Stigmata and Physiological and Other Phenomena

STIGMATA AND PHYSIOLOGICAL AND OTHER
PHENOMENA OF MYSTICISM.
I n honour o f F a t h e r Herbert H. Thurston, S
A New Horizons Review.
Copyrightt New Horizons Research Foundation
March 1987.
INTRODUCTION
Stigmata are "wounds", marks o r p o i n t s o f b l e e d i n g which
simulate the i n j u r i e s o f C h r i s t .
Stigmatics ( i . e .
recipients
o f sitgmata) can develop marks corresponding to any o r a l l o f
the p i e r c i n g o f hands and f e e t , the " f e r i t a " o r lance-wound
i n the s i d e , the b r u i s e on the shoulder from the weight o f the
c r o s s , c h a f i n g o f w r i s t s or a n k l e s , weals of scourging and
a coronet on the brow (crown of t h o r n s ) .
A l l i e d to the stigmata
i s the "token o f espousal" o r mystic r i n g , a m o d i f i c a t i o n o f the
s k i n o r f l e s h o f the r i n g - f i n g e r o f the r i g h t hand ( a p p r o p r i a t e
to a n u n ' s " b e t r o t h a l " , and i f h e a l i n g m i r a c l e s are o m i t t e d ,
the c u r i o u s phenomena r e p o r t e d v a r i o u s l y o f some m y s t i c s
may be l i s t e d as f o l l o w s .
P h y s i o l o g i c a l l y expressed phenomena i n c l u d e s t i g m a t i s a t i o n ,
incendium amoria ("flames o f l o v e " ) , i n c o m b u s t i b i l i t y , f r a g r a n c e ,
b o d i l y e l o n g a t i o n , i n e d i a ( a b i l i t y to s u r v i v e without f o o d ) .
P h y s i o l o g i c a l p e c u l i a r i t i e s a l l e g e d o f the m y s t i c ' s m o r t a l
remains comrpise the a b i l i t y to b l e e d , i n c o r r u p t i b i l i t y and
absence o f r i g o r m o r t i s .
L e v i t a t i o n , i r r a d i a n c e , t e l e k i n e s i s and "miracles of
abundance" are c l a s s i f i e d as p h y s i c a l phenomena, but f o r
convenience are a l s o d i s c u s s e d , though b r i e f l y .
Except
i n c i d e n t a l l y , we s h a l l not d i s c u s s phenomena which appear to
be mental occurrences a k i n to t e l e p a t h y , c l a i r v o y a n c e ,
p r e c o g n i t i o n , o r " a s t r a l p r o j e c t i o n " as encountered i n s e c u l a r
parapsychology.
The s t a t u s o f the
evidence.
I t i s d i f f i c u l t to r e j e c t a l l the a l l e g e d p h y s i o l o g i c a l and
p h y s i c a l phenomena as frauds o r f i c t i o u s .
A d m i t t e d l y we can
have l i t t l e confidence i n many o f the r e p o r t s , p a r t i c u l a r l y
concerning the e l d e r s a i n t s where hagiographers have been o v e r z e a l o u s . S a i n t V i n c e n t F e r r e r (1350-1419) was canonized on the
b a s i s o f 873 m i r a c l e s , s u r p a s s i n g Moses, E l i j a h , and Jesus
combined.
Of t h i s s a i n t i t i s s a i d t h a t p r e a c h i n g one day
i n the open he stopped a p a s s i n g f u n e r a l p r o c e s s i o n and t e m p o r a r i l y
r e v i v e d the corpse to bear witness as to the t r u t h o f what
he was sayingl
(Some e c c l e s i a s t i c a l wags s a i d t h a t an even
g r e a t e r m i r a c l e was h i s persuading the women o f L i g u r i a to
abandon t h e i r e s p e c i a l l y ornate h e a d - d r e s s e s ) . The p o s i t i o n
has improved o f l a t e as a r e s u l t of modern c r i t i c a l hagiography
and the p r i n c i p l e s e s t a b l i s h e d by Pope Benedict XIV (1675-1758),
who s t r e s s e d t h a t n o t h i n g should be a s c r i b e d to the s u p e r n a t u r a l
i f a natural explanation i s possible.
E x t r a o r d i n a r y phenomena
( o t h e r than posthumous m i r a c l e s o f h e a l i n g ) are not nowadays
r e q u i r e d i n p r o o f o f h o l i n e s s o f l i f e , which d i m i n i s h e s the
motive f o r a s c r i b i n g wonders to the v i r t u o u s d e p a r t e d .
The t e s t s o f evidence i n t h i s f i e l d are the same as those
i n p s y c h i c a l research or i n h i s t o r i c a l studies.
As with
George Washington's c h e r r y t r e e , eye witness d e p o s i t i o n s are
p r e f e r r e d to hearsay evidence, and should be recorded soon a f t e r
the event, with c i r c u m s t a n t i a l d e t a i l .
The value o f d e p o s i t i o n s
made a t p r o c e s s e s f o r b e a t i f i c a t i o n o r c a n o n i z a t i o n i s sometimes
but not u s u a l l y reduced by the lapse o f time between the death
o f the candidate and the e n q u i r y .
Many of the h e a r i n g s o f
the Congregation o f R i t e s concerning the b e a t i f i c a t i o n o r
c a n o n i z a t i o n o f h o l y persons are extremely d e t a i l e d and i n c l u d e
a f f i d a v i t s made by v e r y r e s p o n s i b l e people and have to be
t r e a t e d with c o n s i d e r a b l e r e s p e c t .
The t i t l e Venerable can
be c o n f e r r e d ^ i n r e c o g n i t i o n o f the c u l t o f a departed person
which has grown up i n h i s d i o c e s e .
The t i t l e Beatus o r Beata
("The B l e s s e d " ) , i f approved, w i l l be b i n d i n g on the whole
church, but i s only bestowed by the Pope h i m s e l f a f t e r
e x t e n s i v e h e a r i n g s by the Congregation o f R i t e s .
Canonization
i s the award o f the t i t l e Sanctus or Sancta ("Holy"), bestowed
similarly.
I n modern times t h i s i s o n l y done a f t e r another
l o n g i s h i n t e r v a l subsequent to the b e a t i f i c a t i o n o f the deceased.
T y p i c a l i n t e r v a l s a f t e r death are t h i r t y years f o r b e a t i f i c a t i o n
and a t l e a s t f i f t y f o r c a n o n i z a t i o n , though there are e x c e p t i o n s ,
such as the e a r l y c a n o n i z a t i o n o f the " l i t t l e Theresa",
S a i n t Theresa o f L i s i e u x whose book, p u b l i s h e d posthumously,
gained e a r l y and widespread p o p u l a r i t y , so t h a t the supporters
o f h e r ' c a u s e ' h a d both p o p u l a r support and a good supply
o f funds (mecessary f o r the work o f i n v e s t o g a t i o n , f i n d i n g
w i t n e s s e s , and sending them to Rome).
Interpretation and C a t e g o r i z a t i o n .
There i s however one d i f f i c u l t y i n the way o f r e l i a b l e
i n t e r p r e t a t i o n , i n c o n t r a d i s t i n c t i o n as to d e t e r m i n a t i o n o f
authenticity.
T h i s i s the shortage o f data o f a comparative
type from other r e l i g i o n s , although i t i s known t h a t there
are groups with m y s t i c a l t r a d i t i o n s w i t h i n Islam, i n I n d i a ,
and p o s s i b l y i n the Orthodox C h r i s t i a n churches.
Unfortunately
l i t t l e i s known o f t h e i r phenomena.
Few data e x i s t i n
the P r o t e s t a n t world, because P r o t e s t a n t s , i t seems, are
l e s s g i v e n to m y s t i c i s m .
Almost a l l the a v a i l a b l e m a t e r i a l
worthy o f study o c c u r s i n the Roman C a t h o l i c sphere.
N o n - C a t h o l i c students ( i n c l u d i n g the present w r i t e r s ) have
to overcome a l o f t y b a r r i e r o f i n i t i a l sceptism?
partly
s c i e n t i f i c doubt, and p a r t l y a legacy o f the Lutheran r e a c t i o n
a g a i n s t the contemplative l i f e and the c u l t o f s a i n t s .
But i t
i s wrong to suppose that i n t e l l i g e n t C a t h o l i c s (to whom we
are indebted for searching f a c t u a l and c r i t i c a l s t u d i e s ) have
a l l been g u l l i b l e .
Even i n the t h i r t e e n t h c e n t u r y , many
e c c l e s i a s t i c a l a u t h o r i t i e s would bear h e a v i l y on m y s t i c s
suspected o f f r a u d o r love o f n o t o r i e t y .
(Generally
speaking i t i s e a s i e r f o r Roman C a t h o l i c m y s t i c s to have t h e i r
honesty accepted a f t e r death than while they are l i v i n g .
S i m i l a r l y the V a t i c a n , although f o r some c e n t u r i e s d i s a p p r o v i n g
o f p o l i t i c a l democracy, has i n the matter o f s a n c t i t y a
tendency to accept the maxim Vox p o p u l i , vox d e i , and to
r e c o g n i s e the h o l i n e s s o f those deceased r e l i g i o u s f o r whom
the masses "vote with t h e i r f e e t " , as evidenced by the
numbers o f p i l g r i m s to the s h r i n e s i n q u e s t i o n .
Thus i t must
be admitted t h a t p o s s i b l y a l l h e a r i n g s before the Congregation
o f R i t e s are not o f equal r i g o r .
N o n e - t h e - l e s s we f e e l t h a t
the m a j o r i t y of t h e s e ' p r o c e s s e s ' have to be taken s e r i o u s l y
i n regard to the t r u t h f u l n e s s and o b j e c t i v i t y o f the w i t n e s s e s ) .
Returning to the problem o f i n t e r p r e t a t i o n we should say t h a t we,
the authors^operate o u r s e l v e s w i t h i n the system o f c a t e g o r i z a t i o n
o f strange occurrences sketched i n our companion paper
( M i r a c l e s and H e a l i n g M i r a c l e s ) .
We c h a r a c t e r i z e a phenomenon
as "probably normal" i f on b a l a n c e , a f t e r c o n s i d e r i n g the
evidence and comparing i t with p a r a l l e l phenomena i n o t h e r
f i e l d s o f e n q u i r y , i t seems t h a t there i s a reasonable
prima f a c i e case f o r r e g a r d i n g that type o f phenomenon as
generated by normal causes even i f these and t h e i r modus
operandi are not as yet f u l l y known o r understood. We
use the term paranormal to r e f e r to phenomena which, i f they
d i d not o c c u r , i n a r e l i g i o u s context would be immediately
c l a s s i f i e d as " p a r a p s y c h o l o g i c a l " o r as f a l l i n g w i t h i n the
sphere o f "psychic r e s e a r c h " .
Such happenings are p o l t e r g e i s t
type events such as b e f e l l Padre Pio Forgione i n h i s e a r l y
y e a r s and the Cure' o f A r s d u r i n g most o f h i s l i f e , a l s o the
"reading o f h e a r t s " , i . e . knowledge of p e o p l e ' s thoughts
and f e e l i n g s as e x h i b i t e d by both the p r i e s t s we have mentioned,
and which i n a s e c u l a r sphere we would c a l l t e l e p a t h y o r
"psychic s e n s i t i v i t y " , " i n the present essay we do not i n
f a c t have reason to a s s i g n phenomena to o t h e r presumptive
c a t e g o r i e s such as the " s u p e r n a t u r a l " . Of course we do n o t
c l a i m any f i n a l i t y o f judgement. U n l i k e many groups extant
today we do not c l a i m our v e r d i c t s to be o t h e r than p r o v i s i o n a l ,
temporary, and unendowed with unfa nihility.
(En passant i t
i s worth saying t h a t i t i s not o n l y the Papacy t h a t c l a i m s
i n f a l l i b i l i t y but c e r t a i n s e l f - c a l l e d "humanist" groups, such
as PSICOP t h a t are n o t o n l y more dogmatic than the V a t i c a n
but are more f a r - r e a c h i n g i n t h e i r c l a i m s ) .
We should a l s o say t h a t i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s o f r e l i g i o u s
phenomena do not c a s t a s p e r s i o n s on the s i n c e r i t y o r genuine
r e l i g i o u s d e d i c a t i o n o f the persons concerned.
To a l l o f
them we c o u l d say, l i k e K i p l i n g , t h a t , i n c e r t a i n r e s p e c t s
a t l e a s t , "You're a b e t t e r man than I am".
Mystical prayer.
Many o f the problems connected with an i n t e l l e c t u a l
acceptance o f the o b j e c t i v e r e a l i t y o f the phenomena o f
m y s t i c i s m may be a l l e v i a t e d by the r e c o g n i t i o n that m y s t i c i s m
i n v o l v e s p s y c h o l o g i c a l and b e h a v i o u r a l tendencies which
are f a r removed from the world of everyday l i f e i n which
most o f us " l i v e and move and have our b e i n g " .
I n the p r e s e n t context "mysticism" means " m y s t i c a l prayer"
("contemplation").
I t i s not g i v e n to most people to graduate
from o r d i n a r y p r a y e r to any o r a l l o f the three stages o f
m y s t i c a l p r a y e r . A t the f i r s t l e v e l the m y s t i c concentrates
h i s mind (by conscious e f f o r t ) on d i v i n e themes.
I f the
s t a t e o f " f u l l union" supervenes, the m y s t i c enjoys a sense
o f d i v i n e presence, but i s s t i l l capable o f v o l u n t a r y
withdrawal, u n l e s s the s t a t e o f "rapture" o r "ecstasy" has
been a t t a i n e d .
E c s t a s y iis, b r o a d l y speaking, a k i n d o f trance
i n which the mind i s cut o f f from the environment u n l e s s
aroused by some dramatic i n t e r v e n t i o n such as a blow, o r an
imperative command. Sometimes when overtaken by e c s t a s y the
m y s t i c continues i n automatic f a s h i o n with h i s p r e s e n t
o c c u p a t i o n , which may be p r e a c h i n g o r s a y i n g Massl .
The e c s t a t i c has v i s i o n s o f d i v i n e persons, o r i n s t e a d , may
merely experience a sense o f b l i s s and u n i t y with the D i v i n e .
Attempts have been made to equate e c s t a s y with o t h e r forms o f
trance;
h y s t e r i c a l c a t a l e p s y , somnambulism, hypnotism, the
meduimistic t r a n c e , o r drug-induced s t a t e s ;
but i t i s unsafe
to suppose that these c o n d i t i o n s are i d e n t i c a l to one another
o r to e c s t a s y .
However, as p o i n t e d out by S t . Theresa o f A v i l a
(1515-82) who attempted to d i s t i n g u i s h between " n a t u r a l " and
m y s t i c e c s t a s i e s , a h y s t e r i c a l trance can be confused with e c s t a s y .
R e l i g i o u s m y s t i c s n o r m a l l y i n t e r p r e t e c s t a s y i n terms of r e a l
c o n t a c t with God. T h i s i s debatable i n those v e r y numerous
cases when they r e c e i v e demonstrably f a l s e r e v e l a t i o n s
concerning matters o f f a c t .
But i n o t h e r cases the b e l i e f
cannot be c o n t r a d i c t e d , though e q u a l l y i t cannot be l o g i c a l l y
proved t r u e .
Judgement has t h e r e f o r e to be suspended i n the
face o f an important e m p i r i c a l f a c t ;
the m a j o r i t y of the
a l l e g e d p h y s i c a l phenomena o c c u r i n persons who engage i n
m y s t i c p r a y e r and experience e c s t a s i e s .
T h i s goes some way
to e x p l a i n why, i f the phenomena are not f r a u d u l e n t o r i l l u s o r y ,
they belong o n l y to r e l i g i o n s where m y s t i c a l p r a y e r i s p r a c t i s e d .
The l i n k between e c t a s i e s and phenomena does n o t , o f c o u r s e ,
prejudge the i s s u e as to whether the l a t t e r are s u p e r n a t u r a l
o r due to obscure n a t u r a l causes.
St. Francis of A s s i s i
Few s t i g m a t i z a t i o n s , i f any, can be dated p r i o r t o 1224
when, i t i s s a i d , S t . F r a n c i s o f A s s i s i (1181-1226) r e c e i v e d
wounds i n hands and f e e t subsequent to a v i s i o n o f a seraph
r e c e i v e d d u r i n g e c s t a s y . H i s s t i g m a t a were d e s c r i b e d as f l e s h y
e x c r e s c e n c e s r e s e m b l i n g the c u r v e d - o v e r p o i n t o f a n a i l on the
palm and a n a i l - h e a d on the back o f the hand. But e x a m i n a t i o n
o f p o r t r a i t s o f the S a i n t and evidence from modern cases
suggest t h a t the e x c r e s c e n c e s were m e r e l y r a i s e d s c a r t i s s u e ,
so t h a t the problem reduces t o the o r i g i n o f the wounds.
As
many a s 300 subsequent i n s t a n c e s o f s t i g m a t i z a t i o n have been
a l l e g e d b u t o n l y a few p r o v i d e data o f v a l u e .
B l e e d i n g through
the
skin.
E l e n a A j e l l o (born i n 1901 i n Monalto U f f u g o , C a l a b r i a ,
I t a l y ) was e s p e c i a l l y devoted t o S t . R i t a o f C a s c i a (1386-1457),
who was s a i d t o have had an e v i l - s m e l l i n g s t i g m a t i c wound which
remained unhealed i n h e r f o r e h e a d .
I n 1923 E l e n a e x p e r i e n c e d
a v i s i o n i n which C h r i s t i n j u r e d h e r brow w i t h H i s own crown
o f t h o r n s . Some h o u r s l a t e r a p h y s i c i a n was c a l l e d t o h e r
( s t i l l i n an e c s t a t i c s t a t e ) because b l o o d was f l o w i n g
c o p i o u s l y from h e r f o r e h e a d .
Dr. Turano wiped away the b l o o d
and found t h a t a t i n t e r v a l s she would c o n t r a c t h e r brow i n a
p a i n f u l spasm and b l o o d would then excede from the p o r e s .
S i m i l a r l y w i t h the famous s t i g m a t i c L o u i s e L a t e a u (I85O-I883)
o f B o i s D'Haine, B e l g i u m , when Dr. G e r a l d M o l l o y wiped the b l o o d
from the b a c k s and palms o f h e r hands he found o v a l marks o f a
b r i g h t r e d hue about one i n c h l o n g by h a l f an i n c h wide.
The
b l o o d f o r c e d i t s way through unbroken s k i n i n s u f f i c i e n t
q u a n t i t y f o r v i s i t i n g p i l g r i m s to soak i t up i n t h e i r handkerc h i e f s s e v e r a l t i m e s i n an hour. Dr. Warioment o f the B e l g i a n
M e d i c a l Academy e n c l o s e d L o u i s e ' s arm i n a s p e c i a l g l a s s
a p p a r a t u s and showed the b l e e d i n g was spontaneous and not due
to p r i o r i r r i t a t i o n o f the s k i n by L o u i s e . The Venerable Anne
C a t h e r i n e Emmerich (1774-1824) o f C o e s f e l d , R h i n e l a n d , b e s i d e s
o t h e r s t i g m a t a had the f e r i t a on h e r r i g h t s i d e , and a Y-shaped
c r o s s on h e r c h e s t , b o t h m e r e l y a r e a s from which the b l o o d
exuded a t c e r t a i n t i m e s .
The v a r i a b i l i t y o f s t i g m a t a .
B l e e d i n g through the s k i n i s indeed an e x c e p t i o n a l o c c u r r e n c e ,
b u t would seem to l i e w i t h i n the l i m i t s o f what i s n a t u r a l l y
p o s s i b l e . V a r i o u s f a c t s weaken the case f o r s u p e r n a t u r a l
c a u s a t i o n . On the s u p e r n a t u r a l h y p o t h e s i s i t i s odd t h a t
twelve c e n t u r i e s elapsed without s t i g m a t i c s .
T h i s i s so
whether o r not the "thorn i n the f l e s h " o f which S t . P a u l the
A p o s t l e wrote r e f e r r e d to him b e i n g s t i g m a t i s e d as some s c h o l a r s
have s p e c u l a t e d .
Gases o f s t i g m a t i s a t i o n a l s o f a i l to s a t i s f y
a p r i n c i p l e that the present w r i t e r s l i k e to c a l l the "Septuagint
test".
A c c o r d i n g to the p o p u l a r legend King Ptolemy I I o f Egypt
commissioned seventy-two r a b b i s to t r a n s l a t e the Torah ( i . e . the
Pentatuch o r F i v e Books o f Moses) i n t o Greek f o r the b e n e f i t
o f the Jewish community i n A l e x a n d r i a , who had l o s t t h e i r
knowledge o f Hebrew. They were kept v i g o r o u s l y segregrated
from each o t h e r .
Consequently, when t h e i r seventy-two v e r s i o n s
were d i s c o v e r e d to be word f o r word i d e n t i c a l , i t was h a i l e d
as a m i r a c l e and p r o o f o f d i v i n e i n s p i r a t i o n and the l i t e r a l
t r u t h o f the B i b l i c a l n a r r a t i v e .
U n f o r t u n a t e l y there i s no
unanimity i n the evidence y i e l d e d by stigmata as to the f a c t s
o f the c r u c i f i x i o n .
The study o f s t i g m a t i s a t i o n s i s inadequate
i n h e l p i n g us to determine the h i s t o r i c a l f e a t u r e s o f t h a t
event.
Did Jesus c a r r y the c r o s s on h i s r i g h t o r l e f t shoulder?
Was Jesus p i e r c e d i n the l e f t side (Louise Lateau) o r the
r i g h t ( C a t h e r i n e Emmerich)? The shape o f the stigmata v a r y
between s t i g m a t i c s and from time to time i n the same p e r s o n ;
the marks i n the hands o f Theresa Neumann (I898-I962) o f
Konnerareuth, B a v a r i a , were sometimes square and sometimes
round.
Elena A j e l l o was devoted to S t . R i t a .
Catherine
Emmerich's Y-shaped c r o s s was unique to h e r , but resembled
the unusual Y-shaped c r o s s i n the church o f S t . Lambert a t
C o e s f e l d where C a t h e r i n e had spent l o n g hours i n p r a y e r .
These o d d i t i e s are suggestive o f the i n f l u e n c e n o t o f the
s u p e r n a t u r a l but o f ideas t h a t have become lodged i n the mind
o f the s i t g m a t i c .
T h i s seems d e f i n i t e l y to have been the
o p i n i o n o f one o f the f i n e s t s c h o l a r s ever to c o n s i d e r o c c u l t
phenomena — Father Herbert H . C . Thurston (1856-1939). an
E n g l i s h J e s u i t and p r o l i f i c w r i t e r on paranormal and the
allegedly supernatural.
A member o f the S o c i e t y f o r P s y c h i c a l
Research, he p u b l i s h e d the a r t i c l e "The Phenomena o f
S t i g m a t i z a t i o n " i n the Proceedings, ( V o l . 32. P a r t 83, 1922),
and the important book The P h y s i c a l Phenomena o f M y s t i c i s m
(Burns, Oates, London, 1951) •
He was c o n s u l t e d on v a r i o u s
o c c a s i o n s by the C a t h o l i c e c c l e s i a s t i c a l a u t h o r i t i e s i n cases
of stigmatisation.
I n one o f these the woman made a happy
m a r r i a g e , and the stigmata ceased f o r t h w i t h . F a t h e r Thurston
made an i n t e r e s t i n g g e n e r a l o b s e r v a t i o n to the e f f e c t that
i n r e s p e c t o f the f e r i t a , i . e . the lance wound, i t s l o c a t i o n
tends to r e f l e c t t h a t o f the p a r t i c u l a r p a i n t i n g o r s c u l p t u r e
which the s t i g m a t i s t uses as c h i e f o b j e c t o f d e v o t i o n .
The wound tends to be on the opposite side i n the body
to t h a t i n the r e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f the c r u c i f i e d J e s u s .
I.e.
i t i s m i r r o r - i m a g e d , o c c u r r i n g i n the side n e a r e s t to the
p o s i t i o n o f the wound i n the r e p r e s e n t a t i o n . Another
c o r r e l a t i o n with C h r i s t i a n a r t which a l s o suggests p s y c h o l o g i c a l
r a t h e r than s u p e r n a t u r a l i n f l u e n c e s a t work i s the i n v a r i a b l e
occurrence o f nail-wounds o r s c a r s i n the palms o f the hands.
T h i s cannot be r e a l i s t i c because the weight o f the v i c t i m would
i n e v i t a b l y t e a r the hands, i f n a i l s were used and not ropes,
which were i n any case much cheaper.
However almost a l l
d e p i c t i o n s o f the c r u c i f i x i o n show the n a i l s through the palms
and not the w r i s t s , where they would need to be i f used.
Perhaps we could leave the l a s t word on t h i s to the s t i g m a t i s t
Theresa Neumann mentioned above "These marks have o n l y a
m y s t i c a l meaning. Jesus must have been f i x e d more f i r m l y
on the c r o s s " .
(The B i b l e i t s e l f i s not d e c i s i v e .
The word
c h e i r means hand o r w r i s t ) .
The r e l a t i o n between p i c t u r e s o f the c r u c i f i x i o n and s t i g m a t i s a t i o n s
o f f e r s an e x p l a n a t i o n f o r the strange absence o f the l a t t e r
u n t i l 122k. I t i s a remarkable f a c t t h a t there were f o r a l l
p r a c t i c a l purposes no r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s o f the c r u c i f i x i o n u n t i l
the Middle Ages, except i n a few very obscure p l a c e s , such
as some S y r i a n Gospels o f the s i x t h c e n t u r y .
(See Andre
Grabar, C h r i s t i a n Iconography).
T h i s was because o f c e r t a i n
dogmatic p r i n c i p l e s as to what were f i t t i n g s u b j e c t s f o r
r e l i g i o u s a r t which sought to a v o i d i d o l a t r y .
I n r e c e n t years the Shroud o f T u r i n (whose known h i s t o r y
commences i n 1357),one o f few s u r v i v i n g candidates f o r b e i n g
J e s u s ' winding s h e e t , t h a t s u r v i v e s out o f k2 r i v a l s extant
i n the f o u r t e e n t h century, has become v e r y f a s h i o n a b l e as
an o b j e c t o f s p e c u l a t i o n and as an a p p r o p r i a t e p o i n t d ' a p p u i
f o r p r a c t i c e o f the p r o f e s s i o n o f which S a i n t F r a n c i s de S a l e s
i s the p a t r o n s a i n t , i . e . j o u r n a l i s m . Whether i t s testimony
as to the f a c t s o f the C r u c i f i x i o n ever comes to be the f i n a l
a r b i t e r o f these matters as y e t we cannot say.
However we
may note i n p a s s i n g t h a t the Shroud does l i t t l e to r e s o l v e the
d i s c o r d a n t t e s t i m o n i e s o f the s t i g m a t i s t s .
The famous
"negative image" d i s c o v e r e d i n 1898 shows patches which
are i n t e r p r e t e d as the marks o f the s c o u r g i n g s , a l s o wounds
i n the w r i s t s , not the palms, and the use o f a s i n g l e spike
through the two f e e t .
The spear t h r u s t i s deduced to having
been on J e s u s ' r i g h t s i d e .
Some " s i n d o l o g i s t s " ( i . e .
students of the Shroud) c l a i m t h a t the Crown o f Thorns i s
absent and argue t h a t i t was a c t u a l l y a s u i t a b l y ornamented
cap on the V i c t i m ' s head.
Others deduce the wound i n the
forehead from blood flows r e g i s t e r e d on the Shroud.
Other
patches o r flows are i n t e r p r e t e d as i n d i c a t i n g t h a t Jesus
bore the Cross lashed high on h i s back.
As he walked o r
staggered a l o n g , s t o o p i n g under i t s unsymmetrically
d i s t r i b u t e d weight, both shoulder-blade areas were b r u i s e d
but the r i g h t one more than the l e f t .
V i s i o n a r y experiences
and stigmata.
Before l e a v i n g the q u e s t i o n o f the v a r i a b i l i t y o f the stigmata
we might compare the testimony o f the wounds with t h a t o f the
v i s i o n a r y experiences o f the C r u c i f i x i o n which numerous
r e l i g i o u s m y s t i c s have had.
These v i s i o n a r i e s comprise
both s t i g m a t i s t s (Catherine Emmerich, Theresa Neumann) and
those without the stigmata such as S a i n t B r i d g e t (1302-1372),
the p a t r o n s a i n t o f Sweden, o r S a i n t Catherine o f R i c c i
(1522-1590).
The l a t t e r , i n t e r e s t i n g l y enough, had some
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s i n common with s t i g m a t i s t s ;
she f e l l i n t o a
l o n g e c s t a s y each week i n which she r e l i v e d C h r i s t ' s p a s s i o n .
However there have been.many r e l i g i o u s v i s i o n a r i e s u n r e s t r i c t e d
as to time and s u b j e c t o f t h e i r imagery.
Among v i s i o n s o f
the P a s s i o n and death o f J e s u s , there i s no agreement;
in
f a c t the v i s i o n a r i e s disagree not only with each o t h e r , but
with s c r i p t u r e .
I n her r a p t u r e s Catherine Emmerich saw three
n a i l s used i n the C r u c i f i x i o n , but S t . B r i d g e t saw f o u r .
Theresa Neumann saw the P a s s i o n and death o f Jesus r e - e n a c t e d
every Thursday and F r i d a y , but i n saying that the A p o s t l e s
d i d not f a l l a s l e e p a t
Gethsemane she c o n t r a d i c t e d Matthew,
Mark and Luke.
C a t h e r i n e Emmerich was r a t h e r c r i t i c a l o f
the B l e s s e d Maria o f Agreda who wrote a L i f e o f the V i r g i n ,
and b e l i e v e d Maria to have taken l i t e r a l l y many v i s i o n s which
she should have understood a l l e g o r i c a l l y .
I t i s possible
t h a t C a t h e r i n e , h e r s e l f the a u t h o r o f The L i f e o f the B l e s s e d
V i r g i n Mary composed on the b a s i s o f h e r v i s i o n s ( s t i l l a
p o p u l a r book, Tan Books, P . O . Box kZk, Rockford, I l l i n o i s ) ,
was c o r r e c t i n p l a c i n g the death o f the V i r g i n a t 13 y e a r s
a f t e r the C r u c i f i x i o n , but S a i n t E l i z a b e t h o f Schonau i n the
t w e l f t h century gave 18 months f o r t h i s i n t e r v a l , S a i n t
B r i d g e t 15 years and Maria o f Agreda 21 y e a r s 4 months and 19
days.'
However i f Catherine Emmerich was c o r r e c t i n s e e i n g
S t . James the Great present a t the V i r g i n ' s death, then the
chronology o f the A c t s o f the A p o s t l e s i s i n e r r o r .
As f o r
S a i n t C a t h e r i n e o f R i c c i , we might note i n p a s s i n g that some
embarrassment was f e l t a t h e r b e a t i f i c a t i o n process because
i n her v i s i o n s Savonarola, who was executed as a h e r e t i c
a t F l o r e n c e i n 1^98, appeared i n the r o l e of s a i n t and m a r t y r .
However, Pope Benedict XIII cut the Gordian knot by
d e c r e e i n g t h a t the S a i n t ' s v i r t u e s had to be considered
s e p a r a t e l y from her v i s i o n s , thus sett i n g a precedent o f
almost i n d i s p e n s a b l e u t i l i t y .
B e n e d i c t , who denounced
l u x u r i o u s l i v i n g on the p a r t o f the h i g h e r c l e r g y , may have
been swayed by a n t i p a t h y f o r the memory o f S a v o n a r a l o ' s
r e l e n t l e s s opponent Pope Alexander V I , Rodrigo B o r g i a .
Psychological factors i n
stigmatisation.
Because the forms and l o c a t i o n s o f stigmata appear to be
s u b j e c t i n some degree to suggestion, the phenomena o f
s t i g m a t i s a t i o n cannot be regarded as e n t i r e l y due to a p u r e l y
o r g a n i c cause i n the same way as haemophiliac b l e e d i n g i s .
S i m i l a r l y i t i s not the same a t a l l as h a e m a t h i d r o s i s , i . e .
red p e r s p i r a t i o n due to the presence o f the bacterium
micrococcus p r o d i g i o s u s .
At t h i s d i s t a n c e i n time we cannot
be sure t h a t the "sweat o f Gethsemane" o f S a i n t V e r o n i c a
G u i l i a n i (16?6-1727) was not haemathidrosis but i n view o f
modem o b s e r v a t i o n s o f b l e e d i n g through the s k i n i t seems
eminently l i k e l y t h a t t h i s s a i n t ' s s k i n exuded a c t u a l b l o o d .
As we have seen, the v a r i a b i l i t y o f the stigmata and t h e i r
apparent dependence to some extent on suggestion m i l i t a t e s
also against a supernatural o r i g i n .
