Ask A Witch: "Supernatural" Powers

A while back I got the following short and simple question from a reader and I hadn't answered it right away because I find this question a little hard to answer.  I have some pretty strong thoughts on the question but I'll do my best to share them in a clear way here.  I just find this to be a bit tricky to approach without seeming as though I'm closed to the idea.  But here we go...

I want to find out if i have a " supernatural" power?~ Ansonette

Hi Ansonette...thanks for your question.  Hopefully some of my thoughts and my take on this subject will be able to give you some things to think about.  One thing I will say is that my answer to your question is going to be somewhat general because I don't know exactly what sort of "powers" you have in mind.First of all, I have to admit, I don't believe in "supernatural" powers.  At least not in the way that most people think of supernatural powers.  To say that someone has supernatural powers is to essentially say that they are superior to the power of nature.  There are several different dictionary definitions for the word and typically when people are talking about powers in this sense they are probably thinking of the definition that says "departing from what is usual or normal especially so as to appear to transcend the laws of nature".  So to have supernatural powers would be to have power above and beyond those of nature and the natural order of things.  This is something I personally don't agree with or believe in.This isn't to say that people don't have the ability to access some special abilities.  Everyone has innate psychic abilities and intuitive senses.  The difference between someone that is seen as psychic and someone that isn't all lies in practicing skill development.  You have to learn how to develop these skills and you need to use them regularly.Secondly, when it comes to many of the things that people want to learn to develop as supernatural powers they are really more what we often call "movie magic" and literally the same as what we do in real magickal work.  For example the ability to shapeshift from human to animal form in a moment of crisis.  Shapeshifting is a very real practice and shamanic technique.  The difference between actual shapeshifting and what you may know from movies, books, and television is that it isn't a process that causes you to suddenly physically turn into something or someone else.  Your spirit body shifts.  You might take on the personality or traits of a certain spirit animal, like a personal totem or power animal, for the purpose of learning their lessons or to use their skills as you need them.  Typically you would do this in meditation or while doing shamanic journey work.  This is a skill that anyone can learn and develop and it works within the bounds of natural law and isn't really "supernatural" but it's pretty powerful.But when it comes to things like shooting fire from your fingertips and things like that, again, in an energetic sense these are all things that are possible but you're not going to shoot actual fire from your fingers.  You can certainly build up a concentration of energy in your hand and then push it out through your finger at something.  This is actually one way of casting a magick circle without the use of tools.So, while I don't believe that anyone has "supernatural" powers in the sense that most people think of them, I certainly do believe that certain people have extraordinary psychic and metaphysical or magickal skills because they have taken the time to study, practice, and develop them.