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 ) . W e 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. W e 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 ) . W e 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 . W e 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 W e 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! W e 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 . W e 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

17

mi igj

gj > * mi

m ^

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

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 . W e 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. W e 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 .

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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 . W e 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 112F (45C). 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. W e 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. W e 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. II. III. "Natuzza Evolo Works M i r a c l e s " . F a t e Magazine. "The Cure o f A r s " A . R . G . D. S c o t t Rogo,

Owen, Man, Myth and Magic.

"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.

ft

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

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 heartthe 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

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 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.

FATE

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

43

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 * * 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.

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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44
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.

FATE 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, shewith no promptingmentioned 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.

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, Italyperhaps the most famous bilocating mystic of our timepositively 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.

a fc... i

46 "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.

FATE 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 liveswith a new respect for charity and humilitybecause 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
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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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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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
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

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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. 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. 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

lM

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

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

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).

VU ACADDli

OF RELIGION AND PSYCHICAL RESEARCH OFFICERS 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 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 ( 1 9 8 9

Dr. Dr. Mr. Mr.

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

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

(1988/
( 1 9 8 7 ( 1 9 8 7 ( 1 9 6 7

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 ( 1 9 8 91 ( 1 9 8 9 ( 1 9 8 9' 1 1 9 8 7 !1
1

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.

( 1 9 8 8 , 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 of Religion and Psychical Research; an academic a f f i l i a t e of Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship with lta national headquarters located at 10819 Winner Rd., Independence, Missouri 6 W 6 2 . (ISSN 1731-21<8) The Journal baa bean established as a vehicle and forua for d i a logue and exchange of ideas asong Academy aeabers and others pertaining to the area i n which religion and psychical research interface. It publ i s h e s a r t i c l e s , research proposals, abstracts of research completed and underway, book reviews, reports of conferences, nana, and correspondence. Opinions expressed in the Journal are those of the authors and the publication of those opinions herein i s not to be construed aa indicative of approval or concurrence by tha Academy of Religion and Psychical Research or i t s Board of Trustees. A l l righta are reserved. A r t i c l e s appearing in tha Journal may be reproduced or translated with the written permission of the Editor. Send a l l material submitted for consideration for publication i n tha Journal to the Editor 1 Mary Carman Rosa, < * 0 2 Gittlnga Ave., Baltimore, Hd. 21212. Send a l l books for review in tha Journal to the Editor at tha above address. Heabere of the Academy receive -the Journal aa a benefit of neaberahlp. Subscriptions to the Journal are available to l i b r a r i e s of religious and d i v i n i t y schools,.seminaries, eollegas, and high schools for S8.00 per annum. Single back Issues of the Journal are available for $2.00Copyrlght ( 5 ) 1 9 8 6 by the Academy of Sellglon and Paychlcal Research. Third-class poelege paid at tha Bloomfleld, CT. Poet Office.

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.*

i .

The

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

Can

Prayer

or M e d i t a t i o n Invoke B e n e f i t s of

Psi?

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 .
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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 .
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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.
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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. 3 of I the devotees saw chaitanya's t o me party

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 2

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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 .
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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?^ 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 . 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 . "
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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 . "
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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: director put the f o r the question

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

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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:

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.
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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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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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

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
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1.

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ft.

ft

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The

Journal

o f R e l i g i o n and P s y c h i c a l

Research

Can

Prayer or Meditation

Invoke B e n e f i t s

of Psi?

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).

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 . " '
1

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

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
1

The Journal of R e l i g i o n and P s y c h i c a l Research and above the nature of i t s parts that divinity."
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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 .

some might

call its

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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NOTES 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). 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
2 1

Experience (New York:

New

York:

New

York University

^Raphael Brown, translator, The L i t t l e Flowers York:Doubleday, Image Books, 1958).

5

of Saint Francis

(New

Gershom Scholem, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism (New Books, 1941, 1946).
6

York: Schocken

Conclusion Examples from the h i s t o r y 10 of r e l i g i o n from Jesus,

Suami Nikhilananda, The Gospel of S r i Ramarkrishna. translated from Negali with an Introduction by Nikhilananda (New York: RamakrishnaVivekanada Center, 1952).
7

Munagal

S.

Venkataramiah

(Swami 11

Ramananda

Saraswati), translator.

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). lKarlis 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). R i c h a r d Neff, Psychic Phenomena and Religion: ESP, Prayer, Healing, Survival (Philadelphia: The Westminister Press, 1971). 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
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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).
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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

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