Throughout history there have been strange stories about people who have done just that, and somehow defied the laws of reality because they have literally been in two places at the same time. We are not referring to teleportation nor is it the phenomenon known as Doppelgängers (two almost identical people). These are the cases of those who have managed, in some way, to diverge into two independent physical forms instantly and, at the same time, really be in two places at the same time. This is known as bilocation.
What is bilocation?
The act describes a person physically being in two places at the same time. It differs from other similar phenomena, such as astral travel, in which a person’s consciousness travels outside the physical body, which remains where it is.
Bilocator is typically described as being physically present at both sites, breathing, sweating, eating, drinking, or interacting with your environment as normal. And it usually happens instantly, whereas with other types of similar experiences it takes some time to move from one place to another.
The examples
Although bilocation has always been well documented in different cultures, some of the most surprising cases are directly linked to saints and other religious figures, although that of the Russian leader Lenin is also notable, precisely unconnected with any religious/spiritual condition. For this reason, and in some way as an acceptance of the phenomenon, bilocation has been considered by ecclesiastical authorities as a divine gift, a power granted to those who have dedicated their lives to others.
Religious
Bilocation, as it relates to saints, has been documented for centuries. One of the first cases occurred in the 13th century. Saint Anthony of Padua, a Portuguese priest and theologian, was also considered one of the best doctors of the church for years, also known as Saint Anthony of Lisbon, had the ability to be in two places at the same time. One of the most well-known and well-documented events was during a mass on Easter Sunday in Montpellier Cathedral. There was a large congregation with clerics who had come to his parish to follow his sermon, but during the mass and at one point, Saint Anthony realized that he had forgotten that he had promised to sing in a choir in a monastery. nearby, right at that time. Then, in front of numerous people present, he calmly withdrew, covering his face with his hood before remaining silent and motionless. At that precise moment Saint Anthony appeared among the choir of the other monastery. When he finished singing, his motionless body in the Montpellier Cathedral suddenly began to move and continued as if nothing had happened. Thus he demonstrated his great capacity with bilocation.
Cases related to saints
There are many other cases of bilocation related to saints. In the year 1500, the Italian friar Saint Francis of Paula frequently exhibited his ability to practice bilocation. Sometimes, during his sermons, he was seen by his assistants simultaneously attending to the monastery’s tasks. The most surprising thing was when he saw two of his bodies at the same time in the monastery kitchen. Another case to mention is that of the missionary Saint Francis Xavier, a Navarrese professor who taught philosophy classes at the University of Paris, and who traveled to distant destinations such as Sri Lanka, India, Japan and Malaysia during the 1540s.
What is surprising, and which confirms his ability to practice bilocation, is that during these trips he is said to have appeared simultaneously in two or even three places at the same time (trilocation). In those cases he was seen conversing with native peoples sometimes separated by thousands of kilometers from each other. Apparently this was quite common, to the point that it was seen as a common phenomenon for him, and was no longer surprising.
Very recognized
A witness case is that of Alfonso María de Ligorio, an Italian religious. It happened on the morning of September 21, 1774, when after giving mass in Arrezo he suddenly fell from his chair and entered into a deep trance in which he seemed to be lost in a depth of thought, which one witness described as “prolonged ecstasy.” . In this trance he did not move or speak, he did not eat or show signs of consciousness. He just remained immutable, still and in a trance. No one could leave the room, and he remained in this state day and night. The next day his condition had not changed, although there were signs of him breathing and his eyes blinking sporadically, being the only evidence that he was still alive. Days later he woke up as if nothing had happened.
When those present asked him what had happened to him, Alfonso said that he had been caring for the sick Pope Clement XIV, who was 160 kilometers from Rome. The curious thing, and inexplicable if the bilocation is not considered, is that said Pope died at the precise moment when Alfonso managed to come out of the “trance” state. The official statement from the Church included a list of the clerics who had been present at the Pope’s side at the time of his death and Alfonso was one of them. Something that many witnesses in Rome verified, confirming that he had been there among them praying and talking.
How is it possible?
Bilocation is found in a variety of cultures outside of the West or Christianity. It has been documented by shamans, as well as in witchcraft, paganism, spiritualist movements, in religions such as Hinduism and Judaism, and there are even stories of this phenomenon dating back to ancient Greece.
In each of these cultures and religions it was analyzed and has had different explanations. Some see it as a mystical extension of oneself, a kind of tulpa or thought form that is projected from when someone takes physical form, thus manifesting a copy of themselves through willpower and thought. .
Others believe that it is a separation of the soul through intense mental and spiritual training, by mastering internal energy. In other ideologies it is a manifestation of the natural forces that permeate our surroundings, which can be harnessed and directed towards such capabilities. The concrete thing is that there are enormous mysteries of the universe that even humans are unaware of. Bilocation is one, and will likely remain so in the future. For now, if someone tells you that he can’t be in two places at once, remember that it is possible, it’s just a matter of believing.
Tulpa, a term that is related
The tulpa is nothing other than the creation of entities from thought. It is one of the qualities that defines us as human beings. the ability to translate ideas into the real world through tangible actions. Imagination takes three-dimensional form through the interaction of our body with the physical environment, whether through direct manipulation with our limbs, through tools, or by becoming the leader of a team of people.
Every object that is commonly known as artificial at some point existed as an idea in someone else’s mind. However, according to ancestral traditions and related to different religions, there is a more direct approach to the subject. With enough discipline, it would be possible to create any object one desires and manifest it in the real world directly from our minds, including autonomous and conscious entities. This, which would seem like an optical illusion at first, has been widely seen in the appearance of beings from other worlds, and in the form of virtual reality, they would appear dematerialized or ethereal, like a ghostly image. And in reality, they would be on two sides at the same time. That is, a bilocation from the tulpa.
Beyond beliefs
Not only have the cases of religious bilocation been transcended, there are also other illustrious figures in the history of humanity who enjoyed this ability. A famous figure in international politics was Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, although he was known to everyone as Lenin, top leader of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1922. On October 19, 1923, just three months before his death, Lenin was going through a difficult time. On that particular day, a Kremlin guard overheard a rather strange telephone conversation between a duty officer and one of Lenin’s administrators.
The officer on duty wanted to know why Lenin was in his office in the Kremlin rummaging through papers, and even stranger is that he was totally alone and without his usual escort. The administrator’s response was that it was impossible for Lenin to be there, since he was in his house, silent, partially paralyzed, and in fact, apparently quite ill. However, many people in the Kremlin clearly saw him there, and when he finished, he took a walk around the courtyard. Two of the guards saw him walking and even said he greeted him, something usual for him.