The paranormal is defined as the collapse of the boundaries between the physical realm and conscious non-physical realms by the celebrated comparative religion professor Jeffrey J. Kripal. For instance, minds can communicate across distance, precognitions of future events step outside of linear time, and communication can occur with disincarnate humans and presumably superhuman consciousness. The paranormal can include topics such as ghosts, UFOs and aliens, extra-sensory perception, precognition of future events, spirit communication, ghosts, and many other areas.
Kripal divides the paranormal into two categories. First, is the empirical imaginal where dreams and waking visions correspond closely, but not exactly, to events in the objective or historical world. One example would be clairvoyant precognition of an event like 9/11. Such abilities, he argues, could have been developed because they provided an adaptive or survival advantage. In the second case, termed the symbolic imaginal, people may communicate with non-human or superhuman consciousness. These communications are typically transmitted coded in symbols that require interpretation. The latter point is critical, he notes. He believes that the imaginal accesses a real non-physical dimension that is also shaped by the creative imagination of people. It is the realm of myth and symbol. It requires interpretation. But human interpretations and unpacking of symbolic codes are necessarily limited by biological, psychological, and cultural factors. Therefore, the symbolic imaginal should never be taken literally even if it is in contact with a real dimension.
