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a cache of usenet and other text files pertaining
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a cache of usenet and other text files pertaining
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To: alt.magick From: markk@West.Sun.COM (Mark Kampe) Subject: Re: Defining 'paranormal' Date: 7 Jun 1996 19:38:47 GMT In article nt@newsman.murdoch.edu.au, jnorthct@central.murdoch.edu.au (Jeremy) writes: > Help me out here. You should really consider getting a dictionary. I find them to be immensely helpful when ever I have questions like this. > What is the difference between paranormal "para", from the latin "par" meaning "like" paranormal phenomena are experiences slightly outside the realm of normal experience. > psi this is a word used, primarily in works of fiction, to refer to telepathic and "mind-over-matter" type powers. > psychic one who is capable of discerning information that is not obvious to others, presumably through the use of unusal mental powers or connections to unusual sources of information. > supernatural beyond what happens in nature > occult literally: hidden, invisible or secret generally refers to subjects that were studied and practiced in secret, because other people would object to them and might persecute the students/practicianers. > magik I have not studied this spelling, but it probably comes from the latin "magis" meaning "more" or "greater". In general "magic" is a generic explanation people often give for inexplicable results, or the study of creating results that others might consider to be inexplicable. In modern usage, magic is often divided into "sleight of hand" and "ceremonial magic". The former being illusion. The latter involving more arcane. > paganism from the latin "paganus" meaning rustic refers to nature and fertility-based religions in general, and to (recently re-discovered) non-christian (pseudo) religions in particular. > New Age a term used by people of the current age to distinguish themselves from their predecessors ... generally used to describe liberal, humanistic, inclusive views of people who consider themselves to be more "enlightened" than others. > mystical from the latin "mysteria" meaning mysteries generally refers to pursuits whose aims and benefits are not obvious, and more specifically to pursuits aimed at transcendantal or non-worldly goals. > miracles from the latin "miratio" meaning wonderment, an occurrance that surprises or astonishes, presumably because it is either unlike anything that has ever been observed before, or perhaps because it would have been thought impossible. > and so on english idiom meaning "and other similar things" or "proceding in that fashion" > Are people who are using these different labels > all talking about the same thing(s) I do not believe any of the above terms to be synonomous, although many of them are related, and many of those words could be used to describe a single thing (e.g. a block could be both "small" and "green" but this doesn't make those words synonymous). > why do they use these different labels? People usually use different labels because they have different meanings, or at least carry different connotations. Often there may be a rhetorical means for choosing a particular term (alliteration, allusion, ...). Often a particular term is used because that is the term of preference in a particular group.
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