Levitation (paranormal) explained

Levitation or transvection, in the paranormal or religious context, is the claimed ability to raise a human body or other object into the air by mystical means.

While believed in some religious and New Age communities to occur due to supernatural, miraculous, psychic, or "energetic" phenomena, there is no scientific evidence of levitation occurring. Alleged cases of levitation can usually be explained by deception and fraud, such as trickery, illusion, and hallucination.^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}

Religious views

Various religions have claimed examples of levitation amongst their followers. This is generally used either as a demonstration of the validity or power of the religion,^[6] or as evidence of the holiness or adherence to the religion of the particular levitator.

Buddhism

• It is recounted as one of the Miracles of Buddha that Gautama Buddha walked on water levitating (crossed legs) over a stream in order to convert a brahmin to Buddhism.^[6]
• Yogi Milarepa, a Vajrayana Buddhist guru, was rumored to have possessed a range of additional abilities during levitation, such as the ability to walk, rest and sleep; however, such were deemed as occult powers.

Christianity

See also: Levitation of saints.

• According to three gospels, Jesus walked on the water of Lake Galilee to meet his disciples who were in a boat.^[7]
• Saint Mary of Egypt, walked across the river Jordan according to her hagiographer, the hermit Zosimas of Palestine^[8]
• Saint Bessarion of Egypt (died), is said to have walked across the waters of the river Nile^{[9] [10]}
• Francis of Assisi (– 1226), founder of the Franciscan Order, is recorded as having been "suspended above the earth, often to a height of three, and often to a height of four cubits". This is about .^[11]
• Saint Catherine of Siena (1347–1380), a nun of the Third Order of Saint Dominic and Doctor of the Church, was said to have levitated while in prayer, and a priest claimed to have seen the Holy Communion's Eucharist wafer flying from his hand straight to Catherine's hand.^{[12] [13] [14]}
• Teresa of Ávila (1515–1582), a Carmelite nun and Doctor of the Church, claimed to have levitated at a height of about a for an extended period somewhat less than an hour, in a state of mystical rapture. She called the experience a "spiritual visitation".^[15]
• Saint Martín de Porres (1579–1639), a lay brother of the Dominican Order, claimed psychic powers of bilocation, being able to pass through closed doors (teleportation), and levitation.
• Joseph of Cupertino (1603–1663), a Franciscan Friar, reportedly levitated high in the air, for extended periods of more than an hour, on many occasions.^[16]
• Alphonsus Liguori (1696–1787), when preaching at Foggia, was purportedly lifted before the eyes of the whole congregation several feet from the ground.^[17]
• Girolamo Savonarola, sentenced to death, allegedly rose off the floor of his cell into midair and remained there for some time.^[18]
• Seraphim of Sarov (1759–1833), Russian Orthodox saint, allegedly had a gift to levitate over the ground for some time, witnessed by many educated people of his time, including the emperor Alexander I of Russia.^[19]
• Mariam Baouardy (Arabic: مريم بواردي; or "Mary of Jesus Crucified", 1846–1878), a Discalced Carmelite nun of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, experienced frequent ecstasies. She was purportedly seen levitating more than once by others: for example, in the garden of the monastery during times of private prayer, when living in the Carmelite monastery at Pau, in France.^[20]

"Demonic" levitation in Christianity

• Simon Magus is recorded in the Acts of Peter as levitating above the Forum in Rome in order to prove himself to be a god. The apostle Peter intervenes, causing Magus to drop from the sky, breaking his legs "in three parts".^[21]
• Clara Germana Cele, a young South African girl, in 1906 reportedly levitated in a rigid position. The effect was apparently only reversed by the application of Holy water, leading to belief that it was caused by demonic possession.^[15]
• Magdalena de la Cruz (1487–1560), a Franciscan nun of Cordova, Spain.^[22]
• Margaret Rule, a young Boston girl in the 1690s who was believed to be harassed by evil forces shortly after the Salem Witchcraft Trials, reportedly levitated from her bed in the presence of a number of witnesses.^[23]

Gnosticism

• Simon Magus, a Gnostic who claimed to be an incarnation of God (as conceived by the Gnostics), reportedly had the ability to levitate, along with many other magical powers.^[24]
• Mani, founder of Manichaeism, was reputed to be able to levitate.

Hellenism

• It was believed in Hellenism (the pagan religion of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome) on the testimony of Philostratus that upon his death, Apollonius of Tyana underwent heavenly assumption by levitating into Elysium.^[25]

Hinduism

• In Hinduism, it is believed that some Hindu mystics and gurus who have achieved certain spiritual powers (called siddhis) are able to levitate. In Sanskrit, the power of levitation is called laghiman ('lightness') or dardura-siddhi (the 'frog power').^[26] Yogananda's book Autobiography of a Yogi has accounts of Hindu Yogis who levitated in the course of their meditation.
• Yogi Subbayah Pullavar was reported to have levitated into the air for four minutes in front of a crowd of 150 witnesses on June 6, 1936. He was seen suspended horizontally several feet above the ground, in a trance, lightly resting his hand on top of a cloth-covered stick. Pullavar's arms and legs could not be bent from their locked position once on the ground. The illusion was created by a simple method in which the person seen to levitate is supported by a cantilevered platform held up by an iron rod camouflaged in some way.^[5]