T h i s encourages the
search f o r a wholly n a t u r a l i s t i c e x p l a n a t i o n o f s t i g m a t i c
phenomena.
T h i s cannot be done a t the present time because
we know too l i t t l e about v a s c u l a r p h y s i o l o g y to be a b l e to
g i v e an e f f e c t i v e theory f o r the mechanics o f the p r o c e s s .
N o n e - t h e - l e s s f u r t h e r evidence can be marshalled i n s t r o n g
support o f the h y p o t h e s i s t h a t an important f a c t o r i n
s t i g m a t i s a t i o n i s a u t o - s u g g e s t i o n on the p a r t o f the s t i g m a t i c s ,
who perhaps without exception have been given to i n t e n s e
b r o o d i n g on the s u f f e r i n g o f J e s u s .
T h i s theory i s w e l l supported by the f a c t that many, though
not a l l , s t i g m a t i c s show undoubted s i g n s o f having s u f f e r e d
from h y s t e r i a a t some time i n t h e i r l i v e s .
"Hysteria" i s
employed i n the t e c h n i c a l sense as an i l l n e s s t h a t can take
a b e w i l d e r i n g v a r i e t y o f forms*
temporary b l i n d n e s s , deafness,
p a r a l y s i s , l o s s e s o f s e n s i b i l i t y i n the s k i n o r e x c e s s i v e
sensibility;
comas, f a i n t i n g f i t s , spasms;
miscellaneous
aches and p a i n s , e t c .
Some s t i g m a t i c s l i k e Elena A j e l l o
are d e s c r i b e d as m a n i f e s t i n g h y s t e r i c a l symptoms.
Others
l i k e Theresa Neumann and Berthe Mrazek (a f r i e n d o f Nurse
E d i t h C a v e l l , who was shot by the Germans i n 1915), s u f f e r
from mysterious p a r a l y s e s o f sudden onset, r e l i e v e d by e q u a l l y
mysterious cures, which i n f a l l i b l y may be a s c r i b e d to h y s t e r i a .
A h y s t e r i c a l i l l n e s s has no o r g a n i c cause, and i s p s y c h o l o g i c a l
i n o r i g i n . But the p a t i e n t i s not shamming; he i s
r e a l l y i l l , and i s the v i c t i m o f a complex and mainly
unconscious process o f a u t o - s u g g e s t i o n .
When h y s t e r i a i s found i n
a s t i g m a t i c i t i s a good i n d i c a t i o n o f a high degree o f
auto-suggestibility.
The n a t u r a l i s t i c theory o f s t i g m a t i s a t i o n
a s c r i b e s i t to a u t o - s u g g e s t i o n a f f e c t i n g blood flow and t i s s u e s
i n persons endowed with unusual s u g g e s t i b i l i t y and an obsession
with the s u f f e r i n g s o f J e s u s .
T h i s i s not q u i t e the same as
a s c r i b i n g s t i g m a t i s a t i o n d i r e c t l y to h y s t e r i a , which would go
beyond the f a c t s , as there are s t i g m a t i c s who cannot be
c l a s s i f i e d as h y s t e r i c a l .
The l i n k between h y s t e r i a and
s t i g m a t i s a t i o n i s merely t h a t each i s a p o s s i b l e r e s u l t , i n
a p p r o p r i a t e c o n d i t i o n s , o f a temperament p o t e n t i a l l y a u t o s u g g e s t i b l e i n c e r t a i n ways. F a i l u r e to r e a l i s e t h a t the
connection between h y s t e r i a and stigmata i s a s u b t l e and
i n d i r e c t one has, o f course, occasioned much polemic even
w i t h i n the ranks o f the f a i t h f u l , as w e l l as between the l a t t e r
and i n f i d e l s .
Advocates o f the s u p e r n a t u r a l o r i g i n o f stigmata have
s t r e s s e d the r a t h e r minor c h a r a c t e r o f the e f f e c t s such as
b l i s t e r s , rashes, eczemas, produced on the s k i n by suggestion
under hypnotism. But t h i s does not do f u l l j u s t i c e to D r .
Adolph L e c h l e r ' s r e s u l t s with " E l i z a b e t h " an.' A u s t r i a n peasant
g i r l who was both v e r y devout and under treatment f o r h y s t e r i a .
On Good F r i d a y 1932 she was deeply a f f e c t e d by seeing a f i l m
o f the P a s s i o n and death o f C h r i s t , and ( s i g n i f i c a n t l y )
complained o f p a i n i n f e e t and hands.
That evening D r . L e c h l e r
gave h e r the h y p n o t i c suggestion that wounds would develop
a t the s i t e o f the p a i n s . M o i s t wounds appeared d u r i n g the
night.
F u r t h e r suggestion deepened them, and r e s u l t e d a l s o i n
t e a r s o f b l o o d , the crown o f t h o r n s , and inflammation and
sagging o f the s h o u l d e r . D r . L e c h l e r s u b s t a n t i a t e d h i s c l a i m
with photographs taken p r i o r to r e s t o r i n g n o r m a l i t y by
counter-suggestion.
The work o f D r . R. S c h i n d l e r a l s o appears to be q u i t e
r e l e v a n t to the h y p o t h e s i s o f a u t o - s u g g e s t i o n being an
important f a c t o r i n the a e t i o l o g y o f s t i g m a t i s a t i o n .
(Wervensystem und spontane Blutengen. Karger, B e r l i n , 1927).
In h i s monograph on spontaneous b l e e d i n g , D r . S c h i n d l e r
d e s c r i b e d i n d e t a i l three cases of spontaneous s k i n
haemorrhages o f unknown o r i g i n i n which he succeeded i n
demonstrating a p s y c h o l o g i c a l b a s i s .
I n a l l these cases the
most thorough m e d i c a l i n v e s t i g a t i o n s f a i l e d to r e v e a l any
a b n o r m a l i t i e s o f the blood o r the v a s c u l a r system.
Schindler
found t h a t i n each case he c o u l d , by means o f h y p n o t i c
s u g g e s t i o n , produce b l e e d i n g a t chosen times and a t designated
spots on the body. To prevent c h e a t i n g , t h e designated areas
were covered with p l a s t e r c a s t s d u r i n g the time lapse between
a p p l y i n g the suggestion and o b s e r v i n g the b l e e d i n g a t the
a s s i g n e d time.
A l l three o f the p a t i e n t s had been r e f e r r e d
to D r . S c h i n d l e r on account o f t h e i r spontaneous b l e e d i n g ,
which was a severe handicap and source o f misery to them.
One woman had been bedridden f o r n e a r l y f i v e years because
of this ailment.
A severe f e v e r always accompanied the
occurrence o f the b l e e d i n g , but both d i s t u r b a n c e s subsided
s i m u l t a n e o u s l y as a r e s u l t o f p s y c h o l o g i c a l treatment.
The
o t h e r two cases were a l s o cured by the p s y c h o l o g i c a l approach.
I n the l i g h t o f L e c h l e r ' s achievements, as w e l l as S c h i n d l e r ' s ,
i t would be d a r i n g to a s s e r t that stigmata are s u p e r n a t u r a l ,
and i n modern c a n o n i z a t i o n processes such as t h a t o f S t . Gemma
G a l g a n i (I878-I903) o f L u c c a , the Church a b s t a i n s from so d o i n g .
C o n t r a r i w i s e we cannot a s s e r t t h a t stigmata have yet been
proved e n t i r e l y n a t u r a l .
D i f f i c u l t y may r a t i o n a l l y be f e l t
concerning a n a t u r a l i s t i c i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f S t . Gemma's
stigmata.
A b e a u t i f u l I t a l i a n g i r l with a d i s p o s i t i o n o f g r e a t
sweetness, Gemma o f t e n had e c s t a s i e s on Thursday evening (a
common p a t t e r n to which many s t i g m a t i c s conform), when red marks
showed on the backs and palms o f the hands.
A r e n t i n the
f l e s h opened by degrees, sometimes becoming very deep, the
openings on each side almost reaching each other as f a r as
could be a s c e r t a i n e d without p a i n f u l p r o b i n g . The c a v i t i e s
were f u l l o f b l o o d .
On the F r i d a y the flow would cease, and
the wounds c l o s e and h e a l with a s t o n i s h i n g r a p i d i t y , l e a v i n g
u s u a l l y v e r y l i t t l e t r a c e , except sometimes a r a i s e d c i c a t r i c e ,
as may have happened with S t . F r a n c i s .
S t . Gemma's case
l e n d s c r e d i b i l i t y to the accounts o f deep wounds i n some
o f the e l d e r s t i g m a t i c s such as S t . Mary Frances o f the F i v e
Wounds (1715-91).
(In any case these claims are v i n d i c a t e d
by the deep wounds a c t u a l l y observed i n Padre P i o i n t h i s
century).
E x t r a o r d i n a r y as these deep stigmata a r e , they do not
d e c i s i v e l y c o n t r a d i c t the n a t u r a l i s t i c h y p o t h e s i s .
"Elizabeth's
wounds deepened under suggestion and we cannot say to what
depth they might not have proceeded had D r . L e c h l e r p e r s i s t e d
with suggestion beyond the p o i n t that was m e d i c a l l y e t h i c a l .
Of c o u r s e , i t i s p o s s i b l e to argue t h a t L e c h l e r ' s suggestions
and c o u n t e r - s u g g e s t i o n s happened to c o i n c i d e with D i v i n e
commands o r (as would be s a i d by the l a t e Montague Summers,
who was r a t h e r an e x t r e m i s t i n these m a t t e r s ) , t h a t the sequence
o f events was c o n t r i v e d by the F a t h e r o f L i e s to promote
atheismj
an example o f an " I n f e r n a l M i r a c l e " p e r p e t r a t e d
by the A d v e r s a r y .
En passant, f o r i n t e r e s t e d readers we
may recommend as an e n t i r e l y f i c t i o n a l but e l e g a n t and
s c h o l a r l y account o f a d i a b o l i c a l parody o f the stigmata,
the l e a r n e d and w i t t y n o v e l by L o u i s B r o m f i e l d . E n t i t l e d
The Strange Case of M i s s Annie Spragg (1928) the n o v e l i n t r o d u c e s
the a n c i e n t Adversary i n the somewhat R a b e l a i s i a n persona o f
the pagan god P r i a p u s .
A t the time of w r i t i n g the case f o r a p s y c h o l o g i c a l f a c t o r
i n s t i g m a t i s a t i o n has r e c e i v e d f u r t h e r support from the work
o f a C a l i f o r n i a n p s y c h i a t r i s t , D r . Derek A g l e , with a twenty
y e a r o l d g i r l , R i t a , a member o f an e v a n g e l i c a l o r p e n t e c o s t a l
group g i v e n to an e n t h u s i a s t i c form o f r e l i g i o u s observance,
which, o f course, i s a P r o t e s t a n t denomination o f a f u n d a m e n t a l i s t
kind.
Since the a g e - o f ten R i t a has developed stigmata i n
the hands and on the brow every week on Thursdays and F r i d a y s ,
accompanied by q u i t e intense p a i n .
She i s d e s c r i b e d as a
h i g h l y c o n s c i e n t i o u s and s e r i o u s p e r s o n .
Significantly
the f i r s t onset o f the c o n d i t i o n o c c u r r e d j u s t a few days
a f t e r r e a d i n g a n o v e l about J e s u s ' l a s t week before death
on the c r o s s , which gave a heightened account o f h i s s u f f e r i n g s .
D r . Agle obtained p e r m i s s i o n to hypnotize h e r ; he gave h e r
the suggestion that she could r e p r e s s the stigmata a t any time
by r e p e a t i n g to h e r s e l f a short v e r b a l formula.
T h i s appears
to have been e f f i c a c i o u s .
The g e n e s i s o f the mystic r i n g i s a k i n to that o f s t i g m a t a .
M a r i e - J u l i e Jahenny (1850-1941) a somewhat e x h i b i t i o n i s t i c
s t i g m a t i c o f La F a u d r a i s i n B r i t t a n y , was i n the h a b i t o f
announcing the p a r t i c u l a r stigmata she would r e c e i v e some time
before they appeared; a f a c t s t r o n g l y i n favour o f the a u t o suggestion h y p o t h e s i s .
I n an e c s t a s y i n January I874 she
p r e d i c t e d t h a t she would p l i g h t her t r o t h to h e r heavenly spouse
on 20 February.
According to the Abbe David, on the p r e d i c t e d
day i n the presence o f 14 witnesses the r i n g - f i n g e r o f the
r i g h t hand became swollen and red beneath the s k i n .
Shortly
afterwards i t b l e d .
Within 30 minutes a r i n g shaped formation
appeared.
There i s r e l i a b l e evidence that M a r i e - J u l i e r e t a i n e d
i t f o r a t l e a s t twenty years as a r i n g o f f l e s h y t i s s u e
resembling a hoop which had sunk i n t o the s k i n .
The t e a r s o f blood shed by S t . Gemma a n d o t h e r s , i n c l u d i n g
Theresa Neumann a t the onset o f h e r s t i g m a t i s a t i o n on Good
F r i d a y 1926 and whenever she meditated on C h r i s t ' s s u f f e r i n g ,
were observed by the French p h y s i c i a n D r . P a r r o t t i n the l a s t
century i n a p a t i e n t (presumably h y s t e r i c a l ) who shed them
while a f f e c t e d by v i o l e n t g r i e f .
She b l e d a l s o from the b r e a s t ,
hands and knees.
The sex d i f f e r e n c e i n occurrence o f s t i g m a t a .
I t i s a c u r i o u s f a c t t h a t , a p a r t from S t . F r a n c i s , o n l y
three o r f o u r cases o f c o n d i t i o n s a k i n to s t i g m a t i s a t i o n have been
r e l i a b l y r e p o r t e d as o c c u r r i n g i n men, and these a l l i n the
p r e s e n t c e n t u r y . At f i r s t s i g h t i t might seem to f o l l o w from
the c o r r e l a t i o n between h y s t e r i a and s t i g m a t i s a t i o n i n view o f
the o l d b e l i e f i n masculine immunity to h y s t e r i a .
But t h i s
comfortable premise was shattered i n the l a s t c e n t u r y .
Present
e s t i m a t e s d i f f e r , but i t seems that h y s t e r i a , i n one form o r
a n o t h e r , occurs i n men as f r e q u e n t l y as i t does i n women.
R e t a i n i n g the n a t u r a l i s t i c viewpoint there i s no reason however
e i t h e r to deny the i n d i r e c t l i n k with h y s t e r i a o r to suppose
t h a t the male stigmata are not produced by the same a u t o s u g g e s t i v e mechanism as operates i n women.
The low i n c i d e n c e
i n men may be e x p l i c a b l e i n terms o f b i o l o g i c a l o r hormonal
d i f f e r e n c e between the sexes, o r by a l e s s e r p r o c l i v i t y to
brood on p h y s i c a l a s p e c t s o f the c r u c i f i x i o n .
(For sex
d i f f e r e n c e s i n the i n c i d e n c e o f i n e d i a , see l a t e r ) .
One o f the modern male s t i g m a t i c s , A r t h u r Moock o f Hamburg
(born 1902 i n A l s a c e ) i s a P r o t e s t a n t , and i t has consequently
been s a i d by C a t h o l i c w r i t e r s that h i s stigmata l a c k a
r e l i g i o u s meaning!
However t h e i r appearance i s h e r a l d e d by
v i s i o n s o f C h r i s t approaching him with c o n s o l i n g words a t times
when he s u f f e r s from aching and a f e e l i n g o f p r e s s u r e i n the
head.
The second case i s t h a t o f H e i n r i c h F u e h r i n g , a l s o o f
Hamburg (born i n I 8 9 2 ) .
Though he too was born o f Lutheran
p a r e n t s , and i s not a C a t h o l i c , h i s stigmata began a t E a s t e r
1951» v e r y s i g n i f i c a n t l y , i t would seem, while r e t u r n i n g from
a v i s i t with C a t h o l i c companions to Theresa Neumann a t
Konnerareuth.
S i t t i n g on a bench near the a l t a r i n the
sanctuary o f Waldueren an a p p a r i t i o n appeared to him and
announced t h a t i n two weeks time he would r e c e i v e the stigmata
of Christ.
Eighteen days l a t e r , a f t e r a v i o l e n t headache,
blood flowed from h i s hands and s i d e .
The photographs
appended to t h i s paper r e l a t e to a male s t i g m a t i s t .
The
photographs were taken i n the l a t e 1960's by competent
investigators.
The s u b j e c t ' s name was w i t h h e l d .
We have
since seen one o f these photographs (the Crown o f Thorns)
p u b l i s h e d i n a t e l e v i s i o n programme. The s u b j e c t was s a i d
to be Otto Mook o f B e r l i n ;
whether t h i s i s the same person
as A r t h u r Moock o f Hamburg we do not know, as no background
i n f o r m a t i o n was g i v e n .
The p o l t e r g e i s t
connection.
P o l t e r g e i s t phenomena f i g u r e i n the l i v e s o f many s a i n t l y
people from S a i n t Dunstan i n the tenth century down to S a i n t
Jean Vianney and Padre P i o i n modern times.
These take the
ffffffl o f c h a o t i c happenings, movements of o b j e c t s , sounds o f
r a p p i n g , s c r a t c h i n g and so on.
In e a r l i e r p e r i o d s these were
regarded as the f r o l i c s of e l v e s , g o b l i n s , or o t h e r nature
s p i r i t s , o r as a t t a c k s by the D e v i l o r l e s s e r demons.
The
l a t t e r e x p l a n a t i o n was e s p e c i a l l y favoured when the phenomena
attended h o l y persons r a t h e r than the l a i t y .
The occurrence of such "attacks" was u s u a l l y i n t e r p r e t e d
as complimentary to the person concerned, an acknowledgement
t h a t t h e i r v i r t u e had annoyed the g r e a t A d v e r s a r y .
However
the a c t u a l phenomena i n both s e c u l a r and r e l i g i o u s c o n t e x t s
are i d e n t i c a l , which makes us supect a c a u s a t i o n that i s
neither diabolic or angelic.
In t h i s , f o l l o w i n g many
i n v e s t o g a t o r s , we are i n harmony a l s o with the Revd. F a t h e r
Thurston, S . J .
Because there i s a n o v e r l a p between
s t i g m a t i s a t i o n and p o l t e r g e i s t r y , we seek to a s c e r t a i n
f e a t u r e s shared by p o l t e r g e i s t s u b j e c t s and s t i g m a t i s t s , each
taken as a g r o u p .
S t r i k i n g l y enough the p o s i t i o n i n regard to o v e r t h y s t e r i a
i s e x a c t l y the same with p o l t e r g i e s t r y as with stigma t i s a t i o n .
Among the more v i o l e n t p o l t e r g e i s t outbreaks which have been
d e s c r i b e d , a c o n s i d e r a b l e p r o p o r t i o n o f the p o l t e r g e i s t
s u b j e c t s , i . e . the person ( u s u a l l y a s i n g l e one) on which
the phenomena are c e n t r e d , have overt and unmistakeable
symptoms o f h y s t e r i a (see A . R . G . Owen, Can We E x p l a i n the
P o l t e r g e i s t ? . G a r r e t t P u b l i c a t i o n s , New York, 1964, H e l i x
Press, Paplinder D i s t r i b u t i n g CO).
Of course there are many
cases i n which there are no such symptoms.
The s i t u a t i o n
i s q u i t e p a r a l l e l to that with s t i g m a t i s t s .
Religious apologists
o f t e n i n d i g n a n t l y r e p u d i a t e the suggestion that there i s
something i n common between s t i g m a t i s a t i o n and h y s t e r i a , on
the ground that not a l l s t i g m a t i s t s are h y s t e r i c a l ;
which i s
t r u e enough.
However, from the p o i n t o f view o f i n d u c t i v e
l o g i c t h a t i s not the p o i n t .
The a s s o c i a t i o n between h y s t e r i a
and s t i g m a t i s a t i o n i s a s t a t i s t i c a l one;
what i t t e l l s us,
however, i s that we should look f o r some common f a c t o r s
o p e r a t i v e both i n the a e t i o l o g y o f h y s t e r i a and i n the causes
o f stigma t i s a t i o n .
Such f a c t o r s , i f a s c e r t a i n e d , w i l l , o f
course, i n the two phenomena ( i . e . h y s t e r i a and s t i g m a t i s a t i o n )
be a l l i e d with p o s s i b l y t o t a l l y d i s t i n c t c a u s a t i v e f a c t o r s
such as profound r e l i g i o u s c o n v i c t i o n s o f a r a t h e r s p e c i a l i s e d
nature i n the case o f s t i g m a t i s a t i o n , and p s y c h o l o g i c a l
r e p r e s s i o n o f emotion i n the case o f h y s t e r i a .
As these f a c t o r s
themselves though e s s e n t i a l l y d i s t i n c t are not m u t u a l l y
e x c l u s i v e they w i l l o c c a s i o n a l l y e x i s t together, thus
p r o d u c i n g the observed o v e r l a p o f the h y s t e r i c a l and the
stigmatical conditions.
The f a c t t h a £ very r e l i g i o u s persons
may c o n t r o l t h e i r emotions does not imply tha,t they have nonel
I n t e r e s t i n g l y enough the l a t e s t p o s i t i o n i n p o l t e r g e i s t
s t u d i e s m i r r o r s that i n r e s p e c t o f s t i g m a t i s a t i o n .
While no
p o l t e r g e i s t i n v e s t i g a t o r s suggest t h a t a l l p o l t e r g e i s t s u b j e c t s
are h y s t e r i c a l , thay make the i n f e r e n c e that a n x i e t y , which
i s an u n d e r l y i n g cause o f a l l h y s t e r i c s i s an important
p r e c i p i t a t i n g o r p r e d i s p o s i n g f a c t o r i n p o l t e r g e i s t r y . (See
A . R . G . Owen, " P o l t e r g e i s t Phenomena and P s y c h o k i n e s i s , i n
Handbook o f Parapsychology, ed. M a r t i n Ebon, New American
L i b r a r y , New York, 1978.)
Recently some p a r a p s y c h o l o g i s t s
have asked the q u e s t i o n , "Anxiety i s p r e s e n t i n every home o r
community; how t h e r e f o r e can one s p e c i a l l y a s s o c i a t e i t with
poltergeistry?"
(See Alfonso Martinez Taboas, "The
P s y c h o p a t h o l o g i c a l Model o f P o l t e r g e i s t Phenomenal some
c r i t i c i s m s and suggestions", Parapsychology Review. (1980,
11, 2 4 - 2 6 ) .
The q u e s t i o n i s p e r f e c t l y v a l i d but has a f a i r l y
simple answer drawn from i n d u c t i v e l o g i c .
I n the f i r s t p l a c e
the a l l e g e d c o r r e l a t i o n i s not put forward as a t o t a l
explanation.
No one i n t h e i r senses would suggest t h a t
a n x i e t y i s the sole cause o f p o l t e r g e i s t phenomena.
As we
have s a i d on s e v e r a l occasions ( l o c . c i t . ) , a g e n e t i c o r
c o n g e n i t a l f a c t o r has to be p o s t u l a t e d to account f o r the
comparative r a r i t y o f the p o l t e r g e i s t phenomenon.
(In
p a r e n t h e s i s i t i s worth saying that i t i s o n l y from some p o i n t s
o f view t h a t the phenomenon i s r a r e ;
on a world s c a l e i t
c o u l d be regarded as r e l a t i v e l y frequent — hence our use o f
the q u a l i f i c a t i o n comparative).
An age f a c t o r , though o f
l e s s importance, has a l s o to be n o t e d .
More i m p o r t a n t l y
we should acknowledge the relevance o f arguments based not
on mere a s s o c i a t i o n but on a q u a n t i t a t i v e r e l a t i o n between
the f a c t o r s that are being e m p i r i c a l l y a s s o c i a t e d .
In
simple terms an a s s o c i a t i o n w i l l o n l y manifest i t s e l f i n a
r e c o g n i z a b l e form when both A and B are q u a n t i t a t i v e l y i n t e n s e .
C o n t r a r i w i s e i f an a s s o c i a t i o n i s manifest when A and B
are both q u a n t i t a t i v e l y l a r g e i t i s o n l y l o g i c a l to suppose
t h a t i t e x i s t s when both f e a t u r e s are weaker i n i n t e n s i t y .
These p r i n c i p l e s o f i n d u c t i v e l o g i c are not a t a l l d i f f i c u l t ;
o r d i n a r y people i n every walk o f l i f e use them every day.
I t i s o n l y r e c o g n i z i n g them and p u t t i n g i n t o words t h a t i s
difficult.
One can be excused f o r r e a c t i n g somewhat l i k e
M o l i e r e ' s bourgeois gentilhomme when he was t o l d what "prose"
was; "I've been t a l k i n g i t a l l my l i f e without knowing i t ! " .
I n regard to the q u e s t i o n as to the c a u s a t i v e i n f l u e n c e o f
a n x i e t y i n p o l t e r g e i s t r y we have to add a f u r t h e r very important
consideration.
I t was never suggested, a t l e a s t by the
p r e s e n t w r i t e r s , t h a t a n x i e t y , even i n the presence o f the
g e n e t i c f a c t o r , was adequate alone to t r i g g e r o f f p o l t e r g e i s t
attacks.
I t i s not j u s t the a n x i e t y i t s e l f which i s
important but how the a n x i e t y i s handled by the s u b j e c t .
I t seems to be necessary that a n x i e t y be not merely c o n t r o l l e d
but that i t a l s o fee repressed i n the F r e u d i a n sense, i . e .
pushed r i g h t out o f c o n s c i o u s n e s s .
Thus p o l t e r g e i s t persons
are to be sought among those who tend to r e p r e s s emotion, but
have the c a p a c i t y to discharge the repressed emotion i n
surrogate p h y s i c a l a c t i v i t y which may a l s o have a symbolic content.
This capacity i s a genetic or c o n s t i t u t i o n a l psychokinetic
ability.
The p o i n t o f contact with h y s t e r i a i s j u s t t h a t
one o f the f a c t o r s i n h y s t e r i a i s the tendency to r e p r e s s
emotion i n t o the unconscious.
In s t i g m a t i s t s however the p o i n t s
o f contact with h y s t e r i a are the tendency to a u t o - s u g g e s t i o n
and a n unconscious command o f b o d i l y p r o c e s s e s .
These two
f a c t o r s are the ones that f a c i l i t a t e the g e n e r a t i o n o f h y s t e r i c a l
symptoms, p a r a l y s e s , d e f i c i e n c i e s o f v i s i o n , t i c s , comas,
f i t s , and so on.
Another p a r a l l e l i s m between the three c o n d i t i o n s — being
a p o l t e r g e i s t centre — being a h y s t e r i c — and b e a r i n g
stigmata — c o n s i s t s i n t h e i r shared m a l l e a b i l i t y under
suggestion.
In p o l t e r g e i s t cases the i n v e s t i g a t o r s have to
take care not to induce new phenomena by mentioning t h e i r
possibility.
H y s t e r i a i s n o t o r i o u s l y s u b j e c t to suggestion
and to the phenomenon o f "symptom s u b s t i t u t i o n " — one symptom
may be cured but r e p l a c e d by a d i f f e r e n t one!
We have a l r e a d y
noted the power o f hypnotic suggestion to modify stigmata.
Although p o l t e r g e i s t s u b j e c t s u s u a l l y seem q u i t e unaware o f
any connection between themselves and the phenomena, a small
p r o p o r t i o n , such as Madame K u l a g i n a , U r i G e l l e r , and Matthew
Manning, achieve a degree o f conscious c o n t r o l , e n a b l i n g them
to engage i n v o l u n t a r y p s y c h o k i n e s i s .
There appears to be
an i n t e r e s t i n g though r a r e p a r a l l e l i s m between s t i g m a t i s t s
and p o l t e r g e i s t s u b j e c t s i n t h i s r e s p e c t .
We make t h i s c l a i m
e n t i r e l y on the b a s i s o f a v e r b a l communication made to us
i n 1967 by the d i s t i n g u i s h e d w r i t e r , i n v e s t i g a t o r , and p s y c h i c
s e n s i t i v e , M r s . E i l e e n G a r r e t t , founder and f i r s t P r e s i d e n t
o f the P a r a p s y c h o l o g i c a l Foundation, I n c .
Mrs. Garrett
spoke o f a man she had known o f an i n t e l l e c t u a l and r e f l e c t i v e
c a s t of mind.
Although a p p a r e n t l y not a p r i e s t o r monk he
was i n t e r e s t e d i n r e l i g i o u s t o p i c s .
T h i s gentleman t o l d her
t h a t he c o u l d induce stigmata i n h i m s e l f v o l u n t a r i l y by
mental c o n c e n t r a t i o n .
He proceeded to make h i s words good
then and t h e r e .
In the course o f a r e l a t i v e l y s h o r t time
the s k i n i n the c e n t r e s o f h i s palms s t a r t e d to f l a k e away.
As she watched, M r s . G a r r e t t saw the raw red f l e s h become
v i s i b l e as the l e s i o n developedl
Thus the s u b j e c t was able
by conscious v o l i t i o n to i m i t a t e r e s u l t s o f the k i n d that
L e c h l e r obtained by h y p n o s i s .
T h i s , o f course, makes the
case f o r autosuggestion as an e f f i c i e n t cause o f s t i g m a t i s a t i o n
a s t r o n g one.
Epidemiological prediction.
I t i s claimed by t h e o r i s t s o f the p h i l o s o p h y o f science t h a t
the t e s t o f a s c i e n t i f i c theory i s i t s a b i l i t y to p r e d i c t
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new f a c t s that can he t e s t e d by f r e s h experiments o r
observations.
(As with many o t h e r p r i n c i p l e s o f s c i e n t i f i c
method p o p u l a r at the moment, t h i s one i s often o v e r - s t r e t c h e d
i n a way that p a r a l l e l s o t h e r contemporary p a r r o t c r i e s such
as the demand t h a t a l l s c i e n t i f i c a l l y a c q u i r e d f a c t s cannot
be accepted as such u n t i l there i s a t e s t a b l e theory to account
f o r them! I n the face of t h i s h i s t o r i c a l l y and l o g i c a l l y
i n d e f e n s i b l e p i e c e o f dogmatism i t would be a b o l d person
who would r e p o r t any o b s e r v a t i o n — which would imply the
death o f s c i e n c e ) .
In the present survey we have claimed
t h a t on the b a s i s o f the observed f a c t s some o f the causes
o p e r a t i v e i n psychoneuroses such as h y s t e r i a a r e a l s o o p e r a t i v e
i n p o l t e r g e i s t cases and i n the p a d u c t i o n o f stigmata.
I f we are r i g h t there should be a group o f cases, even though
r a r e ones, c h a r a c t e r i z e d by the occurrence o f a l l three
f e a t u r e s , p o l t e r g e i s t happenings, stigmata, and o v e r t l y
h y s t e r i c a l behavuour.
As i t happens, l o g i c a l l y enough
these can be found.
As i s to be expected by l o g i c t h e i r
frequency i s low.
A l s o we do not have any very recent ones;
though we b e l i e v e that i f a v e r y r i g o r o u s search were conducted
such cases would p r e s e n t themselves.
F o r the moment we
w i l l s a t i s f y our c u r i o u s i t y with two i n s t a n c e s n a r r a t e d
i n Can We E x p l a i n the P o l t e r g e i s t ? ( A . R . G . Owen, 1972), but
d e r i v e d from the i n d e f a t i g a b l e F a t h e r Thurston, S . J .
In
each o f these cases the p o l t e r g e i s t phenomena centred on a
person o f deep r e l i g i o u s f e e l i n g .
The e a r l i e r case concerned
C h r i s t i n a o f Stommeln i n the Rhineland, whose phenomena were
observed around the y e a r 1268 by a Dominican f a t h e r — P e t e r
o f Dacia ( i . e . Scandinavia) when the g i r l was about twentyf i v e years o l d .
Her h i s t o r y i s one o f i n t e n s e r e l i g i o u s
devotion.
At the age of ten she p l i g h t e d her t r o t h to C h r i s t
to be h i s spouse f o r ever;
a t t h i r t e e n she ran away to Cologne
to l i v e a l i f e o f extreme a u s t e r i t y , s t a r v a t i o n , and m o r t i f i c a t i o n
with a community o f Beguines.
She longed to r e c e i v e some
stigmata o r token t h a t would keep C h r i s t ' s s u f f e r i n g s
c o n t i n u a l l y before her mind.
I n t e r e s t i n g l y enough, d e v o t i o n
a l t e r n a t e d with l o s s e s o f f a i t h , and she had numerous v i s i o n a r y
experiences — some tending to undermine her f a i t h , while
others reinforced i t .
Thurston says t h a t i t seems i m p o s s i b l e
to regard these experiences as other than the strange
h a l l u c i n a t i o n s of a h y s t e r i c a l subject.
The p o l t e r g e i s t
phenomena seem to have been on a grand s c a l e but completely
t y p i c a l o f many p o l t e r g e i s t s u b j e c t s .
