hits and not the billion-billion misses.” It is rather fun to begin to actively search out the misses when one is countering years of confirmation bias… 😉
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Absolutely, like the occasional dream that seems to foretell an event … not the thousands that random and forgotten.
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Pingback: Power of coincidence, struggles of a former believer…with winks | love and heretics
I do think we actively look for explanations for everything. I think it pays us to be humble enough to embrace the mysteries, and be willing to accept them as mysteries. We still have, much to learn. Here is a neat article on the Power of Coincidence :http://www.davidmyers.org/Brix?pageID=91
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Thanks Holly, excellent article, really enjoyed reading it!
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“I didn’t think it was Zeus teaching me not to take his name in vain”…I hope not! 🙂
Wishing you a good transition and hoping you’ll feel great when in Scotland! Bye!
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This happens to all of us. I think deep down we’re programmed for superstition. Also, there is this need we have to see correlations even with the weakest evidence, which has been extremely helpful for survival but which sometimes can lead to strange associations that have no logical basis. For example, rituals for celebrating goals, the way we fold our clothes before going to bed (or something terrible will happen) and a myriad others. I’m sure you can think of more examples.
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We are hardwired to recognize patterns. We’re so good at it, in fact, that we find patterns even in places where there are no patterns to be found.
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Supernatural and paranormal, often misinterpreted and mistaken. For myself I start with “If it happens, then it’s natural” which suits me nicely; unknown mechanisms perhaps, but entirely natural (worry about the ‘hows’ later)—if I trip over a headless ghost in my home then it’s certainly unusual but not supernatural.
Paranormal I take to mean as outside the usual, beyond the normal.
Telepathy is in that bracket, many say ‘Impossible’ and refuse to even entertain the idea, others grudgingly like to think it might just be possible but doesn’t make sense.
However, The Spouse and I have done it. So although we don’t expect others to ‘believe’, WE most certainly do. (It’s hard to disbelieve in something you’ve done yourself, regardless of how many people tell you you couldn’t have because it’s impossible). Sadly we can’t do it at will, and it doesn’t happen as often or as outstandingly as it has in the past.
Precognition, too, I have done. I say again—It’s hard to disbelieve in something you’ve done yourself, regardless of how impossible it is.
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I don’t operate on belief, and therefore don’t ‘believe’ in the ‘supernatural’. However, it does seem that there are many things which DO happen with some sporadic regularity, and which indicate aspects of existence, forces and power, of which we are still woefully ignorant.
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Yes, I doubt if mankind could ever have the ability to understand everything. It’s interesting how we always feel at the peak of our understanding.
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If it happens at all in this entirely natural world it has to be entirely natural, no? But some things that happen we cannot explain.
Lightning hitting the roof wasn’t explicable in natural terms, once. Now it is.
Telepathy, precognition, and reincarnation likewise can’t be explained in ‘natural’ terms. Yet when you’ve done something yourself you reformulate your respects for ‘science’.
Two out three ain’t bad …
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