Levitation by mediums

Many mediums have claimed to have levitated during séances, especially in the 19th century in Britain and America. Many have been shown to be frauds, using wires and stage magic tricks.^[27] Daniel Dunglas Home, a prolific and well-documented levitator of himself and other objects, was said by spiritualists to levitate outside a window. Skeptics have disputed such claims.^[28] The researchers Joseph McCabe and Trevor H. Hall exposed the "levitation" of Home as nothing more than him moving across a connecting ledge between two iron balconies.^[29]

The magician Joseph Rinn gave a full account of fraudulent behavior observed in a séance of Eusapia Palladino and explained how her levitation trick had been performed. Milbourne Christopher summarized the exposure:

"Joseph F. Rinn and Warner C. Pyne, clad in black coveralls, had crawled into the dining room of Columbia professor Herbert G. Lord's house while a Palladino seance was in progress. Positioning themselves under the table, they saw the medium's foot strike a table leg to produce raps. As the table tilted to the right, due to pressure of her right hand on the surface, they saw her put her left foot under the left table leg. Pressing down on the tabletop with her left hand and up with her left foot under the table leg to form a clamp, she lifted her foot and "levitated" the table from the floor."^[30]

The levitation trick of the medium Jack Webber was exposed by the magician Julien Proskauer. According to Proskauer he would use a telescopic reaching rod attached to a trumpet to levitate objects in the séance room.^[31] The physicist Edmund Edward Fournier d'Albe investigated the medium Kathleen Goligher at many sittings and concluded that no paranormal phenomena such as levitation had occurred with Goligher and stated he had found evidence of fraud. D'Albe had claimed the ectoplasm substance in the photographs of Goligher from her séances were made from muslin.^{[32] [33] [34] [35]}

In photography

A person photographed while bouncing may appear to be levitating. This optical illusion is used by religious groups and by spiritualist mediums, claiming that their meditation techniques allow them to levitate in the air. Usually telltale signs can be found in the photography indicating that the subject was in the act of bouncing, like blurry body parts, a flailing scarf, hair being suspended in the air, etc.^[3]

Levitation in popular culture

Literature

• Incidents in my Life autobiography by Daniel Dunglas Home
• Mr. Vertigo novel by Paul Auster

Film

• The Exorcist (1973), directed by William Friedkin
• Ghostbusters (1984), directed by Ivan Reitman
• The Boy Who Could Fly (1986), directed by Nick Castle
• Candyman film series directed by Bernard Rose (1992); Bill Condon (1995); Turi Meyer (1999); Nia DaCosta (2021)

TV shows

• Stranger Things, season 4 (2022)

See also

• Indian rope trick
• List of topics characterized as pseudoscience
• Mysticism
• Psychokinesis

Further reading

• Book: John Booth. John Booth (magician). Psychic Paradoxes. 1986. Prometheus Books. Buffalo, New York. 0879753587.
• Book: Andrew Neher. Paranormal and Transcendental Experience: A Psychological Examination. registration. 1990. Dover. New York. 0486261670. 2nd.
• Book: James Randi. James Randi. Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions. 1987. Prometheus Books. Buffalo, New York. 0879751983. 9th. Chapter 5: "The Giggling Guru: A Master of Levity".
• Gordon Stein. Gordon Stein. The Levitation of the Lore. Skeptical Inquirer. Spring 1989. 13. 2. 277–288.

External links

• Levitation by Mark Edward
• Levitation – Skeptic's Dictionary
• The Flying Mystics of Tibetan Buddhism art exhibit, Oglethorpe University, 2004

