Wikipedia

Bilocation

For the 2013 Japanese film, seeBilocation (film).

Bilocation,or sometimesmultilocation,is an allegedpsychicormiraculousability wherein an individual or object is located (or appears to be located) in two distinct places at the same time.[1]Reports of bilocational phenomena have been made in a wide variety of historical and religious contexts, ranging from ancient Greek legends and Christian traditions to modernoccultism.

In ancient Greece

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The ancient Greek philosopherPythagoraswas said to have been capable of bilocation. According toPorphyry(writing several centuries after Pythagoras):

Almost unanimous is the report that on one and the same day he was present atMetapontumin Italy, and atTauromeniumin Sicily, in each place conversing with his friends, though the places are separated by many miles, both at sea and land, demanding many days' journey.[2][3]

A similar story is told ofApollonius of Tyana,who was supposedly present simultaneously inSmyrnaandEphesus.[4]

In religion and mysticism

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In 1774,Alphonsus Liguoriclaimed to have gone into a trance while preparing for Mass. When he came out of the trance he said that he had visited the bedside of the dyingPope Clement XIV.[5]

The concept of bilocation has been linked withshamanism,[6]Theosophy,[7]Islam(especiallySufism)[8]andJewish mysticism.[9]

Hinduism and Buddhism

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It is also one of thesiddhisofHinduismandBuddhism.[10][11]Several prominent Hindu gurus, includingNeem Karoli Baba,[12]Sri Yukteswar[13]andLahiri Mahasaya,[13]have been reported to have this ability.

Christianity

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The history ofChristianitycontains many reports of miraculous bilocations. Among the earliest of these is the apparition ofOur Lady of the Pillar.This is an alleged appearance of theVirgin MaryinCaesaraugusta,Spain, in the year 40AD, at a time when she is believed to have been still alive and living inJerusalem.[14]

Other Christian figures said to have experienced bilocation includeCatherine de' Ricci,Saint Drogo,[15]Anthony of Padua,[16]Francis of Paola,[17]Francis Xavier,[18]Martin de Porres,[19]María de Ágreda,[20][21]Alphonsus Liguori,[5]Gerard Majella[22]andPio of Pietrelcina.[23]

However, some Catholic philosophers disagree as to whether a person can really be physically located in two places at once, or whether the bilocations of the saints only take the form of non-substantial apparitions.[24][25]

Witchcraft

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In the 17th century, persons accused of witchcraft were often reported to appear to their victims in visions, even if they were known to be elsewhere at the time. The trials atBury St. EdmundsandSalemincluded this "spectral evidence"against defendants.Matthew Hopkinsdescribed the phenomenon in his bookThe Discovery of Witches.

Occultism

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Émilie Sagée,a French teacher working in 1845 in a boarding school inLatvia,was supposed to have had the ability of bilocation.[26]

New Religious Movements

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The English occultistAleister Crowleywas reported by acquaintances to have the ability to bilocate, even though he said he was not conscious of its happening at the time.[27]

Skepticism

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Skeptical investigatorJoe Nickellhas written that there is noscientific evidencethat bilocation is a real phenomenon and that cases are often from anecdotal reports that cannot be verified.[28]

Cultural influence

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Bilocation figures heavily inDavid Lynch's filmLost Highway(1997) and bothThomas Pynchon's novelAgainst the Day(2006) andTim Powers' novelDeclare(2000). Bilocation also plays a part in theChristopher PriestnovelThe Prestige.Additionally, the phenomenon is explored in an episode ofThe X-Files,"Fight Club",and several season two episodes ofAlcoa Presents One Step Beyond,including "Dead Ringer".

A mystical story that involved Soviet authorYevgeny Petrovserved as inspiration for the filmEnvelope(2012), starringKevin Spacey.

The phenomenon is one of the main ideas inStephen King's fiction novelThe Outsider,even mentioning real-life references in one occasion.