The " p p e c i a l i t e de l a
maison" was showers o f i n d e s c r i b a b l e f i l t h , much o f i t
"teleported".
T h i s may seem odd, but to p o l t e r g e i s t
connoiseurs reads as the most n a t u r a l t h i n g i n the w o r l d .
These showers, l i k e the r a i n i n the B i b l e , f e l l r a t h e r i m p a r t i a l l y ,
about e q u a l l y on C h r i s t i n a and the s p e c t a t o r s , i n c l u d i n g
P e t e r h i m s e l f , between whom and C h r i s t i n a , there seems to
have developed a romantic bond.
Such a f f i n i t i e s are almost
a commonplace between "possessed" females i n a r e l i g i o u s
context and t h e i r confessors and e x o r c i s t s .
Even S t . Theresa
o f A v i l a , a k i n d o f " i r o n maiden" f o r robustness o f mind among
m y s t i c s , was s e r i o u s l y embarrassed i n her youth by her confessor
and h e r s e l f f a l l i n g i n love (see her A u t o b i o g r a p h y ) ; f o r t u n a t e l y ,
o r u n f o r t u n a t e l y , a c c o r d i n g to one's p o i n t o f view, the poor
young man d i e d of an i l l n e s s l
I n a more l u r i d context
F a t h e r S u r i n , the J e s u i t confessor and e x o r c i s t o f S i s t e r
Jeanne o f the Angels i n the seventeenth c e n t u r t , was "infected"
with the same d i s e a s e as the nun h e r s e l f and became "possessed"—
a r e s u l t d o u b t l e s s encouraged not only by an absurd i d e o l o g y
but through emotional bonding to h i s s u p p l i a n t .
I t was
i n t h i s p e r i o d that C h r i s t i n a r e c e i v e d s t i g m a t i c wounds i n
the presence o f P e t e r and o t h e r s .
C o r r e s p o n d i n g l y , as i s
to be expected, she underwent repeated e c t a s i e s and r a p t u r e s .
T h u r s t o n ' s o t h e r case a l s o occurred i n a country near to the
so r e l i g i o u s Rhineland; i t concerned Domenica C l a r a Moes o f
Luxembourg.
Born i n 1833 she was, a c c o r d i n g to her own
memoirs, favoured from her e a r l i e s t years with a v a r i e t y o f
b e a t i f i c v i s i o n s , i n c l u d i n g frequent appearances o f h e r guardian
a n g e l who would take her m i r a c u l o u s l y on v a r i o u s journeys —
a c u r i o u s p a r a l l e l to t h e ' f l i g h t s ' o f the shamans o f the
c i r c u m p o l a r and North American r e g i o n s .
She a l s o s u f f e r e d from
a m y s t e r i o u s 'eye d i s e a s e ' which i n v o l v e d i n t e r m i t t e n t
b l i n d n e s s f o r short p e r i o d s .
At the age o f twelve she was
completely b l i n d f o r s i x weeks but cured "miraculously" by
a v i s i t to T r i e r to revere the H e i l i g e n Rock — the "Holy
Coat (Tunic o r Robe)" which i s reported to be C h r i s t ' s
seamless garment, and u n t i l r e c e n t times was e x h i b i t e d i n
the c a t h e d r a l t h e r e .
I n I858, when she was twenty-six
she f e l l s i c k o f another mysterious i l l n e s s and was i n bed
f o r two y e a r s , thus a n t i c i p a t i n g Theresa Neumann and Berthe
Mrasek, who were f a c u l t a t i v e p a r a l y t i c s i n the same g e n e r a l
g e o g r a p h i c a l and c u l t u r a l r e g i o n o f Europe some decades l a t e r .
I t was d u r i n g t h i s : i l l n e s s t h a t , i n March i 8 6 0 , Dominica
C l a r a ' s stigmata f i r s t appeared. I n 1861 she and a f r i e n d ,
Anna E n g e l s , founded a new r e l i g i o u s convent i n Luxembourg.
F o r many years l a t e r she had v i s i o n a r y experiences as w e l l
as s t i g m a t i c s c a r s and b l e e d i n g .
The evidence f o r t h i s i s
g o o d , j u s t as f o r a v a r i e t y o f p o l t e r g e i s t phenomena.
Small
o b j e c t s tended to disappear but turned up again i n an e q u a l l y
strange way;
there was a l s o a v a r i e t y o f i n e x p l i c a b l e
n o i s e s , as w e l l as t e l e p o r t a t i o n o f water and l a r g e stones.
The f u t u r e of
stigmatisation.
A r g i n g from the presumption o f s u g g e s t i b i l i t y and a u t o suggestion as important f a c t o r s i n s t i g m a t i s a t i o n , we would
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p o s t u l a t e a tendency f o r the frequency o f s t i g m a t i s t s to
i n c r e a s e , e s p e c i a l l y i n view o f the g r e a t e r e f f i c i e n c y o f
communication i n r e c e n t times, and the prevalence o f
i n v e s t i g a t i v e j o u r n a l i s m . T h i s tendency may be expected
to o f f s e t the r e g i o n a l d e c l i n e i n r e l i g i o n even among C a t h o l i c
communities i n the more developed p a r t s o f the w o r l d .
We would a l s o expect a tendency to r e d i s t r i b u t i o n o f the
p a t t e r n o f i n c i d e n c e , t h a t i s to say more i n s t a n c e s i n the
New World, and i n the T h i r d World.
Thus i n 1977 i n t e r e s t
was aroused by a s t i g m a t i s e d nun v i s i t i n g Canada.
She i s
S i s t e r Susan K u r i e v i l l a o f the S y r i a n Orthodox Church o f
South I n d i a , a branch o f the Roman C a t h o l i c church, and she
runs a centre f o r p r a y e r and the care o f orphans, widows, and
s i c k persons o f a l l r e l i g i o u s and Hindu c a s t e s i n Kerala
state.
She d i s c l a i m s any p r a c t i c e o f brooding on the
wounds o f C h r i s t .
Data on the time spent on p r a y e r , however,
i s not a v a i l a b l e .
C h a r a c t e r i s t i c a l l y her stigmata, ( s c a r s
on hands, f e e t , and forehead, and the " f e r i t a " which blee'.d
o c c a s i o n a l l y though s l i g h t l y ) occurred f i r s t on Good F r i d a y ,
when she was 13 years o l d ;
they healed a f t e r three months
and r e t u r n e d on Good F r i d a y f o r the next f o u r y e a r s .
Thereafter
the s c a r s became permanent, b l e e d i n g sometimes on F r i d a y s ,
and d u r i n g L e n t and P a s s i o n week.
I n the New World among known recent s t i g m a t i s t s are Margaret
R e i l l y , who d i e d i n 1937; (we are not aware o f her b e i n g
granted the t i t l e o f Venerable o r B l e s s e d as y e t ) .
About
the mid 1970's the Ontario newspapers r e p o r t e d a female
s t i g m a t i s t i n the O r i l l i a r e g i o n o f the P r o v i n c e . Few d e t a i l s
were made known, o t h e r than the f a c t t h a t she was a C a t h o l i c .
Above we i m p l i e d t h a t s t i g m a t i s a i o n was r e s t r i c t e d to C a t h o l i c s
( o r perhaps some Orthodox C h r i s t i a n s ) e s p e c i a l l y those who
engaged i n m y s t i c a l p r a y e r .
T h i s a s s e r t i o n h a s n o w to be
r e v i s e d i n consequence o f the emergence o f s t i g m a t i s a t i o n i n
a new m i l i e u — P r o t e s t a n t fundamentalism.
I t would be
hard to say t h a t these churches o r s e c t s encourage a n y t h i n g
c l o s e l y e q u i v a l e n t to m y s t i c a l p r a y e r .
However i t i s p o s s i b l e
t h a t the same r e s u l t i s reached by o t h e r routes such as
procedures with a hypnobic o r h y p n o t i c q u a l i t y engaged i n —
c o l l e c t i v e l y — repeated h a n d c l a p p i n g , s i n g i n g o f phrases
and choruses, even ones as simple as "Praise the L o r d " .
These d i f f e r i n m i l i e u from the m y s t i c a l p r a y e r s o f the
i s o l a t e d r e l i g i o u s person i n the o l d e r r e l i g i o n s , but l i k e
the music o f Wagner o r the chantings o f * S e i g H e i l ' and ' H e i l
H i t l e r * a t Nazi, r a l l i e s can have an a u t o - h y p n o t i c e f f e c t
t h a t by-passes the conscious mind and r o o t s i t s e l f i n the
unconscious.
We have a l r e a d y mentioned the case o f R i t a
i n the New L i g h t B a p t i s t Church a t Oakland, C a l i f o r n i a .
Another i n t e r e s t i n g s t i g m a t i s t i s an e v a n g e l i c a l preacher,
Lucy R y a l l , who appears to he the l e a d e r of her own
fundamentalist P r o t e s t a n t denomination i n New Mexico.
(For
t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n , as with t h a t concerning R i t a , we are g r e a t l y
indebted to an item i n the t e l e v i s i o n s e r i e s , "Arthur C .
C l a r k e ' s World o f the Strange" made by Y o r k s h i r e T e l e v i s i o n ,
England, U . K . ) .
M i s s R y a l l s i n g s e v a n g e l i c a l hymns through
a microphone and her s t y l e i s i n some ways r e m i n i s c e n t o f
a "pop s i n g e r " .
The r e l i g i o u s s e r v i c e s a t which she p r e s i d e s
appear to have some o f the q u a l i t y o f the o l d s t y l e r e v i v a l
meeting;
members o f the congregation, b e s i d e s going i n t o
a k i n d o f trance while s i n g i n g and dancing, f r e q u e n t l y c o l l a p s e
and r o l l around on the f l o o r , meanwhile v o c a l l y p r a i s i n g the
Lord.
As f o r Miss R y a l l , a Caucasian l i k e the m a j o r i t y o f
her congregation, a "catty" commentator might say that l i k e
many c h a r i s m a t i c l e a d e r s she i s the v i c t i m o f her own
propaganda.
A n n u a l l y (at E a s t e r o f course) she becomes
mildly stigmatised.
Blood flows from the centre of the palms
and the f o r e h e a d .
According to what i s shown i n the t e l e v i s i o n
p i c t u r e s there are no deep wounds o r r e s i d u a l s c a r s ;
it
i s mainly a case o f b l e e d i n g through the s k i n .
Of course
we do not know what l e n g t h o f time Miss R y a l l devotes to
prayer.
However h e r case and that o f R i t a open up the
i n t r i g u i n g p o s s i b i l i t y that the new fundmentalism may, a l b e i t
by s l i g h t l y d i f f e r e n t r o u t e s , , open up a new flow o f
stigma t i s a t i o n cases, as w e l l as a new source o f h e a l i n g
m i r a c l e s , on the p r i n c i p l e t h a t one m i r a c l e makes many by
the simple process o f " c r e a t i n g f a i t h " .
S k i n phenomena.
Mechanisms o p e r a t i v e i n the formation o f s k i n l e s i o n s may
be i n some degree the same o r s i m i l a r to those e n t e r i n g
i n t o the a e t i o l o g y o f stigmata.
Notoriously psychological
f a c t o r s p l a y a prominent r o l e i n both the onset and h e a l i n g
o f a v a r i e t y o f epidermal c o n d i t i o n s .
Thus rashes, a t t a c k s
o f h i v e s , i t c h i n g , e t c . are very often s i g n s o f a n x i e t y ,
s t r e s s , o r nervous t e n s i o n .
We have o u r s e l v e s witnessed the
outbreak o f a savage red r a s h , t a k i n g o n l y a few minutes to
form, simultaneously with the person concerned speaking o f
a p a i n f u l past e x p e r i e n c e .
A few minutes l a t e r , a f t e r the
wave o f a n x i e t y had subsided, the r a s h s t a r t e d to fade, and
was gone ten minutes l a t e r .
H e a l i n g o f more long l a s t i n g
c o n d i t i o n s by suggestion o r by hypnosis i s well-known and
represented by very s t r i k i n g and w e l l observed i n s t a n c e s .
L e s i o n s o f the f o r e g o i n g k i n d a r e o f course n o t v e r y
s p e c i f i c a l l y p a t t e r n e d and tend to he d i s t r i b u t e d o v e r whole
r e g i o n s o f the integument, and a r e thus l e s s i n t e r e s t i n g than
those s t r a n g e cases when the p a t t e r n s o f s k i n i r r i t a t i o n
appear t o be not o n l y r e s t r i c t e d but m e a n i n g f u l .
The case
o f a p o l t e r g e i s t g i r l , E l e o n o r e Zugun, which wis o f t h i s k i n d ,
i s an e x t r e m e l y i m p o r t a n t and s i g n i f i c a n t one. I n 1925, a t
the age o f twelve o r t h i r t e e n t h i s peasant g i r l i n Rumania
became the c e n t r e o f l a r g e s c a l e and q u i t e v i o l e n t
p o l t e r g e i s t a c t i v i t y , i n c l u d i n g bombardment w i t h s t o n e s ,
movement and t e l e p o r t a t i o n o f domestic a r t i c l e s .
The e v e n t s
were s u f f i c i e n t l y d r a m a t i c f o r the p r i e s t s t o be c a l l e d i n w i t h
s p e c i a l masses, e x o r c i s m s , and v i s i t s to a l o c a l s h r i n e .
The phenomena p e r s i s t e d and e v e n t u a l l y the p s y c h i c r e s e a r c h
workers Countess W a s s i l k o - S e r e c k i and P r o f e s s o r T h i r r i n g
brought h e r to Vienna f o r study.
Her t e l e p o r t a t i o n phenomena
were o f much i n t e r e s t and were a l s o observed l a t e r i n London
by H a r r y P r i c e and o t h e r i n v e s t i g a t o r s . I n the p r e s e n t
c o n t e x t i t i s E l e a n o r e ' s s k i n phenomena t h a t we a r e concerned
w i t h . They o c c u r r e d f r e q u e n t l y and p e r s i s t e n t l y o v e r s e v e r a l
months. There were numerous e y e - w i t n e s s e s to the marks, who
s a i d t h e y saw them a c t u a l l y f o r m i n g on the s k i n , and they
were o f two t y p e s j l o n g weals and oval-shaped " t e e t h marks",
l i k e b i t e s . As one o b s e r v e r s a i d "Soon a f t e r I e n t e r e d the
room a mark was growing on the g i r l ' s arm.
As I watched i t
grew i n t o a number o f c r u e l - l o o k i n g weals which might have
been i n f l i c t e d by a whip o r t h i n cane
w i t h i n a few
minutes the marks had d i s a p p e a r e d " .
Of the t e e t h marks,
H a r r y P r i c e s a i d they "were f i r s t v i s i b l e as r e d i n d e n t a t i o n s —
the w h i t e surround g r a d u a l l y becoming r e d a t the same time
a s the i n d e n t a t i o n s became w h i t e , r i s i n g i n a t h i c k r i d g e
above the l e v e l o f the f l e s h .
The r i d g e became q u i t e w h i t e
i n the course o f a few minutes and r a p i d l y d i s a p p e a r e d " .
One may be i n c l i n e d t o doubt, o r a t l e a s t tend to r e g a r d these
t e s t i m o n i e s as h i g h l y exaggerated, b u t t h i s would be q u i t e
wrong!
There e x i s t s a f i f t e e n minute l o n g motion p i c t u r e
showing the phenomena, which o c c u r e x a c t l y as the E n g l i s h
w i t n e s s e s d e s c r i b e d . T h i s movie was made by a p r o f e s s i o n a l
f i l m company i n Vienna i n 1925 and shows Countess W a s s i l k o S e r e c k i and P r o f e s s o r T h i r r i n g w i t h E l e o n o r e .
S i l e n t , the
f i l m has s u b - t i t l e s i n German. ( C o p i e s are i n the p o s s e s s i o n
o f the S o c i e t y f o r P s y c h i c a l Research, London, England, and
o f t h i s F o u n d a t i o n , by c o u r t e s y o f Mr. John C u t t e n ) .
The
movie shows E l e o n o r e i n a s l e e v e l e s s and c o l l a r l e s s d r e s s .
P r o f e s s o r T h i r r i n g draws a b l u n t s t y l u s g e n t l y o v e r the s u r f a c e
o f h e r neck. Immediately a w h i t i s h mark, about f o u r i n c h e s
l o n g appears.
T h i s suggests t h a t Eleonore has a c o n d i t i o n
which Charcot and h i s c o l l e a g u e s a t the S a l p e t r i e r e i n the
n i n e t e e n t h century found among t h e i r h y s t e r i c a l p a t i e n t s
and c a l l e d a u t o g l y p h i c s k i n .
The s u b - t i t l e s then e x p l a i n t h a t
Eleonore i s obsessed with the idea t h a t she i s b e i n g
p e r s e c u t e d by a demon whom she c a l l s Dracur.
T h i s i s a name
f o r the D e v i l i n Rumania and Styriet — the "vampire l a n d s "
where the romance o f Dracula o r i g i n a t e d .
We are then shown
a p e n c i l sketch o f Dracu p r e v i o u s l y drawn by Eleonore.
C u r i o u s l y enough, the drawing as much as a n y t h i n g conforms
to one's idea o f a p r i e s t o f the Orthodox Church i n a l o n g
robe and endowed with a severe but not p a r t i c u l a r l y s i n i s t e r ,
f a c i a l expression.
(The psychology behind t h i s i s by no
means obvious.
I t should be noted t h a t from the onset,
some months b e f o r e , o f the g i r l ' s p o l t e r g e i s t phenomena, the
r e l a t i v e s and neighbours, and perhaps the p r i e s t s and nuns,
had blamed "Dracu" f o r the happenings)
Eleonore then
takes a l i g h t hammer and s t r i k e s a t the drawing which i s l a i d
f l a t on the t a b l e .
A f t e r each blow she winces and c r i e s out
as i f b e i n g pinched by the demon.
Next the two i n v e s t i g a t o r s ,
the Countess and the P r o f e s s o r , h o l d the g i r l ' s hands.
As
we watch l o n g weals r i s e on her cheeks, arms, and shoulders.
S i m i l a r l y tooth marks appear i n the course o f a few seconds!
They c l o s e l y resemble " u r t i c a r i a s " s w e l l i n g s and prominences
o f the s k i n , which occur d u r i n g some k i n d s o f a l l e r g i c
r e a c t i o n , e.g. to c o n t a c t o f the s k i n with v a r i o u s p l a n t
s p e c i e s such as some o f those b e l o n g i n g to the genus, P r i m u l a .
(Here we speak from p e r s o n a l e x p e r i e n c e ! ) .
In p a s s i n g , i t
i s worth s a y i n g t h a t having been i n t o t a l ignorance p r i o r
to 1970 o f the e x i s t e n c e o f t h i s movie, we were most i n t e r e s t e d
to d i s c o v e r how p e r f e c t l y i t confirmed the o r i g i n a l eye-witness
testimony.
T h i s f a c t should be q u i t e an o b j e c t l e s s o n to
those who f r i v o l o u s l y r e j e c t the testimony o f witnesses!
The readers are a t l i b e r t y , should they so wish, to regard
Eleonore Zugun*s phenomena as d i a b o l i c a l m i r a c l e s . But t h i s
i n t e r p r e t a t i o n i s no more necessary now than i t has been i n
hundreds o f p o l t e r g e i s t cases, some o f which, a c c o r d i n g to
the time or p l a c e i n which they occurred hove been a t t r i b u t e d
to demons, e l v e s , f a i r i e s , j i n n , e t c . e t c .
Indeed the
f o u n t a i n o f f o l l y bubbles and b u r b l e s p e r p e t u a l l y . We may
o n l y look a t the antecedents o f the p r o f i t a b l e and h i g h l y
p u b l i c i s e d motion p i c t u r e The E x o r c i s t , d e r i v e d from a book
o f the same name by W i l l i a m P e t e r B l a t t y .
The movie was
d i r e c t e d by W i l l i a m F r i e d k i n who had then a very g r e a t
r e p u t a t i o n as having d i r e c t e d a movftf about drug d e a l e r s , The
French Connection.
Rather d i s i n g e n u o u s l y t h i s was e x t e n s i v e l y
p u b l i c i s e d as being (based) on a true s t o r y .
T h i s was
s l i g h t l y u n f a i r to the p u b l i c ,who are n o t s c h o l a r s a b l e to
d e t e c t the nuances o f meaning s e p a r a t i n g "based on", "adapted
f r o m " , J " b e i n g \ancL» a f t e r " an o r i g i n a l .
Although i t was
e s s e n t i a l l y a s t r a i g h t t r a n s l a t i o n o f B l a t t y ' s n o v e l , the
l a t t e r was an extremely f r e e a d a p t a t i o n o f a r e a l p o l t e r g e i s t
case which occurred i n 19^9 i n Mount R a i n i e r , Maryland.
The
case s t a r t e d as a somewhat c o n v e n t i o n a l o r run o f the m i l l
p o l t e r g e i s t outbreak.
I t centred on a f o u r t e e n - y e a r o l d boy;
c o n t i n u a l s c r a t c h i n g n o i s e s under the f l o o r b o a r d s o f h i s bedroom
were heard by everyone i n h i s f a m i l y .
L a t e r an armchair i n the
l i v i n g room rose i n t o the a i r ;
simultane .ously a vase flew
a c r o s s the room and smashed i t s e l f a g a i n s t the w a l l .
The
p a r e n t s , who were L u t h e r a n s , c o n s u l t e d t h e i r m i n i s t e r , who
took the boy to lodge i n h i s household, but as o f t e n happens
i n these cases, t h i n g s were worse than ever, and a l s o took p l a c e
a t the b o y ' s s c h o o l .
He was i n v e s t i g a t e d a t Georgetown
U n i v e r s i t y H o s p i t a l , but a p p a r e n t l y not c u r e d . Perhaps had
he stayed there he might have r e c o v e r e d .
Unfortunately h i s
Lutheran p a r e n t s had a l r e a d y c a l l e d i n the C a t h o l i c c l e r g y ,
and he was sent to the A l e x i a n B r o t h e r s H o s p i t a l a t a
c o n s i d e r a b l e d i s t a n c e from h i s home, i n f a c t as f a r as S t .
L o u i s ; where the treatment f o r h i s i l l n e s s seems to have
c o n s i s t e d mainly i n the sayings o f Mass o r readings o f the
Roman R i t u a l f o r Exorcism by thie p r i e s t s .
He was, moreover,
b a p t i z e d i n t o the C a t h o l i c f a i t h and r e c e i v e d Holy Communion.
The r e s u l t o f a l l t h i s h i g h l y suggestive symbolism on an
a l r e a d y h y s t e r i c a l person was e x a c t l y as might have been
predicted.
He had numerous " f i t s " ;
he spoke i n strange
v o i c e s and i n languages "recognized" as French and L a t i n ,
used v e r y bad and abusive words;
he barked, and growled,
and h u r l e d h i m s e l f about.
A l l that concerns us h e r e , a p a r t
from the t o t a l l y i n e p t h a n d l i n g o f the matter by the p r i e s t s ,
i s the occurrence o f a s t i g m a t i c type o f phenomena.
As
one p r i e s t s a i d "Brandings would appear on h i s body, from which
b l o o d would a c t u a l l y flow".
These b r a n d i n g s , o r "welts"
as some witnesses c a l l e d them often took the form of words.
"Spite" appeared many times, s i m i l a r l y " h e l l " .
Towards
the end o f the case i t i s s a i d that the welts on the body
s p e l l e d out the words "Satan, Satan, Go. Now, Now, Now".
Soon a f t e r , the boy r e v e r t e d to normal e i t h e r because of,
o r i n s p i t e of, the m i n i s t r a t i o n s o f h i s s p i r i t u a l a d v i s e r s ,
whom we are s o r r y to say i n c l u d e d members o f the S o c i e t y o f
Jesus, who should have known b e t t e r .
As we have noted, the Venerable Catherine Emmerich bore
a s t i g m a t i c s c a r p e c u l i a r to h e r s e l f , a Y-shaped c r o s s on
her chest.
Padre P i o , i n a d d i t i o n to other wounds, had a
s m a l l i n v e r t e d c r o s s as a s c a r on h i s side near the h e a r t .
A contemporary s t i g r a a t i s t , Natuzza Evolo, born i n C a l a b r i a ,
I t a l y i n 1924, b e s i d e s having stigmata o f the " u s u a l " k i n d
a l s o produces s t i g m a t i c wounds on her w r i s t s i n the form o f
a c r o s s , a l s o the Greek l e t t e r s alpha and omega. (See Appendix I ) .
S a i n t C l a r e o f Montefalco i n Umbria, I t a l y , d i e d i n 1308
a t the age o f t h i r t y - t h r e e .
She had s a i d " I f you seek the
c r o s s o f C h r i s t , take my heart;
there you w i l l f i n d the
s u f f e r i n g Lord".
The nuns o f her convent were more l i t e r a l
minded than the executors o f Queen Mary o f England and they
e x c i s e d her heart, which i s preserved a t Montefalco to t h i s
day.
They a l s o d i s s e c t e d the o r g a n c l a i m i n g to f i n d i n i t
a t i n y formation o f t i s s u e resembling a c r u c i f i x o f hardened
white t i s s u e , with the body o f C h r i s t and the lance and a
Crown o f Thorns.
Today t h i s formation i s preserved i n a
g l a s s case.
A r e c e n t v i s i t o r says "The c r o s s i s f a i r l y
d i s t i n g u i s h a b l e , b u t you had to use g r e a t imagination to
d e c i p h e r the r e s t " .
(David Sox,
R e l i c s and Shrines, George
A l l e n and Unwin, London, 1985.)
I t i s p o s s i b l e t h a t the
nuns were l e d a s t r a y by the eye o f f a i t h , and the formation
was an e n t i r e l y n a t u r a l product o f which S a i n t C l a r e became to
some degree aware by the occurrence o f some k i n d o f s e n s a t i o n
of discomfort.
But we cannot be sure t h a t a s t i g m a t i s a t i o n
p r o c e s s may not take p l a c e i n t e r n a l l y i n obedience to causes
s i m i l a r to those producing e x t e r n a l ones.
?
Fragrances,
Because o f the o p p o r t u n i t y f o r f r a u d i n darkened seance rooms,
i t i s hard to a t t a c h much s i g n i f i c a n c e to the f r a g r a n c e s
( u s u a l l y o f known s p e c i e s : rose, verbena, o r sandalwood) common
a t s p i r i t u a l i s t seance rooms i n the l a s t century. P e c u l i a r
smells, o f t e n unpleasant, r e p o r t e d i n contemporary p o l t e r g e i s t
cases are a l s o d i f f i c u l t to a s s e s s .
But s t o r i e s concerning
the "odour o f s a n c t i t y " , perfumes m a n i f e s t i n g i n the v i c i n i t y o f
persons o f h o l y l i f e , are numerous.
Testimony was v e r y
abundant with regard to the fragrance which clung to e v e r y t h i n g
touched by St. Mary Frances o f the F i v e founds, to the scent o f
v i v u o l e mammole (a s p e c i e s o f v i o l e t ) a s s o c i a t e d with S t .
Catherine o f Ricce (1522-29).
These s a i n t s were s t i g m a t i c s ,
as was S i s t e r Mary o f Jesus C r u c i f i e d who d i e d i n I878, b e i n g
s i m i l a r l y favoured a c c o r d i n g to h e r Carmelite companions a t
both Bethlehem and Pau ( F r a n c e ) .
S i m i l a r l y the nuns a t
R e c k s h i l l (New York State) claimed t h a t a wonderful f r a g r a n c e
p e r s i s t e d i n t h e i r chapel a f t e r a v i s i t by the s t i g m a t i c
Margaret R e i l l y (died 1937).
I n the case of S t . V e r o n i c a
G u i l i a n i (I636-I727) i t was d e f i n i t e l y b e l i e v e d that the scent
proceeded from her stigmata.
The same i s s a i d o f F a t h e r P i o
F o r g i o n e , and there appears to be competent medical testimony
as to the o b j e c t i v e r e a l i t y o f the scent, which i s v a r i o u s l y
compared to r o s e s , v i o l e t s , o r incense.
These fragrances
do not seem to be i n v a r i a b l y a s s o c i a t e d with stigmata, but
the frequency o f r e p o r t s i s v e r y numerous.
Thus when the
wound on the forehead o f S a i n t Rita o f Cascia i s d e s c r i b e d as
" e v i l - s m e l l i n g " we are i n c l i n e d to accept i t as a true r e p o r t
j u s t because i t i s the opposite o f what would be c o n v e n t i o n a l l y
assumed i n t h i s f i e l d o f study.
No chemical a n a l y s i s o f s t i g m a t i c blood yet p u b l i s h e d has
claimed to f i n d aromatic substances t h e r e i n .
The door i s
by no means c l o s e d to a n a t u r a l i s t i c e x p l a n a t i o n .
Agreeable
odours are o c c a s i o n a l l y r e p o r t e d by p h y s i c i a n s i n connection
with v a r i o u s maladies such as acetonomis where there i s a scent
of russet apples.
I t i s not i n c o n c e i v a b l e that p r o f o u n d l y
r e l i g i o u s temperaments may be c o r r e l a t e d i n some degree with
metabolic e f f e c t s
i n which both b i o c h e m i c a l and psycho-somatic
factors participate,
i s a c u r i o u s footnote we r e c a l l a statement
by the Revd. D r . Henry More (1614-1687), the Cambridge
" P l a t o n i s t " p h i l o s o p h e r , an ordained A n g l i c a n p r i e s t , and
F e l l o w o f C h r i s t ' s C o l l e g e , Cambridge. He s a i d t h a t he exuded
a v e r y sweet and d e l i c a t e odour which permeated h i s c l o t h e s
and bed l i n e n .
As a P r o t e s t a n t there was no p o s s i b i l i t y o f
him being canonized, but possessed o f a v e r y kind and g e n t l e
n a t u r e , he could c e r t a i n l y be d e s c r i b e d as a s a i n t l y p e r s o n .
As one o f h i s biographers says " M y s t i c a l devotion was the
c h i e f f e a t u r e o f h i s c h a r a c t e r , a c e r t a i n r a d i a n c y o f thought
which c a r r i e d him beyond the common l i f e without r a i s i n g him
to any a r t i f i c i a l l i g h t f o r h i s h u m i l i t y and c h a r i t y were
not l e s s conspicuous than h i s p i e t y " .
The q u e s t i o n o f fragrance i s i n some degree a l l i e d to the
problems o f i n c o r r u p t i b i l i t y and of d y r i n g "in the odour o f
sanctity".
A s u r p r i s i n g l y h i g h p r o p o r t i o n o f s a i n t s have
been exhumed a f t e r b e a t i f i c a t i o n and t h e i r bodies then
d i s c o v e r e d to be i n a remarkably good s t a t e o f p r e s e r v a t i o n .
A l s o the cadavers o f many s a i n t l y personages are sometimes
a l l e g e d to emit a fragrance which sometimes p e r s i s t s f o r months
o r even y e a r s .
I t i s not o n l y o f s t i g m a t i s t s that t h i s i s
asserted.
Another strange c l a i m i s the p e r s i s t e n c e o f
warmth i n the corpse long a f t e r l i f e i s e x t i n c t .
For that
reason we c o n s i d e r the phenomenon known as incendium a'moris,
the flames o f l o v e , i n the l i v i n g . A l s o , because i t i s
r e l e v a n t we have to mention i n e d i a , t h a t i s , f a i l u r e to e a t .
Flames o f l o v e .
Some v e r y famous S a i n t s , such as C a t h e r i n e o f Genoa (14471510)
and Mary Magdalen o f P a z z i (I566-I607) were r e p u t e d l y
s u f f e r e r s from incendium a m o r i s , a s c r i b e d to the warmth o f t h e i r
l o v e o f God, so t h a t even i n w i n t e r they sought f o r c o o l i n g
winds, and c o l d compresses. I n the case o f the boy s a i n t
S t a n i s l a s Kostka (1550-68) who d i e d d u r i n g h i s n o v i t i a t e we
may s u s p e c t an a c t u a l i n f e c t i o n .
I n o t h e r c a s e s we might suppose
the a r d o u r s to have been s u b j e c t i v e . But C a r d i n a l C r e s c e n z i
s a i d o f S t . P h l i p N e r i (1515-95) t h a t the touch o f h i s hand
was as from one i n a r a g i n g f e v e r , and the a t t e n d a n t s o f S t .
C a t h e r i n e i n h e r l a s t i l l n e s s deposed t h a t b l o o d d i s c h a r g e d by
the S a i n t was e x c e p t i o n a l l y h o t , even f o r a p a t i e n t i n f e v e r .
Nuns a f f i r m e d a t the b e a t i f i c a t i o n p r o c e s s o f S e r a f i n o o f Dio
( d i e d (I699) t h a t i t scorched them i f they touched her.
A Life
o f Mary V i l l a n i (1574-1670) p u b l i s h e d i n 1974 says t h a t i n the
a u t o p s y n i n e h o u r s a f t e r death the surgeon found the h e a r t too
hot to h o l d .
