Levitation: the suspension of the body in the air

What it is

Levitation is the physical phenomenon in which a human body rises above the ground and remains suspended in the air without any material support, defying the force of gravity. It is not a prolonged jump or an optical illusion, but rather the temporary loss of physical weight due to an alteration of the mechanical laws that govern matter.

How it manifests

The phenomenon occurs gradually or suddenly. The subject, who is usually in a state of trance, mystical ecstasy, or demonic possession, experiences complete muscular rigidity or, on the contrary, absolute lightness. The body rises slowly from a few centimeters (inches) to several meters (feet) high. The suspension can last from a few seconds to several hours. During the process, the person's clothing usually clings to the body or falls vertically, demonstrating the absence of artificial air currents. In many cases, the subject is not aware of their elevation until they return to their normal waking state.

History and traditions

Levitation is recorded in the spiritual traditions of the East and West. In Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism, it is known as a *siddhi* or secondary spiritual power, achieved through the mastery of *prana* (vital energy) and advanced meditation and breathing techniques (*pranayama*). En the Western Christian tradition, levitation is divided into two categories: mystical elevation, associated with holiness and contemplative ecstasy, and obsessive levitation, linked to demonic possession. For the Catholic Church, levitation is not proof of holiness in itself, but rather an extraordinary charism or a supernatural manifestation that requires rigorous examination. In the realm of nineteenth-century spiritualism, levitation was attributed to the action of discarnate spirits who used the medium's ectoplasm to lift them.

Famous cases

- **Saint Joseph of Cupertino (Italy, 17th century):** He is the mystic with the most documented records of levitation. His elevations occurred before crowds, nobles, cardinals, and Pope Urban VIII himself. The phenomenon was triggered upon entering ecstasy before religious images or during Mass. He flew considerable distances and remained suspended from church cornices. - **Daniel Dunglas Home (England, 1868):** The most famous medium of the 19th century performed multiple levitations in private seances before scientists and aristocrats. The most documented case occurred in London, where Home rose in the presence of three respectable witnesses, floated out of a third-story window, and entered through an adjacent one. - **Saint Teresa of Jesus (Spain, 16th century):** The mystic from Ávila described her own levitations in her autobiography. They occurred involuntarily during prayer, and to avoid being seen, she ordered her nuns to hold her down to the floor.

What explains it

The esoteric explanation defines levitation as the result of the alteration of the electromagnetic fields of the human body. Upon reaching a high state of spiritual vibration, internal energy neutralizes the Earth's gravitational pull. In spiritualism, it is explained by the condensation of astral fluids and ectoplasm that act as invisible levers beneath the medium's body. The medical science and psychology attribute testimonies of levitation to phenomena of collective hallucination, hypnotic suggestion under low-light conditions, and distortions of the subject's own spatial perception due to inner ear disorders or temporal lobe epilepsy. In cases of spiritualism, investigations demonstrated the use of pulleys, invisible threads, and sleight-of-hand tricks in the dark.

Connections

Levitation is closely related to mystical ecstasy, demonic possession, physical mediumship, astral projection, and the poltergeist phenomenon. ---