See also

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References

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  1. ^Guiley, Rosemary E. (2001).The Encyclopedia of Saints.Facts on File. p. 383.ISBN0-8160-4133-4.
  2. ^Porphyry."The Life of Pythagoras (para. 27)".The Tertullian Project.Retrieved13 October2021.
  3. ^Riedweg, Christoph (2005).Pythagoras: His Life, Teaching and Influence.Translated by Rendall, Steven. Cornell University Press. p. 4.ISBN0-8014-4240-0.
  4. ^Philostratus."Life of Apollodorus (4.10)".Livius.org.Retrieved13 October2021.
  5. ^abTannoja, Antonio (1855).The Life of St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori.Baltimore: John Murphy & Co. pp. 370–371.
  6. ^Znamenski, Andrei A. (2004).Shamanism: Critical Concepts in Sociology.New York: Routledge. pp. 248–249.ISBN0-415-33248-6.
  7. ^Olcott, Henry Steel (1895).Old Diary Leaves: The True Story of the Theosophical Society.G. P. Putnam's Sons. p. 388.ISBN0-524-07951-X.
  8. ^Smith, Grace Martin; Ernst, Carl W. (2011).Manifestations of Sainthood in Islam.Gorgias Press, LLC. pp. xvii.ISBN978-1-61143-819-2.
  9. ^Samuel, Gabriella (2007).The Kabbalah Handbook: A Concise Encyclopedia of Terms and Concepts in Jewish Mysticism.Jeremy P. Tarcher. p.51.ISBN978-1-58542-560-0.
  10. ^Comfort, Alex (1984).Reality and Empathy: Physics, Mind, and Science in the 21st Century.SUNY Press. p. 42.ISBN0-87395-762-8.
  11. ^McEvilley, Thomas (2002).The Shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies.Allworth Communications. pp. 102, 262.ISBN1-58115-203-5.
  12. ^Dass, Ram (1979) "Miracle of Love", Dutton edition, in English – 1st ed
  13. ^abYogananda, Paramahansa (1997). Autobiography of a Yogi, 1997 Anniversary Edition. Self-Realization Fellowship (Founded by Yogananda)ISBN0-87612-086-9.
  14. ^Peterson, Larry (12 October 2017)."Did you know the 1st apparition of the Blessed Mother was an act of bilocation?".Aleteia.
  15. ^O'Connell, Christian E. (16 April 2015)."Rediscovering Saint Drogo of Sebourg".Crisis Magazine.
  16. ^Da Rieti, Ubaldus (1895).Life of St. Anthony of Padua.Boston: Angel Guardian Press. pp. 47–48.
  17. ^Guiley 2001,p. 117
  18. ^Bartoli, D.; Maffei, J. P. (1858).The Life of St. Francis Xavier.London: Thomas Jones. p. 336.
  19. ^Guiley 2001,p. 228
  20. ^Muller, Michael (1888)."The Catholic Dogma".TraditionalCatholic.net. Chapter V, Part II, §8.This holy virgin... appeared, by way of bilocation, to the savages, not less than five hundred times, instructing them in all the truths of our holy religion.
  21. ^Harris, W. R. (1919).Essays in Occultism, Spiritism and Demonology.B. Herder Book Co. p. 64.
  22. ^Saint-Omer, Edward (1907).Life, Virtues, and Miracles of St. Gerard Majella.Boston: Mission Church. pp. 160–164.
  23. ^Day, Malcolm (September 2002)."Blood brother: Padre Pio".Fortean Times.Archived fromthe originalon 2009-02-03.
  24. ^Siegfried, Francis P. (1907)."Bilocation".Catholic Encyclopedia.Vol. 2.
  25. ^Kelly, Brian (28 September 2010)."The Miracle of Bilocation (It Isn't a Problem) and Happy Feast Day Saint Michael".Catholicism.org.
  26. ^Robert Dale Owen(1860).Footfalls on the Boundary of Another World.New York: J.B. Lippincott & Company. pp. 348–358.
  27. ^Booth, Martin (2000) "A Magick Life: Biography of Aleister Crowley", Hodder & Stoughton Ltd,ISBN0-340-71805-6
  28. ^Nickell, Joe.(1993).Looking for a Miracle: Weeping Icons, Relics, Stigmata, Visions & Healing Cures.Prometheus Books.pp. 216–218.ISBN1-57392-680-9
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