Of the s a i n t s p r e v i o u s l y mentioned, S t . P h i l i p N e r i was n e i t h e r
s t i g m a t i s e d n o r h y s t e r i c a l , but Mary V i l l a n i and Mary
Magdalen were s t i g m a t i c s , which may be r e l e v a n t .
I n our own
day the incendium was one o f the phenomena o f F a t h e r P i o
F o r g i o n e (1887-1968) o f the Capuchin monastery o f San G i o v a n n i
Rotundo n e a r F o g g i a . H i s s t i g m a t a , r e c e i v e d f i r s t i n 1915,
were d e c l a r e d i n 1923 by the H o l y O f f i c e n o t to have been
p r o v e d t o be s u p e r n a t u r a l .
F a t h e r P i o was something o f a
l a t t e r - d a y Cure o f A r s , because, though v e r y r e s e r v e d and
r e t i r i n g , l i k e S t . John Vianney, he was a l s o a g r e a t c o n f e s s o r ,
and the same g i f t o f t e l e p a t h y o r " r e a d i n g o f h e a r t s " i s
a l l e g e d o f him, as w e l l as o t h e r p s y c h i c a b i l i t i e s . I t i s
s a i d t h a t as a n o v i c e a t Benevento he o c c a s i o n a l l y r a n a
f e v e r w i t h a temperature so h i g h as to break the c l i n i c a l
thermometer. S p e c i a l measurements showed a b l o o d h e a t o f
112°F
(45°C).
The modern d i s c o v e r y o f b i o f e e d b a c k which can be used to
r a i s e temperature l o c a l l y i n the body as w e l l as to v a r y b l o o d
c i r c u l a t i o n and p r e s s u r e may be r e l e v a n t i n t h i s c o n t e x t ,
as w e l l as r e c e n t c l a i m s by y o g i v i s i t i n g the U.S.A. such as
Swami Rama, whose a b i l i t y to modify the f u n c t i o n i n g o f h i s
v a s c u l a r system was s t u d i e d by Dr. & Mrs. Elmer Green a t the
Menninger F o u n d a t i o n , Topeka, Kansas, i n I969-I97O.
F e v e r o f an h y s t e r i c a l r a t h e r than an o r g a n i c o r i g i n a p p e a r s
to be r a r e as an i s o l a t e d symptom, but seems to o c c u r
o c c a s i o n a l l y i n c o n j u n c t i o n w i t h o t h e r h y s t e r i c a l symptoms 1
as i n the case o f D r . S c h l i n e r ' s p a t i e n t .
I n t h i s connection
i t may he a p p r o p r i a t e to mention S a i n t Teresa o f A v i l a (15151582), a c r u c i a l f i g u r e f o r the i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f mysticism
because o f her w r i t i n g s , which g i v e a d e t a i l e d d e s c r i p t i o n o f
her s p i r i t u a l l i f e and o f a l l her doubts, h e s i t a t i o n s , and
s u f f e r i n g s , i n her search f o r God. A l s o she combined the l i f e
o f r e l i g i o u s contemplation with an i n t e n s e a c t i v i t y and
commonsense e f f i c i e n c y i n p r a c t i c a l a f f a i r s , such as founding
new convents o f the reformed C a r m e l i t e r u l e , and c a r r y i n g
reform i n t o the C a r m e l i t e monastries.
A woman o f the h i g h e s t
i n t e l l i g e n c e , she had a commanding but h i g h l y a t t r a c t i v e
p e r s o n a l i t y , f r a n k , a f f e c t i o n a t e , gay and w i t t y .
Yet w i t h a l
she s u f f e r e d from h y s t e r i c a l i l l n e s s ;
c e r t a i n l y i n the
f i r s t h a l f o f her l i f e , when she was r a r e l y w e l l .
Her a i l m e n t s
as she t e l l s us i n her Autobiography, i n c l u d e d frequent
f a i n t i n g f i t s and comasl "pains i n the heart" (presumably i n
the chest and c a r d i a c r e g i o n ) , d i s t r i b u t e d p a i n everywhere
from the head to the f e e t , and general p a r a l y s i s .
I t may
be p o s s i b l e that Teresa was a f f l i c t e d with some obscure
m e t a b o l i c o r n e u r o l o g i c a l d i s e a s e , which i n her time c o u l d
not be diagnosed.
However many p h y s i c i a n s have agreed i n
making the r e t r o s p e c t i v e d i a g n o s i s o f h y s t e r i a .
The f a c t
that she cured h e r s e l f r a t h e r suddenly by appeal to S t . Joseph
i s a good c o n f i r m a t i o n of the h y p o t h e s i s .
In the p r e s e n t context i t i s i n t e r s t i n g to note that she
a l s o s u f f e r e d , as she says, from an i n t e r m i t t e n t f e v e r .
(En
passant, the Church has appointed her the patron s a i n t o f
s u f f e r e r s from headaches).
S a i n t Teresa was not h e r s e l f
a s t i g m a t i c , but she had an experience somewhat r e m i n i s c e n t
o f those o f S a i n t F r a n c i s and S a i n t Catherine o f Siena when
the l a t t e r r e c e i v e d the " i n v i s i b l e stigmata".
Teresa had
a v i s i o n i n which an angel came with a lance dipped i n f i r e
"a spea o f d i v i n e love" with which he p i e r c e d her h e a r t .
O c c a s i o n a l l y i t seems a r e s t r i c t e d r e g i o n o f the body can
have i t s temperature r a i s e d by a h y s t e r i c a l or s i m i l a r
mechanism.
Thus the l e f t arm o f a " p o l t e r g e i s t " g i r l ,
Angelique C o t t i n , i n v e s t i g a t e d i n P a r i s i n 1846 gave o f f a
g e n t l e heat, i t s temperature was e l e v a t e d above t h a t o f
her body, and the o t h e r l i m b s .
The arm trembled and underwent
frequent c o n t r a x t i o n s and q u i v e r i n g s .
She had frequent
i n t e n s e s t i n g i n g s i n the w r i s t a s s o c i a t e d with paroxysms.
The d i a g n o s i s o f h y s t e r i a i s n o t , o f course, t o t a l l y r e l i a b l e ,
but i s , a t l e a s t , c o n s i s t e n t with the symptoms.
Resistance
to heat.
I t would be unwise to speculate over-much on i n c o m b u s t i b i l i t y
o r immunity to f i r e , because l i t t l e o f t h i s nature has been
a s s e r t e d since the s i x t e e n t h century when i t was s a i d that
Venerable Domenica d e l Paradiso (1473-1553) could c a r r y l i v e
c h a r c o a l i n h e r hands, a u s e f u l accomplishment p r i o r t o the
i n v e n t i o n o f matches.
Numerous i n c i d e n t s o f t h i s s o r t were
r e p o r t e d o f Si. F r a n c i s o f P a c i a (1416-1507), such as p u t t i n g
h i s hands i n t o b o i l i n g o i l o r mending hot l i m e - k l i n s .
S t . C a t h e r i n e o f Siena (1347-1389) and h e r c l o t h e s a r e s a i d to
have been m i r a c u l o u s l y preserved from s c o r c h i n g when i n an
e c s t a s y she l a y f o r an a p p r e c i a b l e time i n contact with the
kitchen f i r e .
F a t h e r Thurston has attempted to e r e c t some
p a r a l l e l s between mystic i n c o m b u s t i b i l i t y and the p r a c t i c e o f
f i r e - w a l k i n g , as w e l l as the f e a t s o f the medium D a n i a l Dunglass
Home (I833-I886), b u t the subject seems a t p r e s e n t beyond
the reach o f c r i t i c a l a n a l y s i s .
I n e d i a and a n o r e x i a .
I n e d i a , o r l i v i n g with very l i t t l e food, v a r i e s from
i n s t a n c e s l i k e that o f the Cure' o f A r s , (1786-1859) where
g r e a t a c t i v i t y i s maintained on a very l i g h t d i e t , t o cases often
h a i l e d as miraculous where the i n d i v i d u a l , almost i n v a r i a b l y a
woman, a p p a r e n t l y s u r v i v e s f o r months and years on no food and
l i t t l e drink.
I n h i s recent book (Holy A n o r e x i a , U n i v e r s i t y
o f Chicago P r e s s ) , Rudolph B e l l , a p r o f e s s o r o f h i s t o r y a t
Rutgers U n i v e r s i t y , notes t h a t o f f o r t y women i n I t a l y who
were canonized i n the 14th century about h a l f were e n e d i c s .
Many attempts have been made to prove by o b s e r v a t i o n t h a t
f a s t i n g i s complete.
O c c a s i o n a l l y they end t r a g i c a l l y i n
death;
which suggests that when unsupervised the hungers t r i k e r does i n f a c t take a l i t t l e nourishment.
Inedics are
not always Roman C a t h o l i c s o r even p a r t i c u l a r l y r e l i g i o u s .
U s u a l l y there i s evidence o f nervous d i s o r d e r ;
the i n e d i c
i s bedridden with a mysterious i l l n e s s , o r i s g i v e n to f i t s
or trances.
H y s t e r i a i n e d i a o r anorexia nervosa i s a v e r y
well-known d i s o r d e r , and can end i n death.
Often the a n o r e x i c
i s l i t e r a l l y i n c a p a b l e o f a c c e p t i n g s o l i d food and r e j e c t s i t by
automatic choking o r vomiting outside o f conscious c o n t r o l .
I t i s not f u l l y understood why i n e d i c s can s u r v i v e f o r such
long p e r i o d s and i t would be f o o l i s h to underestimate r e s i d u a l
d i f f i c u l t i e s of n a t u r a l i s t i c explanation.
But there i s no
obvious f e a t u r e by which i n e d i a i n the devout d i f f e r s from
anorexia i n h y s t e r i c a l persons.
R e l i g i o u s i n e d i c s often
show other signs o f h y s t e r i a ;
female s t i g m a t i c s a r e f r e q u e n t l y
inedics also.
One o f the more r e c e n t s t i g m a t i c s mentioned above, namely
S i s t e r Susan K u r a v i l l a , i s a l s o , i t seems, an extreme i n e d i c .
Since 1950, she claimed, she had taken no o t h e r food than the
Communion wafers and minute q u a n t i t i e s o f honey, grape j u i c e ,
or g i n g e r concentrates — "not more than two ounces i n a week".
Doctors who examined her i n Canada pronounced her q u i t e
h e a l t h y though p h y s i c a l l y s l i g h t .
In t h i s connection i t should
be noted t h a t although her h e i g h t ( f i v e f e e t , s i x t y inches
152 cm) i s not g r e a t , her weight i s more than p r o p o r t i o n a l l y
l i g h t , namely 80 pounds o n l y .
T h i s encourages a q u e s t i o n .
In the course of a t l e a s t h a l f a century i n t r y i n g to pursue
the anomalous, the strange, the "miraculous" we have l e a r n e d
one l e s s o n a t l e a s t .
A s u r p r i s i n g l y large proportion of
q u e s t i o n s r e l a t i n g to the unknown r e v e a l what we s t i l l do not
know concerning the supposedly known and understood.
Thus
we do not r e a l l y know the l i m i t s of t o l e r a n c e o f the human
frame to under nourishment.
U n t i l t h i s i s answered we
cannot p o n t i f i c a t e concerning the minimum d i e t f o r l i f e and
activity.
Incorruption.
As we have s a i d , a l a r g e number o f h o l y persons have
escaped decay o f the body a f t e r death to a remarkable degree.
Something l i k e a hundred cases are known.
I n o n l y a few
cases i n the Roman Church has b e a t i f i c a t i o n o r c a n o n i z a t i o n
been a u t h o r i s e d on the b a s i s o f i n c o r r u p t i b i l i t y , though i n
the E a s t e r n Church i n e a r l i e r days a t l e a s t i t seems to have
been a s i n e qua non.
F o r c e n t u r i e s i n the west the procedure
has been f o r the process or h e a r i n g s to be concluded and then
i f the v e r d i c t i s favourable the supporters o f the cause
e n t h u s i a s t i c a l l y and h o p e f u l l y d i s i n t e r the remains.
I f the
body i s w e l l preserved t h i s i s taken as y e t f u r t h e r c o n f i r m a t i o n
of the s a i n t ' s h e r o i c v i r t u e and an o p p o r t u n i t y f o r f u r t h e r
rejoicing.
I f however the remains are mere bones and dust
i t i s not taken as r e f l e c t i n g on the s a n c t i t y o f the deceased.
Indeed many o f the Church's g r e a t e s t s a i n t s have'-been as
c o r r u p t i b l e as the next man and i n c l u d e S a i n t Dominic, S a i n t
Bernard o f C l a i r v a u x , S a i n t F r a n c i s o f A s s i s i , and S a i n t
I g n a t i u s L o y a l a . However some o f the most famous and p o p u l a r
s a i n t s have been i n c o r r u p t . Thus Bernadette o f Lourdes
(1844-79) was found i n c o r r u p t i n 1909 though with the face brown
and the eyes sunken.
Only bones were r e v e a l e d when the
" l i t t l e Theresa", S a i n t Therese o f L i s e u x was d i s i n t e r r e d .
But t h i n g s were d i f f e r e n t with the "great Theresa", S a i n t
Teresa o f A v i l a .
A v i o l e t odour and a f r a g r a n t o i l were s a i d
to d i s t i l from her tomb, and when i t was opened i n 1583. n i n e
months a f t e r her death, the body was found undecayed.
— Star photo bv EI*I Camte ?
HANDS, F E E T A N D F O R E H E A D of Sister Susan Kuruvilla show the same
wounds Jesus reportedly suffered on the cross and from the crown of thorns.
The nun, who runs a prayer centre and hostel for the needy in southerns
India, eats virtually nothing. She is visiting relatives in D o n Mills.)
S a i n t Catherine o f Genoa's remains were l e f t f o r about
eighteen months i n t h e i r f i r s t r e s t i n g - p l a c e . However the
spot was b e l i e v e d to be damp so the c o f f i n was taken out and
opened. "The h o l y body was found e n t i r e from head to f o o t
without any l e s i o n " .
We have mentioned how the body o f
Loyola, the founder o f the J e s u i t order was not preserved.
However S a i n t F r a n c i s Xavier.the great missionary to the F a r
East, and one of Loyola's f i r s t seven f o l l o w e r s , provided
a v e r y i n t e r e s t i n g example o f i n c o r r u p t i o n .
He died o f f e v e r
i n China i n 1552.
H i s body was packed i n quicklime and
sent to Goa i n I n d i a . When the casket was opened the body was
s t i l l fresh.
I t has been examined and e x h i b i t e d many times
s i n c e ; although somewhat darkened and d r y , i t appears to
be e s s e n t i a l l y i n t a c t .
Among s t i g m a t i s t s who have been
i n c o r r u p t we must l i s t Rita o f Cascia mentioned above.
U n l i k e s t i g m a t i s a t i o n the Church d i d not have to wait f o r
a millenium p r i o r to the f i r s t observation o f i n c o r r u p t i b i l i t y .
S a i n t Ambrose o f M i l a n (340-397) wrote to S a i n t Augustine
o f Hippo (35^-^30) concerning the body o f a martyr Nazarius
which along with one Celsus had been found b u r i e d i n a garden
outside M i l a n .
Speaking as an eyewitness S a i n t Ambrose
says "we saw the martyr's blood as f r e s h as i f i t had been
shed that same day.
F u r t h e r , h i s head, which the wretches
had cut o f f , was so p e r f e c t and free from c o r r u p t i o n with
a l l the h a i r and the beard, that i t looked to us, a t the
time we moved i t , as i f i t had been washed and l a i d out f o r
i n s p e c t i o n there i n the tomb ....
Also we were overwhelmed
at the same time with so heavy a fragrance that i t surpassed
a l l perfumes i n sweetness".
S a i n t C e c i l i a , the patron s a i n t
o f music was supposed to be a C h r i s t i a n martyr who was k i l l e d
i n her house a t the spot i n the Trastevere d i s t r i c t o f Rome
where her church now stands. The s t o r y goes t h a t i n the n i n t h
century Pope P a s c h a l I, who c o l l e c t e d l a r g e numbers o f r e l i c s
f o r the churches o f Rome, dreamt that her body was i n the
catacomb o f S a i n t C a l l i x t u s , and i t was duly found there,
and on d i s i n t e r m e n t was i n c o r r u p t , a f t e r presumably more than
six centuries.
A f t e r another s i x hundred years i n 1599 the tomb
i n her church was opened and a s c u l p t o r i n s t r u c t e d to carve
a r e p l i c a of e x a c t l y what had been seen.
This sculpture
i s there today together with an i n s c r i p t i o n by the s c u l p t o r
c e r t i f y i n g i t to be an accurate p o r t r a y a l o f the s t i l l
i n c o r r u p t body.
The Reformation i n B r i t a i n was completed about f o u r c e n t u r i e s
ago, thus readers brought up w i t h i n the B r i t i s h sphere o f c u l t u r e
may be unaware o f some i n t e r e s t i n g E n g l i s h i n c o r r u p t i b l e s .
These i n c l u d e persons o f r o y a l b i r t h , such as Stheldreda,
the Abbess o f E l y , and daughter o f King Anna o f East A n g l i a .
Married s u c c e s s i v e l y to a Welsh p r i n c e l i n g and then to
a son o f the King o f Northumbria, she e v e n t u a l l y was granted
r e l e ^ c e from h e r marriage vows.
Her a s c e t i c i s m , evidenced
by h e r t a k i n g few meals o r baths, as w e l l as h e r success
i n i n t e r c e s s i o n on b e h a l f o f s u p p l i a n t s d e s i r i n g h e a l i n g
m i r a c l e s , made h e r s e l f and E l y very famous. S i x t e e n y e a r s
a f t e r h e r death i n 679 h e r remains were found "as f r e e from
c o r r u p t i o n as i f she had j u s t died and been b u r i e d on t h a t
very day".
At the Reformation Etheldreda's body was destroyed
o r l o s t , - e x c e p t f o r a hand which i s now i n S t . Etheldreda's
Roman C a t h o l i c Church, and resembles brown parchment
s t r e t c h e d over bones, s h r i v e l l e d f l e s h and muscular t i s s u e .
King Edward the "Confessor" (who died, as every schoolboy
knows, i n 1066) was regarded by many as a s a i n t even i n h i s
own l i f e t i m e .
B u r i e d i n Westminster Abbey i n that year,
the body was exhumed i n 1102 and found to be p e r f e c t l y
incorrupt.
One o f England's b e s t loved s a i n t s , even to the
p r e s e n t day, i s the g e n t l e S t . Cuthbert o f L i n d i s f a r n e ,
now c a l l e d the Holy I s l a n d , i n h i s honour, o f f the coast
o f Northumberland.
He d i e d i n 68?.
H i s remains were l a t e r
taken to Durham c a t h e d r a l .
H i s sepulchre was opened i n 1104
and the body d i s c o v e r e d to be p e r f e c t l y preserved, f l e x i b l e
and e x h a l i n g a "heavenly f r a g r a n c e " .
T h i s statement was
proved i n a c u r i o u s way n o t to be merely a p i o u s i n v e n t i o n .
I n 1537 Henry V I I I ' s commissioners a r r i v e d i n Durham to
g a t h e r t r e a s u r e and put down i d o l a t r y .
They found Cuthbert
" l y i n g whole, i n c o r r u p t , with h i s face bare, and h i s beard
as o f a f o r t n i g h t ' s growth" and were s u f f i c i e n t l y moved
to a l l o w i t to be r e b u r i e d .
As the commissioners were l i k e l y
to be as h a r d b o i l e d as t h e i r r o y a l master and h i s m i n i s t e r
Thomas Cromwell i t i s probable that the s t o r y i s true, f o r
otherwise i t would not have been the k i n d o f t h i n g to be
invented.
However i n 1827 the remains were examined a g a i n
and found to c o n s i s t only o f an enrobed s k e l e t o n .
It is
p o s s i b l e t h e r e f o r e that i n c o r r u p t i b i l i t y , even though maintained
f o r s e v e r a l c e n t u r i e s m a y y e t be n u l l i f i e d e i t h e r by passage
o f time o r by t r a n s f e r o f the corpse.
}
The p r e s e r v a t i o n o f the f l e s h o f h o l y persons appears to
i n v o l v e a degree o f c a p r i g i o u s n e s s .
One can sympathize
with the words o f Montague Summers who s a i d i n h i s book
The P h y s i c a l Phenomena o f Mysticism, (tfider, London, 1950),
w r i t t e n , by the way, on e n t i r e l y Medieval l i n e s , u n l i k e
F a t h e r T h u r s t o n ' s " t h e D i v i n e Plan i n r e s p e c t o f i n c o r r u p t i o n
has n o t y e t been made c l e a r to human i n t e l l i g e n c e " .
However
7
human i n t e l l i g e n c e can take us some way i n the d i r e c t i o n o f
a normal o r n a t u r a l i s t i c e x p l a n a t i o n .
Outside the r e l i g i o u s
sphere there are thousands of examples o f bodies t h a t have
s u r v i v e d f o r c e n t u r i e s or m i l l e n i a without enbalming.
Quite
t y p i c a l are the numerous mummies of Peru. Here the o p e r a t i v e
f a c t o r seems to be not heat but dryness.
Experience with
v a u l t s suggests t h a t c o o l , dry, moving a i r i s conducive to
p r e s e r v a t i o n while heat, moisture, and s t i l l n e s s o f the
atmosphere have the opposite tendency.
F o r e n s i c medicine,
while tending to confirm the f o r e g o i n g , a l s o suggests t h a t
leanness o f body i s a help, as w e l l as absence o f r i g o r m o r t i s .
Now the m a j o r i t y o f h o l y persons, while not n e c e s s a r i l y
e n e d i c s or a n o r e x i c s , tend to be a s c e t i c r a t h e r than s e l f i n d u l g e n t , and t h e r e f o r e on the l e a n s i d e . ( S a i n t Thomas
Aquinus i s almost unique among the B l e s s e d i n having been
corpulent).
Furthermore, r i g o r m o r t i s i s , a c c o r d i n g to
f o r e n s i c s c i e n t i s t s , very much a f u n c t i o n of the t e n s i o n
of the muscles a t the time o f death.
Those who are f o r t u n a t e
enough to pass e a s i l y out o f t h i s l i f e i n a r e l a x e d mood o f
acceptance or even o f hopefulness, which i s e x a c t l y what i s
t o l d o f many r e l i g i o u s , tend to manifest l i t t l e o r even no
rigor;
t h e i r c o r p o r e a l remains stay f l e x i b l e .
Thus we
could compose a r e c e i p e f o r those o f our readers who might
seek p o s t mortem p r e s e r v a t i o n of t h e i r p h y s i c a l being.
Eat s p a r i n g l y , c u l t i v a t e a calm equanamity o f mind i n one's
l a s t years, and be i n t e r r e d i n a dry c o o l v a u l t with some
a i r movement! The a l t e r n a t i v e i s dry sand i n a cool d e s e r t
as i n Peru and i n China.
See "China's Blond Bombshell"
i n the Appendix I .
However t h i s does not seem to be the whole s t o r y . As u s u a l
i n any honest enquiry, n o t h i n g i s simple, n o t h i n g i s easy!
The f o r e g i n g e x p l a n a t i o n would seem q u i t e a d e q u a c y to r e l a t e
to those h o l y persons such a s S a i n t B e r n a d e t t e S o u b i r o u s , :and
many o t h e r s whose post-mortem appearances became somewhat
mummified. But a number of cases seem to e x h i b i t r a t h e r
different characteristics.
Thus moisture does not always
prove f a t a l to the continued s o l i d i t y and s h a p e l i n e s s o f
the f l e s h o f the deceased.
Moisture sometimes produces
s a p o n i f i c a t i o n with the i n t e r n a l t i s s u e s converted i n t o a
l i n d o f ammoniacal soap, c a l l e d adipocere, or gras de cadavre,
while' the s k i n becomes mummy-like. The body o f B l e s s e d Marie
P e l l e t i e r was found i n t h i s c o n d i t i o n when exhumed 35 years
a f t e r death.
Whether conversion i n t o soap i s d e s t i n y t h a t
would be welcomed by a s p i r a n t s to s p i r i t u a l development i s
a q u e s t i o n we leave to o t h e r s . S a p o n i f i c a t i o n with a
mummified integument i s an outcome that q u i t e p o s s i b l y l i e s
w i t h i n the n a t u r a l order.
S i m i l a r l y l i m i t e d exposure to
damp f o l l o w e d by i n c o r r u p t i o n may a l s o be r a r e but n a t u r a l ,
as with S a i n t Catherine o f Genoa and S a i n t Teresa o f A v i l a .
But S a i n t Charles Borromeo's case seems more d i f f i c u l t ;
the moisture i n h i s v a u l t corroded two s u c c e s s i v e c o f f i n l i d s
but the body stayed i n good c o n d i t i o n .
An i n t e r e s t i n g case i s that o f S a i n t Charbel Maklouf, a
monk o f the Maronite C h r i s t i a n Church, and thus n e i t h e r
Roman C a t h o l i c n o r Orthodox. H i s monasiay was i n the mountains
o f n o r t h e r n Lebanon, and he d i e d on Christmas Eve I898
a t the age o f seventy.
He was l a i d i n a monk',s tomb without
c o f f i n o r enbalming. He was exhumed a f t e r about seven weeks
because the v i l l a g e r s s a i d there was a b r i g h t l i g h t around
the tomb. Because o f heavy r a i n s the body was found f l o a t i n g
on mud, but i n p e r f e c t c o n d i t i o n , as i f i t had been j u s t
placed there.
I t i s said t h a t subsequently a l i q u i d resembling
blood had seeped out through a crack i n the c o f f i n wherein
S a i n t Charbel was p l a c e d . I t i s claimed that i n the e a r l y
days i t was s u f f i c i e n t to soak the body to such a degree t h a t
i t s c l o t h i n g was changed twice a week.
The body was l a s t
examined i n 1950» and i s s a i d to be t o t a l l y f r e e o f any
c o r r u p t i o n but s t i l l g e n e r a t i n g the same blood and watery
fluid.
However moisture alone does n o t p r o v i d e adequate
e x p l a n a t i o n f o r a number o f o t h e r strange cases.
When B l e s s e d Anna Maria T a i g i (I769-I837) was exhumed i n
1868, the surgeon reported t h a t the corpse resembled t h a t o f
a person o n l y three days dead. The s k i n was s o f t and
d i s c h a r g e d an i n o f f e n s i v e and somewhat aromatic f l u i d ,
r e c a l l i n g the balsam o r o i l which on o t h e r o c c a s i o n s have been
r e p o r t e d o f the bodies o f h o l y persons, such a s S a i n t Teresa
of A v i l a .
Another p u z z l i n g f e a t u r e claimed f o r bodies which
preserve a f r e s h appearance a f t e r death, i s that the blood
v e s s e l s remain f u l l o f l i q u i d blood so t h a t the corpse i s
capable o f b l e e d i n g . Such was the case with S a i n t F r a n c i s
X a v i e r when removed from the q u i c k l i m e , and, i t i s claimed,
some seventy years a f t e r h i s death.
Another problem i s
why o n l y some organs o f c e r t a i n r e l i g i o u s persons are p r e s e r v e d
while the r e s t decays.
Cases i n p o i n t a r e the tongue o f
S a i n t Anthony o f Padua (1195-1231) foxtnd i n t a c t i n 1263,
the r e s t o f the body having decomposed.
The f a c t was a t t e s t e d
by Bonaventure, a f e l l o w F r a n c i s c a n , indeed the head o f t h a t
Order, who h i m s e l f was canonized i n 1482.
Of S a i n t B r i d g e t
o f Sweden, the h e a r t alone was p r e s e r v e d . I n summation i t
may be f a i r to say t h a t while there i s a strong presumption
that the m a j o r i t y o f cases o f i n c o r r u p t i o n a r e n a t u r a l , there
i s y e t a d e v i a n t group o f which i t would be presumptious
to assay a v e r d i c t .
Very r e c e n t l y , a c c o r d i n g to the Standard, o f London, England,
o f 2? Feb. 1985, the V a t i c a n has been concerned with the
d i s c o v e r y that the body o f C a r d i n a l Schuster o f M i l a n shows
no s i g n o f c o r r u p t i o n a f t e r h i s death, now t h i r t y - t w o y e a r s ago.
There i s a movement a f o o t f o r h i s b e a t i f i c a t i o n .
Although
i n c o r r u p t i o n i s not a requirement i t s occurrence cannot f a i l
to help advance the cause.
Some embarrassment r e s u l t s however
from the f a c t t h a t the C a r d i n a l i s s t i l l remembered as an
open admirer of Fascism, a f r i e n d of M u s s o l i n i up to the
d i c t a t o r ' s death i n 1945, and an e n t h u s i a s t i c supporter o f the
Abbysinian War.
Perhaps when the time comes the then Pope,
whoever he may be, w i l l do something o f the same k i n d as
Benedict XIII d i d with S a i n t Catherine o f R i c c i , and d e c l a r e
t h a t the C a r d i n a l ' s m e r i t s have to be considered a p a r t from
his politics.
( I t i s a l s o s a i d that " i n j e c t i o n marks" have
been found on the body, suggesting t h a t the p r e s e r v a t i o n i s
a r t i f i c i a l , but t h a t i s a d i f f e r e n t q u e s t i o n a g a i n ) .
En passant
*.?e could say t h a t i f t h e i r p o l i t i c s were a c o n s i d e r a t i o n few
o f the S a i n t s would q u a l i f y .
The g r e a t s a i n t s o f the
Counter-Reformation, Teresas, Loyalas, and the l i k e -- would
have regarded r e l i g i o u s t o l e r a t i o n , democracy, and the
C o n s t i t u t i o n o f the United S t a t e s as the D e v i l ' s workl
Padre P i o Forgione
o f San Giovanni
Rotondo.
S a i n t F r a n c i s o f A s s i s i a c t u a l l y was a layman, and i t i s a
remarkable f a c t t h a t only one ordained p r i e s t i s known to have
been a s t i g m a t i c ; t h i s was Francesco Forgione, b e t t e r known
as Padre P i o , who d i e d only i n 1962, having become the most
famous s t i g m a t i c o f a l l time. He was born i n 188? i n t o a
very poor but r e s p e c t a b l e peasant f a m i l y i n the v i l l a g e o f
P i e t r e l c i n a i n the Appenines o f southern I t a l y , near Benevento,
roughly halfway between Naples and the Gargano r e g i o n . As a
c h i l d he was i n t e l l i g e n t and h e a l t h y t a k i n g an i n t e r e s t i n
r e l i g i o n a t a very e a r l y age.
He was a l s o e x c e p t i o n a l i n
having a very i n t e n s e f e e l i n g f o r the abundant i n s t a n c e s o f
poverty and i l l n e s s i n that very i n d i g e n t nneighbourhood, and
furthermore showing a strong impulsion to a s c e t i c i s m , choosing
f o r example, to sleep on the hard f l o o r o f an outhouse r a t h e r
than i n h i s bed.
Having done w e l l a t the l o c a l school and
a l s o come to the a t t e n t i o n o f the l o c a l a r c h p r i e s t (presumably
the Roman e q u i v a l e n t o f an A n g l i c a n r u r a l dean) Francesco
was, i n 1902, allowed to e n t e r the Capuchin monastry a t
Morcone, near Campobasso, as a novice and a student f o r the
priesthood;
he adopted P i o as h i s name i n r e l i g i o n .
He
l a t e r took courses a t other monastic seminaries, f i n a l l y
becoming ordained as a p r i e s t i n 1910 a t the age o f twenty-three.
H i s p i e t y was a l r e a d y so c e l e b r a t e d t h a t a l a r g e number of
people from P i e t r e l c i n a and o t h e r p l a c e s i n the d i s t r i c t
came to hear him perform h i s f i r s t Mass i n the c a t h e d r a l
a t Benevento.
At the time he was so emaciated on account of h i s d e l i b e r a t e l y
chosen meagre d i e t and the long days of p r a y e r and study
t h a t he i n f l i c t e d on h i m s e l f t h a t the a u t h o r i t i e s suspected
him o f being tubucular and to be too f r a i l f o r most p r i e s t l y
o r monastic d u t i e s . In t h i s b e l i e f they were encouraged
by the f i r s t o f the strange p h y s i o l o g i c a l phenomena that
Padre P i o manifested — i t seems to have been o f the same
nature as the "Flames o f Love"; he ran e x c e s s i v e l y high
temperatures s a i d to break the c l i n i c a l thermometers.
But
d e s p i t e t h i s apparent sign o f f e v e r he survived h i s r i g o r o u s
regimen o f f a s t i n g , penances, and p r a y i n g n i g h t and day.
He was t h e r e f o r e sent to P i e t r e l c i n a to a s s i s t h i s o l d patron
the a r c h p r i e s t , i n the hope that h i s d u t i e s could, i f necessary,
be minimised.
