Human levitation, possible proof.

Levitation has always fascinated me, and Im well aware of some of the tricks that magicians use..

At first look I suspected both these clips were tricks, However I noticed a striking similarity in these two YouTube videos, that allegedly show real human levitation. Leaving me to consider that there may well be a way to actually levitate. What are the chances that an African shaman and a Tibetan Buddhist monk would both have the same ritual in order to levitate. I highly doubt either one of them had internet access, and regardless Ive not seen anyone else on the internet perform this levitation... So if this is a "trick" I find it highly improbably that the same "illusion" would pass between two remote parts of the world and bypass everyone in between. I think this one needs real study.
Of course the Tibetan monk could be an actor etc...what do you think...They both walk around in a circle before they levitate and they both have a ring or partial ring of fire around them...coincidence????

www.youtube.com...

www.youtube.com...

The 1st one is fake for sure. You can see his body sway on a pivot point centered in the middle of his back.

The monk, that's another story. That was pretty amazing. Only real gotcha here is that we can't really verify the video.

Still very cool!

2nd one, he has a backdrop and too many cut shots.

The second video was very cool.

I do wish they didn't use just awful cheesy camera work. It made it seem like they were trying to cover up something with the "shaky cam"... just give us a steady clear shot of the guy, PLEASE! *sigh* I don't know the background on that video. For all I know it could be a movie promo... do you know anything about where it comes from? Is it part of a series? Made for television? A promo?

If what was shown was real, it is absolutely astounding. But that lame mTV camerawork makes it all seem so suspect. A feat such as levitation (if it is real) does not need shaky-cam, fast edits and cutaways, or mysterious music to make it exciting.

Human levitation=impossible...would have been nice to see the first guy go into and out of the fire(walking about)
Second guy as previous poster has mentioned, way too many cut scenes and the white guy is a magician...I'm guessing the magician did his own levitation trick after showing that clip....impossible

Yeah the monk video is from a show called the supernaturalist...it aired on discovery channel a few years back apparently...
I have to say I just watched the full episode of it on youtube... and to be frank, I now call BS. The show claims this monk lives in an "unnamed town" I mean please..

On top of that when the host goes into the Buddhist monistary, he walks in supposedly uninvited at nighttime, and the whole place is lit up with about 10,000 candles..and the monk is right there on hand to greet him and the monk also speaks english...I dunno how common english is in Tibet but im thinking not that common. The shots inside the room could be in a studio in Los Angeles for all we know, as it does not show the monk outside in daylight etc...it doesn't even give his name.

So looks like its busted just on the circumstantial evidence alone..dang.

Whats the deal with Discovery channel this last 10 years haha...not what it once was. Gotta say they had me fooled there for a few minutes...sorry folks for this wasted thread.

First is simple magic trick a form of Balducci_levitation.

Second you can actually see the mechanism used behind the backdrop when he sits down.

I'm levitating right now.

Honest.

Proof!

Oo

*looks into empty coffee cup with distrust*

Both seem legit.

Besides, if it's on the internet it has to be true.

This is just silly. It's just Chinese lanterns.

Seriously though, I want to see one of these guys do it with no long clothing, outdoors away from walls, and film them from all angles with no cut away shots. I believe you would find that they are a fake. I want to believe, but this does not look right.

The trouble with video proof of levitation is that, if you took a video of a man levitating a hundred feet into the air on an empty beach, the skeptics would STILL suggest that it did not amount to proof of his levitation because they might suggest as a last resort that the man might have been lifted by piano wire from a helicopter a 1000 feet above the beach (or whatever height was necessary so that it stayed out of sight and sound of a panning camera).

The truth is: some of you remained unconvinced by the film of the Buddhist monk even though he was investigated by a skeptical stage magician who knew all the tricks of the trade (far more than you) and yet could not explain how the monk could have raised himself. For skeptics, video evidence will NEVER amount to proof because of the possibility of conventional trickery or CGI. The sad fact remains that only personal experience of seeing someone levitating would be proof for such people. Yet even then, doubt would remain because of the possibility that they had been duped. So how can there EVER be irrefutible proof when any alleged evidence can never rule out the possibility of hoaxing?

reply to post by micpsi


With all do respect, It did not appear that the magician did any kind of investigation. He sat back and watched while the camera kept cutting away at key moments. Why was there no angle behind him? Why didn't the magician take a look around, especially behind? I want to believe in such things, but this video cannot be taken as a serious investigation into levitation.

A true Tibetan Monk would never waste time levitating.
It is using a power for personal gain which goes against what they believe in.

They certainly wouldn't to it for a television show.

Originally posted by micpsi
The truth is: some of you remained unconvinced by the film of the Buddhist monk even though he was investigated by a skeptical stage magician who knew all the tricks of the trade (far more than you) and yet could not explain how the monk could have raised himself.

Yes we can. He is raised with a device concealed by his robes and the curtains behind him (notice how he moves very carefully into place, and sits down just as carefully in a very specific spot).

The camera keeps cutting away at crucial moments and never gives us a full 360° pan around the monk. Even when he is 'levitating' we are not allowed to look behind him. The stage magician would have known exactly what was happening.

So how can there EVER be irrefutible proof when any alleged evidence can never rule out the possibility of hoaxing?

