Wonders in the Sky (51 page)

Fig. 24: “Der Wunder-Reiche”

There is no question that the account is authentic, although the date may be incorrect by a few days. The title page of Francisi's book is given on the next page, as preserved in Berlin's Staatsbibliothek. The authors are indebted to researchers Yannis Deliyannis and Isaac Koi for tracking down important details of the case. After publication of von Ludwiger's book, some skeptics argued the observation could be accounted for by a mirage.

 

Source: Illobrand von Ludwiger,
Best UFO Cases – Europe
(Las Vegas, Nevada: National Institute for Discovery Science, 1998), quoting Erasmus Francisci (1680), and
Ordinari und Postzeitungen
(No. 65) of April 10th, 1665. He also quotes from E. Buchner,
Medien, Hexen, Geisterseher
(16 Bis 18 JH), 42-43 (Munich: Albert Langen, 1926); Francisci,
Erasmus. Der wunder-reiche Ueberzug unserer Nider-Welt/Order Erd-umgebende
(Nürnberg, 1680).

281.

26 May 1666, Tokyo (Edo), Japan: Flying figure

A mysterious light “20 feet long” shaped like a man flew towards the East. This is another example of a tantalizing report from Asia, about which we need more detailed information.

 

Source: Morihiro Saito,
The Messenger from Space
.

282.

20 January 1667, Gjov, Faeroe Islands
Luminous visitor

Jacob Olsen, 24, was awakened by a luminous visitor who healed him. He saw him again later, coming from the sky.

 

Source: Jacobsen Debes,
Færoæ & Færoa Reserata
(1673).

283.

15 November 1667, Mittelfischach, Germany
Sign of wonder

An engraving preserves the sighting of a “terrible sign of wonder” that took place during sunrise, and was seen for several hours in the sky over the town of Mittelfischach.

The image shows the sun shining through a break in the clouds while a group of people watch a formation of round lights. There is a scene of battle in the sky, and three crosses among dark nebulosities. The village is shown in detail to the left, with its church and a few houses.

 

Source:
Abriss des Erschrecklichen wunderzeichens, so sich den 15. Novembr. 1667 beim dorff Mittelfischach am Firmament des Himmels bey auff gehender Sonn etlich stunden lang sehen lassen.
[s.l.] (1667). [Goethe Universitätsbibliothek Frankfurt-am-Main, Einblattdr. G.Fr. 11]

Fig. 25: Mittelfischach phenomenon

284.

Late December 1667, Bayárcal, Spain
Procession of lights

Bayárcal was a focus of attention for the inquisition. Among many testimonies relating to strange lights was that of Juan Muñoz, a tailor from Santander. In his sworn statement he said that in 1667, around Christmas time, at midnight, he saw a cross, behind which there was a banner, followed by four lights like wicks that flashed on and off. He supposed it to be the priest carrying the Viaticum (the Christian Eucharist given to a person in danger of death), though it seemed to be too bright.

As the lights moved, and he was also walking home, he reached a point some fifteen steps from them. He arrived home, quite anxious about what he had seen, but before closing the door he turned around to take another look. He then saw the lights pass in front on the church. Too frightened to investigate what the luminous thing was, he shut the door and swore he wouldn't even tell anyone about what he had seen. However, when he heard other neighbors relate they had seen the phenomenon, he told them what he had witnessed. They all agreed that such things had been seen many times before, and that the only possible explanation was that God sent them as signs to commemorate the lives of martyrs from the area.

The fact that Muñoz was new to the village and had never heard of the phenomenon was taken as proof that such things were not a mere figment of the imagination.

Processions of lights were seen in many Spanish villages, and in other European countries. Sometimes they would be seen over the rooftops, but usually at ground level, and could range in size from tiny to several meters across.

 

Source: Francisco A. Hitos,
Mártires de la Alpujarra en la Rebelión de los Moriscos
(1568). Republished by Apostolado de la Prensa, Madrid (1935).

285.

April 1670, countryside near London, England
Jane Lead's contact

An English woman named Jane Lead has her first contact with a bright cloud with a brilliant woman inside. Jane Lead was a British Christian mystic who lived from 1623 to 1704. Information about her early life is sparse but her family is known to have hailed from Norfolk. Born as Jane Ward in 1623, she married William Lead (or Leade) at the age of 21, and had four daughters by him.

According to her own writings, during a dance at a Christmas party, when she was 15 years old, Lead heard a miraculous disembodied voice. It said “Cease from this, I have another dance to lead thee in, for this is vanity.” She interpreted this as a sign that she should devote her life to a spiritual cause, and in later life this decision led her into the study of theology, philosophy and alchemy.

In April 1670, as Lead reflected about the nature of Wisdom,

From this moment on, Jane Lead's life would be full of visions. Years later she would write about actual sightings that she had and several abductions by a group of beings who, by her own admission, were neither angels nor demons. (As noted by Jesse Glass in an article on Jane Lead's mystic experiences, she often uses the term ‘Magia' when referring to them). She calls her abduction experiences
Transports
throughout her diaries.

 

Source: Works of Jane Lead, especially her book
A Fountain of Gardens.
“Printed and Sold by J. Bradford, near Crowder's Wall,” London 1696. Four Volumes. The original edition is very rare but most of Jane Lead's works can be found faithfully reproduced in on-line archives.

286.