At t h i s stage i t should be mentioned t h a t d u r i n g the p e r i o d
p r i o r to o r d i n a t i o n both i n h i s c e l l a t the seminaries
where he s t u d i e d and i n h i s room when v i s i t i n g h i s f a m i l y
a t P i e t r e l c i n a , Pio was subject to what many r e l i g i o u s , both
then and now, would d e s c r i b e as a t t a c k s by the D e v i l .
On
occasions Pio saw a l a r g e b l a c k dog glowing l i k e a f i r e f l y .
At other time, p a r t i c u l a r l y i n the evening, screams or thuds
would be heard while Pio was alone i n h i s room. On going i n
f r i e n d s or r e l a t i v e s would see the room i n t o t a l confusion,
—
books and ink, f u r n i t u r e and bedding thrown around.
Pio,
a p p a r e n t l y uninjured, would be s i l e n t , o f f e r no e x p l a n a t i o n ,
and motion them to withdraw. Before long Pio found h i s own
method o f i n h i b i t i n g the v i s i o n s and the occurrences.
He
would say Viva Gesu! and any i n c i p i e n t d i s o r d e r would subside
f o r the n i g h t .
Students o f p o l t e r g e i s t phenomena w i l l tend
to i n t e r p r e t t h i s r a t i o n a l l y as exemplifying paranormal but
not supernatural happenings.
P o l t e r g e i s t phenomena, v i s i o n s
a s s o c i a t e d with the Adversary, as w e l l as the a b i l i t y o f the
person i n v o l v e d to i n h i b i t the phenomena by a p p r o p r i a t e l y
chosen r i t u a l s , t a l l y w e l l with the p s y c h o l o g i c a l theory o f
p o l t e r g e i s t a c t i v i t y , and r e l a t e i t to the profound s t r e s s e s
which must accompany any i n d i v i d u a l attempt to l i v e a l i f e
o f t o t a l s e l f d e n i a l i n the p u r s u i t o f " h e r o i c v i r t u e " .
But we have no d e s i r e to f o r c e t h i s c o n c l u s i o n on the reader.
Such happenings are i n f a c t almost a commonplace i n
hagiography from St. Anthony and St. Dunstan down to modern
times such as the " d i a b o l i c p e r s e c u t i o n s o f S a i n t John
Vianney, the Cure" o f Ars i n France, who i n some r e s p e c t s
resembled Padre P i o , a l b e i t with many d i f f e r e n c e s .
M
I n 1914 the f i r s t world War came. Padre Pio was c o n s c r i p t e d ?
the army medical examiners found him p h y s i c a l l y f i t ;
he
was put on h o s p i t a l d u t i e s . He became i l l , was sent home on
sick leave.
On r e t u r n i n g to h i s u n i t he was i n v a l i d e d out,
r e f u s i n g the o f f e r o f a pension.
I n 1917 he became a member
o f the small Capuchin monastery c a l l e d S a i n t Mary o f the Grace
comprising only s i x or seven b r e t h r e n , i n the t i n y v i l l a g e
o f San Giovanni Rotondo, which was then very i s o l a t e d .
The
n e a r e s t c i t y was Foggia, but the v i l l a g e was halfway up the
m a s s i f c a l l e d Monte Gargano ,(a somewhat barren limestone
massif, next to the A d r i a t i c sea) and then a c c e s s i b l e o n l y
on f o o t .
Padre P i o was d e s t i n e d to make t h i s l i t t l e
congregation famous throughout a t l e a s t the C a t h o l i c world,
and the g o a l o f an endless stream o f p i l g r i m s . He remained
there u n t i l h i s death.
P r i o r to h i s a r r i v a l a t San Giovanni Rotondo he had been
the s u b j e c t o f a strange event which contained the shape of
t h i n g s to come. On September 20th 1915 while a t home a t
P i e t r e l c i n a , about noon, Padre Pio had been p r a y i n g i n the
outhouse p r e v i o u s l y mentioned. He ran from the hut waving
h i s hands with a look of agony on h i s face and seeking a
bucket o f water i n which to quench a burning s e n s a t i o n i n h i s
hands. Then he stopped and walked s l o w l y back to the hut,
where h i s mother and the a r c h p r i e s t l a t e r found him.
He
r e p o r t e d a burning i n h i s hands. The a r c h p r i e s t l a t e r
i n t e r p r e t e d the event to Signore Forgione; Vhe has r e c e i v e d
the i n v i s i b l e stigmata, the s e c r e t o f the L o r d " .
The
a r c h p r i e s t went on to say t h a t the event was "A message
from Jesus C h r i s t to Padre P i o that he has been chosen to
s u f f e r l i k e Jesus on the Cross, so t h a t h i s s u f f e r i n g i s
o f f e r e d to humanity. That i s to say, one man s u f f e r s f o r
o t h e r s , who are spared s u f f e r i n g .
One man c a r r i e s the burden"
En passant we should say t h a t t h i s i s a s p e c i a l a p p l i c a t i o n
o f a t h e s i s o f t e n used i n the C a t h o l i c church as a means o f
comfort to s u f f e r e r s from t r a g i c a i l m e n t s , e.g. f a t a l
diseases of children;
they are d e c l a r e d " v i c t i m " persons,
"chosen" to a s s i s t C h r i s t i n h i s s u f f e r i n g s to redeem
mankind from the burden o f s i n .
T h i s i s c l e a r l y w e l l meant,
whether o r not i t i s f a c t u a l l y true, and may be o f some
comfort to the v i c t i m s and t h e i r r e l a t i v e s .
A propos o f
the event i t s e l f , which was o b j e c t i v e a t l e a s t to the degree
t h a t P i o ' s p a i n was r e a l , i r r e s p e c t i v e o f whether i t was
e x t e r n a l l y caused or, i n s t e a d , merely generated by completely
endogenic processes o f a mental or n e u r o p h y s i o l o g i c a l k i n d ,
we may note a c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f s t i g m a t i c phenomena —
t h e i r tending to occur on a n n i v e r s a r i e s . The t y p i c a l s t i g m a t i
w i l l commence h i s phenomenon on Maundy Thursday or Good
F r i d a y , or, i f he or she i s a hebdomadal s t i g m a t i c , every
F r i d a y o r Thursday.
The day o f P i o ' s i n v i s i b l e stigmata
was the day that the p a r i s h o f P i e t r e l l c i n a was c e l e b r a t i n g
the s t i g m a t i s a t i o n o f St. F r a n c i s .
We can note a l s o the
f a c t t h a t P i o ' s parents had g i v e n him the baptismal name o f
Francesco a f t e r the S a i n t . I n the C a t h o l i c world among the
devout the day o f the S a i n t f o r whom one i s named i s o f t e n
more important than one's b i r t h d a y .
We may r e c o l l e c t Charcot'
p a t i e n t who was healed o f her n e u r o s i s on h e r S a i n t ' s day,
t h i s suggestion having been p r e v i o u s l y made t o her.
We may note en passant t h a t " i n v i s i b l e stigmata" had been
claimed before by v a r i o u s r e l i g i o u s i n c l u d i n g S a i n t Catherine
of Siena (1347-1380)•
She s a i d h e r s t i g m a t i c s c a r s could
not be seen because she had prayed t h a t they be made i n v i s i b l e
to o t h e r s . A century l a t e r Pope S i x t u s IV condemned any
mention o f St. Catherine's s t i g m a t i s a t i o n as an o f f e n c e .
The reason i s n o t f a r to seek; He was h i m s e l f a F r a n c i s c a n
and favoured t h a t Order, who resented the Dominicans, o f
whom Catherine had been a T e r t i a r y S i s t e r , a c c l a i m i n g h e r
s t i g m a t i s a t i o n as a m i r a c l e .
The F r a n c i s c a n s wished to
monopolize t h i s sign o f grace f o r t h e i r own founder S a i n t
Francis.
Catherine however was, i n a manner o f speaking,
s a f e l y out o f the p a p a l reach, having been canonized i n l 4 6 l
d u r i n g the r e i g n o f Pope P i u s I I .
Destined to make f u r t h e r
progress i n p o p u l a r and e c c l e s i a s t i c a l v e n e r a t i o n she was
e v e n t u a l l y named Patron S a i n t o f I t a l y along with S a i n t
F r a n c i s h i m s e l f , and i n 1970, on account o f her w r i t i n g s ,
e s p e c i a l l y the Dialogue, was named a Doctor o f the Church.
Looking a t the matter from the present p o i n t o f view i t
would seem l i k e l y that h e r s t i g m a t i c p a i n s were " r e a l " enough
and p o s s i b l y she "saw" the marks when i n v i s i o n a r y s t a t e s .
L i k e so many o t h e r s t i g m a t i c s she was no s t r a n g e r to m y s t i c a l
p r a y e r and experienced numerous r a p t u r e s and e c s t a s i e s .
A f t e r about a year a t the F r : a r y o f Santa Marie d e l l e
G r a z i e a t San Giovanni Rotondo d u r i n g which P i o had q u i e t l y
continued, engaging i n p r a y e r and performing h i s d u t i e s as
a f r i a r , a second g r e a t event happened. I t should be
e x p l a i n e d that the Capuchin Order i s an o f f s h o o t o f the
F r a n c i s c a n s and n a t u r a l l y revere St. F r a n c i s o f A s s i s i .
At Santa Marie d e l l e G r a z i e the f r i a r s c e l e b r a t e d the S a i n t ' s
stigma tisation on the 17th o f September.
When t h i s day
came round i n 1918 i t f e l l on a Wednesday; the f o l l o w i n g
F r i d a y Padre P i o was i n the c h o i r g i v i n g thanks a f t e r Mass.
A cry was heard and P i o was found l y i n g on the f l o o r b l e e d i n g
p r o f u s e l y . I t eventuated t h a t he had "wounds" i n both hands
and both f e e t and i n the r i g h t s i d e .
These stayed with him
the r e s t o f h i s l i f e .
The f e r i t a wound p e r s i s t e d as a shallow
s c a r i n the shape o f a c r o s s .
The hand wounds were j u s t
below the middle f i n g e r and penetrated r i g h t through.
They
were bounded by a brown scar but b l e d about a c u p f u l a day.
A g r e a t d e a l o f i n v e s t i g a t i o n followed, photography and
examination by d o c t o r s .
E v e n t u a l l y the medicals agreed t h a t
no f r a u d was i n v o l v e d . Outside I t a l y Padre P i o soon became
famous and the genuineness o f the stigmata ( i n the sense
at l e a s t that there was no fraud) was accepted i n many C a t h o l i c
circles.
However many C a t h o l i c s i n I t a l y i t s e l f became
hostile.
Although Pope Benedict XV was on h i s s i d e , f o r some
y e a r s P i o was ordered to stay i n s e c l u s i o n , a p a r t even
from h i s b r o t h e r f r i a r s .
The r e s t r i c t i o n s became even more
severe i n the r e i g n o f the next Pope, P i u s XI, b u t were
l i f t e d i n consequence o f another strange event.
F o r some time
people had r e p o r t e d seeing o r being v i s i t e d by Padre P i o ,
a p p a r e n t l y i n the f l e s h .
However i n view o f P i o ' s r e s t r i c t i o n
of movement i t became c l e a r t h a t these appearances could
not have been i n the f l e s h u n l e s s the Father had been a c t u a l l y
teleported.
I n 1929 a very s a i n t l y p r i e s t i n the V a t i c a n
was p r a y i n g i n a chapel i n the V a t i c a n when he saw a Capuchin
monk, whom he recognized as Padre Pio p r a y i n g a t the tomb
of a former Pope.
The p r i e s t went to t e l l the then Pope,
P i u s XI, whoy accepted the f a c t p h i l o s o p h i c a l l y and s a i d
"What good i s i t to r e s t r i c t h i s movements?".
The remainder o f Padre P i o ' s l i f e , n e a r l y f o r t y more y e a r s ,
was spent i n the same d a i l y r o u t i n e a t San Giovanni Rotondo.
As many people as could get i n came to the church, s p e c i a l l y
b u i l t and a d j o i n i n g the F r i a r y , to hear Pio saying Mass d a i l y .
He a l s o , l i k e St. John Vianney, spent s e v e r a l hours a day
h e a r i n g c o n f e s s i o n s . No r e s t r i c t i o n s were p l a c e d on v i s i t o r s
e n t e r i n g the F r i a r y and the r e l a t e d b u i l d i n g s . Pio would
only hear the c o n f e s s i o n s o f those speaking I t a l i a n o r L a t i n .
G i f t s he r e c e i v e d a l l went to the treatment o f d i s e a s e , and
a s p e c i a l h o s p i t a l was b u i l t there, out o f donations. The
monastery was more o r l e s s thrown open to a l l v i s i t o r s , who
were allowed to move around f r e e l y and catch a s i g h t o f Padre
Pio,
the other f r i a r s devoting thmselves mainly to keeping
reasonable order.
N a t u r a l l y the once t i n y hamlet o f San
Giovanni has grown i n t o a s i z a b l e town.
S a n c t i t y and the paranormal.
The m a j o r i t y o f cases o f s t i g m a t i s a t i o n have stayed w i t h i n
the bounds o f what i s c o n c e i v a b l y normal, even by the standards
of the Roman C a t h o l i c Church, which i n r e s p e c t o f many
canonized persons, such as S a i n t Gemma G a l g a n i , has e x p l i c i t l y
excluded the stigmata as n o t being n e c e s s a r i l y s u p e r n a t u r a l
o r signs o f grace.
However, both i n s t i g m a t i s t s and o t h e r
r e l i g i o u s persons we encounter other phenomena.
These are
more o r l e s s what outside the r e l i g i o u s f i e l d we would i n c l i n e
to d e s c r i b e as paranormal.
That i s to say, they c l o s e l y
resemble the k i n d o f happenings that i n p s y c h i c a l research
are c a l l e d ESP ( i . e . extrasensory p e r c e p t i o n ) , which
comprises telepathy, c l a i r v o y a n c e , and perhaps p r e c o g n i t i o n ,
P.K. ( i . e . p s y c h o k i n e s i s ) and t e l e p o r t a t i o n ; a l s o we
ought to l i s t " p s y c h i c " photography and the appearance o f
"messages" on audiotapes.
We d i s c u s s the paranormal i n the
context o f the r e l i g i o u s l i f e i n the f o l l o w i n g s e c t i o n s .
Psycho-kinesis.
P s y c h o - k i n e s i s i s the name given i n parapsychology to the
movement o f o b j e c t s by means unknown to p h y s i c s . I t occurs
i n p o l t e r g e i s t outbreaks and i s a l l e g e d to happen i n seance
rooms.
C a t h o l i c w r i t e r s recognise " d i a b o l i c a l a s s a u l t s "
on the r e l i g i o u s , which bear a c o n s i d e r a b l e resemblance to
p o l t e r g e i s t phenomena.
Otherwise p s y c h o - k i n e s i s i s
r a r e l y a l l e g e d o f the more recent S a i n t s .
Howverthe term
t e l e k i n e s i s i s a p p l i e d to the spontaneous f l i g h t o f the
Host (the wafer o f consecrated bread i n the Mass) to the
mouth of a d i v i n e l y favoured - r e c i p i e n t . A s p i r a n t s to a
r e p u t a t i o n f o r s a n c t i t y might f r a u d u l e n t l y conceal a wafer
i n the mouth p r i o r to announcing the m i r a c l e , as seems to have
been done by V i t t o r i a Bondi i n the time o f Benedict XIV.
However when the Cure' o f Ars s a i d t h a t once the Host detached
I t s e l f from h i s f i n g e r s and placed I t s e l f upon the tongue o f
a communicant we cannot doubt h i s v e r a c i t y .
There remains
the p o s s i b i l i t y o f a h a l l u c i n a t i o n or a f a l s e memory. I t
i s a l s o p o s s i b l e t h a t the Cure' produced the " m i r a c l e " h i m s e l f
by unconscious p s y c h o k i n e s i s having been f o r many years
the centre o f p o l t e r g e i s t a c t i v i t y .
T e l e p o r t a t i o n o r a p p o r t a t i o n , the mysterious conveyance
o f o b j e c t s i n t o c l o s e d rooms, i s a l l e g e d both o f p o l t e r g e i s t
cases and the mediumistic seance. Phenomena analogous to
t e l e p o r t a t i o n met with i n connection with S a i n t s are the
a l l e g e d m i r a c l e s o f abundance. The heaps o f corn i n the
granary o f t h e " F i l l e s de l a C r o i x " a t La Poye i n P o i t o u
were m y s t e r i o u s l y r e p l e n i s h e d over a c o n t i n u i n g p e r i o d
around 1824 a f ^ S a i n t Andrew Fournet (1752-1834) had prayed
over them. Of t h i s S a i n t i t i s s a i d that whatever was
needed i n the way o f s u p p l i e s f o r the orphanage, he got
as i f he plucked them from t h i n a i r J
One i s a t a l o s s
what comment to make on St. John Bosco's basket c o n t a i n i n g
i n i t i a l l y only a score o f r o l l s which i n I860 provided,
i t seems, enough bread f o r h i s 300 students. I n t e r e s t i n g l y
enough no other marvels a r e n a r r a t e d o f "Don Bosco"
not even e c s t a s i e s .
(1815-88),
We s h a l l r e t u r n to q u e s t i o n s o f p s y c h o k i n e s i s and t e l e p o r t a t i o n
i n connection with Natuzza Evolo.
Levitation.
L e v i t a t i o n i s a l l e g e d o f comparatively few s a i n t s which
suggests i t i s n o t a h a g i o g r a p h i c commonplace. However,
P r o f e s s o r Leroy's s c h o l a r l y review l i s t s 50 t r a d i t i o n s as
a n c i e n t ( p r i o r to 1500), 85 cases as modern (1500-1800)
and 20 cases as r e c e n t (post 1800).
I n the a n c i e n t t r a d i t i o n s
as with S a i n t Dunstan (918-988) and S a i n t F r a n c i s we encounter
the h a g i o g r a p h i c d i f f i c u l t y , t h e i r l e v i t a t i o n s being mentioned
by t h e i r l a t e r b i o g r a p h e r s but not t h e i r e a r l i e s t ones.
Some modern c r i t i c s have taken the view that l e v i t a t i o n ^ i s
p u r e l y a s u b j e c t i v e f e e l i n g c experienced by e c s t a t i c
persons, many o f whom have c e r t a i n y l spoken o f a sense o f
l i g h t n e s s and o f b e i n g l i f t e d up.
But the case o f S t .
Joseph Mary Desu (1603-63) i s adequate by i t s e l f to prove
the occurrence o f l e v i t a t i o n as an o b j e c t i v e p h y s i c a l
happening.
Very slow o f wit, none the l e s s while a t the
Conventual Monastery a t Copertino i n Southern I t a l y , he
gained such a fame i n the d i s t r i c t f o r h i s g o o d w i l l , p i e t y
and h o l i n e s s that he was examined by the I n q u i s i t i o n o f
Naples, but a c q u i t t e d o f the charge o f d e c e i v i n g the populace
by f a l s e m i r a c l e s . Subsequently the a u t h o r i t i e s , rendered
even more s u s p i c i o u s by h i s l e v i t a t i o n s , t r a n s f e r r e d him
s u c c e s s i v e l y to A s s i s i , Urbino, Fossombrone and Osima, but
a t each p l a c e he a t t r a c t e d a p i l g r i m a g e .
Joseph's l e v i t a t i o n s o c c u r r e d d u r i n g joyous r a p t u r e s which
could e a s i l y be t r i g g e r e d o f f as by music o r the s i g h t o f a
sacred image o r b e a u t i f u l l e a f o r twig.
Sometimes they were
simple suspensions i n the a i r as happened i n Rome b e f o r e Pope
Urban V I I I , to which the Holy F a t h e r t e s t i f i e d .
At Copertino
alone no l e s s than 70 l e v i t a t i o n s a r e a l l e g e d .
Some were
comical r a t h e r than e d i f y i n g .
The wife o f the High Admiral
o f C a s t i l e f a i n t e d when she and h e r husband saw Joseph f l y
a d i s t a n c e o f 12 paces over t h e i r heads. Mary, P r i n c e s s o f
Savoy, who had an a f f e c t i o n a t e reverance f o r Joseph deposed
to s e v e r a l remarkable f l i g h t s i n h e r presence.
The Lutheran
Duke o f Brunswick and h i s c h a p l a i n saw Joseph a t Mass t r a n s p o r t e d
i n the a i r about 5 paces from the a l t a r while s t i l l i n a k n e e l i n g
posture and r e t u r n i n s i m i l a r f a s h i o n .
They became C a t h o l i c s .
Joseph's f l i g h t s are e x c e p t i o n a l among l e v i t a t o r s .
The m a j o r i t y o f eye-witness accounts concerning other m y s t i c s ,
(and there are many r e l a t i n g to widely d i f f e r e n t times and
p l a c e s ) , a f f i r m t h a t the mystic while i n e c s t a s y i s suspended
about s i x inches above the ground and a t l e n g t h makes a g e n t l e
landing.
The l e v i t a t i n g mystic may be preaching l i k e S a i n t
Alphonsus L i g u o r i (I696-I787) and S a i n t Andrew Fournet (1752-1834),
or p r a y i n g l i k e Sa:nt Teresa o f A v i l a (1515-82) and the g r e a t
t h e o l o g i a n F r a n c i s Suarez (1548-1617).
The evidence i s not
c o n c l u s i v e but s t r o n g l y suggests that l e v i t a t i o n occus o n l y
i n e c s t a s y . I n 24 cases out of the 155 l i s t e d by Leroy the
f a c e o r f i g u r e o f the l e v i t a t i n g e c s t a t i c have been s a i d to
g i v e o f f o r be bathed i n a mysterious r a d i a n c e . Sometimes
i t i s s a i d to emanate from a sacred image or c r u c i f i x , but i n
o t h e r cases there i s no obvious source. P u z z l i n g as t h i s may
be, i t does not weaken the evidence f o r l e v i t a t i o n which r e s t s
on n o n - i r r a d i a t e d cases l i k e St. J o s e p h ' s . l e v i t a t i o n (and perhaps
radiance) i s one mystic phenomenon r e q u i r i n g us to p o s t u l a t e
e i t h e r s u p e r n a t u r a l e x p l a n a t i o n or the e x i s t e n c e o f n a t u r a l
f o r c e s unknown to p h y s i c s .
On a n a t u r a l i s t i c view such f o r c e s
are p o s s i b l y the same as those r e l e a s e d i n p o l t e r g e i s t
outbreaks, but with a d i f f e r e n t ' s t y l e ' o f o p e r a t i o n
corresponding to a r a d i c a l l y d i f f e r e n t p s y c h o l o g i c a l s i t u a t i o n .
I f f o l l o w i n g Theresa Neumann we look f o r " m y s t i c a l s i g n i f i c a n c e "
i . e . symbolic meaning, i t i s not hard to f i n d .
Levitation
may be an a c t e d out or r e a l i z e d "symbol o f a s c e n s i o n " to
use a phrase o f Mircea E l i a d e who wrote a book on such
symbolism.
R e l i g i o u s l i t e r a t u r e from the B i b l e through
to r e v i v a l i s t hymns i s r e p l e t e with metaphors f o r e l e v a t i o n
o f the s o u l towards the d i v i n e .
We are a t a l o s s to suggest any reason p s y c h o l o g i c a l l y o r
otherwise f o r the more " f l i g h t y " type of l e v i t a t i o n s
experienced by St. Joseph o f Copertino.
I t i s true t h a t
he was not i n t e l l e c t u a l -- indeed some regarded him as
almost simpleminded — and e a s i l y put i n t o r a p t u r e s by the
s i g h t o f l e a v e s or flowers, or by p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n the Mass.
But St. P h i l i p N e r i (1515-1595) whose l e v i t a t i o n s , though
l e s s dramatic than Joseph's were however very dramatic,
was a man of l e a r n i n g and r e f i n e d i n t e l l e c t .
Similar
l e v i t a t i o n s are a l l e g e d of two other s a i n t s .
Radiance.
Returning to the s u b j e c t o f radiance i t i s c u r i o u s t h a t
radiances, a u r e o l e s , o r haloes, have r a r e l y been r e p o r t e d
except i n c o n j u n c t i o n with l e v i t a t i o n .
An e x c e p t i o n seems
to be r e p o r t s by members o f congregations sometimes o f
P r o t e s t a n t denominations o f seeing a glow or g l o r y around or
above the head o f the preacher, p a r t i c u l a r l y a t times when
the l a t t e r seems to be h i g h l y i n s p i r e d or moving.
Whether
t h i s type of o b s e r v a t i o n o f which we have o u r s e l v e s r e c e i v e d
r e p o r t s , i s a l l i e d c l o s e l y or a t a l l with the p e r c e p t i o n o f
auras ( d i s c u s s e d elsewhere, see our review V i s i o n and P e r c e p t i o n ,
Auras and I l l u s i o n s ) w e cannot say.
E l o n g a t i o n o f the body.
Before r e t u r n i n g to a d i s c u s s i o n of powers e x e m p l i f i e d i n
our own time by Padre Pio and Natuzza Svolo, and which set
up a p a r a l l e l between r e l i g i o u s phenomena and some of
those encountered i n s e c u l a r p s y c h i c a l research, we wish
to mention b r i e f l y one b i z a r r e kind o f occurrence.
A l l e g a t i o n s o f d i s t o r i o n or e l o n g a t i o n of the mystic's
person would seem a p r i o r i to be too grotesque f o r pious
hagiographers to i n s e r t them i n t o the r e c o r d as c o n v e n t i o n a l
indications of sanctity.
But there are no r e c e n t i n s t a n c e s .
A l s o , even i f the v e r a c i t y o f the witnesses i s accepted,there
i s i n some cases a doubt as to whether the more understandable
and b e t t e r a u t h e n t i c a t e d phenomenon o f l e v i t a t i o n has not been
mistaken f o r e l o n g a t i o n .
Thus the f e l l o w nuns o f S i s t e r
Veronica C a p a r e l l i (1537-1620) measured her h e i g h t with a yard
s t i c k and found that during her prolonged e c s t a s i e s she seemed
to be some 10 inches t a l l e r than u s u a l . But on one o c c a s i o n
Mother P l a u t i l l a Semboli put her hand under V e r o n i c a ' s robe
and "found she was l i f t e d up above the ground". Other cases
are i n p r i n c i p l e s u s c e p t i b l e to e x p l a n a t i o n as h a l l u c i n a t o r y
l i k e the o c c a s i o n (about 1700) when a s i n g l e witness saw S i s t e r
Maria Constante Castreca "grow a c o n s i d e r a b l e h e i g h t from the
ground".
We may however be puzzled by the a f f i d a v i t signed
by 21 e c c l e s i a s t i c s and n o t a b l e s to the e f f e c t t h a t both arms
o f B l e s s e d Stefana Quinzani (1457-1530) appeared to t h e i r view
to be s t r e t c h e d some inches during her F r i d a y e c s t a s i e s . There
was muscular t e n s i o n s , s w e l l i n g of the v e i n s , and b l a c k e n i n g
o f the hands. But a c a r e f u l reading suggests t h a t the e l o n g a t i o n
may w e l l have been w i t h i n the l i m i t s o f n a t u r a l s t r e t c h i n g
p o s s i b l e i n some i n d i v i d u a l s .
T h i s e x p l a n a t i o n (as w e l l as
standing on t i p - t o e ) has been suggested f o r the v e r t i c a l
e l o n g a t i o n c f D a n i e l Home observed a t seances.
Dr. ImbertGourbeyre d e s c r i b e d some remarkable d i s t e n s i o n s , c o n t r a c t i o n s
and d i s t o r t i o n s e x h i b i t e d by M a r i e - J u l i e Jahenny i n 1880.
Though he was a P r o f e s s o r o f Medicine and b e l i e v e d the
c o n t o r t i o n s to be i n e x p l i c a b l e by n a t u r a l means we are e n t i t l e d
to reserve our o p i n i o n , p a r t i c u l a r l y i n view o f the f a c t t h a t
the s t i g m a t i c had p r e v i o u s l y announced t h a t her body would be
compressed and her limbs shortened i n e x p i r a t i o n of the s i n s
o f mankind.
Reading o f h e a r t s
T h i s charming phrase i s used i n the r e l i g i o u s sphere i n
r e f e r e n c e to the a b i l i t y o f many s a i n t l y p e r s o n s , such as
the Cure' o f A r s , to access knowledge without the use o f any
normal means.
Thus the Cure' ( S a i n t Jean Vianney) would
on o c c a s i o n s g r e e t those who came to be confessed by him
by t e l l i n g them the v e r y problems t h a t concerned them, and
i n t i m a t e d e t a i l s o f the l i v e s o f themselves and t h e i r
families.
As the m a j o r i t y o f the confessants had come from
a f a r and were t o t a l s t r a n g e r s , t h i s a b i l i t y o f the Cure
n a t u r a l l y was v e r y i m p r e s s i v e .
S p e c u l a t i o n as to the o r i g i n
o f t h i s knowledge was not c a r r i e d v e r y f a r , i . e . i t was
accepted as an i n d i c a t i o n t h a t the Cure was the r e c i p i e n t
o f the d i v i n e g r a c e .
A l t e r n a t i v e l y i t was hazarded t h a t
the Cure', a g a i n by the grace o f God, was i n touch with the
s p i r i t s o f the dead.
T h i s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n was encouraged
by the f a c t t h a t the good man often t o l d the confessants
the s p i r i t u a l s t a t e o f t h e i r dead r e l a t i v e s i n p u r g a t o r y .
By a strange i r o n y t h i s bears a g r e a t resemblance to one
i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f the powers o f persons t h a t we would now
regard as p s y c h i c "sensitives when encountered o u t s i d e o f an
e s t a b l i s h e d church s e t t i n g .
The i r o n y does n o t r e s u l t
from t h e r e b e i n g anything i n t r i n s i c a l l y unreasonable i n the
idea t h a t paranormally a c q u i r e d i n f o r m a t i o n comes from
the dead, but from the f a c t t h a t the C a t h o l i c Church r i g o r o u s l y
anathematized S p i r i t u a l i s m and any attempt to c o n s u l t the
dead as e n e r g e t i c a l l y as d i d K i n g S a u l o f o l d .
Even persons
as r e s p o n s i b l e as Father Thurston S . J . were f o r b i d d e n
to a t t e n d seances.
When looked a t i n the l i g h t o f
p s y c h i c a l r e s e a r c h the "reading o f h e a r t s " as e x h i b i t e d by
S t . John Vianney and o t h e r s does not seem so v e r y d i f f e r e n t
from the powers manifested by "psychic s e n s i t i v e s " .
In
the p a r a p s y c h o l o g i c a l f i e l d there a r e , o f course, s e v e r a l
t h e o r i e s as to how these powers o p e r a t e .
On one view
they are an amalgam o f the three f a c u l t i e s o f t e l e p a t h y ,
c l a i r v o y a n c e , and ( p o s s i b l y ) p r e c o g n i t i o n .
As i t i s not
always easy to d i f f e r e n t i a t e between these three a b i l i t i e s ,
the b l a n k e t term GESP ( g e n e r a l e x t r a s e n s o r y p e r c e p t i o n ) i s
sometimes used.
Others, as we have s a i d , regard the
knowledge as obtained from the s p i r i t s o f the dead.
Yet o t h e r s
a g a i n regard i t as d e r i v e d from some k i n d o f u n i v e r s a l
mind o r consciousness i n which a l l f a c t s r e s i d e .
Padre P i o ' s g i f t o f knowing t h i n g s t h a t by normal means he
s h o u l d n ' t i s a t t e s t e d to by numerous w i t n e s s e s .
The same i s
s a i d o f Natuzza Evolo (see Appendix I) who a l s o i s good
a t "psychic d i a g n o s i s " , i . e . m e d i c a l d i a g n o s i s performed by
intuition.
This phenomenon i s also known among some
psychic sensitives outside the Catholic Church and i s
interpreted either as a form of ESP, or knowledge from
some kind ©f universal mind or derived from the s p i r i t s
of the dead. Signora Evolo ascribes the information used
i n her medical diagnoses as furnished by guardian angels
and s p i r i t s of the dead. Her interpretations are e n t i r e l y
within the framework ©f the thinking of the Roman Catholic
Church of which she i s a devoted and devout member. As
she i s a married lady with f i v e children and a husband
she i s not a nun.
Had she been male and celibate she
would doubtless have become a p r i e s t and a famous confessor.
As i t is,she i s sought out f o r council and advice on
s p i r i t u a l and medical problems by large numbers of people
d a i l y . Before leaving the question of paranormal knowledge
we should mention that the e a r l i e r stigmatic, the Venerable
Catherine Emmerich i n her L i f e of The Blessed V i r g i n Mary
displayed a remarkable knowledge of ancient place names
i n the Holy Land. In the opinion of Father Herbert
Thurston these f a c t s were so t o t a l l y obscure as to be
out of reach of the scholars of her own time and a f o r t i o r i
herself, and a paranormal source f o r the information has to
be postulated.
Bilocation.
