Introduction

The overlap between the religious and the supernatural is indisputable on the level of basic aspects of their nature and features—they belong to the same sphere of human life that is considered to involve forces that exceed the operations of the mundane physical world of cause-and-effect relations. In the face of science and scepticism, supernatural concepts have not withered, but expanded to include diverse psychic, mental and physical energies, pyramid powers, UFOs, interdimensional beings, ley lines, crystal emanations and countless other “phenomena.” From its inception, the cognitive science of religion focused on “cognition” as the central mental function of investigation, and in reality, principally examined supernatural beliefs and practices. The body’s visceral responses can be as significant as sensory inputs in producing consciousness, and it is often precisely such feelings that characterise supernatural experiences—corporeal sensations such as love, fear, awe, bliss, arising energies and transcendence. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.