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Palladino, Eusapia - Cesare Lombroso witnesses levitation
Identifier
020431
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
After death – What? – Cesare Lombroso
Experiments with Eusapia – The levitation of the medium to the top of the table
Among the most important and significant of the occurrences we witnessed is levitation. It took place twice – that is to say on the 28th September and the 3rd October. The medium, who was seated near one end of the table was lifted up in her chair bodily amid groans and lamentations on her part, and placed – still seated – on the table, then returned to the same position as before, with her hands continually held, her movements being accompanied by the persons next her.
On the evening of the 28th of September while her hands were being held by M Richet and Lombroso, she complained of hands which were grasping her under the arms; then, while in trance, with the changed voice characteristic of this state, she said ‘Now I lift my medium up on the table’. After two or three seconds the chair with Eusapia in it was not violently dashed, but lifted without hitting anything, onto the top of the table and M Richet and I are sure that we did not even assist levitation by our own force.
After some talk in the trance state the medium announced her descnt and M Finzi having been substituted for me was deposited on the floor with the same security and precision, whilst M Richet and Finzi followed the movements of her hands and body without at all assisting them and kept asking each other questions about the position of the hands.
During the descent both gentlemen repeatedly felt a hand touch them on the head.
On October 3rd, the thing was repeated in quite similar circumstances.