B i l o c a t i o n i s a term used only by students of Roman
Catholic mysticism and r e l a t e s to phenomena that to some
degree resemble those which i n psychical research are
called apparitions, though they seem also to partake of the
nature of what i s called " t r a v e l l i n g clairvoyance" or
" a s t r a l projection".
In psychical research i t i s
recognized that many apparitions are of a r e l a t i v e l y
uninteresting kind, having only the status of hallucinations
occasioned by some kind of brain malfunction, s i m i l a r l y
visionary experiences which are widespread, e s p e c i a l l y i n
the r e l i g i o u s f i e l d f a l l into yet another category.
As
regards apparitions proper, parapsychologists would,
broadly speaking, accept G.N.M. T y r e l l ' s grouping into four
main classes. (See Apparitions, C o l l i e r Books, 196°»
and e a r l i e r e d i t i o n s ) .
Two o f these classes do not concern
us here; post-mortem appearances some time (days, weeks,
months, or years) a f t e r the death of a person, and the
"ghosts" which are sometimes alleged to haunt certain
places. The remaining classes of apparition are however
important and relevant to discussion of b i l o c a t i o n . The
f i r s t i s the extremely well-known one of c r i s i s - a p p a r i t i o n s ;
a recognized apparition i s seen, heard, or f e l t at a time
when the person represented by the apparition i s undergoing
some c r i s i s — death, i l l n e s s , accident, or some s t r e s s f u l
s i t u a t i o n . So f a r from being an extremely rare occurrence,
the c r i s i s — a p p a r i t i o n i s a r e l a t i v e l y common phenomenon.
A very large number of such happenings go unrecorded, but
also many written statements from serious witnesses are available,
so that a great deal can be said about the c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s
of such apparitions. Great v a r i a b i l i t y , i s of course,
encountered.
Some apparitions are f l e e t i n g and " l i f e l e s s " ,
but other simulate r e a l s o l i d l i v i n g people of normal
appearance and behaviour to an amazing degree.
The apparition
t o t a l l y f i t s into the background and r e l a t e s properly to i t s
surroundings, and may move and speak. These "perfect"
apparitions constitute only a small minority of c r i s i s figures
but there are s u f f i c i e n t accounts available to command
respect.
An i n t e r e s t i n g feature of c r i s i s apparitions i s
that i n a quite surprising number of instances the apparition
i s seen by more than one of the persons present.
Tyrrell
as long ago as 19^2 had gathered together as many as 13©
instances of c o l l e c t i v e l y perceived apparitions. The occurrence
of very r e a l i s t i c c o l l e c t i v e l y perceived apparitions hag, i n
the opinion of the present authors to be accepted as an empirical
fact i r r e s p e c t i v e of theories as to t h e i r mechanism.
The other class of apparitions recognized i n psychical research
i s that which T y r r e l l c a l l s "experimental cases"
An
experimental case i s one i n which a person deliberately
t r i e s to make h i s apparition v i s i b l e to a selected percipient.
In recent years several writers have claimed the a b i l i t y to
" a s t r a l l y t r a v e l " and thus to " v i s i t " places at a distance
and inspect them and "return" with information concerning
objects and people at these locations. Others, such as Mrs.
Eileen Garrett, a psychic sensitive with the capacity f o r
a n a l y t i c study of the whole f i e l d , as well as the a b i l i t y
of l i t e r a r y expression, have described t h e i r experiences
of a p a r a l l e l kind as " t r a v e l l i n g clairvoyance".
"Astral
projection" and " t r a v e l l i n g clairvoyance", whether or not
d i s t i n c t from one another, do not necessarily e n t a i l the
apparition of the t r a v e l l e r being v i s i b l e to persons who may
be present at the " s i t e " which i s v i s i t e d .
However a
d i l i g e n t search would doubtless furnish some cases of t h i s
l a t t e r kind. T y r e l l ' s c o l l e c t i o n c e r t a i n l y appears to comprise
cases where the persons who attempt to "project" themselves
are seen at the desired terminus.
We do not have any account by Padre Pio of h i s subjective
experiences on the occasions when h i s apparition was seen and
heard at distant-places, but numerous accounts are available
from the percipients.
The s t r i k i n g feature i s the "perfection"
of h i s apparition.
I t i s t h i s that has led to the use o f
the term b i l o c a t i o n presumably because commentators such as
Revd. Charles M. Carty (Padre Pio, The Stigmatist. Tan Books,
Inc, Roekford, P.O. Box 424. I l l i n o i s , 1971) have interpreted
the happening as an actual teleportation or as a physical
duplication o f the animate body o f the Padre, and also related
the phenomenon to that of l e v i t a t i o n , the l a t t e r being
considered as a kind of premier pas en route to teleportation,
which l a t t e r i s regarded as more i n the nature o f an actual
flight.
In f a c t the question i s rather d i f f i c u l t i n
respect of Padre Pio because there are a number of narratives
available which could be inferred to imply e i t h e r bodily
teleportation o r " i n v i s i b l e passage" as claimed f o r Jesus
of Nazareth according to some interpretations o f Saint Luke's
Gospel (chapter 4, verses 29 and 30); "At these words the
whole congregation were infuriated. They leapt up, threw
him out of the town, and took him to the brow o f the h i l l on
which i t was b u i l t , meaning to hurl him over the edge. But
he walked straight through them a l l , and went away".
I n v i s i b i l i t y i s claimed by a small number of saints such
as Francis o f Paola (1436-1507) and Vincent F e r r e * (1350-1419).
S i m i l a r l y teleportation o f the body has rarely been claimed.
Even then i t has been confused with f l i g h t , e.g. Saint Peter
of Alcantara (also famed f o r " f l i g h t y " l e v i t a t i o n s , l i k e
Joseph o f Copertino and P h i l i p Neri).
P r i o r to Padre Pio
and Natuzza Evola i n the present century, b i l o c a t i o n has
r a r e l y been asserted even o f the most holy; almost the
only alleged instances have been those o f Saint Anthony o f
Padua (1195-1231) and Saint Alphonsus Liguori (I696-I787)
the founder o f the Redemp t o r i s t s , who on 24 September 177*,
while i n Naples was said to havebeen seen at the funeral of
Pope Clement XIV i n Rome. I t i s said that f o r many hours he
was i n a coma, but on awakening announced a fact, n o t known
i n Naples, that the Pope was dead and that he had been present
at that event. £We forget whether i t was one of these saints
or some other whom Pope Pius XII named as the patron saint
of t e l e v i s i o n ) .
2
Testimonies of Padre Pio's bilocations are numerous
and go back to 1917 when he i s supposed to have appeared to
General Cadorno when the l a t t e r was i n a s u i c i d a l state a f t e r
the devastating I t a l i a n defeat a t the battle o f Caporetto.
In a t y p i c a l case the person concerned, who i s i n some kind
of anxious state suddenly sees a monk, whom they may recognise
as Padre Pio.
The apparition appears p e r f e c t l y s o l i d and
real and i t may speak, perhaps giving a comforting message.
Sometimes the experience includes a fragrance l i k e that of
Pio's stigmata.
Usually the appearance and the words spoken
are relevant to the situation.
Sometimes the apparition
consists of words only i n Padre Pio's voice.
Although Padre Pio's b i l o c a t i o n s are almost unique, s i m i l a r
phenomena have been reported almost contemporaneously of
another stigmatist i n southern I t a l y , namely Signora Evolo
whom we have mentioned already.
Born and bred a t Paravati
near Catanzero i n the "toe" of I t a l y , Natuzza Evolo was
extremely devout from an early age. She was only ten years
old when she sweated blood from forehead, shoulders, and
eyes, and shortly a f t e r developed stigmata on r i g h t shoulder,
l e f t side, and wrists and feet.
Like many stigmatists
she goes into trances* also the stigmata exhibit the
anniversary e f f e c t and are most pronounced i n Lent and at
Easter. There are very many testimonies to her bilocations,
numerous witnesses having attested to her presence i n t h e i r
homes at time when there i s documented evidence that she was
i n her house a t Paravati.
The realism of her apparition
i f often reinforced by the scent of roses.
I t i s claimed
that objective physical traces are l e f t , such as bloodstains;
also, i t i s said, she has moved physical objects during her
visits.
Often i t i s said that Natuzza remains i n v i s i b l e
during her v i s i t s whose r e a l i t y i s then inferred i n other ways.
This kind of b i l o c a t i o n therefore tends to resemble " t r a v e l l i n g
clairvoyance".
Not being h e r s e l f a c l e r i c and f o r that
reason, unlike Padre Pio, escaping an e c c l e s i a s t i c a l ban on
describing her phenomena as looked at from her own point of
view, Signora Evolo, at the instance of Professor M a r i n e l l i
of the University of Calabria, has recorded her sensations
when b i l o c a t i n g . "The b i l o c a t i o n s never happen by my
spontaneous w i l l .
One or more s p i r i t s of the dead, or one
or more angels, present themselves to me and accompany me
to the places where my presence i s necessary.
Here I can
see the place where I am so that I can d e s c r i b e i t and I can
speak and be heard by the people present.
I can open and
close doorse move objects and produce actions.
My v i s i o n i s
not a distant one, l i k e watching t e l e v i s i o n , or a f i l m ,
but I am plunged into the surroundings v i s i t e d by me.
I
remain on the spot f o r only the time necessary to f u l f i l l
my mission, which varies from a few seconds to a few minutes,
and then I return to ray normal state. I am aware that my
physical body i s at my home i n Paravati."
Further
commentary by Natuzza w i l l be found i n Scott Rogo's a r t i c l e
which constitutes Appendix I.
Haemography.
Natuzza Evolo exhibits one of the strangest phenomena
encountered among stigmatists.
At times her stigmata
blood flows f r e e l y ; when deposited on a cloth such as a
handkerchief i t may flow i n such a way as to form words,
or outline sketches.
Thus, according to the testimony of
Signo Giovanni de Chiara, a schoolmaster, "After she gave
me back the handkerchief, I opened i t and saw some bloodstains.
I put i t on the table and we a l l waited f o r the formation o f
the design.
Slowly the blood started to move to one side o f
the handkerchief and v e r t i c a l l y spelled out the name St.
Valeriano Martire.
The bloodstain that was l e f t started then
to move as well and formed the figure o f a saint whom we
assumed to be St. Valeriano.
When we read h i s name Natuzza
exclaimed "Who i s t h i s saint? Does he e x i s t ? "
When I gave
the handkerchief to i t s owner, I found out that he was devoted
to that saint".
(In paraenthesis we might note that Saint
Valeriano, though genuinely a martyr, i s indeed r e l a t i v e l y
obscure. His remains are buried i n the catacomb of Saint
Praetextus a t Rome. He i s supposed, on no good evidence, o r
any kind o f evidence, to have been the husband o f Saint
Cecilia).
The strangeness o f t h i s kind o f happening i s
often emphasized by commentators by stressing that Natuzza
i s i l l i t e r a t e and cannot s p e l l the words used. The point
that i s being made would seem to be that the haemography
i s beyond her mental a b i l i t i e s even i f she h e r s e l f were
doing i t by consciously or unconsciously regulated P.K.
However t h i s does not e f f e c t i v e l y rule out psycho-kinesis.
In the f i r s t place i t i s easy to exaggerate the " i l l i t e r a c y "
of people i n humble walks o f l i f e . They are often very
i n t e l l i g e n t , with quick perceptions, l i v e l y minds, »nd
f i r s t - c l a s s memories, and often have f a r more knowledge o f
even a quite academic kind than t h e i r diffidence (often
t o t a l l y genuine and sincere) would lead them to claim.
Further we cannot a p r i o r i l i m i t the knowledge to which
psychic persons may have access.
In addition, there i s a
considerable body o f p o l t e r g e i s t cases, which although they
do not indicate the operation of d i a b o l i c a l influences,
equally convey no intimations o f the presence of the divine;
these involve writing i n one sense or other. Things have been
reported quite as remarkable as Natuzza's blood forming i t s e l f
into l e t t e r s and words.
Thus i n the Dagg case, i n Canada
i n 1889, a p e n c i l was seen to write of i t s e l f , forming
i n t e l l i g i b l e words and sentences. One o f the most recent
cases i n which pencils wrote on the wall without human a i d ,
i s that of Matthew Manning a t Cambridge, England, i n the
1960's.
Comparison with parapsychological phenomena.
We have underlined the p a r a l l e l s
phenomena o f mysticism and those
pursuit of psychical research.
enough f o r many serious scholars
between some of the
encountered i n the secular
Thus i t i s r a t i o n a l
to suggest that those saints
with remarkable powers are o f the same i l k as "great psychics"
encountered i n contexts that are not s p e c i f i c a l l y r e l i g i o u s .
Once t h i s postulate i s made, there are few b a r r i e r s to
accepting the hypothesis that the great founders o f r e l i g i o n s ,
J e s u s , Mohammed, and the Buddha, have been eminent "psychics",
a claim that has been made often i n the present eentury.
This
i s due to the r i s e o f psychic research i t s e l f , the development
of comparative r e l i g i o n , and the r e a l i z a t i o n i n the West
that morality and the c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of monothefetical
r e l i g i o n are not reserved exclusively to the offshoots o f
Judaism but, i n d i f f e r e n t language, constitute the core o f
Hindu, Brahmanism, Buddhism, Sufisra, the r e l i g i o n o f the
Parsis and many others. We do not make t h i s claim here,
but note i t as a point of view deserving of serious respect.
Other r e l i g i o n s ,
Islam has i t s saints and i t s miracles. I t i s said that some
Islamic mystics develop stigmata that imitate the wounds o f
the Prophet Mohammed. Many marvels are narrated of the
Buddha and of h i s present-day followers.
Similarly f o r
Hindu Brahmanic r e l i g i o n and i t s many branches.
In tke Autobiography o f a Yogi (Self-Realization Fellowship,
3880, San Rafael Ave, Los Angeles, C a l i f o r n i a , 90065, ed. 1969)
the yogi Pararaahansa Yogonanda (I893-I952) mentions many
phenomena strongly reminiscent o f the ones described i n the
foregoing pages. Thus the s p i r i t u a l teacher L a h i r i Mahasays
appears and speaks as i f through b i l o c a t i o n to Yogananda's
mother while he i s i n Benares and she i s i n Gorakpur some
hundreds o f miles away.
On another occasion t h i s master,
who was said to be averse to having h i s picture taken, was
photographed with a group o f d i s c i p l e s , but when developed the
p r i n t showed a l l the subjects except L a h i r i himself. Another
mystic and teacher, Swami Pranabanda, seemed, l i k e Padre Pio,
to know a l l of Yogananda*s thoughts and problems. The yogi
Gandha Baba created the sensation o f delicate f l o r a l perfumes
to order and was reputed, somewhat as.was claimed f o r Saint
Andrew Fournet to be able to apport any kind of f r u i t or
food to himself as required, to feed the orphans whose pastor
and guardian he was.
Other p a r e l l e l s are l e v i t a t i o n and
the austere regimens o f many o f these masters. As i n the
Roman Catholic sphere some are inedics, such as the lady yogi,
G i r i Bala.
Also almost without exception the masters graduate
to t h e i r s p i r i t u a l eminence by years of practice i n meditation
often commencing i n childhood and maintained f o r many hours
a day.
The equivalents of ecstasies and raptures take place?
the adepts experience v i s i o n s and apparent communion w i t h
the supreme s p i r i t u a l power i n the U n i v e r s e . A f i n a l p a r a l l e l
i s i n c o r r u p t i o n o f the body, which was claimed f o r Yogananda
h i m s e l f by h i s f o l l o w e r s a f t e r h i s death on 7 March 1952
i n Los Angeles, C a l i f o r n i a , where he had founded a r e t r e a t
and t e a c h i n g c e n t r e .
The d i r e c t o r o f the Mortuary a t F o r e s t
Lawn Memorial Park c e r t i f i e d t h a t on the 27th o f March "Our
astonishment i n c r e a s e d as day followed day without there b e i n g
any v i s i b l e change i n the body under o b s e r v a t i o n . . . the ease
o f Paramahansa Yogananda i s unique i n our experience".
I t would seem prima f a c i e that the p a r a l l e l s between western
and e a s t e r n mysticism are c o n s i d e r a b l e .
Of course i t would
be u n p r o f e s s i o n a l on our p a r t to a c c e p t the I n d i a n phenomena
as b e i n g as w e l l a t t e s t e d as those o f Europe.
I t i s possible
t h a t adequate documentation does e x i s t , but even i f i t does,
i t may be d i f f i c u l t to a c c e s s .
Thus acceptance o f e a s t e r n
phenomena has to be a t b e s t p r o v i s i o n a l .
However i f we are
prepared to proceed h e u r i s t i c a l l y such evidence as we have
tends to show t h a t b r o a d l y speaking s i m i l a r regimens, m e d i t a t i o n
and a u s t e r i t y — p r a y e r and f a s t i n g — can produce s i m i l a r
e f f e c t s — endowment with paranormal powers.
I f t h i s i s true
i t seems to be independent o f the p a r t i c u l a r r e l i g i o u s c o n t e n t .
T h i s f i n d i n g , i f v a l i d , should encourage us i n r e l i g i o u s
t o l e r a t i o n as, to t h e i r c r e d i t , i s s t r e s s e d by the y o g i s and
swamis.
However a r e l i g i o u s o r i e n t a t i o n and genuine d e s i r e
f o r s e l f - a b n e g a t i o n i s a l s o s t r e s s e d , even i f the r e l i g i o n can
be o f a v e r y g e n e r a l i z e d and non-dogmatic k i n d .
Many legends
and anecdotes are d i r e c t e d to e s t a b l i s h i n g t h a t i t i s not
enough to be a mere sadhu, i . e . one who hopes f o r m e r i t through
ascetism alone.
Thus i n the Vedic e p i c Ramayana, the demons
Ravana and Mahishasura each "coerce" the gods i n t o g i v i n g them
s i d d h i s (miraculous powers) by the l o n g p r a c t i c e o f a u s t e r i t i e s .
The gods r e l u c t a n t l y agree, knowing t h a t they w i l l have to
f i n d some way o f outsmarting these v i l l a i n s , which i n the end
they do.
Legend a l s o says t h a t to a t t a i n the h i g h e s t l e v e l s
o f s p i r i t u a l mastery one must a v o i d the s i n o f p r i d e , even i n
i t s s u b t l e s t forms such as c e r t a i n k i n d s o f d e s i r i n g to do
good.
( T h i s ought to be a p p r e c i a t e d by A n g l i c a n s and
E p i s c o p a l i a n s i f they know t h e i r T h i r t y n i n e A r t i c l e s o f _„
R e l i g i o n , e s p e c i a l l y A r t i c l e s XIII and X I V . ) Thus a s t o r y i n
the Ramayana concerns a k i n g VisttoSnitra who was converted
to the s p i r i t u a l l i f e by the s a i n t V a s i s h t a .
A f t e r thousands
o f y e a r s o f m e d i t a t i o n and a u s t e r i t y Brahma, the k i n g o f the gods,
appeared before him and c o n f e r r e d the t i t l e o f R i s h i .
Vishwamitra ves s t i l l s u f f i c i e n t o f a snob to say "Of what
rank?" and i s d i s c o n c e r t e d when Brahma says "Raja R i s h i , k i n g l y
sage".
Viswamitra was incensed, he wished to be a Brahma
R i s h i o r " i l l u m i n e d sage o f the h i g h e s t c l a s s " , and l a - to about
him to prove through e x e r c i s e o f h i s s i d d h i s t h a t he had
a t t a i n e d the summit o f aigehood o r s a i n t l i n e s s .
A f t e r many
attempts he r e a l i z e d t h a t by m o t i v a t i o n o f p r i d e he had
forfeited his s p i r i t u a l merit.
A f t e r a thousand years o f
f u r t h e r f a s t i n g and m e d i t a t i o n he became t r u l y s e l f f o r g e t f u l
and rose to the rank o f Brahma R i s h i .
As a p a r a b l e the s t o r y o f Viswamitre shows t h a t d e s p i t e
what may be s u p e r f i c i a l d i f f e r e n c e s between e a s t e r n and
western m y s t i c i s m , they each i n v o l v e a p h i l o s o p h y which s t r e s s e s
selflessness.
S i m i l a r l y attainment to c e r t a i n k i n d s o f
sainthood i n v o l v e s m y s t i c a l p r a y e r and i t would seem some
degree o f a s c e t i c i s m .
One d i f f e r e n c e emerges from the
c l a i m s o f some o r i e n t a l w r i t e r s such as Yogananda.
This i s
the i n s i s t e n c e on a p a r t i c u l a r p h y s i c a l t r a i n i n g as d i s t i n c t
from the p r a c t i c e o f a u s t e r i t i e s , i . e . yoga. P h y s i c a l
yoga a p a r t from mental a s p e c t s would seem to embrace a group
o f muscular and b r e a t h i n g e x e r c i s e s .
Yogis appear to
d i s a g r e e among themselves as to the theory and p r a c t i c e .
I n r e a c h i n g any d e c i s i o n as to the r e l a t i v e importance o f
the d i v e r s e f a c t o r s t h a t e n t e r i n t o the development o f the
s i d d h i s . a g r e a t d e a l o f comparative study would be n e c e s s a r y .
T h i s would be a k i n d o f epidemiology o f s a i n t h o o d .
This
would seem, a p r i o r i to be an unpromising s u b j e c t f o r
investigation.
F o r i n s t a n c e , there seems to be a c o n s i s t e n t
a t t i t u d e among y o g i s , swamis, r i s h i s , with whom we have had
p e r s o n a l contact ( o r have known those who have known them)
t h a t the s i d d h i s a r e i n c i d e n t a l to s p i r i t u a l i t y and t h a t
the t r u e Brahma r i s h i s i f asked to demonstrate t h e i r powers
w i l l be "above t h a t s o r t o f t h i n g " .
As those who r e s p e c t
the s p i r i t u a l and the p r i v a c y o f the s p i r i t , we can sympathize
with these adepts.
A t the same time, as i n v e s t i g a t o r s ,
we can f e e l some degree o f i r r i t a t i © n i
Envoi.
We have l e d the r e a d e r through what may seem to have been a
maze o f c u r i o u s l y entwined f a c t s .
We have t r i e d , u s i n g
t r a d i t i o n a l r u l e s f o r the e v a l u a t i o n o f evidence and testimony,
and p r i n c i p l e s o f i n d u c t i v e l o g i c , to separate f a c t from
f i c t i o n , and a l s o to d e r i v e some c o n c l u s i o n s .
I n our o p i n i o n ,
i t i s c l e a r t h a t some o f the phenomena o f m y s t i c i s m can be
s u c c e s s f u l l y a s s i m i l a t e d to known p h y s i o l o g y and psychology
and t h e r e f o r e , i n h i g h p r o b a b i l i t y , can be regarded as "normal".
Others, d e s p i t e some d i f f e r e n c e s o f "style" have a c o n s i d e r a b l e
resemblance to those o c c u r r i n g i n parapsychology, where
the persons concerned though not i n any p o s i t i v e sense
" i r r e l i g i o u s " do not come under the umbrella o f any one
specific religion.
I t i s p o s s i b l e therefore that a l l m y s t i c a l
phenomena, o l d and new, e a s t e r n o r western, should be subsumed
under a s i n g l e heading.
Whether t h i s should j u s t be c a l l e d
the "paranormal" i s not a t a l l o b v i o u s .
F o r even to do t h i s
a s c r i b e s remarkable powers to the human psyche.
Some o f
the phenomena o f p s y c h i c a l r e s e a r c h suggest t h a t the i n d i v i d u a l
psyche e i t h e r has immense powers o f i t s own, o r can draw on
a " u n i v e r s a l mind" both f o r knowledge and power.
Alternatively
we c o u l d accept the Brahmanic p o i n t o f view t h a t "atman" the
core o f the i n d i v i d u a l human psyche, i s i d e n t i c a l with
Brahman the "soul", motive f o r c e and b e i n g o f the U n i v e r s e .
F o r most o f us i t i s j u s t too l a t e to emulate the s a i n t s ,
y o g i s and f i s h i s when we c o n s i d e r the tender y e a r s a t
which so many o f them commenced t h e i r d e v o t i o n s .
Perhaps
however we can be comforted by the n o t i o n t h a t h e r o i c v i r t u e
i s n o t w i t h i n the i n d i v i d u a l compass o f the v a s t m a j o r i t y
o f human b e i n g s .
When one c o n s i d e r s the e a r l y onset o f the
p r o c l i v i t y to s u f f e r i n g and a u s t e r i t y e x h i b i t e d by so many
r e l i g i o u s e a s t and west, one i s l e d to p o s t u l a t e an i n b o r n
or congenital f a c t o r i n devotion of that intense k i n d .
Perhaps some are p r e d e s t i n e d to be s a i n t s !
Leaving that
p o s s i b i l i t y a s i d e , we can s t i l l quote one o f the Western
w o r l d ' s most famous gurus, S a i n t Thomas Aquinas, to the e f f e c t
t h a t "Grace does not d e s t r o y nature but p e r f e c t s i t " .
Each p e r s o n , a c c o r d i n g to the "Angelic Doctor" i s unique;
some are b e t t e r o r worse disposed f o r the p e r f e c t i o n o f v i r t u e
by reason o f temperament.
He, and a l s o S a i n t Teresa o f
A v i l a , i n d i c a t e d a c o r r e l a t i o n between p e r s o n a l i t y and
the type o f charism bestowed by the H o l y S p i r i t upon the
r e l i g i o u s person.
Thus the c h o l e r i c o r m e l a n c h o l i c
p e r s o n a l i t i e s are more r e c e p t i v e to e o s t a s y , r a p t u r e s , v i s i o n s ,
and the h e a r i n g o f v o i c e s , while the sanguine p e r s o n a l i t y
i s more r e c e p t i v e to f e e l i n g s , " i n t e r i o r touches" and "caresses"
I t was a l s o claimed t h a t women were more prone to s p i r i t u a l i t y
then men. ( T h i s i s p r o b a b l y not a c u l t u r e - f r e e f i n d i n g l ) .
We have t r i e d c o n s c i e n t i o u s l y to use reason as our g u i d e .
As G . K , C h e s t e r t o n ' s c h a r a c t e r , F a t h e r Brown, remarks i n
the s t o r y The Blue C r o s s , "You s h o u l d n ' t a t t a c k reason, i t ' s
bad theology".
Thus where p o s s i b l e we have to a s s i m i l a t e
phenomena to the "normal", o r , f a i l i n g t h a t , to the "paranormal"
We say once a g a i n t h a t aiy c o n c l u s i o n s are p r o v i s i o n a l o n l y .
Without b e i n g prepared to g r o v e l i n the face o f mystery, we
can y e t do w e l l to quote Miguel de Montaigne's essay On
Measuring Truth and E r r o r .
The good Mayor o f Bordeaux, w r i t i n g
i n the s i x t e e n t h c e n t u r y , s a i d , "We must b r i n g more reverence
and a g r e a t e r r e c o g n i t i o n o f our ignorance and weaknesses to
our judgement o f n a t u r e ' s i n f i n i t e power.
How many improbable
t h i n g s there a r e , vouched f o r by trustworthy p e o p l e , about
which we should a t l e a s t p r e s e r v e an open mind, even i f they
do not convince usl
F o r us to condemn them as impossible
i s r a s h l y and presumptuously to pretend to a knowledge o f
the bounds o f p o s s i b i l i t y " .
Appendices.
I.
"Natuzza Evolo Works M i r a c l e s " .
F a t e Magazine.
D. S c o t t Rogo,
II.
"The Cure o f A r s " A . R . G .
III.
"Can P r a y e r o r M e d i t a t i o n Invoke B e n e f i t s o f P s i ? "
Ry Redd. J o u r n a l o f R e l i g i o n and P s y c h i c a l Research.
10, 1-12. J a n . 1987.
Owen, Man, Myth and Magic.
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NATUZZA EVOLO
WORKS MIRACLES
Science cannot explain the powers of this Italian
housewife who can appear in two places at once, diagnose
illnesses and communicate with the dead.
By D. Scott Rogo
P
A R A V A T I is a small town in the
Calabrian district of Italy. The
place would be little known if not for
the fact that a modern miracle worker
lives there.
Her name is Natuzza Evolo and the
miracles attributed to her intervention
include her ability to see and talk with
spirits of the dead, produce the stigmata, appear in two places at one time
and diagnose the ills of persons who
come to her (for which she never accepts fees). Although Natuzza shies
from publicity, she is well known in Italy. For the past several years Prof.
Valerio Marinelli of the University of
Calabria Engineering Department has
been documenting her miracles.
Natuzza was born in 1924 in
Paravati in the province of Catanzaro.
She still lives there today with her husband and their five children. For the
last 35 years her home has been open
to whoever wishes to visit her; sometimes she receives as many as 50 to
100 persons a day. In recent years,
however, she has confined her "open
house" to Monday through Thursday.
On Friday she loses her powers, so she
devotes the weekend to answering her
voluminous mail, dictating responses to
her friends and neighbors who read the
letters to her and transcribe her
answers.
Natuzza, a devout Catholic, believes
her powers are gifts from God; guardian angels and spirits of the dead communicate with her and provide her
with the information used in her
psychic medical diagnoses. Natuzza
has been in contact with these spirits
since she was a young girl. Her two
most astounding phenomena are her
haemographs and her bilocations.
Haemography is a phenomenon in
which blood, wiped from her stigmatic
wounds, patterns itself into words or
symbols. Ever since she was an adolescent Natuzza has borne the wounds of
the stigmata. At first she "sweated"
blood from her forehead, shoulders,
eyes and other parts of her body. But
when she was 10 the full stigmata appeared. Wounds opened on her right
shoulder, wrists and feet and near her
heart—the same places where according to tradition Jesus was wounded
during the Crucifixion. The wounds
appear on Natuzza's body in a partially healed condition but sometimes they
bleed. They usually open fully during
Lent and bleed most during Easter
Week. They often appear during her
40
The stigmatic wounds appearing on Natuzza Evolo's hands seem to form the Greek
letters for alpha and omega, symbolizing Christ, the beginning and end of all things.
trances, in which she relives the
Passion.
One eyewitness report to Natuzza's
stigmata and visions comes from Dr.
Mario Cortese, a surgeon from Catanzaro, who studied her stigmata several
years ago and whose account appears
in Professor Marinelli's booklet on the
case, A Study of the Bilocative Phenomena of Natuzza Evolo:
I arrived at Paravati al about 9:30 A . M .
and found Natuzza on her bed, in a clear
state of agitation and suffering. On her
forehead and head there were evident
wedge-shaped wounds, with the point
turned inwards, and bleeding. They looked
like Jesus' crown of thorns. Natuzza alternated periods of silence full of pain and
41
shouts of pain. At about 10 o'clock, or maybe earlier, she started to shake and got up
as if she had been hit violently. The phenomenon recalled to the memory the whipping of Jesus.
Next she started to reenact the
Passion.
I was particularly impressed by the difficulty of Natuzza's breathing, especially
from midday until 2:30 P.M., the period
that corresponds with the [time of the] Crucifixion of Jesus. The exhaling lasted a long
time as if she had difficulty in expelling oxygen from her lungs. Her inhalation was
nearly normal. Even I could not imitate
that way of breathing, which must have
been impossible for Natuzza to do as she
suffers from a mitral-valve cardiopathy. Reflecting about that unusual breathing, I re-
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alizcd that it must have been [like] the
breathing of those who had been crucified,
dying by asphyxia because they were unable
to exchange the air in their lungs. As a matter of fact, because of the traction caused
by the weight of the body on the nailed
arms, they had great difficulty in arching
their diaphragms to expel the air in their
lungs. Every mouthful of air was won with
great pain as they had to push on their
nailed feet to lift their bodies to expel the
air. At about 2:30 P.M. Natuzza relaxed
and remained in an abandoned state for a
few minutes. Only then did she turn toward
me and the other people in the room to say
hello, as if she had seen us for the first time.
It is at this point that Natuzza pro- Blood wiped from stigmatic wounds patduces her haemographs. Dozens of terns itself into words or symbols. Mespeople have witnessed their production. sage on this dress proclaims in French, I
Conception.
Giovanna de Chiara, a schoolteacher am the Immaculate
who has known Natuzza for several
years, reports:
formations although it appears certain
It was Hoiy Monday three years ago. that some intelligent power directs the
Natuzza was at Catanzaro at my house, blood and guides it as it patterns into
and besides her and me, there were my sis- words andfigures.But what power?
ters Nella and Rosetta. All of a sudden we
Perhaps Natuzza possesses strong psynoticed that the wound on Natuzza's wrist
was bleeding; so we asked her to produce a chokinetic powers which she unconhaemograph for a young man who I knew sciously uses to direct the blood. But
wanted an example. Natuzza held a white this theory cannot account for those
handkerchief that I had given her on her
cases in which the blood spells out
wrist for about 10-15 minutes. It had the
name of the owner written on it. After that words. Natuzza is illiterate and the
haemograph often molds itself into forshe gave me back the handkerchief. I
opened it and saw some bloodstains. I put it eign words and phrases she cannot unon the table and we all waited for the forderstand, much less write. It seems the
mation of the design. Slowly the blood
miracle must be produced by some instarted to move to one side of the handkerchief and vertically spell out the name S. telligence outside Natuzza's own mind.
