The history of mysticism has always been accompanied by reports of otherworldly bodily phenomena such as levitation and luminosity. While many may be inclined to relegate such accounts to the realm of rumor and superstition, Patricia Treece here argues that the physical phenomena of mysticism are reflective of the body's participation in extraordinary holiness.
Treece spent over ten years thoroughly investigating nineteenth- and twentieth-century occurrences of these mystical experiences, the results of which are here presented in The Sanctified Body. Contained in these pages is a profoundly thoughtful and fascinating report on the relationship between the human body and soul, particularly as they are affected by holiness.
Treece takes care to distinguish between fraudulent and true accounts, focusing on the "joyous phenomena which flow from authentic holiness." Her many descriptions of levitation, transportation, bilocation, luminosity, supernatural energy, the perfumes of sanctity, and inedia (the ability to live without food or drink) confirm her view that the human body, together with the soul, plays a central role in our spiritual life. In her own words, "the sanctified body will inevitably reflect its mystical life."
