Levitation is the act of an object or person being lifted into the air without any visible physical support, which often falls under the umbrella of psychokinesis.

Perhaps the best known example of levitation in a paranormal is that seen in the North London suburb of Enfield in the 1970s. The Enfield Poltergeist case is one of the most famous and controversial instances of reported paranormal activity, which includes claims of levitation.

A school crossing guard, or 'lollipop lady', reported seeing Janet Hodgson, the second-eldest of the four Hodgson children, levitating through the bedroom window of their ordinary council house. She appeared to be in mid-air, several feet off the ground. Other instances of levitation in the case, which lasted for two years, were captured in photographs.

But the idea of levitation goes back much further than 1970s London. It has roots in ancient tales and religious texts, where saints and mystics were...