Very simple: take James Randi's $1 Million Paranormal Challenge. His conditions completely rule out the possibility of hoaxing. If anyone can beat Randi, I'll believe them.

To all respondents to this thread...I am a person who chooses to believe in the "impossible" because it makes life more interesting. However I am not someone who is willing to believe anything at face value, and although I though both clips together, had some similarities and might be"possible" evidence..on further examination i called BS.
But for those who think levitation is impossible, remember that science has a habit of digging its heels in about whats possible and whats impossible, only to later recant.
And one big example of this is the mulitiverse theory, ridiculous when it was first thought up but later accepted as mainstream science.

My views:

If you watch the full version (that shows the end), when the monk is levitating his back is against the curtains. At the end, (after the camera cuts and comes back), he is placed pretty much in the middle, between the curtains and the candles.

The african video was interesting. Sure looks like he's hanging from a rope or some sort of suspension the way those legs are dangling, huh? Also, in my limited knowledge of African Shamanism, I don't recall anything about casting circles, a western magickal practice, which it appears he is doing in the video. Also, If he is indeed forming a magickal circle, part of it is missing. Still an interesting video, but has the appearance of a put on because of the lack of camera angles and showing the background and above views.

I really like the second video. Of the two videos this one seems to be the most authentic.

Originally posted by TheBlackHat
Yeah the monk video is from a show called the supernaturalist...it aired on discovery channel a few years back apparently...
I have to say I just watched the full episode of it on youtube... and to be frank, I now call BS. The show claims this monk lives in an "unnamed town" I mean please..

On top of that when the host goes into the Buddhist monistary, he walks in supposedly uninvited at nighttime, and the whole place is lit up with about 10,000 candles..and the monk is right there on hand to greet him and the monk also speaks english...I dunno how common english is in Tibet but im thinking not that common. The shots inside the room could be in a studio in Los Angeles for all we know, as it does not show the monk outside in daylight etc...it doesn't even give his name.

So looks like its busted just on the circumstantial evidence alone..dang.

Whats the deal with Discovery channel this last 10 years haha...not what it once was. Gotta say they had me fooled there for a few minutes...sorry folks for this wasted thread.

edit on 29-5-2013 by TheBlackHat because: (no reason given)

I could not agree any more with you!

I also watched the full episode when it aired and at the time I was amazed.
Hell if Mr. Magic man Dan White said he's amazed. I should be too! but Dan is/was an actor too in his film and sets you up to believe what he wants you to think. That's what a magician does. To be honest I didn't even know of Dan White before this, so his/this fiction documentary got him on tv.

Discovery has a bad habit of doing fiction documentaries like the Supernaturalist and the Mermaid specials that were aired last year and recently last week. These type of shows have hurt Discovery, not that they are bullsh@t but they lead the naive who think everything on Discovery has to be true.
For example,
The second mermaid show that aired last week had disclaimers in the credits, I guess too many people were pissed of Discovery Channels bullsh@t on the Mermaids first show and if you didn't look at the credits you never know it was all made up.

By the way Discovery Animal Planet got the most views in their history over the 2nd Mermaid special with 3+ million viewers. So they got what they wanted, but I wonder how many people actually were fooled by not reading the credits at the end?

Originally posted by ctdannyd
The 1st one is fake for sure.

They're Germans! My Life Partner eveshi is a GERMAN and he doesn't LIE.



Darryl Forests

P.S. Kid don't let your stupidity get the best of you if it can be thought it is real. There is no if, and or buts quantum physics has proven this so before you try to think of some smart ass remark try looking into it and turning your ignorance into knowledge becuase your "Levitation=Fake" does not comply with reality. You probably don't believe in levitation therefor you block yourself from experiencing it in your personal reality.

Originally posted by TheBlackHat
Levitation has always fascinated me, and Im well aware of some of the tricks that magicians use..

At first look I suspected both these clips were tricks, However I noticed a striking similarity in these two YouTube videos, that allegedly show real human levitation. Leaving me to consider that there may well be a way to actually levitate. What are the chances that an African shaman and a Tibetan Buddhist monk would both have the same ritual in order to levitate. I highly doubt either one of them had internet access, and regardless Ive not seen anyone else on the internet perform this levitation... So if this is a "trick" I find it highly improbably that the same "illusion" would pass between two remote parts of the world and bypass everyone in between. I think this one needs real study.
Of course the Tibetan monk could be an actor etc...what do you think...They both walk around in a circle before they levitate and they both have a ring or partial ring of fire around them...coincidence????

There are still questions about real levitation, but these video are not questionable. They're fakes.

www.youtube.com...

Clearly fake, as you can see a hard point that can be seen underneath the "shaman" robe.

www.youtube.com...

This doesn't look fake, but this was from a Discovery channel special, and yes it looks very fake when seen in it's entirety. There was a clip where you could see the curtain behind the "monk" move, and another clip where you can see the board the "monk" was sitting on lift up.

If these guys filming these so-called levitations wanted to show proof, then all they would need to do is:
* Have the Levitators enter into a sealed room that has been examined by multiple people
* Make the Levitator wear only a small bathing suit
* Film the event in a well lighted place from multiple angles
* Allow the public to view these unedited videos

Then maybe I'll believe that a real levitation has taken place.