Trance

William Branham did not understand the meaning and usage of the word "parable" in the Bible and used the word "parable" interchangeably with the word "trance".  As a result, listeners who would have otherwise considered his "Message" to be a strange mixture of Christianity and the occult were often unaware that Branham practiced spiritualism.  According to Branham, when he "took up a parable", he "entered the other dimension".

But now, look. A seer, his subconscious is not back there, neither is it here. It's right here. You don't go to sleep; you just break from one into the other: one into the other. And when you just let it alone, it comes at its own leisure. This is…But here it's just like raising up looking through a knothole to see something. You're praying. You're taking up a parable, which is words that God gave me alone to know. And it keep just repeating, then you break and you see the person as you're contacting them, they catch their spirit. It goes to them. Then you just see something happen, maybe it'll close off. Maybe you'll look again, you'll see something else that'll close on. But when God gives it just at His leisure, He just, looks like, raises you up over the fence, and lets you see the whole thing, what's all about it.[1]

Now in this, you realize that if these people are standing here and being talked to, it's got to be something that happens here that takes myself into a—this person—or whatever it is there's out in there, into their life and opens up their life. 'Course, the more you talk to them, He begins to move in. You begin to see more, talk more, and it opens more. Now, that's when you almost press your way to it. Take up a parable, words: no one knows but God and I alone. See? And that goes into the—that dimension.[2]

A parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson.  In the New Testament, Jesus Christ used parables as a means to simplify these spiritual lessons in ways that everyone could understand — from adults to children.  Since Branham's versions of "parables" were describing his being in the state of a trance, however, they were not easily understood.  In fact, Branham himself did not fully understand them.   When he went into "another dimension", he did not understand what was being said to him.

I don't want you to talk. I just want to talk to you, and I want that with the—the prayer line, and wherever it is in the audience. 'Cause it's a vision, and when the vision breaks, when you speak, it brings it back, and sometimes I don't get the main thing of what the Holy Spirit says and does. It's going into another world, to the scientists, another dimension.[3]

According to spiritualists,[4] there are various self-hypnosis techniques to enter a light, medium, or deep trance.  One of the techniques is to focus deeply on repetitive primal rhythms, beats, and sounds.  When William Branham described his method to enter a trance, this is the technique that was used.  

Branham described repeating a phrase over and over, slightly faster in a rhythm.  When he did so, Branham described his "whole being caught away".

"Then when I strike something that seems to burn down, comes something like this. When His Presence gets near, I begin to hear something like way off in a distance, something on this order. 'Two times two equal four.' Closer, 'Two times two equal four. Two times two equal four. Two time two equal four.' [Brother Branham speaks each repeat a little faster—Ed.] On, on, on, like that. It's His Presence coming in. Yield yourself, and after a while you break away from yourself. There comes the vision, 'Go to such-and-such a place, and such-and-such a thing.' See? Starts off, from meditating your mind on God, out of the world, away from the world, out in the wilderness, to yourself. And It starts coming, 'One, one…' I say, any number, or anything, just something starts gradually, faintly coming in. Then it comes faster, faster. You sit there and raise up your hands, don't say a word, just hold your hands in the air. First thing you know, your whole being is caught away. Then you see things that He wants you to know, showing you things that is to come."

Though William Branham never used the word "levitation" with these alleged trances, and never specifically mentioned his body off of the ground, Branham often used the phrase "picked me up" suggesting that his body rose without the use of his motor skills.  In some cases, Branham used this phrase to describe being "lifted up" on stage in full view of his audience.  None of the visitors, however, seemed to notice Branham being "lifted up" unless he physically rose to his feet.

And Brother Bosworth said, 'Brother Branham is in the building.' Said, 'I won't say where. But if he wants to come down here and speak to the people before they're dismissed, all right.' And just then, Something just picked me up like that. And when he picked me up, I knew I was to go forward. And I come down out of the balcony, walked to the platform. Just as I walked to the platform, I said, 'It's too bad that people have to argue over the Word of God.'[5]

And I was setting there, and my brother, Howard…Many of you knew Howard. He was kind of, real typical Irishman, he said, 'Now you set still.' Standing right behind me, and two police standing there…And just as he said that, I felt Something going, Whew! I thought, 'Oh, no. Huh-uh, I can listen so far, but that's first. I felt It again coming down, going Whew! Something just picked me up. My wife started crying. I said, 'Don't cry, honey.' And Howard said, 'Set down.' I said, 'It's the Holy Spirit, Howard,' and he dropped back.[6]