I’ve always found Stigmata a fascinating phenomenon, despite the boring movie of the same name. For those who aren’t familiar with the term, Stigmata is the spontaneous discharge of blood usually from invisible wounds on the body. Those wounds normally occur in areas representing those suffered by Christ on the cross, though there have been cases reported of blood flowing from the eyes. Predominantly, the stigmatics are Catholic, and whether this has something to do with the fact most Protestant faiths do not have the religious effigies or crucifixes as Catholicism may be significant.The first recorded stigmatic was, in fact, St. Francis of Assisi, who bled from the palms and feet after an extended fast while meditating on the crucifixion.
The actual number of stigmatics is not known, though at least 320 cases have been documented, bleeding as little as a half-pint, or as much as a pint and a half.
Oddly, the placement of the wounds corresponds to those of the individual’s familiarity with a particular crucifix or statue representation of Christ.
In the early stage, blood appears to discharge through the skin and when wiped away no wound is seen. However, some advanced stigmatics show evidence of actual wounds, or in more remarkable cases even a hard flesh-covered lump that appears to be the head of a nail protruding from the wound. Many times these bleedings are associated with some particular religious holiday and most who experience the phenomenon are deeply devout. The appearance of the wounds generally corresponds with meditation.
So what’s going on here? Is this truly a manifestation of some Holy Spirit or does the answer lie hidden deep within the subconscious mind of the stigmatic?
Most telling might be the individual’s perception of Christ’s wounds. Those who are familiar with representations showing the nails driven through Christ’s hands bleed from the hands, while those familiar with the nails in the wrists exude through that spot. It’s probably common knowledge these days crucifixion nails were pounded through the wrists because those driven through the hands would not have supported the victim’s body weight and would have torn through. If this were truly a holy experience, logic (and applying logic to matters of faith is not always prudent nor practical, though it is my personal belief a supreme power would work within the bounds—known or unknown—of physics It constructed) would seem to dictate all wounds would be the same and therefore an actual representation of Christ’s wounds, whether those wounds match our artistic perceptions and interpretations.
The second telling point is the meditative state, or spontaneously altered state of consciousness all humans are capable of in varying degrees. Some people can reach these states easily and deeply and not even be aware of it. It’s also a scientific fact that while in deep hypnosis people can halt or alter bleeding in surgery or dentistry. It should come as little surprise or leap, then, that we could unconsciously produce bleeding. Studies have also shown that while in hypnosis the mind can spontaneously produce warts or hard bumps in the flesh—so the nail phenomenon is easily explained.
In all likelihood, stigmata is self-induced, albeit unconsciously. Often it comes in times of great personal stress. The mind is an incredible organ, and frequently an incomprehensible one. For me, stigmata is all too easily explained and localized to be attributed to Holy influence. And I personally don’t believe a Holy Spirit is going to work by scaring the living hell out of Its believers—I mean, that’s contrary to the whole point, isn’t it?
The Chloe Files: Kicking Evil’s ass one demon at a time…
In paperback.
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