Valcriano Martire. The bloodstain that was
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left started then to move as well and formed
LTHOUGH these haemographs
the figure of a saint whom we assumed to
be S. Valcriano. When we read his name
represent a first-class mystery,
Natuzza exclaimed. "Who is this saint?
Natuzza probably is best known for
Does he exist?" When I gave the handkerher bilocations. Hundreds of persons
chief to the owner. I found out that he was
have seen her or felt her presence in
devoted to that saint.
their homes or on the street at times
Oddly enough, even Natuzza has lit- when there is documented evidence
tle idea of what produces these curious that she was at home in Paravati.
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NATUZZA EVOLO WORKS MIRACLES
Natuzza has even been known to leave
objective traces of her visitations at the
sites of her bilocations. She has left
traces of blood, moved physical objects
during her visits and even transported
physical objects.
These phenomena suggest that her
bilocations are in some sense real, that
some aspect of Natuzza's self physically visits the area of her bilocation.
Marinelli has collected no fewer than
52 accounts of these phenomena. Some
are miraculous indeed.
For instance, Signora Jole Gualtieri,
a college professor, and her husband
Leonardo Romano, an engineer, told
Marinelli the following story about
their experience with Natuzza:
In August 1975 Professor Gualtieri
was in Sicily, at Castellamare del Golfo in the district of Trapani. When she
woke up one morning, she found bloodstains on the sheet and on the cushion
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of her bed. She had not been bleeding.
Because she knew that Natuzza had
the power to leave bloodstains, she
phoned her husband who was at Vibo
Valentia in Calabria and said simply,
"Go to Natuzza, at Paravati, and ask
her to narrate something to you."
When Leonardo arrived at Paravati,
Natuzza met him at the door. "I knew
you would come," she remarked. "I
have been waiting since this morning.
Last night I visited your wife in Sicily
and left some bloodstains on the bed
and somefingerprintswith which I
touched the sheet." As soon as Romano got home he telephoned his wife
who was amazed to find the bloody
fingerprints, a detail she had missed
before that. Natuzza told Gualtieri
that she had visited her with a deceased person whom Gualtieri identified as her father.
Another case reported to Marinelli
concerns Vincenzo Lacquaniti, an acquaintance of Natuzza's from
Rosarno, a city some 10 miles from her
home. One night in 1955 he was waked
from sleep by loud knockings on the
balcony of his home. Thinking a burglar had broken in, he fetched his gun,
roused his wife and climbed upstairs to
see who was making the ruckus. His
wife, now fully awake, also heard the
knockings. She decided to flee to another room on the ground floor of the
house but as she left the bedroom she
was confronted by three apparitions.
One was the form of Natuzza, who
smiled at her, while the others, standing on either side of her, were the
figures of her deceased father and unHaemographs. involving the paranormal
production of religious messages in blood cle. The figures vanished and Lacfrom the stigmata, are among Natuzza quaniti returned from his fruitless
Evolo's most amazing phenomena. search upstairs.
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Some months later when the couple
met with Natuzza they said nothing
about their apparitional experience.
Nonetheless Natuzza spontaneously
mentioned her visit and joked about
Lacquaniti's gun. "Who did you want
to shoot that night? Birds?" she
quipped.
An even wilder story is told by Angela Laureani who has known Natuzza
for 30 years.
The incident took place toward the
end of 1977. Laureani was in bed reading a magazine article about the life of
Padre Pio, the great Italian stigmatist.
She dozed off, only to be jolted awake
when the magazine fell to thefloor.To
her astonishment she found one of her
eyes bandaged with cotton and gauze.
Although she applied this dressing every night for an ailing eye, she was
positive she had not done it before dozing off.
Later, in the course of a conversation with Natuzza, she alluded to the
incident in a careful way so as not to
reveal any concrete information about
it. "Natuzza," she asked, "what happened to me the other night?"
Natuzza replied that she had bilocated to her home with the woman's
own deceased brother-in-law who had
applied the bandage. "I sat on the
armchair," she said, "and I saw your
brother-in-law approach you and put a
cloth on your forehead. I did not see,
though, exactly what he did to you because he had his back to me. Then
your magazine fell onto thefloorand
you woke up."
Cases in which Natuzza reportedly
has transported a physical object during bilocation are rare but some spectacular incidents have been recorded.
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One such incident occurred one August day in the late 1960's. Natuzza
had gone to Catanzaro to visit her
mother who was ill and in a hospital.
First, however, she went to church and
then called on her friend Italia
Giampa. She placed her foulard, with
which she had covered her head in
church, on a chest of drawers in the
dining room. She then went to see her
mother.
After her visit she had lunch at the
Giampa home. The Giampas were
celebrating the confirmation of a
young friend. Mrs. Giampa and her
husband Libero were present along
with Mrs. Giampa's three sisters.
Natuzza left at four o'clock that afternoon. Shortly afterwards the Giampas
decided to visit a friend in Bari and as
they were about to leave their home,
they noticed Natuzza's foulard still on
the chest. Apparently she had forgotten it. Mrs. Giampa was sorry about
this because she thought Natuzza
might need it.
A few days later Mrs. Giampa returned home. To her surprise Natuzza's foulard had disappeared from the
chest of drawers although it had been
locked in the house when she and her
husband had left for Bari.
Mrs. Giampa saw Natuzza in
Paravati the next day. While she was
apologizing for the unaccountable loss
of the foulard, Natuzza interrupted
her and explained that she had bilocated to the house and had taken it.
"Mrs. Giampa, do not worry about the
foulard," she said. "I came to get it. I
need it to go to church and so I came
to get it." She fetched the foulard
which Mrs. Giampa recognized as the
one that had been left in her house.
NATUZZA EVOLO WORKS MIRACLES
Even Professor Marinelli, who has
so diligently investigated the Evolo
case, has witnessed one of her bilocation visits. The incident occurred while
he was investigating the Giampa case.
Marinelli had gone to Professor
Giampa's house on April 13, 1979, and
while talking with him, Mrs. Giampa
suddenly became excited. She said she
could smell roses in the room and
thought that Natuzza was present.
Several other persons were there but
none could smell the roses. Half an
hour later the telephone rang. It was
Natuzza who was calling to tell Mrs.
Giampa that -she had just visited her
and had sat in an empty chair in the
room. The chair she designated had in
fact been unoccupied during Marinelli's visit.
This case is typical in one respect.
Although Natuzza often remains invisible while bilocating, she still can make
her presence known. This same phenomenon occurs in the following case:
One day in 1972 Prof. Maria
Mantelli, a college teacher in Catanzaro, asked her husband to go to Paravati, fetch Natuzza and bring her back to
Catanzaro for a medical examination.
The husband demurred, explaining
that he didn't know if this was a good
idea, but promised that he would decide the next day. When he woke up
the next morning, he found a bloodstain in the shape of a heart on his
cushion. Deeply impressed, he went to
Paravati. When Natuzza arrived at the
Mantelli home, she—with no prompting—mentioned the bloodstain which
she claimed she had left during a bilocation experience. It was her way of
expressing her thanks since she knew
that he would indeed come for her.
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45
HE GREAT saints and mystics of
the Catholic Church have always
been reluctant to discuss the nature of
bilocation. The late Padre Pio of San
Giovanni Rotundo in Foggia, Italy—perhaps the most famous bilocating mystic of our time—positively refused to discuss it at all. But Marinelli
has been fortunate enough to procure
from Natuzza a detailed report on the
inner sensations of bilocation. This material, which Marinelli published along
with his report on Natuzza's bilocations, contains some of the most fascinating autobiographical notes available
on the nature of this phenomenon.
"The bilocations never happen by
my spontaneous will," Natuzza explains. "One or more spirits of the
dead or one or more angels [or a combination of angels and spirits] present
themselves to me and accompany me
to the places where my presence is necessary. Here I can see the place where
I am so that I can describe it and I can
speak and be heard by the people
present. I can open and close doors,
move objects and produce actions. My
vision is not a distant one, like watching a film or the television, but I am
plunged into the surroundings visited
by me. I remain on the spot only for
the time necessary to fulfill my mission, which varies from a few seconds
to a few minutes, and then I return to
my normal state. I am aware that my
physical body is at my home in
Paravati."
The phenomena occur during the
day when she is awake and at night
when she is asleep. Usually she will
find herself in her new location and her
"angel" or a spirit will tell her where
she is and what her mission is to be.
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"The journey doesn't seem to last
any time at all," she went on. "I instantly find myself in some place, independently from the distance. When I
go to a house, Ifindmyself directly in
the room, or more often in a room adjacent to the one where I have to see
the person [to whom she is bilocating].
Sometimes I have been able to convey
material objects between the place visited in bilocation and my house where
my physical body was. I don't know
how this happens but it has happened."
Neither do Natuzza's bilocations
seem like conventional out-of-body experiences. She doesn't feel ill or tired
afterwards nor does she ever have the
sensation of journeying to the distant
location or of traveling through a tunnel or void. She has never experienced
the typical "floating above the body"
and claims never to have seen anything
like an "astral cord" extending from
her double.
There certainly seems to be a large
body of evidence documenting Natuzza Evolo's role as a modern-day miracle worker. Of course one might argue
that all the witnesses are lying, but this
explanation is hard to take seriously.
Many of those who have witnessed
Natuzza's miracles have been deeply
affected and seem to be leading model
lives—with a new respect for charity
and humility—because of the renewed
religious faith Natuzza has instilled in
them. They have come forward to reveal their most private experiences
with Natuzza, out of gratitude to her,
and they seem sincerely .convinced of
the existence of a spiritual world by
the miracles she has wrought.
Of course we have yet to learn the
whys and wherefores of Natuzza's
gifts. Perhaps one day science will understand them. Or perhaps the powers
possessed by this peasant woman are
beyond anything science can explain.
CHINAS BLOND BOMBSHELL
liv Gardiner James
I
N M A R C H 1981 word came out
via the Chinese People's Daily that
a mummified body of a female with
shoulder-length blond hair was recently uncovered by archaeologists in the
ancient forgotten city of Loulan in the
Xinjiang Desert in northwest China.
The city, buried for centuries by devastating desert sandstorms, is located
about 40 mites from the dry lake bed
of l.op Nur. the present-day atomic
testing site.
Wang I.uii. the archaeologist who
found the mummy, told reporters:
"The shape other body was extremely
beautiful and she was tall. She had
long blond hair that flowed to her
shoulders. On her comely face was a
pair of big eyes: you could still count
her long eyelashes. Beneath her high
nose were her tiny, thin lips. She was
wearing a small hat and leather boots
and was wrapped up in blankets and
animal skins. Her flesh still has elasticity ."
Carbon-dating techniques verify
her antiquity; she lived 6471 years
ago. She was buried in a sand grave lying in a supine position. The Pennies
Daily commented. "If the 5000-yearold mummies of Kgypt were acclaimed
as the world's oldest, thou the l.oulan
woman should count as even older."
Chinese scientists attribute her
miraculous preservation to the extreme dryness of the desert and the
sand grave. They view the discovery
as very important in their continuing
exploration of the lost civilization of
the ancient city of Loulan.
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CURE OF ARS
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!
THE LIFE OF St Jean-Marie-Baptiste
Vianney, patron saint of parish priests, is
of great interest from the viewpoints both of
mystical theology and psychical research.
Born in 1786, the second son of a small
farmer in the village of Dardilly, near Lyons,
he proved exceptionally responsive to his
mother's religious teaching. A sensitive and
nervous child, he was also robust, lively and
vivacious but occupied his mind with
religious topics while assisting in the fields.
The French Revolution entailed persecution
of those Catholics who repudiated the state
organized church. Vianney therefore had
little schooling and attended secret Masses.
Jean-Marie's sense of religious vocation,
the desire to 'win many souls to God',
crystallized about 1798 when he was sent
to work on his uncle's farm at Ecully, about
four miles south of Dardilly. Ecully sheltered
several priests including Abbe Charles
Bellay who prepared Jean-Marie for his first
Communion, administered secretly. In 1805,
when religion was restored, his father let
him return to Ecully to study at Abbe
Bellay's presbytery school. He found Latin
agonizingly difficult and only a 60-mile
pilgrimage on foot to the tomb of St John
Francis Regis at Lalouvesc in the mountains
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Editions du Chalet
of Ardeche saved him from despair. As an
intending priest registered under the Archbishop of Lyons (Napoleon's uncle), he was
exempt from military service, but in 1809
was called up in error.
Falling ill of a 'slow fever', he was sent
on to rejoin his regiment. Exhausted he was
picked up on the road by a military
defaulter who conveyed him to Les Noes
in the shelter of the Bois Noirs hills.
The Mayor, a confirmed anti-Bonapartist,
advised him to stay in hiding.
In consequence of an amnesty he returned
to Ecully in 1811 and from 1812 to 1814
he studied at seminaries in Verrieres and
Lyons. He failed the examinations (conducted in Latin) but was allowed to take
them in French. He was ordained priest
(deacon) at the age of 29.
In 1818 Vianney was appointed to the
tiny parish of Ars, across the Saone about
16 miles from Lyons. One small church of
primitive design and four large taverns
ministered to the needs of the 230 inhabitants who tended to be indifferent to
religion. But the Abbe could not reconcile
himself to a single soul eluding Heaven.
The Conversion of Ars
By calling at mealtimes, though himself
refusing refreshment, he came to know
every family. He spoke to them as peasant
to peasant, but never failed gently to insist
on the claims of religion. Soon the villagers
learned of his fasting and prayers for sinners
late into the night and before dawn. In the
pulpit he declared innkeepers to be the
source of sin and poverty, incapable of
salvation. As the church filled the taverns
emptied. The innkeepers went out of
business, the last one being bought out
by the Cure.
An able strategist, Vianney first converted the women, who prevailed on their
menfolk to attend church and not work on
Sundays. In the confessional the little
Abbe ruthlessly withheld absolution until
convinced that contrition was genuine and
sin renounced. The most prolonged of his
struggles was against communal dancing,
rustic drunken revelries tending to promiscuity. But by 1824 he had effectively won
his battles.
His parishioners soon discovered his
remarkable talent as a confessor. He had a
wonderful ability to penetrate their secret
thoughts, it seemed. His words were few
but always perfectly aimed. In time the
faithful flocked to confession from Ars,
Dardilly, Ecully and Les Noes, and eventually from all France.
His was an incredibly exhausting regime.
He became so thin that he seemed but a
flame glowing through skin and bone. His
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A visionary and mystic, the Cure of Ars was
also a penetrating and intuitive psychologist;
in addition various testimonies suggest that he
was capable of reading thoughts Previous page
Portrait of the Cure: the scenes surrounding
his picture illustrate events in his life, including
miracles that he is believed to have performed
Left Statue, in wood, of the Cure of Ars:
canonized in 1925, he is the patron saint of
parish priests
large bright eyes, radiant in a shrunken
and wraithlike face, gave him the semblance
of a saint on earth, and it was not surprising
that broadsheets extolled him as if he were
already enthroned in glory.
His sermons were as famous as his
confessional. He depicted the horror of
damnation; but it was not mere 'hell-fire'
preaching or 'bible-punching'. Spontaneously he shed tears, as did his congregation, at the plight of souls separated from
God and spoke with moving simplicity of
the joy of those who perpetually saw God
face to face. Bishops and dignitaries came
from all France to hear him, as well as
writing to him for advice on dealing with
moral and pastoral problems.
In later years the Cure was constantly
exposed to the temptation to retreat from
Ars to a monastic and contemplative
existence. He tried to leave the village
three times but always returned. At his
last attempt, in 1852, he was apprehended
by his parishioners. He died in Ars after
a brief illness, in 1859 at the age of 73.
The Making of a Saint
In his last years he reluctantly accepted the
ribbon of the Legion of Honour. By this
time 100,000 pilgrims, it is estimated,
visited Ars annually. Consequently the first
papal Process for inquiry into Vianney's
merits began as soon as 1862. He was
declared Venerable in 1872, Blessed in 1905
and canonized as a Saint in 1925, on the
basis of two cures effected at his tomb.
The Cure's remains were exhumed in
1904 preparatory to his beatification. The
flesh was dried and darkened but intact
except for the face which, though recognizable, had suffered damage.
For many of the pilgrims Ars and its
Cure' had a mystic lustre, and many came
in the hope of physical cure as well as
spiritual healing. As in all pilgrimages a
proportion of the suppliants were cured of
bodily ailments. Few of the accounts extant
are sufficiently detailed medically for us
to decide whether they were natural or
supernatural. Since such cures can and do
occur outside of a religious setting, we
cannot affirm them to be patently supernatural. But, whatever the cause, Ars was
as productive of faith-cures as any of the
world's famous shrines.
Vianney was a fine intuitive psychologist.
His remarks, often humorous and always
gentle though firm, revealed a penetrating simplicity. Some of the qualities of
G. K . Chesterton's character Father Brown
were inspired by the Cure. Numerous
testimonies suggest that he had an insight
superior to the normal, as if he was literally
capable of reading thoughts. In modern
terms, we should describe him as a'sensitive'
with a marked capacity for telepathy. From
a crowd of pilgrims Vianney would pick
out a total stranger and tell him the problem
that had brought him to Ars and intimate
facts of his life. These stories are based on
written testimonies with circumstantial
detail. It is possible that the Abbe' was also
clairvoyant and precognitive.
We are in no position to decide whether
he had these powers by nature or by God's
60
grace as a token of sanctity. Such abilities
are not manifested by all saints. Modern
sensitives tell us that response to human
mi need is a factor very conducive to the
operation of paranormal powers, a suggestion supported by other evidence from
psychical research. Also the Cure's ausg terities rivalled those of any oriental yogi,
though whether paranormal powers can in
fact be reinforced by asceticism is not yet
certainly known.
lM
Ecstasies and Visions
Those who lead lives of spiritual intensity
are often visionaries. The Cure would sometimes pass into the state of calm and joyful
contemplation, known technically as 'ecstasy'.
In ecstasy numerous mystics have believed
themselves to be in direct spiritual union
with God. The Cure was most guarded
about his experiences, but phrases he let
slip suggest that at times he felt the close
presence of John the Baptist, the Blessed
Virgin and St Philomena. as well as Christ
himself.
Some witnesses testify that they themselves had visions in the Abbe's presence.
In 1840 a Mile Durie heard a gentle voice
* • talking to the Cure. Entering the room she
saw a lady of ordinary stature, in a robe of
dazzling white bearing golden roses and
with a wreath of stars about her head.
mi Addressing the lady as Mother, Mile Durie,
who believed herself to have cancer, asked
to be taken to Heaven. 'Later', said the lady
who then vanished. Mile Durie aroused the
Cure from what appeared to be an ecstasy,
'his countenance radiant and his gaze fixed'.
When Mile Durie referred to the presence
of 'our Lady', the Cure told her she was
not mistaken but must never speak of it
again. It appears that Mile Durie was cured
of her presumed cancer after a lapse of
three and a half months.
Attacks of the Devil
The Cure's life corresponded to saintly
prototypes in a further respect. From 1824
to 1858 he suffered sporadically what he
believed to be persecutions by the Devil.
At night he heard noises as of rats gnawing
or scratching, or of blows on the doors of
the presbytery, or of hammering or drumming. Sometimes the Cure would hear the
sound of footsteps and a coarse rough
voice mocking him as 'a potato eater' and
growling abuse and obscenities. A picture
of the Annunciation was found smeared
with filth. The Cure's bed was shaken and
pulled across the room while he lay on it.
The testimony of contemporaries suggests
that on some occasions only the Cure heard
the diabolical speech and noises, and it is
natural to suppose that sometimes they
were only hallucinatory. The act of vandalism
could, in theory at least, be attributed to
the Abbe himself in a condition akin to
sleep-walking, as with Father John of
Castille, of whom it was said that the Devil
compelled him to use his own hands to
deface pictures of the Blessed Virgin. But
there was also testimony from Ars which
suggests that some of the happenings,
including the voice, were actual objective
physical events. And there is no evidence
positively to support the sleep-walkingtheory.
The haunting of the Cure bears a strong
resemblance to poltergeist outbreaks, many
of which are objective phenomena. Many
features common to poltergeist disturbances
suggest that a goodly proportion of them are
due to obscure natural causes and related
to emotional tension in the person on whom
they centre. We know that the Cure's heroic
virtue in his pastoral office was maintained
in the face of a longing for solitude and
contemplation, and it is arguable that the
internal struggle was externalized in the
drama of the Satanic persecution.
The mysterious happenings attendant
on the Abbe cannot be surely interpreted as
either natural or supernatural by considering
his life in isolation from the data of psychical
research on the one hand, or the phenomena
of the mystics on the other. As a person
at first he repels as a reactionary puritan,
but in the end the most agnostic of readers
is liable to be vanquished by Vianney's
strange and improbable charm.
A. R. G. OWEN
FURTHER READING: The following biographies were all published by Burns and
Oates — Rene' Fourrey, The Cure D'Ars
(1959); L. C. Sheppard, Portrait of a Parish
Priest (1958); Francis Trochu, The Cure
D'Ars (1936); see also Margaret Trouncer.
Miser of Souls (Hutchinson, 1959).
I
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OF RELIGION AND PSYCHICAL RESEARCH
OFFICERS
Dr.
Dr.
Mr.
Mr.
L
M-»ry Caraan Roee
C . A l a n Anderaon
Boyce Batey
Prank C . T r i b b e
President
Vice-President
Executive-Secretary
G e n e r a l C o u n s e l and T r e a s u r e r
Journal of R e l i g i o n and P s y c h i c a l Research
Volume 10, Number 1
January, 1987
Can Prayer or Meditation Invoke Benefits of Psi?
Ry Redd
Board o f
Rev. Lawrence V . Althouae
Dr. C . Alan Anderson
Mr. Boyce Batey
Dr. L . Richard Bttsler
Dr. Arthur S. Bergex
Dr. Valter Houston Clark
Mz. John R. Crowley
Dr. C. Douglas Dsan
Rav. Elisabeth Fenske
Rev. Paul B. Fenske
Rev. George V. Plsk
Dr. Bernard R. Grad
Dr. E l l e r r B. Haakell
Trustees
Paul Laabourne Hlgglns
Kenneth T. Hurst
Stanley Kzlppner
Elisabeth E . McAdaaa
Xarlls Osis
William V. Rsuscher
Ka'ry Caraan Rosa
Steven N. Rosen
John Ressner
Frank C. Tribbe
Jaaes Ulneea
Edgar V l z t
Nancy Zlngrone
(1989
(1988/
(1987
(1987
(1967
The a u t h o r
develops
a theory
o f t h e r o l e s of synergy i n s p i r i t u a l
h e a l i n g and p s i phenomena among groups o f p e r s o n s who come t o g e t h e r f o r
p r a y e r and m e d i t a t i o n .
To s u p p o r t
h i s hypothesis,
he draws on d a t a
from C h r i s t i a n i t y , Judaism, and I n d i a n s p i r i t u a l i t y .
He a l s o p r o v i d e s
S c r i p t u r a l support f o r the hypothesis.
(1988/
(1987J
11987
(1989 1
(1989
(1989 '
11987! 1
1
(1988,1
The Journal of RslUlon and Psychical Research Is published quart e r l y i n January, A p r i l , July, and October of each year by the Academy
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Introduction
P s i research
and the h i s t o r y of r e l i g i o n s converge t o
support an a f f i r m a t i v e answer
to the question, "Can Prayer
or
Meditation
Invoke B e n e f i t s
of P s i ? "
Reports of paranormal or miraculous experiences i n the h i s t o r y of Hinduism,
Judaism
and
Christianity
from
New Testament times t o the
twentieth
century
consistently
confirm
a direct
causal
connection between psychic phenomena, prayer and meditation.
Evidence from parapsychology ranges from
Dr. K a r l i s O s i s '
successful
enhancement
of p s i i n group meditation e x p e r i ments to r e s u l t s reported by other researchers i n c o n t r o l l e d
group prayer
healing
experiments.
Several i n v e s t i g a t o r s
even see prayer i t s e l f as a form of ESP.
This essay w i l l explore the p s i - r e l i g i o n
interface for
insights into
the p r i n c i p l e s by means of which p s i b e n e f i t s
are invoked through prayer and m e d i t a t i o n .
The key r o l e
played by the p r i n c i p l e of synergy i n the invocation of p s i
b e n e f i t s i n group prayer-meditation
and s p i r i t u a l h e a l i n g
w i l l be d e s c r i b e d .
The synergy p r i n c i p l e ' s p o t e n t i a l as a
bridge between p s i and r e l i g i o n w i l l be emphasized.
Saintly Psi
Once two brothers were on t h e i r
way to Saint
Antony,
and when a l l t h e i r water was gone, one
died and the other was near
to dying.
Having no
strength
to go on, he
l a y on
the ground and
awaited death. Meanwhile S a i n t Antony, seated on
a mountain, c a l l e d the monks who
happened to be
with him and t o l d them: 'Take a j a r of water and
run along
the road
to Egypt.
There are two men
who are coming here; one of them i s already dead,
and the other too w i l l d i e unless you hurry.
This
I saw when I was at prayer.*
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A f t e r a d a y ' s w a l k , t h e monks came t o t h e s p o t
Saint Antony
had s e e n c l a i r v o y a n t l y i n p r a y e r .
T h e y i n d e e d found one
man
dead — whom t h e y
buried
-and
another
n e a r l y dead of
thirst.
T h e y r e v i v e d him w i t h t h e w a t e r and b r o u g h t him t o
S a i n t Antony.
Western h i s t o r i e s of the s a i n t s
i n c l u d e many
stories
of
prayer
and
meditation
being
accompanied
by
psychic experiences.
T h i s one
i s somewhat
unique
i n the
manner i n w h i c h t h e p s i b e n e f i t s —
s a v i n g t h e d y i n g monk's
life —
i s much more c e n t r a l
t o the
s t o r y than
the c l a i r voyant p s i e x p e r i e n c e i t s e l f .
The
pioneering
p s y c h o l o g i s t W i l l i a m James r e c o r d s i n
his c l a s s i c V a r i e t i e s of R e l i g i o u s Experience
several cases
of
intensely sensitive
and
immensely s p i r i t u a l l y d e v o t e d
i n d i v i d u a l s whose p s i e x p e r i e n c e s
i n prayer
and m e d i t a t i o n
were
so
frequent
that
they
were
virtually
commonplace
occurrences.
R.M.
Bucke's
Cosmic
Consciousness p r o v i d e s
a d d i t i o n a l i n s t a n c e s f r o m t h e l i v e s o f s a i n t s and m y s t i c s i n
which
extrasensory
perception
(ESP)
often
accompanied
spiritual disciplines
s u c h as p r a y e r , m e d i t a t i o n and y o g a .
Some o f t h e s e
saints
and
mystics
have
been
r e p o r t e d as
levitating
while
praying.
Two
well-documented
Italian
s a i n t s are c l a s s i c examples:
Saint
F r a n c i s of
A s s i s i and
S a i n t Joseph of C o p e r t i n o .
2
3
L e g e n d s abound
i n the C h r i s t i a n c l a s s i c L i t t l e Flowers
of S a i n t F r a n c i s . The famous t h i r t e e n t h c e n t u r y
founder of
t h e F r a n c i s c a n O r d e r was s a i d t o have been s e e n
many t i m e s ... r a p t i n God and s u s p e n d e d above t h e
e a r t h , sometimes a t t h e h e i g h t o f t h r e e f e e t above
the
ground,
sometimes
f o u r , sometimes r a i s e d a s
h i g h as t h e t o p o f t h e
beech t r e e s
and sometimes
e x a l t e d so
h i g h i n t h e a i r and s u r r o u n d e d w i t h s o
d a z z l i n g a g l o r y , t h a t B r o t h e r Leo [ h i s s e c r e t a r y confessor
and
constant
companion)
could scarce
e n d u r e t o l o o k upon h i m .
4
The s e v e n t e e n t h
century
Franciscan,
Saint Joseph of
Copertino,
an
extreme
ascetic,
levitated
while
praying
s e v e r a l t i m e s i n t h e s i g h t o f many w i t n e s s e s .
Said
t o have
clairvoyance, telepathic
powers and t h e a b i l i t y to s e e i n t o
t h e f u t u r e , he e v e n l e v i t a t e d i n t h e p r e s e n c e
o f Pope Urban
VIII.
S a i n t Joseph's
prayer l e v i t a t i o n s
were so f r e q u e n t
and e x t r a o r d i n a r y t h a t he l i f t e d o t h e r s
up w i t h
him, c o u l d
"fly"
for
a
short
distance
and
could
stay aloft for a
c o n s i d e r a b l e p e r i o d of time.
Today's growing c o n s e r v a t i v e c h r i s t i a n
c h a r i s m a t i c and
P e n t e c o s t a l movement f o c u s e s on many E S P - l i k e phenomena s u c h
a s s p o n t a n e o u s p r a y e r h e a l i n g s , c l a i r v o y a n t "words o f knowl e d g e " and p r o p h e c y .
Also popular i s c l a i r v o y a n t counseling
given i n
an
altered
state
after
p r a y e r f u l hypnosis-type
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Psi?
suggestions
are
given.
(The
"Sleeping
Prophet", Edgar
Cayce, 1877-1945, i s t h e b e s t documented c a s e o f
this.)
An
important
but
little
known h i s t o r i c a l p r e c e d e n t f o r t h e s e
c h a r i s m a t i c a c t i v i t i e s as
well
as
the
giving
of p s y c h i c
"readings"
can
be
found
i n c h r i s t i a n and J e w i s h m y s t i c a l
p r a y e r p r a c t i c e s w h i c h were w i d e s p r e a d i n t w e l f t h - t h i r t e e n t h
century
Europe.
These
amply
documented
experiences of
d i r e c t r e v e l a t i o n were
used
as
a
means o f
guidance
and
judgment on
controversial religious
and e t h i c a l q u e s t i o n s .
Part
c l a i r v o y a n t (remote
sensing)
and
part charismatic,
t h e s e methods
o f s p i r i t u a l q u e s t i o n i n g were c a l l e d " m y s t e r ies of p r a y e r "
because
they
were
based
on
a mysterious
r e p e t i t i o n of
h o l y names.
After
pronouncing i n prayer or
prayerfully concentrating
s i l e n t l y on
t h e s e s p e c i a l words,
as d e s c r i b e d
by one
medieval observer,
t h e m y s t i c ' s "body
s i n k s to the ground.
The
barrier
i n front
of
his soul
f a l l s , he
himself steps
i n t o t h e c e n t r e and g a z e s i n t o t h e
faraway."
A f t e r a w h i l e the
e f f e c t of
the s e l f - s u g g e s t i o n
recedes.
"Then
when
he
becomes
a
l i t t l e conscious of
h i m s e l f , he t e l l s them what he
has s e e n . "
Hasidic tradition includes
an e n t i r e c o l l e c t i o n o f t h e s e "Responses f r o m
Heaven", as t h e y were t h e n c a l l e d .
They were r e v e a l e d
to a
r a b b i as
answers t o
"dream q u e s t i o n s "
about t h e B i b l e and
J e w i s h law.
T h e y were p u t t o him w h i l e he was i n t h i s metapsychic, sleep-like
s t a t e induced through prayer r e p e t i t i o n
of h o l y names.
5
The a s k i n g
o f dream
q u e s t i o n s was
an e x t r e m e l y w i d e spread magical
p r a c t i c e f o r w h i c h s c h o l a r s have h u n d r e d s o f
recipes.
The German C h r i s t i a n s who were t h e
mystical forerunners of
today's c h a r i s m a t i c
a l s o engaged
i n t h e s e same
mystical prayer p r a c t i c e s .
Many o f
the
latter,
who
see
p s y c h i c r e a d i n g s , r e i n c a r n a t i o n and p a r a p s y c h o l o g y as l i t t l e
more t h a n h e r e s y , a r e o f t e n " s l a i n i n t h e
S p i r i t " , speak i n
t o n g u e s and
p s y c h i c a l l y e x p e r i e n c e "words o f knowledge" and
prophecy.
I r o n i c a l l y considered
heretics like
t h e Hebrew
Hasidim
who
lived
among
them,
these
medieval c h r i s t i a n
prayer mystics "attached
the
very
greatest
importance to
such d i r e c t c o n t a c t w i t h the p s y c h i c w o r l d . "
While
mystical
prayer
practices invoking
ESP
are
p r e v a l e n t i n t h e West, s p i r i t u a l s a i n t s o f t h e
E a s t r e l y on
deep m e d i t a t i o n
to
invoke
similar
psi benefits, often
Indian r e l i g i o u s teachers or
"gurus" use
p s y c h i c phenomena
as
tools
to
direct
their
s t u d e n t s and d i s c i p l e s t o w a r d s
deeper
spiritual
experiences.
