Levitation (paranormal)
Levitation, a form of psychokinesis, is the postulated ability of humans to float unaided.
Reports of this ability, there are approximately uniformly in every culture and in today's media. A scientific proof of a successful levitation is not available.
Levitation in the Christian tradition
According to the Bible, Jesus had the ability to levitation. Inter alia Matthew reports that he walked on water (Matthew 14.24-33 LUT). On the other hand, the levitation and especially the bi-location is taken as evidence of the demonic possession of a person.
The best known is the Levitation in the book of Acts, chapter 8, verses 9-25 LUT mentioned magician Simon Magus attributed, is said to have floated in the first century in Rome at a public with Simon Peter been discharged wonder competition. The mostly apocryphal sources about this incident were summarized in the 12th century in the Legenda Aurea. Henceforth, the flight and fall of nations Simon Magus a popular motif in medieval art history.
More than 230 saints Levitations be awarded. The Holy Teresa of Ávila Levitationserlebnisse mentioned in her autobiography.
As the most well-known for levitation applies Franciscan Holy Joseph of Cupertino (1603-1663), who came from rural conditions. For more than 100 flights at that time scholars were witnesses. Many personalities had great interest, even to be an eye-witness of this miracle. Among other things, Princess Maria of Savoy and King John II Casimir of Poland have confirmed their observations under oath.
Other persons to whom Levitation is attributed, are Apollonius of Tyana, Girolamo Savonarola, Catherine of Siena, St. Peter of Alcantara and Alphonsus de Liguori.
Esoteric
An extension of the Transcendental Meditation technique, which is based on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is said to be a levitation. The first step is to bounce up and down cross-legged. The second stage of Yogic Flying is supposed to be a real levitation allegedly. Verifiable more than the first level was never reached.
Social development
The heyday of the Levitationslehre in Europe was to the 18th century, particularly in Great Britain and Russia practiced in the 15th century nobles in their castles Levitationsabende. They tried with pure willpower to go with her soul from the body to float around freely. John Buchan, Scottish writer and politician (1875 - 1940) describes in the biography ( The Marquis of Montrose ), the thesis of the Scottish Lords Marquis of Montrose ( 1612-1650 ), who claimed that there were three types of levitation:
" Secular " cases
More recently also attracted Daniel Dunglas Home (1833-1886) from Currie near Edinburgh, Scotland, stir. He showed his inexplicable feats regularly to a large audience. Well-known personalities and skeptics have observed that, under Napoleon III. , Prince Metternich, the British Queen, Mark Twain, William Makepeace Thackeray, John Ruskin, Rossetti and Edward Bulwer- Lytton. None of the attempts to prove his fraud, succeeded. The very interested in parapsychology William Crookes, President of the Royal Society, wrote in what was then the most important scientific journal, the " Quarterly Journal of Science " which inner conflict prevails in it. Between his irrefutable knowledge and with eyes and hands experienced In his most spectacular demonstration home will be flown to London from a window on the third floor and another again in the same house. Skeptics still consider him a cheater and do not think much of the testimony, because the training of scientists have no influence on how easy they are to fool.