Metaphysics noun, plural in form but singular in construction, Medieval Latin metaphysica, from the Greek meta meaning "after, behind; among, between”  + physika,, “of nature,”  literally," after the physical"

1: a division of philosophy that is concerned with the fundamental nature of reality and being and that includesontology, cosmology, and often epistemology

2: abstract philosophical studies : a study of what is outside objective experience

NEW AGE: the word is iften used to refer to the study of spirituality, mysticism, divination, the significance of chakras, and the use of alternative therapies such as crystal and Reiki healing.

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     Just as physics deals with the laws that govern the physical world (such as those of gravity or the properties of waves), metaphysics describes what is beyond physics—the nature and origin of reality itself, the immortal soul, and the existence of a supreme being. Opinions about these metaphysical topics vary widely, since what's being discussed can't be observed or measured or even truly known to exist.

     The name was given c.70 B.C.. by Andronicus of Rhodes, and referred to Aristotle’s works that appeared after his works on  physics.  It was misinterpreted by Latin writers as meaning "the science of what is beyond the physical." The word originally was used in English in the singular until the seventeenth century.

     In the New Age, the word metaphysics has taken on new meaning. It is often used to refer to the study of spirituality, divination, alternative healing and the numerous other topics popular among New Agers. A metaphysical bookstore is understood to deal in material on divination, channeling, varioius kinds of spirituality and Eastern religions.