Redefining my 'Sense of the Sacred'

Kripal asks how the paranormal evidence he suggests makes us question what we know about science, time, religion, and our 'sense of the sacred.'

After reading the exert from Kripal's book, Authors of the Impossible: The Paranormal and the Sacred, the above is what I concluded to be the purpose of the book. So, I could not help but turn the question inward and reflect. I began to think about my own religious experiences, and whether or not I had experienced a 'sixth sense moment,' or witnessed any phenomenons I could not explain.

I think this Tedtalk done by Kripal does a good job of better explaining our senses and the way we experience these different phenomenons. 

When Kripal describes the Poltergeist, as 'the ghost of anger,' which is actually 'human energy exteriorizing itself in the environment,' something clicks for me. Although as a child I had many dreams of ghosts, and had times where I thought I might have 'seen something,' the way Kripal describes this 'ghost of anger' which is really just human energy in the environment begins to help me make sense of a lot of my different experiences. 

It did not end there for me....Kripal discussed Mark Twain's writing:

Kripal went on to discuss Twain's meaning's behind this, "that human life is not linear, but in fact clustered around different meaning's and coincidences." I started to really think about these coincidences that happen in life, such as when certain people come in and out of your life. About the different moments when you are 'awakened' and form a new found realization about something that might have always been this way, but due to circumstance, time, and place this realization happened now.

I realized that many times in my life these great 'spiritual awakenings' have happened in different places,  during a different experiences. I found it odd that although I do not necessarily consider myself to be especially religious I have had this feeling of 'being moved' during different religious ceremonies. I have also had this feeling during different experiences in nature (although I would not consider myself to be a 'nature gal').

 What is it about the combination of these places, with my experiences, and the things going on in my life that I have experienced something I cannot really describe through my five senses. I am not sure if what I experienced would be considered a phenomena, but most certainly it was something different for me, where a coincidence occurred that I could not happen to over look.




The human energy in the environment that Kripal discusses is exactly what I feel I have experienced. During a funeral, where I gave the eulogy (although it was a very emotional time) I was experiencing something more than just sadness. I was able to look at different things that were present in the church and feel different emotions, depending on what my eye was locked on to.

As I continue to think about my religious beliefs and these different phenomenons that Kripal discussed I can't help but think that I may believe in this 'sixth sense' more than I originally thought I did. Many people struggle with the idea of God because they lack the tangible evidence they feel they need to believe, similarly many disprove the ideas of the supernatural for similar reasons, it lacks the hard scientific evidence. I wonder how related these ideas are ? If so many people believe in God, and  are not (normally) questioned on this belief, what is stopping so many people from believing in the paranormal? This idea of believing in something you cannot always explain, is it really such a bad thing?