The miraculous feats of saints have always intrigued us, perhaps because they point to a latent power we too possess. And
of all the wondrous phenomena mentioned in saintly lore – such as healing, clairvoyance, celestial vision, bilocation, invisibility – we find none more captivating than
levitation. Who hasn’t dreamed of flying? who hasn’t longed to experience the exhilaration, the freedom, the lightness? For countless people throughout history, flying was not merely a dream but an empirical reality, and many of their flights have been carefully documented. For example, there are numerous eyewitness accounts of the levitations of St. Teresa of Avila, the 16th-century Spanish mystic. She wrote: “my soul was carried away and now and then the whole body as well, so that it was lifted up from the ground… After the rapture was over, my body seemed frequently to be buoyant, as if all weight had departed from it, so much that now and then I scarcely knew that my feet touched the ground.“ Unaided human fright, no matter how astounding and mystifying, is not contrary to natural law. It is simply an event in nature that science has not yet explained. Like snowflakes. Some crystals are six-sided, an no two patterns are ever alike – but no one knows why. Still, we can delight on the beautiful symmetry of this mystery of nature. Likewise, we don’t need to analyse the “miracle” of flying to enjoy soaring freely through space. Maria Villanie, a 17th-century Dominican nun, experienced the ecstasy of flight without having a scientific
understanding of it. At first her levitation frightened her, but then she felt a great contentment and joy of spirit, reporting afterwards: “I felt myself seized and ravished out of my senses so powerfully that I found myself lifted up completely by the very soles of my feet, just as the magnet draws up a fragment of iron, but with a gentleness that was marvellous and most delightful.” Mystics from divergent cultures throughout the world believe that the mysterious force that enables them to defy gravity is not an external power, but something that comes from within and can be cultivated by anyone. They fly for various reason: to accelerate their spiritual evolution, to prove the truth of their teachings to unbelievers, to test or demonstrate their progress, or simply to travel from one place to another. Whatever their motive, whether levitation is intentional or spontaneous, the mechanics are the same: when the spirit takes a flight, the body may sometimes follow. Knowledge of God is the only solution to the world’s problems, and one of the signs of God-realization is joy. The so-called miraculous powers of a great master are a natural accompaniment to his exact understanding of subtle laws that operate in the inner cosmos of consciousness. It is only when we know our true Self, that suffering is extinguished like a candle flame. Then we experience the eternal peace and bliss. See the creation as the expression of the Divine, or Pure Being. Unite, or reunite, with God. The Holy Presence is in all things, all of creation is sacred and beautiful, joy in living is the highest form of worship. Over two hundred Christian saints are known to have levitated during acts of devotion: prayer or contemplation, gazing at holy statues, pictures, symbols, or listening to religious music.