As we’ve seen, arriving at an exhaustive definition of ‘supernatural’ is in itself a microcosm of the controversy of the subject at large.
A wide definition may include myth and folklore, religion and spirituality, unexplained events and paranormal human abilities. Everything from cryptozoology to the occult falls under the larger net, which makes it a subject far too large to handle with anything but the most extreme imprecision.
A more narrow definition, hinted at from our first-page intro, classifies anything supernatural as having some real existence, but one which has thus far escaped scientific proof. Already our more narrow definition includes an unwieldy assortment of topics!
The paranormal, and parapsychology in particular, is also often concerned with what may exist or occur after death. Mediums and ghosts are the most obvious subjects of the field, but it also touches upon things like reincarnation, astral bodies, and the larger topic of religion (which in itself is largely a supernatural topic). One may extend the classification to include ‘disturbances’ (i.e., poltergeist activity, demonic possession, et cetera) though to be related to ‘post-life’ or possibly even ‘parallel-life’ beings (such as angels, demons, or other ‘visitors’ who exist not entirely in the same sphere of existence as we).
A third major area of the supernatural is concerned with what may exist but has not been observed or investigated with enough depth or validity to determine even the fact of its existence. This somewhat recursive definition includes extraterrestrial life (UFOs and other manifestations from ‘somewhere else’) and
cryptids (animals that may or may not exist, from the Loch Ness Monster to more prosaic species), and possible offshoots of humanity that dwell apart (lost tribes, vanished civilizations, alternate histories). This is the subject that lends itself most aptly to scientific study, yet ironically offers a paucity of scientific evidence.