Levitation is a manifestation of psychokinesis, PK, the ability of the mind to affect matter, in which people are lifted into air without any visible physical means and float or fly. This may occur in Shamanism, mystical rapture, mediumship, trances and demonic possession. Some levitations appear to be spontaneous, while mystical adepts can control it.
PK is usually manifested by moving or throwing objects, affecting electronic and electrical equipment and causing fires and water to appear. Telekinesis, TK, another form of PK, is the ability of mediums and poltergeists to materialize and dematerialize living things and objects from distances.
Christian Levitations
Numerous levitations have documented, especially those with saints. Some of the most notable are:
- Saint Joseph of Cupertino who is said to have often levitated. It’s reported he usually shrieked before levitating, and on one occasion, levitated for two hours.
- Saint Teresa of Avila experienced levitation during rapture. Witness Sister Anne of the Incarnation said Saint Teresa levitated a foot and a half above the ground for about a half hour. Saint Teresa stated these levitations frightened her because she couldn’t control them. She was conscious and saw herself being lifted up.
- Saint Gemma Galgani, a Passionist nun, levitated during rapture.
Levitations in Other Religions
Incidents have been reported in Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Brahmins, Fakirs and Ninja. Within Eastern traditions, levitation is accomplished through techniques of breathing and visualization. These involve using the universal life force called by various names, including Akasha, Prana, Ch'i and Ki.
Levitation and Demonic Possession
During Medieval times and the Renaissance, levitation was thought to be a sign of evil. It was considered a phenomenon generated by witchcraft, demons, fairies or ghosts.
Today, levitation is one of the signs of demonic possession and can happen during exorcisms.
Levitation and Physical Mediumship
The most famous physical medium who levitated was Daniel Douglas Home (pronounced Hume), who did so over a forty-year period. He levitated out of a third-story window and floated back into the building through another one. Home levitated in both a trance state and when conscious. He felt an electrical sensation in his feet. His arms were stiff, drawn over his head, as if he was grasping an unseen power that lifted him.
Professor Sir William Crookes, English physicist and chemist scientifically and impartially investigated physical mediums under strict conditions. Investigations had to be in his home, his choice of those who would be present, free rein with apparatus used and his conditions. Home was one of the mediums investigated. Crookes and other who investigated found Hume to be genuine, not a fraud who used trickery. Other investigators reached the same conclusion.
Levitation Theories
Skeptics’ speculation about what causes levitation includes fraud, hallucination, muscular actions or hypnosis, but these aren’t applicable to all incidents. The most likely explanation is the Eastern theory of an existence of a universal force that belongs to a non-material reality and manifests itself in the physical world.
Yogic flying is a series of low hops while seated in the lotus position, achieved by advanced practitioners of Transcendental Meditation. The technique is said to be accomplished by maximizing coherence in brain-wave activity which allows the brain to tap into the unified field of cosmic energy.
Related Levitation Articles
Readers who enjoyed this article might be interested in Akasha Fifth Element, along with Apports Mediums and Poltergeists and Demonic Possession and Exorcism.
Source:
- Encyclopedia of the Strange, Mystical and Unexplained, Rosemary Ellen Guiley, (Gramercy Books, 2001), previously published as Harper’s Encyclopedia of Mystical and Paranormal Experience, Rosemary Ellen Guiley, (HarperSanFransico, 1991).
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