Bilocation, or sometimesmultilocation, is an allegedpsychic ormiraculous ability wherein an individual or object is located (or appears to be located) in two distinct places at the same time.[1] Reports of bilocational phenomena have been made in a wide variety of historical and religious contexts, ranging from ancient Greek legends and Christian traditions to modernoccultism.
The ancient Greek philosopherPythagoras was said to have been capable of bilocation. According toPorphyry (writing several centuries after Pythagoras):
Almost unanimous is the report that on one and the same day he was present atMetapontum in Italy, and atTauromenium in Sicily, in each place conversing with his friends, though the places are separated by many miles, both at sea and land, demanding many days' journey.[2][3]
A similar story is told ofApollonius of Tyana, who was supposedly present simultaneously inSmyrna andEphesus.[4]
The concept of bilocation has been linked withshamanism,[6]Theosophy,[7]Islam (especiallySufism)[8] andJewish mysticism.[9]
It is also one of thesiddhis ofHinduism andBuddhism.[10][11] Several prominent Hindu gurus, includingNeem Karoli Baba,[12]Sri Yukteswar[13] andLahiri Mahasaya,[13] have been reported to have this ability.
The history ofChristianity contains many reports of miraculous bilocations. Among the earliest of these is the apparition ofOur Lady of the Pillar. This is an alleged appearance of theVirgin Mary inCaesaraugusta, Spain, in the year 40 AD, at a time when she is believed to have been still alive and living inJerusalem.[14]
Other Christian figures said to have experienced bilocation includeCatherine de' Ricci,Saint Drogo,[15]Anthony of Padua,[16]Francis of Paola,[17]Francis Xavier,[18]Martin de Porres,[19]María de Ágreda,[20][21]Alphonsus Liguori,[5]Gerard Majella[22] andPadre Pio.[23]
However, some Catholic philosophers disagree as to whether a person can really be physically located in two places at once, or whether the bilocations of the saints only take the form of non-substantial apparitions.[24][25]
In the 17th century, persons accused of witchcraft were often reported to appear to their victims in visions, even if they were known to be elsewhere at the time. The trials atBury St. Edmunds andSalem included this "spectral evidence" against defendants.Matthew Hopkins described the phenomenon in his bookThe Discovery of Witches.
Émilie Sagée, a French teacher working in 1845 in a boarding school inLatvia, was supposed to have had the ability of bilocation.[26]
The English occultistAleister Crowley was reported by acquaintances to have the ability to bilocate, even though he said he was not conscious of its happening at the time.[27]
Skeptical investigatorJoe Nickell has written that there is noscientific evidence that bilocation is a real phenomenon and that cases are often from anecdotal reports that cannot be verified.[28]
Bilocation figures heavily inDavid Lynch's filmLost Highway (1997) and bothThomas Pynchon's novelAgainst the Day (2006) andTim Powers' novelDeclare (2000). Bilocation also plays a part in theChristopher Priest novelThe Prestige. Additionally, the phenomenon is explored in an episode ofThe X-Files, "Fight Club", and several season two episodes ofAlcoa Presents One Step Beyond, including "Dead Ringer".
A mystical story that involved Soviet authorYevgeny Petrov served as inspiration for the filmEnvelope (2012), starringKevin Spacey.
The phenomenon is one of the main ideas inStephen King's fiction novelThe Outsider, even mentioning real-life references on one occasion.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)This holy virgin ... appeared, by way of bilocation, to the savages, not less than five hundred times, instructing them in all the truths of our holy religion.
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