Supernormal Not Supernatural

Perhaps a clearer understanding of this important subject will be had if

we but substitute the term "supernormal" for that of "supernatural." The

term "supernormal" is not commonly employed, and but few know that such

a word is to be found in the dictionaries, much less know its meaning;

but a study of its meaning, and its adoption in our thinking, will serve

to give us a clearer conception of the true nature of many strange
br /> phases of experience of which we have become conscious, either by

reasons of their manifestation by ourselves, or else by the

manifestation on the part of others. It will accordingly be well for us

to carefully examine this term and its meaning.



"Subnormal" means: "Beyond, above, or exceeding that which is NORMAL;

extraordinary, inexplicable perhaps, but NOT supernatural." Now, the

term "normal" means: "Conforming to a certain standard, rule, or type";

hence, anything that is "supernormal" is something that is ABOVE THE

USUAL PATTERN, RULE, OR TYPE.



There is an important distinction to be noted here, to-wit: a thing may

be OUTSIDE of the usual pattern, rule, or type, in the sense of being

INFERIOR TO or UNDER the ordinary standard, and in this case is known as

"ABNORMAL," the latter term being employed as a term of depreciation. On

the other hand, the "OUTSIDE of the standard" quality may consist of a

SUPERIORITY to the prevailing standard, and accordingly is entitled to

be classed in the category of the "SUPERnormal"--the prefix "SUPER"

meaning "ABOVE, OVER, HIGHER, etc."



It is important that the distinction be made clearly between the use and

meaning of these two terms, "abnormal" and "supernormal," respectively.

The first named denotes INFERIORITY, and the latter denotes SUPERIORITY.

This distinction may be more clearly apprehended by means of a concrete

example, as follows:



On our own plane of existence the senses of sight and hearing,

respectively, are included in the usual standard, pattern, and type of

sense normality--every normal person possesses these senses in a certain

general degree of power; hence, on this plane of existence, a person

born blind, or deaf, is spoken of as "ABNORMAL," that is to say, such a

person is DEFICIENT in regard to the sense powers.



On the contrary, let us imagine a plane of existence, in which the

great majority of individuals lack the power of sight and hearing,

respectively. On such a plane of existence, the occasional individual

who was born possessed of the powers of sight and hearing, respectively,

would be properly regarded as "SUPERNORMAL," that is to say, such a

person would be SUPERIOR to the ordinary run of individuals--above them,

in fact. The term "ABNORMAL" means MINUS the ordinary standard quality;

and the term "SUPERNORMAL" means PLUS the ordinary standard quality. And

yet both the "plus" and the "minus" would be "outside" the normal type,

though there is a difference as wide as that between the two poles, in

this "outsideness."