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Synopsis This provocative book will be of interest to scholars, students and the lay public. Drawing upon a lifetime of research into the human foundations of supernatural beliefs in India, the United States and other parts of the world, Dr. Pandian examines a range of important psychological, sociological, ecological and symbological theories of supernaturalism, exploring the origin, function and relevance of supernaturalism in human life. He locates the foundation of supernaturalism in myth and ritual and theorizes that myth and ritual are rooted in "mytholiminal" rationality, which is an evolutionary adaptation concerned with the crafting of coherence, transcendence and meaning in human life. Dr. Pandian challenges some of the scholarly assumptions about myth, ritual and religion, offers an analysis of the icons and embodiments of supernaturalism, and provides a comprehensive discourse on the role of prophets, prophetism, and the nature of prophetic movements and transcultural supernaturalism. He suggests that it is important to make a distinction between pluralistic supernaturalism and ethnocentric prophetic supernaturalism in order to understand the implications of these two types of supernaturalism for the survival of humankind and the world.