The Super Natural

A New Vision of the Unexplained

By: Whitley Strieber, Jeffrey J. Kripal

Narrated by: Stephen Bel Davies

Length: 13 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Whitley Strieber and Jeffrey J. Kripal team up on this unprecedented and intellectually vibrant new framing of inexplicable events and experiences.

Rather than merely document the anomalous, these authors - one the man who popularized alien abduction and the other a renowned scholar - deliver a fast-paced and exhilarating study of why the supernatural is neither fantasy nor fiction, but a vital and authentic aspect of life.

Their suggestion? That all kinds of "impossible" things, from extra-dimensional beings to bilocation to bumps in the night, are not impossible at all: rather, they are a part of our natural world. But this natural world is immeasurably more weird, more wonderful, and probably more populated than we have so far imagined with our current categories and cultures, which are what really make these things seem "impossible".

The Super Natural considers that the natural world is actually a "super natural world" - and all we have to do to see this is to change the lenses through which we are looking at it and the languages through which we are presently limiting it. In short: the extraordinary exists if we know how to look at and think about it.

©2016 Walker & Collier, Inc., and Jeffrey J. Kripal (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A cohesive reframing of the 'pantheon of the unknown'...A thought-provoking, intelligent reconceptualization of supernatural events." ( Kirkus)

To much high class mumbo jumbo works.

Very interesting. HUGE fan of Striber. Felt this was really wordy. To much scientific talk. Felt like I was studing for a test or listening to collage lecture. The book did not flow well. It was almost like taking a philosophy class, it was nothing but questions with no answers.

Good but a bit monotonous story-wise

Decent. The stories and analysis are intriguing but tend to blend together after a while.

Great wisdom within.

I enjoyed this audiobook very much, but I had to forward past the creepy sex chapters. I know they were telling their perspective, but still.. pretty creepy.

Otherwise, the book showed us much in that we need to progress the agenda. Move the paranormal to normal.

Finally! Intelligence, rationality and open mindedness together at last.

Thanks for doing this book to both Whitley and Jeffrey. The first thing I do when I experience strange stuff is go digging around for other experiences that “resonate”. The second thing I do is go search for examples in mythology. I never considered that comparative work was the underpinning of my natural instincts.

Thoughtful philosophical discussions are so, so important when dealing with these kinds of experiences.

I’m so happy to have found this work that challenges the reader to dig into self as questions lead to more questions. So much better that “proof” or “debunking” as the only two reactions normally offered.

Go, go 4th mind contemplation!!!

Very good book with some intriguing ideas.

I really enjoyed the dynamic that Whitley and Jeffrey have in this book. There are some very intriguing ideas presented. I am particularly impressed with Whitley's ability to question his experiences and to look for the deeper reality.

Worth listening too

I just finished this after listening to Tom Campbell's My Big Toe series...

I have to say that I absolutely loved the two different takes on subjective reality and our experiences in them. The authors here have put forth experiences and have drawn a conclusion that are meant for you to move through. Everyone should experience a book like this at sometime in their life, if only to open themself up to what is possibly beyond. I have had my experiences which differ greatly, yet the deep personal connections and how we draw our conclusions indicate something greater working to raising the quality of our being surrounds us all. If you have ever wondered if there is more to life, this is a good place to start, but don't end your journey here, go within and see what is there for you.

Would have preferred Whitley narrate his parts

As an experiencer I believed these beings and my interactions over the years told me this is not some spaceman from another planet. These are interdimensional energies. So many facets to the nature of the phenomena we go through. I feel much of it does have to do with sexual energy and something they are taking from us during an orgasm. Not eggs, not sperm. My experiences have continued post hysterectomy. A harvesting of essence is the only way I can explain it in simple terms. The journey continues. I feel our participation in these experiences have opened the door for our ascension as our energies have now co-mingled.

I will be reading more fromm Strieber

This book was perfectly placed along the path I am on, a path that has been blowing my mind at every step.

There is a lot of good stuff in this book from Strieber and from his co-author, Kripal. Kripal gets a tad too academic for me at points but it was worth it for the insights and ideas he provides.

As each chapter begins it is a mental game to figure out which author is speaking as there is no notification as to who authored each chapter. That could have been smoother.

Incredibly Important Book

If I could give only one book for everyone to read it would be The Super Natural. Full of ideas and approaches to ideas that seem essential to understanding one’s self and one’s place in the world.

A thoughtfully constructed and daring dive into the serious inquiry and compilation of supernatural and alien phenomena.

The juxtaposition of scientific reasoning with methodological approaches in the study of religion and philosophy rounds out the incredible, fantastical, and wild nature of the stories told. It’s only “too outrageous” if you consider it as such, and the authors themselves don’t even affirm an absolute truth to these things. They’re philosophically charitable about whether these things have “actually” occurred, perhaps even too much so at times. Still, many choose to negatively slant those people who are bold enough to disseminate countercultural narratives with character assassinatjon and ad hominem attacks. If you consider yourself an open-minded intellectual curious about aliens and supernatural phenomena, as well as the possible nature of reality, time, and space, listen to this book. The performance by Bel Davies is also excellent.