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Spirituality
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Crop Circles: A Modern Mystery
Published reports of unusual nighttime activities in England's fields date back to the 17th century when a so called "mowing devil" was blamed for circular patterns found in a farmer's oat field after he'd disputed the price a local (human) mower required to harvest it. Medieval reports also indicate that popular "May dancing" often took place in large circles or flowing shapes discovered in fields and meadows at the time of the spring fertility festival of Beltane. Fairies or other "little people" were usually credited with their appearance. After few reported occurrences in the 18th and 19th centuries, crop circles returned to public notice in 1978 after the appearance of a five circle "Celtic cross" or "4 Directions" pattern was investigated near the Wiltshire town of Warminster, following a rash of local UFO sightings. At first made up of a simple circle or two, these "agri glyphs," as some researchers have dubbed them, have grown in size and complexity, especially since 1987 1988, when earlier counts of 10 to 12 circles per summer suddenly exploded to over 150 in the four month "season" between May and September. In July 1988, 51 circles, many arranged in the "4 Directions" pattern sacred to both ancient Celts and Native Americans, were counted near the stone circle of Avebury and Silbury Hill pyramid during a six week period. Was it mere coincidence that 1987 1988 marked the "Harmonic Convergence," when, according to the 5,200 year old Mayan calendar, certain heretofore hidden inter galactic influences would again begin to be felt outwardly, all leading up to the "end" of that ancient calendar on the Winter Solstice (December 21) of our year 2012? This fact, coupled with an undeniable surge in crop circle activity around the Mayan New Year every July 26th, has led to speculation that although modem crop circles mainly happen in England, they are related to ancient Native American time cycles and prophecies. Although this may seem far fetched, such speculation, along with others blaming alien invaders, UFOs, or even nature spirits angry over genetic crop manipulation, is fueled by the fact that understanding who is responsible for making these incredible formations, and how or why they do it, is still largely a mystery. Despite many attempts at overnight vigils, infrared photography, remote controlled cameras, etc., no one has yet provided a credible account of a genuine crop circle forming, let alone real evidence on film. Which is why Hollywood and other creative types can effectively "sell" us their version of 'the facts." Nor, despite highly publicized claims, has any so called "hoaxer" been caught criminally destroying a farmer's field, which is private property. This despite a E10,000 ($14,000) reward for the arrest of crop circle hoaxers caught "red handed," posted by England's farmer's union since the mid 1990's. For a short time, about 10 years ago, the media speculated wildly about who or what was causing all this commotion in England's fields. That was the time (1991) that I became intrigued with the phenomenon, especially after seeing first hand how certain Native American elders responded when I showed them some crop circle photos. They recognized many of the designs and considered them meaningful. Them in August, 1991, two retired British artists known as "Doug and Dave" claimed that they alone had created all the English crop circles since 1978. Their story was instantly adopted by the world's media, frustrated that two summers of closely watched fields had failed to yield an answer to the ongoing puzzle. The attitude of the media was "case closed" despite the physical impossibility for two middle aged men personally to have stomped down all of the nearly 200 circles that appeared in 1991 (a record!), let alone all those reported in previous years. Since then, a couple of self proclaimed "circle maker" groups have sprung up in England, claiming to have taken up where Doug (now deceased) and Dave left off. Eager for media attention, they have harassed genuine researchers and, despite a lack of hard evidence to support their claims, have managed to persuade many people that the whole phenomenon is human created. Sought out by TV producers, some of these young men have earned money making fake "demonstration" circles or formations like the "alien automobile" used in a 1998 television commercial. Originally scheduled for a two day shoot, that project ended up requiring over 18 daylight hours and a team of four men, working from dawn to dusk. Although not bad looking from the air, the formation was ragged and obviously trampled down when visited on the ground. Still, I do think that, given enough time, resources and help, a team of skilled human engineers can produce circles that, from the air at least, resemble genuine ones. But no one has ever been able to match the documented conditions under which incredibly complex circles have appeared. That is to say, at night, in isolated fields, with no lights, in less than three hours time, and without any human witnesses. This also ignores the fact that on several occasions, at the height of the summer season, several complex crop circles have appeared on the same night, often dozens of miles apart. On August 2,1998, for example, six formations were reported across Wiltshire and Hampshire. It would take awfully determined, energetic pranksters to make so many in one night and very unprofessional policemen and farmers not to catch any of them, especially with a $14,000 reward! Furthermore, laboratory tests on grain samples taken from numerous crop circles since the mid 1990s by the Burke Levengood Talbott team, under the direction of retired biophysicist William Levengood, have revealed microscopic cellular changes that mechanical stomping by hoaxers simply cannot produce. Sophisticated electro magnetic and even antigravitational technologies beyond our current capabilities seems required. Team member Nancy Talbott of Cambridge, Massachusetts, has stated that the closest known energies seem to be those responsible for making ball lightning, Imagine controlling the force needed to produce lightning in such a way that delicate living tissues like plant stems are temporarily bent over but not killed. No wonder the West's military establishment, despite vigorous public denials, continues to fly over newly formed circles and harass persistent observers. Putting aside the over blown "hoaxer" controversy, just what can we conclude about the making of crop circles? First, let's admit that much remains a mystery. Obviously, we are dealing with a high level of intelligence that works with technologies we still barely understand. Yet, this intelligence has shown both humor and a keen