The
great
Hindu
guru,
Ramakrishna, f o r
i n s t a n c e , w h i l e i n the m y s t i c a l m e d i t a t i v e
s t a t e known as " s a m a d h i " saw i n d i v i d u a l s who were
t o become
h i s most i m p o r t a n t d i s c i p l e s o r d e v o t e e s b e f o r e m e e t i n g them
physically.
Reports Ramakrishna,
God r e v e a l s
the
nature
before
they
arrive.
of
I
the
devotees
saw
chaitanya's
t o me
party
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o r M e d i t a t i o n Invoke B e n e f i t s o f
Psi?
s i n g i n g and
dancing near
t h e P a n c h a v a t i , between
the
banyan
trees
and
t h e Bakus t r e e . I n o t i c e d
Balaram
there
...
[pointing to
M.,
his
main
d i s c i p l e ] and I saw him t o o .
Do i n t e n s e
r e l i g i o u s p r a c t i c e s s u c h as m e d i a t i o n
and p r a y e r l o o s e n some o f t h e
l i m i t i n g boundaries
and made
us more
open, more a b l e t o r e a c h o u t t o
those around us?^
Another great
I n d i a n s p i r i t u a l m a s t e r , Ramana M a h a r s h i
( a l s o c a l l e d S r i Bhagavan),
used h i s
deep s t a t e
of s i l e n t
meditation
to
initiate
his
disciples
psychically.
Describing his
psychic
samadhi mode o f c o m m u n i c a t i o n
as t h e
"utmost e l o q u e n c e , "
S r i Bhagavan s a i d , "The H i g h e s t Form o f
G r a c e i s S i l e n c e . I t i s a l s o t h e h i g h e s t way o f i n s t r u c t i o n
or i n i t i a t i o n . " '
T h i s Hindu s a i n t ' s i n i t i a t i o n - t e a c h i n g o f
his d i s c i p l e s
during
intense
meditative
silence "entered
into
those
who
turned
to
S r i Bhagavan
in their hearts
w i t h o u t b e i n g a b l e t o go [ t o him] b o d i l y . "
N o t i n g t h e o b v i o u s o v e r l a p between s p i r i t u a l
e x p e r i e n c e and
ESP,
Dr.
Osis
adds
that
they
are
apparently
f a r from
identical.
The d i s t i n g u i s h e d p a r a p s y c h o l o g y p i o n e e r a s k s ,
"Does
religious
sensitivity
also
open
up
extrasensory
sensitivity
and
vice
versa?"
The
evidence
appears to
s u p p o r t an a f f i r m a t i v e answer t o b o t h t h e s e q u e s t i o n s .
6
8
W h i l e i n m e d i t a t i o n , I had a
p a r a l l e l personal e x p e r i ence, perhaps
t h e most
p r o f o u n d and b e n e f i c i a l o f my
life.
I was
similarly
and
silently
"instructed"
by
the g r e a t
Indian
spiritual
master,
Sant
(meaning
"saint")
Kirpal
Singh.
At the
time, I
knew v i r t u a l l y
n o t h i n g a b o u t him,
e x c e p t t h a t one o f h i s d e v o t e d d i s c i p l e s was m e d i t a t i n g w i t h
me.
One o f s e v e r a l r a t h e r
extraordinary
things
a b o u t my
intensely
real,
l i f e - c h a n g i n g v i s i o n o f Sant K i r p a l S i n g h
was t h a t he had been dead f o r t e n y e a r s !
Besides
confirming
f o r me
with
certainty
that
we
a c t u a l l y do
s u r v i v e the
death of our p h y s i c a l b o d i e s , t h i s
e x p e r i e n c e has b r o u g h t me
great
benefits.
I
soon f r e e d
myself
from
the
long-lasting
grip
of
s e v e r a l v i c e s and
d r a s t i c a l l y i m p r o v e d my d i e t .
Most i m p o r t a n t , my
clear yet
wordless
experience
of
love
in
this
vision-apparition
answered r e l i g i o u s q u e s t i o n s
of
supreme
importance
t o me
w h i l e r e a s s u r i n g me o f my g e n u i n e r e l a t i o n to t h e s p i r i t u a l
world.
In a subsequent v i s i o n ,
I was
further "instructed"
about t h e
c o s m i c i n s i g n i f i c a n c e o f t h e body and t h e supreme
s i g n i f i c a n c e of l o v e .
P r o p e l l e d by t h e s e v i s i o n s ,
a book I
had
been
researching
for
s e v e r a l y e a r s on t h e p l a n e t a r y
heavens
experienced
between
death
and
rebirth
was s o o n
published.
This brings
us a t
once t o
a r e c o g n i t i o n of the o f t e n
overlooked importance
o f e v a l u a t i n g an e s s e n t i a l l y s u b j e c tive, psychic,
p r a y e r - m e d i t a t i o n e x p e r i e n c e i n terms of i t s
o b j e c t i v e b e n e f i t s . In
other
words,
i s the e x p e r i e n c e - like Saint
A n t o n y ' s c l a i r v o y a n c e w h i c h s a v e d someone's l i f e
o r my v i s i o n s o f
Sant K i r p a l
Singh which
changed mine f o r
the b e t t e r —
clearly constructive, truly beneficial?
Dr.
Karlis
Osis,
former
research
American S o c i e t y f o r P s y c h i c a l Research,
similarly:
4
director
put
the
f o r the
question
Yet i n
t h i s o v e r l a p between r e l i g i o u s and e x t r a s e n s o r y
e x p e r i e n c e s , t h e d i s t i n c t i o n between them a p p e a r s
to l i e i n
whether
they
are
i n t e n t i o n a l l y c o n s t r u c t i v e or measurably
b e n e f i c i a l i n outcome.
T h i s suggests t h a t i f the s p i r i t u a l
experience
was
without
c o n s t r u c t i v e i n t e n t o r p r o d u c e s no
c l e a r b e n e f i t s , then perhaps
i t should
be
labeled " r e l i gious".
I t would
s i m p l y be g e n e r i c p s i ; t h a t i s , a h i g h e r
mental r a t h e r than s p i r i t u a l
phenomenon.
I f so,
then, i t
w o u l d seem t h a t p e r h a p s t h e p r a y e r o r m e d i t a t i o n had somehow
d i r e c t l y i n v o k e d g e n e r i c p s i , f o r example,
by i n d u c i n g v i a
auto-hypnosis
an
altered
b r a i n wave p a t t e r n c o n d u c i v e t o
ESP.
However,
i f fulfilling
a
c o n s t r u c t i v e purpose
or
a c c o m p a n i e d by o b j e c t i v e b e n e f i t s , t h e p s i may be t h e r e s u l t
of what S r i Bhagavan m i g h t c a l l
grace, or
a spiritual gift
as
Saint
Paul
and
Christian
c h a r i s m a t i c s would
say
("charismata" i s Greek f o r
spiritual gifts).
Rather than
being
active
causes,
t h e s e p r a c t i c e s may p a s s i v e l y i n v o k e
p s i b e n e f i t s by e n h a n c i n g such g r a c e f a c t o r s as s p o n t a n e i t y ,
sensitivity
and
receptivity
to
ESP
and s p i r i t u a l f o r c e s
o p e r a t i n g on
our
behalf
but
otherwise
unseen.
In h i s
scholarly
book,
Dr.
Richard
Drummond
points
out
that
s p i r i t u a l g i f t s "came t o be a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e
work o f t h e
Holy S p i r i t
by some o f the g r e a t e s t p h i l o s o p h e r - t h e o l o g i a n s
of t h e M i d d l e A g e s . "
Dr.
Drummond, a m i s s i o n a r y - t h e o l o g i a n
s e r i o u s l y committed
to researching
the p s i - r e l i g i o n i n t e r f a c e , adds
that this
t r a d i t i o n " c o n s t i t u t e s a very proper
context for
t h e d i s c u s s i o n o f what
a r e now c a l l e d p s y c h i c
phenomena, f o r i t was
clearly in
the mainstream
of f a i t h understanding i n the C h r i s t i a n C h u r c h . "
1 0
Before d i r e c t l y addressing t h i s all-important r e l a t i o n s h i p between God, J e s u s and t h e H o l y S p i r i t on one
hand and
psi
production
or
spiritual
g i f t s on t h e o t h e r , we s h a l l
f i r s t consider evidence
f o r p s i b e n e f i t s invoked through
g r o u p m e d i t a t i o n and p r a y e r .
R e a l i z i n g P s i B e n e f i t s through Group Prayer and Meditation
5
0\
ft.
I.
I
The
I.
I
J o u r n a l of R e l i g i o n
I
and
I.
I
Psychical
Research
One
of
the
features
common
t o t h e c a s e s w h i c h have been
c i t e d c o n c e r n i n g s a i n t l y p s i i s t h e i n v o l v e m e n t o f more t h a n
one p e r s o n .
I n a d d i t i o n t o h a v i n g an e s s e n t i a l l y b e n e f i c i a l
or
c o n s t r u c t i v e nature,
psi
invoked
through
prayer
or
meditation
seems
to
be c h a r a c t e r i s t i c a l l y g r o u p - o r i e n t e d .
At the American S o c i e t y f o r P s y c h i c a l Research, K a r l i s O s i s
experimentally
verified
the
close
l i n k between r e l i g i o u s
e x p e r i e n c e and ESP.
He t e s t e d
s m a l l groups
of meditators
who
previously
had
spontaneous
intense s p i r i t u a l e x p e r i ences.
Each
individual's
mood
prior
to
m e d i t a t i o n was
c a r e f u l l y measured.
While
m e d i t a t i n g t o g e t h e r on a w e e k l y
b a s i s , t h e y were e n c o u r a g e d t o a l t e r
t h e i r consciousness i n
an e f f o r t
to r e - l i v e
t h e i r f o r m e r "peak" r e l i g i o u s e x p e r i e n c e . Then t h e ESP
between
group
members
was
t e s t e d and
quantitatively
evaluated
in
light
of
their
meditation
e x p e r i e n c e s , w h i c h were s c o r e d on p s y c h o l o g i c a l s c a l e s .
F i v e major f a c t o r s
were
found
to
characterize their
meditations:
non-defensive
openness
and
oneness,
alert
s t i l l n e s s , a b u o y a n t mood, a f e e l i n g
of meaningfulness,
and
i n t e n s i f i c a t i o n of
love.
Of t h e s e ,
the f i r s t e x p e r i e n c e ,
w h i c h c o u l d be c a l l e d i n
religious
terms
the
" f e e l i n g of
oneness,"
and
the
last
one,
"intensification
of
love"
c o r r e l a t e d d i r e c t l y w i t h ESP
scores.
Group
members were
often
in
telepathic
communication
with
each
other
and
f r e q u e n t l y s h a r e d t h e same
visions
and
meditation e x p e r i ences .
Dr.
Osis
tentatively
concludes:
E x p e r i e n c e o f o n e n e s s w i t h t h e o t h e r g r o u p members
and w i t h
'everything
that
exists'
i m p r o v e s ESP
s c o r e s ...
t h e r e i s an i n c r e a s e d f l o w o f i n f o r m a t i o n on
a
non-sensory
level
between
the group
members when t h e m e d i t a t i o n has gone w e l l .
1 1
He
added
that
many
instances
of
p s i occurred
w i t h no
c o n n e c t i o n w i t h a n y t h i n g r e l i g i o u s or s p i r i t u a l ; n e i t h e r d i d
r e l i g i o u s e x p e r i e n c e a l w a y s p r o d u c e ESP.
Hence, w h i l e "some
o v e r l a p seems
t o be
o b s e r v a b l e " between
p s i and r e l i g i o u s
e x p e r i e n c e , t h e y s h o u l d n o t be c o n s i d e r e d as i d e n t i c a l .
As a
p r i m e example
o f how " p a r a p s y c h o l o g y has i n v a d e d
t h e domain o f r e l i g i o n , " J.B. R h i n e p o i n t e d o u t e a r l y i n t h e
h i s t o r y o f p s i r e s e a r c h how i n v e s t i g a t o r s b o t h i n and o u t o f
the f i e l d of r e l i g i o n
were i n q u i r i n g
i n t o the
role of the
e x t r a s e n s o r y mind i n p r a y e r .
I n t h e 1 9 4 0 ' s G e r a l d H e a r d was
one o f t h e f i r s t t o a s s i g n a m a j o r
role to
ESP a c t i v i t y i n
prayer.
A r o u n d t h e same t i m e F r a n k L a u b a c h ' s b r i e f s t u d y
o f f e r e d added s u p p o r t f o r a s i g n i f i c a n t r e l a t i o n s h i p between
ESP and
prayer.^
The C h a p l a i n
o f Duke u n i v e r s i t y , where
R h i n e ' s p i o n e e r i n g ESP e x p e r i m e n t s were c o n d u c t e d ,
expressed
i n s i m p l e terms t h a t
1 2
6
I
t
t
I
Can
Prayer
I...
I
I
t
or M e d i t a t i o n Invoke B e n e f i t s of
I
t
Psi?
extra
sensory
communication
t a k e s p l a c e between
God and man.
In
religious
jargon,
this called
prayer.
Stated i n
terms o f parapsychology,
this
is telepathy.
1 4
P r e s b y t e r i a n m i n i s t e r R i c h a r d N e f f , i n h i s P s y c h i c Phenomena
and
Religion,
explores
the
subject
o f p s i and p r a y e r i n
depth.
N e f f s e e s t h e g r o u p p r o c e s s i n p r a y e r f o r h e a l i n g as
t h e key t o o u r u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f ESP and p r a y e r .
In
this
conception
o f p r a y e r as an e x t r a s e n s o r y
phenomenon, t h e r e i s a c t i o n
beyond t h e
l i m i t s of
one
person's
mind;
there
is
some
interaction
between t h e minds o f two o r more p e r s o n s .
1 5
The r o l e o f g r o u p d y n a m i c s i n p r a y e r was f i r s t r e p o r t e d
in a
s e r i e s of
prayer experiments
d e s i g n e d t o t e s t , among
o t h e r t h i n g s , t o what e x t e n t t h e g r o u p p r o c e s s - - a s o p p o s e d
to p r i v a t e , i n d i v i d u a l p r a y e r —
might i n t e n s i f y the h e a l i n g
of p e o p l e t r o u b l e d w i t h a n x i e t y .
Of t h r e e r e s e a r c h s e c t i o n s
tested
f o r comparison,
the
f i r s t went i n t o g r o u p p s y c h o therapy,
while
another
engaged
in
"random"
non-group
isolated prayer.
Meanwhile
a third
group used
a form o f
cooperative prayer therapy.
T h i s was
a s p e c i f i c a l l y group
process
i n which
people
regularly
prayed
together
for
h e a l i n g t h e m s e l v e s and o t h e r members o f t h e g r o u p .
1 6
The r e s u l t
of t h i s
r e s e a r c h was
t h a t the i n d i v i d u a l ,
p r i v a t e use o f p r a y e r was r e l a t i v e l y i n e f f e c t i v e .
The o t h e r
two c o n t r o l g r o u p s , h a v i n g t h e g r o u p
p r o c e s s as
the essential,
shared
feature,
showed
c o n s i d e r a b l e improvement i n
r e l i e f of t h e i r a n x i e t y .
The p r a y e r - t h e r a p y g r o u p
showed a
seventy-two p e r c e n t
r a t e of
implement b a s e d on p e r s o n a l i t y
inventory questionnaires f i l l e d
out
before
and
a f t e r the
experiments.
Perhaps i t i s indeed the group p r o c e s s i t s e l f with i t s
whole-system, c o o p e r a t i v e
dynamic which
i s responsible for
intensifying
inner
and
outer
healing
t h r o u g h p r a y e r and
meditation.
In our a s k i n g
in
prayer
and
our
seeking i n
m e d i t a t i o n our e n e r g i e s a r e i n t e n s i f i e d i n c o o p e r a t i v e group
thought, i n t e n t and p u r p o s e and t h e b e n e f i t s o f p s y c h i c and
s p i r i t u a l forces
are invoked
f o r each i n d i v i d u a l a c c o r d i n g
to t h e i r unique needs.
Without
such a
wholehearted
group
oneness
of
mind
and
purpose,
regardless
of
individual
p o s i t i o n s and r e l a t i o n s h i p s
with
each
other,
the d e s i r e d
r e s u l t s and
b e n e f i t s should
n o t be
expected.
In l i g h t o f
t h e g r o u p p r a y e r and
m e d i t a t i o n experiments
j u s t reviewed,
we c a n
perhaps b e t t e r
u n d e r s t a n d why
i n t h e New T e s t a m e n t
Jesus d e f i n e s p r a y e r as
a mutually
a g r e e a b l e g r o u p phenomenon,
a
plural
working
together
or synergy of s p i r i t u a l
f o r c e s i n the p h y s i c a l plane.
As a means o f
making o n e s e l f
7
ON
t.
I
The
1.
Journal
1
I
I.
o f R e l i g i o n and P s y c h i c a l
ft.
1
Research
more a t t u n e d
t o these
energies which
may m a n i f e s t i n t h i s
w o r l d , p r a y e r a s d e f i n e d here i s an e s s e n t i a l l y c o o p e r a t i v e
e x p e r i e n c e o f two o r more i n d i v i d u a l s .
If
two o f y o u s h a l l
agree
on e a r t h t o u c h i n g
a n y t h i n g t h a t t h e y s h a l l a s k , i t s h a l l be done f o r
them by my F a t h e r
which i s i n heaven.
Where two
or three a r e gathered
t o g e t h e r i n my name, t h e r e
w i l l I be i n t h e m i d s t o f them (Matthew 18:18-20).
Psi
and S y n e r g y
Synergy
i s a group
o r a g g r e g a t e phenomenon i n w h i c h
p a r t s of a system,
o r a w h o l e , work
together so that the
total
effect
surpasses
t h e sum o f t h e e f f e c t s o f e a c h
separate p a r t .
Biologically,
the principle
of synergy i s
i l l u s t r a t e d i n the systematic y e t i n v o l u n t a r y co-working o f
the muscles
i n t h e body: t h e t o t a l s t r e n g t h
o f t h e whole
muscular system
f a r exceeds t h e strengths o f t h e i n d i v i d u a l
muscles c o n s i d e r e d s e p a r a t e l y .
In metallurgy,
synergy i s
demonstrated i n t h e c o o p e r a t i v e a c t i o n o f s e v e r a l d i f f e r e n t
m e t a l s when m i x e d i n t o a s i n g l e a l l o y .
Their stress l o a d —
total
tensile
strength
when
combined
i n the a l l o y
greatly
surpasses
t h e sum o f t h e i r
individual
tensile
s t r e n g t h s when n o t p a r t o f t h e a l l o y .
The words " s y n e r g y " a n d " s y n e r g e t i c " a r e d i r e c t d e r i v a t i v e o f s y n e r q e a , t h e G r e e k word f o r c o - w o r k i n g .
Saint Paul
o f t e n uses
t h i s term
i nhis
letters.
H i s emphasis o n t h e
p r i o r i t y o f t h e s y n e r g y p r i n c i p l e becomes
e v e n more o b v i o u s
when t h e o r i g i n a l G r e e k
root i s used.
For instance. Saint
P a u l a s s u r e d t h e Roman C h r i s t i a n s : "And we know
a l l things
s y n e r g i z e f o r g o o d t o them t h a t l o v e God" (Romans 8:28). I n
d e s c r i b i n g t h e C o r i n t h i a n s a s C h r i s t ' s ambassadors
t o whom
God h a s c o m m i t t e d t h e message o f r e c o n c i l i a t i o n . S a i n t P a u l
spoke o f t h e i r " s y n e r g i z i n g w i t h Him" ( I I C o r i n t h i a n s 5:20,
6:1).
This synergetic
e x c e s s o r i n c r e a s e i s a p p a r e n t l y what
S a i n t P a u l was r e f e r r i n g
t o when
encouraging the group of
Greek C h r i s t i a n s i n E p h e s u s :
E v e n C h r i s t ; f r o m whom t h e w h o l e body f i t l y j o i n e d
together [synergized]
and compacted [ i n t e n s i f i e d ]
by t h a t
which every j o i n t s u p p l i e t h , according t o
the e f f e c t u a l working
i n t h e measure
o f every
part,
maketh
increase
o f t h e body
unto t h e
e d i f y i n g o f i t s e l f i n love (Ephesians 4:16).
The t r a n s c e n d e n t " i n c r e a s e " o f t h e g r o u p
due t o t h e a c t i o n
of synergy
among t h e i n d i v i d u a l p a r t s o r j o i n t s i s c l e a r l y
stated here.
Reminiscent
o f t h e i n t e n s i f i c a t i o n - l o v e and
8
I
L
Can
t
ft
1
i
Prayer or Meditation
i..
Invoke B e n e f i t s
t
|
of Psi?
u n i t y which
O s i s found
to characterize
h i s ESP m e d i t a t i o n
e x p e r i m e n t s , s y n e r g y was a g a i n e m p h a s i z e d b y S a i n t P a u l when
he
assured
the Corinthian
Christians.
They
had been
q u a r r e l i n g a b o u t t h e p r o p r i e t y o f t h e Greek A p o l l o s t e a c h i n g
alongside Paul.
N e i t h e r i s he t h a t p l a n t e t h any t h i n g , n e i t h e r he
t h a t w a t e r e t h ; f o r God g i v e t h t h e i n c r e a s e .
Now
he t h a t
p l a n t e t h a n d he t h a t w a t e r e t h a r e one ...
F o r we
are laborers
together
[synergists] with
God.
(I C o r i n t h i a n s
3:9).
Moses h a d l o n g b e f o r e
taught t h i s m u l t i p l i c a t i o n f a c t o r o f
s y n e r g y t o t h e outnumbered I s r a e l i t e s .
U n l e s s God abandoned
them a l t o g e t h e r
i n their
b a t t l e s , he a s k s , "How s h o u l d o n e
chase a thousand,
and two p u t t e n t h o u s a n d
to flight?"
(Deuteronomy 32:30) S p i r i t u a l s y n e r g y d o e s n o t c a u s e a mere
d o u b l i n g o r t r i p l i n g o f power; t h e m u l t i p l i c a t i o n e x p l o d e s .
The s y n e r g y phenomenon i s a d i s t i n c t
f e a t u r e o f whole
systems which
are studied
i n physics
under the heading o f
field
theory.
Psychologist
and p s i r e s e a r c h e r Gardner
Murphy
has seen
t h e whole s y s t e m / f i e l d t h e o r y concept a s
vital
t o an e x p l a n a t i o n
o f phenomena
like
telepathy,
p r e c o g n i t i o n and p r a y e r h e a l i n g .
Kenneth
Walker, a w e l l known w r i t e r on ESP a g r e e s w i t h Murphy.
Discussing precogn i t i o n i n terms o f h o l i s t i c p a t t e r s
o f e v e n t s and u n i f i e d
f i e l d s he c a l l s
upon
t h e synergy
model
to explain p s i
phenomena i n h i s c o n c l u s i o n t h a t " s t r u c t u r a l w h o l e s o f t h i s
k i n d may be more t h a n t h e sum o f t h e i r p a r t s . " '
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Paraphysics
i s t h e branch
of parapsychology
which
s t u d i e s a p h y s i c a l phenomena s u c h a s l e v i t a t i o n and p s y c h o k i n e s i s ( b e n d i n g o r movement
of objects
t h r o u g h mind power
alone).
Writing
on t h e t h e o r e t i c a l f o u n d a t i o n s o f p a r a p h y s i c s i n Edgar
Mitchell's
Psychic
E x p l o r a t i o n s , Brendan
0'Regan a l s o
considers synergy
e s s e n t i a l t o p s i , w h i c h he
s a y s m i g h t be r e g a r d e d a s " h i g h
synergy." *
O'Regan was
once
research
consultant t o
astronaut-turned-consciousness
r e s e a r c h e r M i t c h e l l as w e l l
a s t o a r c h i t e c t - p h i l o s o p h e r R.
Buckminster F u l l e r ,
who o f t e n s t a t e d t h a t he u n d e r s t o o d God
i n terms o f s y n e r g y .
J . B . R h i n e , c o i n e r o f t h e term " p a r a psychology",
which,
he f i r m l y
believed,
touched
"great
i s s u e s o r r e l i g i o n " , a l s o e n v i s i o n e d t h e d e i t y i n terms o f
synergy.
Reminiscent o f C a r l Jung's theory o f t h e " c o l l e c t i v e unconscious" i sh i s idea that
i f o u r minds a r e i n d e e d
non-physical, then
we c a n h y p o t h e s i z e a whole n o n - p h y s i c a l
system which i n c l u d e s a l l o u r minds.
A d i v i n i t y student
before
becoming
a p s y c h o l o g i s t , Dr. Rhine s p e c u l a t e d t h a t
h i s s p e c i a l m i n d - w o r l d w o u l d be " a k i n d of
psychical oversoul,
or reservoir,
o r c o n t i n u u m " w i t h i t s own s y s t e m o f
laws, p r o p e r t i e s and p o t e n t i a l s .
"One c a n c o n c e i v e
of t h i s
great t o t a l p a t t e r n as having a transcendent uniqueness over
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and above the nature of i t s parts that
divinity."
some might
call its
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Following Rhine's
hypothesis, the Holy S p i r i t might be
better understood
f u n c t i o n a l l y as a corporate p s i f i e l d
phenomenon; i n e f f e c t , a group synergy f i e l d of soul-minds
emersed i n and attuned to the same frequency (the C h r i s t or
God).
Given
these clues, perhaps
the Holy
Spirit-considered i n t h i s
f u n c t i o n a l , synergetic fashion -- i s
indeed the source of p s i b e n e f i t s and s p i r i t u a l g i f t s tapped
i n group prayer and meditation.
The p r i n c i p l e of synergy helps to explain how
such p s i
b e n e f i t s are s u c c e s s f u l l y invoked i n some instances and f a i l
to be invoked i n others.
Let us look at a few of Jesus'
healings as recorded i n Saint Mark's Gospel f o r c l a r i f i c a t i o n . F i r s t we f i n d the C h r i s t i n h i s hometown of Nazareth,
faced with an openly h o s t i l e crowd: "And they were offended
at him," o s t e n s i b l y because he was
a l o c a l carpenter's son
claiming great wisdom and miracle working a b i l i t i e s .
At
t h i s point, Jesus says to h i s h i g h l y s k e p t i c a l audience that
a prophet has honor except "among h i s own k i n , and i n h i s
own house." Because of t h e i r antagonistic a t t i t u d e , Jesus
"could there do no mighty work ... and he marveled because
of t h e i r u n b e l i e f . " Even so, he was not angry with them and
" l a i d h i s hands upon a few s i c k f o l k , and healed them" (Mark
6:1-6).
Jesus was apparently w e l l aware of the need for synergy
and of the i n h i b i t i n g r o l e of what can be c a l l e d "contrasuggestion" i n the invocation of p s i b e n e f i t s .
In another
healing, Jesus takes a deaf stammerer aside from
the
s k e p t i c a l multitude and ordered the few allowed to witness
the healing that
"they should t e l l no man" (Mark 7:36).
Note that Jesus took the patient out of the range of the
contra-suggestion of s k e p t i c s .
In another case, to avoid
having the psychic healing b e n e f i t s aborted by c o n t r a suggestion, a man once b l i n d i s charged, "nor t e l l i t t o any
i n the town" (Mark 8:26).
It i s a popular paradox
of parapsychology that the
s k e p t i c a l or u n b e l i e v i n g a t t i t u d e of those present during
psi demonstrations o f t e n adversely a f f e c t the outcome of
what Saint Mark would c a l l
a "mighty work." C h r i s t i a n
prayer healers Ambrose and Olga W o r r a l l have f l a t l y concluded,
"Any
attempt
to show that s p i r i t u a l healing can be
accomplished i n the presence of a c r i t i c a l audience, or a
group of u n b e l i e v e r s , i s almost c e r t a i n to f a i l . "
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Can Prayer or Meditation Invoke Benefits of Psi?
C a t h o l i c S a i n t s , Jewish and Protestant mystics i n medieval
Germany
to
contemporary
Indian
s p i r i t u a l teachers-demonstrate that a wide v a r i e t y of p s i b e n e f i t s can be
invoked through prayer and meditation. We have reviewed
meditation and prayer experiments which i n d i c a t e that the
benefits of p s i , whether simply experienced as increased ESP
or as healing, are greater when group dynamics are involved.
The p r i n c i p l e of synergy helps to explain both the p o s i t i v e
and negative r o l e s which group dynamics can play i n the
invocation of p s i , which has been defined as "high synergy".
Examples from Jesus' h e a l i n g m i n i s t r y have shown how low
synergy may r e s u l t i n the lack of p s i .
If
a kind of group energy f i e l d
forms the mental
environment f o r attempts to invoke p s i through prayer and
meditation, then p s i would be manifested when t h i s energy
f i e l d — perhaps p r i n c i p a l l y supplied by those present-was p o s i t i v e and cooperative.
Conversely, the p s i attempt
would tend to f a i l
when c o n d i t i o n s of t h i s h y p o t h e t i c a l
field
became a n t a g o n i s t i c and uncooperative or were a l together absent. The m u l t i p l i c a t i o n f a c t o r , or synergy, o f
t h i s group force f i e l d i l l u m i n e s not only our search f o r p s i
invocation through prayer and meditation.
The a c t i o n of
synergy i s a l s o a good model f o r better understanding what
we mean by God and the Holy S p i r i t .
The synergy p r i n c i p l e
is
therefore an e x c e l l e n t bridge between r e l i g i o n
and
p s y c h i c a l research and could be a valuable conceptual a i d i n
future studies i n v o l v i n g the p s i - r e l i g i o n i n t e r f a c e .
NOTES
1
E . Kadloubovsky
and G.E.H. Palmer, Writing from the " P h i l o k a l i a " on
Prayer of the Heart, translated from the Russian text, Dobrotolubiye
(London: Faber and Faber, Ltd., 1962).
2
William James, The V a r i e t i e s of Religious
American Library, Mentor Books, 1959).
3R. M. Bucke,
Books, 1961).
Cosmic
Consciousness
(New
Experience (New York:
York:
^Raphael Brown, translator, The L i t t l e Flowers
York:Doubleday, Image Books, 1958).
5
New
York University
of Saint Francis
Gershom Scholem, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism (New
Books, 1941, 1946).
New
(New
York: Schocken
1 9
6
Suami Nikhilananda, The Gospel of S r i Ramarkrishna. translated from
Negali with an Introduction by Nikhilananda (New York: RamakrishnaVivekanada Center, 1952).
Conclusion
7
Examples from
the h i s t o r y
10
of r e l i g i o n
—
from Jesus,
Munagal
S.
Venkataramiah
(Swami
11
Ramananda
Saraswati), translator.
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The Journal of Religion and Psychical Research
Talks With S r i Ratnana Haharshi (India: S r i Ramamasramam, 1963).
8
Authur Osborne, Ramana
(London: Rider, 1963).
Haharshi
and
the
Path
of
Self KnowledRC
'H. Richard Drummond, Unto the Churches: Jesus Christ, C h r i s t i a n i t y and
the Edgar Cayce Readings ( V i r i g i n i a Beach: A.R.E. Press, 1973).
l°Karlis Osis, "Informal Methods of Research in Psychic Phenomena for
Religious Believers", Pastoral Psychology, September, 1970.
" G e r a l d Heard, A Preface to Prayer (New York: Harper and Row,
l2
1944).
Frank Laubach, Prayer (New York: Revell, 1946).
^Howard C. Wilkinson., "Parapsychology and Religion", in J . B. Rhine
and Robert Brier, editors, Parapsychology Today (New York: Citadel
Press, 1966).
14
R i c h a r d Neff, Psychic Phenomena and Religion: ESP, Prayer, Healing,
Survival (Philadelphia: The Westminister Press, 1971).
15
W i l l a i m Parker, Prayer Can Change Your L i f e (Englewood
Prentice-Hall, 1957).
^Kenneth
1961).
Walker,
The
Extra-Sensory Hind
C l i f f s , N.J.:
(New York: Emerson Books,
^Brendan O'Regan, "The Emergence of ParaphysicsL Theoretical Foundations", in Edgar M i t c h e l l , Psychic Exporlations: A Challenge for
Science, edited by John White (New York: G. P. Putnam's 1974).
1 8
J . B. Rhine, The Reach of
1947).
the
Mind
(New
York:
Sloane Associates,
^Ambrose and Olga Worrall, The G i f t of Healing: A Personal Story of
S p i r i t u a l Therapy (New York: Harper and Row, 1965).
For this essay, Ry Redd won the JRPR 1986 competition for the Robert M.
Ashby Memorial Award.
Ry Redd i s involved in work on the thought of Edgar Cayce and is
a f f i l i a t e d with A.R.E. in V i r g i n i a Beach, VA.
His address i s 2204
Mediterrean Ave., V i r g i n i a Beach, VA. 23451
12