Notes and References

1. Book: Stein. Gordon. Gordon Stein. The Encyclopedia of the Paranormal. 1996. Prometheus Books. Amherst, New York. 9781573920216. 2nd.
2. Book: Carroll. Robert Todd. Robert Todd Carroll. The Skeptic's Dictionary: A Collection of Strange Beliefs, Amusing Deceptions, and Dangerous Delusions. limited. 2003. Wiley. Hoboken, New Jersey. 9780471272427. 198. Levitation is the act of ascending into the air and floating in apparent defiance of gravity. Spiritual masters or fakirs are often depicted levitating. Some take the ability to levitate as a sign of blessedness. Others see levitation as a conjurer's trick. No one really levitates; they just appear to do so. Clever people can use illusion, "invisible string", and magnets to make things appear to levitate..
3. Book: Nickell. Joe. Camera Clues: A Handbook for Photographic Investigation. 2005. University Press of Kentucky. Lexington. 9780813191249. 177. Some claims — of levitation, for instance — may be performed either as an illusion for an audience, as a magician's stage trick, or for the camera..
4. Book: Smith. Jonathan C.. Pseudoscience and Extraordinary Claims of the Paranormal: A Critical Thinker's Toolkit. 2010. Wiley-Blackwell. Malden, Massachusetts. 9781405181228.
5. Book: Livingston . James D. . Rising Force . 2011 . . 9780674061095 . 25 October 2019 . en.
6. Book: Schulberg. Lucille. Historic India. registration. 1968. Time-Life Books. New York. 9780682244008. 94.
7. Web site: Matthew 14:22–33 KJV – And straightway Jesus constrained his . . 2016-12-19.
8. • St. Mary of Egypt . 9 . Joseph . MacRory.
9. Web site: St. Bessarion the Great, wonderworker of Egypt (466) . Holytrinityorthodox.com . 2007-02-22 . 2016-12-19.
10. Web site: Catholic Online . St. Bessarion – Saints & Angels – Catholic Online . Catholic.org . 2016-12-19.
11. Book: Summers . Montague . Witchcraft and Black Magic . 2000 . Dover Publications. Mineola, New York . 0486411257 . 200 . registration.
12. Web site: St. Catherine of Siena's Severed Head . 2023-05-02 . Atlas Obscura . en.
13. Web site: Egan . Jennifer . May 16, 1999 . The Shadow of the Millennium Women: Power Suffering . May 2, 2023 . New York Times Archives.
14. Web site: Reda . Mario . Saco . Giuseppe . January 28, 2010 . Anorexia and the Holiness of Saint Catherine of Siena . May 2, 2023 . Medievalists . Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture vol. 8 Issue 1 . en-US.
15. Book: Guiley . Rosemary Ellen . Encyclopedia of the Strange, Mystical & Unexplained . 2001 . Gramercy Books. New York . 9780517162781 . 327.
16. Book: Michell . John . Rickard . Bob . Unexplained Phenomena: A Rough Guide Special . 2000 . . London . 1858285895 . 1st.
17. Book: Guiley . Rosemary Ellen . The Encyclopedia of Saints . registration . 2001 . Facts on File. New York . 1438130260.
18. Book: Villari . Pasquale . Life and Times of Girolamo Savonarola . 2006 . . 1417967501.
19. Book: Zander . Valentine . St. Seraphim of Sarov . 1975 . St. Vladimir's Seminary Press . Crestwood, New York . 9780913836286 . 79–81 . 3rd .
20. Book: Brunot . Amédée . Mariam, la petite Arabe: soeur Marie de Jésus-Crucifié, 1846–1878, proclamée Bienheureuse le 13 novembre 1983 par Jean-Paul II . 2009 . Salvator. Paris . 9782706706684.
21. Web site: The Acts of Peter. www.earlychristianwritings.com.
22. Book: Ahlgren . Gillian T.W. . Teresa of Avila and the Politics of Sanctity . 1998 . . Ithaca, New York . 080148572X . 21.
23. Book: Roach. Marilynne K.. The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-by-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege. 2002. Taylor Trade Publishing. Lanham, Maryland. 9781589791329. 442. 1st. limited.
24. Book: Christiansen. Jørgen. The History of Mind Control: From Ancient Times Until Now. 1999. Turtledove Book Company. Valby. 8798753703. 25.
25. Book: Hornblower. Simon. The Oxford Classical Dictionary.. 2012. Oxford University Press. Oxford. 978-0199545568. 128. 3rd.
26. Book: Bowker. John. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. registration. 2000. Oxford University Press. Oxford. 019861053X. 259, 567, 576.
27. Book: Brandon. Ruth. The Spiritualists: The Passion for the Occult in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. 1984. Prometheus Books. Buffalo, New York. 9780879752699.
28. Book: Stein. Gordon. The Sorcerer of Kings: The Case of Daniel Dunglas Home and William Crookes. 1993. Prometheus Books. Buffalo, New York. 9780879758639.
29. Smith. F. B.. Review of The Enigma of Daniel Home: Medium or Fraud?; The Spiritualists: The Passion for the Occult in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries; The Other World: Spiritualism and Psychical Research in England, 1850–1914. Victorian Studies. 1 January 1986. 29. 4. 613–614. 3828547.
30. Book: Christopher. Milbourne. Milbourne Christopher. Search for the Soul. 1979. Crowell. New York. 9780690017601. 47. 1st. registration.
31. Book: Proskauer. Julien J.. Julien Proskauer. The Dead Do Not Talk. 1946. Harper & Brothers. 94.
32. Book: Fournier a'Albe. Edmund Edward. Edmund Edward Fournier d'Albe. The Goligher Circle. 1922. J. M. Watkins. 37.
33. Book: Franklyn. Julian. A Survey of the Occult. 1935. Kessinger. Whitefish, Montana. 9780766130074. 383.
34. Book: Bechhofer Roberts. C. E.. C. E. Bechhofer Roberts. The Truth about Spiritualism. 1932. Kessinger Publishing. 9781417981281. 128.
35. Book: Jolly. Martyn. Faces of the Living Dead: The Belief in Spirit Photography. 2006. British Library. London. 9780712348997. 84–86. 1st.