knowledge of human aesthetic values. The designs are unusual but never "ugly" or "distasteful." Many are hauntingly beautiful. They are not "alien." Further, the geometric patterns made seem meaningful at many levels to different human groups, Formations have appeared that have high level mathematical significance including Mandlebrot, Julia, Koch, or Sierpinski fractals; while others have ancient sacred meaning, drawn from Egyptian, Celtic, Aboriginal, Tibetan, Mayan and Hopi traditions. Still others have been recognized as possible star maps or astronomical charts while some more recent designs (since 1997) apparently relate to Moslem, Christian and Jewish symbolism. In August 2001, incredible as it may sound, two unique patterns appeared adjacent to Britain's Chilbolton radio telescope complex in Hampshire that imply knowledge of and sympathy towards humanity's age old attempts to communicate with beings beyond our Earth. No "hoaxers" have claimed them, and if they prove genuine by Talbott and Levengood's scientific analysis, they're arguably among the most important events of recent history. Both are "framed" by a border of laid down wheat, and the first bears a striking resemblance to the famous "face on Mars" photographed by an American spacecraft flying over the Cydonia region of the red planet in 1976. The second is even more startling in its implications. According to investigative reporter Linda Moulton Howe, serious researchers who have flown over and been inside the formation agree that the curious mixture of standing and flattened crop forms a binary encoded script. It closely resembles the binary encoded interstellar radio transmission sent by NASA on November 16,1974, from the Arecibo (Puerto Rico) Observatory. This famous SETI radio transmission, designed in part by the late astronomer Carl Sagan, depicted several scientific facts about Earth, including a stylized drawing of a human being. It was aimed at the M 13 cluster in the constellation Cygnus, about 23,000 light years away, because scientists considered that group the best candidate for a life bearing star system. The digitally encoded SETI transmission also depicted the double helix, of human DNA, the scientific symbols for the five basic elements of life on Earth: hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and phosphorous, and a "map" of our solar system that highlighted Earth as the third planet from our sun and our home. The August 20,2001, crop design includes many of the same elements as the 1974 Arecibo SETI interstellar radio message. However, and herein may lie its ultimate significance, certain key parts of the original binary code have been changed, thereby transmitting new, highly intriguing information, For example, in the DNA sequence, the left of the two original intertwining strands has been doubled, making either a triple helix or a double helix with one split strand (it all depends on one's interpretation of the drawing). The other (right) strand is unchanged. Likewise, where the 1974 transmission clearly depicts a tall, bipedal human being with a relatively small head and short arms, the 2001 crop formation indicates a short legged biped with a very large round head and, compared to the legs, relatively long arms. Is this a true representation of the Circle makers, at last? The 2001 formation's "solar system map" also depicts a nine planetary system like ours but clearly highlights the fifth planet as "home" and also raises the third and fourth planets above the rest. Could this be showing a star system where three planets support life but it is the fifth that is the source of the information being displayed? Also, whereas the Arecibo message gave the Periodic Table numbers for five life forming elements, the Chilboltonglyph, while repeating the same five original numbers, inserts a sixth number into the list. Significantly, it is the atomic number for silicon, the leading candidate among human scientists for an alternative to Earth's carbon based life forms. If this new formation turns out to be verified, it raises the distinct possibility that someone from "out there" has heard us and is attempting to reply to our invitation to a dialogue. Everyone I know with first hand experience of crop circles has the feeling that their origins somehow lie beyond normal time and space. I personally believe they offer us a multi dimensional message that may communicate as much with our subconscious as our conscious mind, reminding us of nature's incredible diversity. This amazing enigma is like a roller coaster ride on which we are merely passengers while someone else drives. Like small children, we search for hidden meaning while we are still trying to learn the language spoken to us by patient adults. The crop circle phenomenon, one of ourtimes' greatest mysteries, intrigues, excites, surprises and ultimately surpasses us. We can speculate until we are blue in the face but only one thing seems abundantly clear. Until given the appropriate keys by the true Circle makers, which I am convinced will come when they, not we, are ready, we should relax, enjoy the journey, and appreciate the formations' spectacular beauty for itself. See you in the fields! Dr. Chet Snow, Arizona therapist and author of Mass Dreams of the Future, has studied the crop circle phenomenon since 1991. In addition to leading small group tours into the crop circles in Wiltshire each July, he has convened "Circles of Destiny: Crop Circles & Sacred Geometry,"a conference with John Anthony West, Drunvalo, LindaHowe, Nancy Talbott, Colin Andrews and others at the Phoenix East Hilton on November 22 24,2002, to study these related topics with the interested public. For details, write to Dr. Chet Snow, PO Box 1738, Sedona AZ 86339 or |
July 1978, when this modern mystery began. or those unfamiliar with them, crop circles
occur when standing cereal crop such as wheat, barley, rye, or oilseed rape is laid
down not cut! in a farmer's field. The process forms large (150 to 400 ft), precise
geometric patterns that are best viewed from the air. In most cases the plant stems
are merely bent over as if from within, not broken externally. Thus, if not walked
on, the still living stems eventually straighten up as the plant continues to mature.
Circles usually form at night so patterns are typically discovered early in the morning
by farmers, small plane pilots, crop circle researchers, or passers by. In a few
rare cases, similar geometric signs; have been found in grass, sand, vegetables,
or even snow and ice. According to investigative journalist and author, Linda Moulton
Howe, since 1978 such circles have been reported in over 34 countries, including
the United States, Canada, Germany, Japan, and Australia. They are frequently (but
not always), associated with paranormal sightings, ranging from nocturnal "balls
of light" to UFOs.