Double
An exact replica of a person in the form of an apparition. They are usually encountered in a location distant from the actual person. They may act strangely, or move mechanically (see Bilocation). A double can also be an object existing in two places at the same time.
In occult lore a double is a projection of the 'astral body', and is often associated with the imminent death of the person.
In Irish lore a double is called a 'fetch'; in Germany it is Doppelgänger, meaning 'double walker'. Many believe that it is possible to see one's own double, as did the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, shortly before his death by drowning.
Many cases of doubles, or bilocation, have been reported throughout contemporary times. It was said that the German poet Goethe (1749-1832) once met "himself" coming towards him up a garden path; according to European folklore this should have been a sign of his imminent death, but Goethe lived for some years after his experience. In 1845 a French teacher named Emilie Sagée apparently was witnessed in two places at the same time by several of her students; in the same year Lucy Eden, a teenage girl from Warwickshire, England, was also witnessed in two places at the same time by several of her peers. Lucy's double appeared again in 1847, going throughout the house e meting everyone ― relatives, maids and friends alike ― as she laid in bed with the mumps.
A pioneer psychical researcher, Frederic W. H. Myers, one of the founders of the Society for Psychical Research in England, along with others collected and studied reports of bilocation, or doubles, but the phenomenon has received little interest in modern times.
Although uncommon, bilocation — sometimes multilocation — is an ancient phenomenon. It is claimed to have been experienced, and even practiced by will, by many mystics, monks and other holy figures through the ages, including famous Christian saints such as St. Martin de Porres, St. Severus of Ravenna, St. Gerard Majella, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Ambrose of Milan, Padre Pio of Italy, as well as Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria, Egypt. In one instance, in 1774, St. Alphonsus Liguori is said to have gone into a trance while preparing for Mass. When he came out of the trance he reported that he had visited the bedside of the dying Pope Clement XIV. His presence is then said to have been confirmed by those attending the Pope despite his being four days travel away, and not appearing to have left his original location.
See Out-of-body Experiences, Doppelgänger, Apparition, Altered State of Consciousness, ESP, Seance, Materialization, British Society for Psychical Research, Asport, Rappings, Automatic Writing, Findhorn, Glastonbury Scripts, Theosophy, Psychic Archaeology, Spiritualism, Poltergeist, Ghost, Parapsychology, The Chakra Store, Mystic Gifts and Charms - New Age Gift Shop & Wicca and Pagan Supplies, Love Spells -- Use these powerful love spells to help you find and keep your true love, The Tarot Store, Divination & Scrying Tools and Supplies, Unique Amulets, Talismans, Good Luck Charms, and Love Tokens, Powerful Witch Doctor Spell Kits, Powerful Spells - Cast by Andreika the Witch, Webmasters Make $$$, AzureGreen - Celebrating All Paths to the Divine, ISIS - Tools for Your Soul's Journey, and The Pyramid Collection - Myth, Magick, Fantasy and Romance.
Sources: (1) Shepard, Leslie (editor), Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology, Thomson Gale; (2) Dictionary of the Occult, Caxton Publishing; (3) Steiger, Brad and Sherry Hansen, The Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained, Thomson Gale.
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