This is a collection of articles written by Lucy Pringle, long-time researcher (and one of the best photographers) of the phoenomenon.
I summarized the articles (down to less than 23% of the original length) in order to allow a quick overview. However, if you wish to read the complete versions, just follow the links to the original pages.
INDEX
See also: the Arecibo message (2001) and the Crabwood formation (2002)
THE BLUFFER'S BLUFF IS CALLED
by Lucy Pringle, 2 September 1993
Saturday the third July 1994 .. Jim Schnabel was going to give an exhibition, demonstrating .. that he, as claimed in his book "Going round in circles", was the perpetrator of the Celtic Necklace .. found to the West of Silbury Hill on the morning of Thursday 17 August 1992.
.. Schnabel on May 27 1993 .. had accepted Montague Keen's invitation to perform this feat .. in one of Monty's fields at School Barn Farm, Pentlow, Suffolk. Montague also kindly asked people to send him requests for particular features from the Celtic Necklace or other formations that they wanted replicated. .. Grant Wakefield, having taken many spectacular photographs of the floor pattern of the Celtic Necklace requested a replication of the special four layer effect he had recorded on film.
Imagine therefore my surprise when Monty Keen told me that Schnabel was NOT going to reproduce the Celtic Necklace, .. NOR was he going to attempt Grant's layering effect. The reason he gave for the latter was that it was impossible to achieve such an effect in immature crop. Little did he know that only the previous day I had observed EXACTLY THE SAME EFFECT in the startlingly beautiful Goodworth Clatford formation in immature wheat in Hampshire. Not only had I observed that very effect but I had also seen the most breathtakingly complex interweaving of stems as the radially laid wheat burst from the circle, meeting the outside ring, and creating the most elaborate interlacing in the springy undamaged crop. When I later recounted this to him, he brushed it aside and quickly changed the subject for a safer one.
.. That he had even claimed the Celtic Necklace as one of his efforts in the first place was such a mind rocking statement to have made, that clearly nothing less than an attempt at a reproduction would be acceptable. .. Schnabel did not see it in quite that way and told us that not only would he produce one of the same family (Dharmic wheel) and of a far greater complexity, but one which once we had seen it would convince us of his claim.
.. Schnabel unloaded his equipment which comprised a two foot wide green garden roller, several long white poles, two sticks with an attachment, a narrow plank, a ball of rope and a pair of scissors. .. He proceeded to cut two equal lengths of rope from the ball and he attached these lengths to either end of the plank as in the Doug and Dave technique. .. He then carried this equipment together with a black bag, into the field, entering via a tramline. He proceeded along the tramline until he reached the brow of the slope. .. He inserted a pole into the ground .. and started to make the formation using another ball of rope which he took out of his black bag and which had existing notches on it, depicting the different lengths he was going to require for making the radii and other measurements. .. It was not possible to follow exactly what Schnabel was doing, [but] he was constructing the formation from a diagram and referring to it regularly, .. using his feet as well as his tools to flatten the wheat. .. Instead of taking five hours he had finished in just over three and a half.
.. I was the first to enter .. and examined the floor pattern which seemed rough, untidy, clumsy and mechanically flattened. [Also,] I noted part of a foot print. .. Finally I examined the ring linking the seven symbols and found it was not joined onto the satellites evenly and was rough, jagged and untidy. What did the symbols represent? .. "What?" "A GRASSHOPPER WARBLER"?! But to me they were a mixture of a "something here, a "something' there and other "somethings' everywhere. It was not even a thing of beauty, there was little artistry, .. no flow to it, all the rotational lay was anti clockwise. .. In making my assessment I had to ask myself by how much was I influenced by the knowledge that it was man made? I still have to say that I believe had I walked into this formation anywhere in the country I would have reached the same conclusion. It simply did not pass the many criteria we now have to impose before coming to a considered opinion when trying to establish the "formula' of a genuine crop formation.
"What a waste of time AND to think we have missed the Women's Final at Wimbledon just to see Schnabel make this mess', was a comment I overheard. There even seemed to be a degree of embarrassment among certain observers. How could we ever have been so stupid to have been taken in by Schnabel? Are we really so gullible? Not at all. I feel it was one of the most valuable experiments carried out and for those truly interested in researching this phenomenon it is essential to learn more about the diagnostic skills required to distinguish between the real and hoaxed events.
.. Despite his obvious failure, Schnabel was only too happy to answer questions. Colette Dowell and others quizzed him about
.. There are certain similarities between Schnabel and Doug and Dave. They all three court publicity but when it comes to establishing their claims they run scared and provide absolutely no substantive proof whatsoever. However that does not stop them endlessly insisting that they are prize hoaxers and it amazes me that the public still give them any listening time. Doug and Dave had ample opportunity to prove their skills last summer at the Faking Competition in Buckinghamshire, sponsored to the tune of three thousand pounds by the Koestler Foundation and the Guardian Newspaper. If they really had done all or any of the formations in both Hampshire and Wiltshire which they have claimed, surely they would have won the competition with one hand tied behind their backs? Also the Today newspaper's sales would have once more dramatically increased as headlines of Doug and Dave's success flashed across the world. And not least Doug and Dave would have been able to bask in renewed publicity once more. "We never are but by ourselves betrayed, / by frantic boast and foolish word".
.. Since the experiment Schnabel has offered to send .. the envelope including the diagrams, [but] the envelope Schnabel promised to send Monty Keen has not arrived. Could there be some sort of problem?
HEART THROBS, HEADACHES AND HYSTERICS
by Lucy Pringle, 17 November 1994
.. There may be many .. reasons for not receiving more reports [of newly found cropcircles]: many people are unaware that research is being done in this area, therefore .. there are probably 15-20% of crop formations annually that are never reported.
.. Many people experience multiple and contrary effects within a single formation. .. It is interesting to note that whereas the physical reactions are largely unpleasant, the emotional effects are predominately beneficial. Also the long lasting experiences appear to be favourable in the main. (67%) Several .. effects have been reported to me, such as: .. strange animal behaviour and mechanical failures .. ("flash gun failed to operate several times whilst in formation"), .. a peculiar sort of "metallic" taste, panic attacks, blurred vision. [So] when people report "luminosities" (without the sighting being witnessed by others), are they describing visual hallucinations or physical sightings? [Also,] many effects continue to be contrary to expectations; several people who previously had prided themselves on being completely impervious to the "so called" reactions reported by others, have now had strange experiences themselves.
.. Steve Judd .. reports "I've been a regular visitor to crop circles since 1989 and pride myself on my insensitivity! But this year has shaken me!" He recalls "feeling of wanting to "go home", not on this planet, elation, complete satisfaction, delight and joy". Yet on the physical side he has suffered quite unpleasant reactions. These include "severe migraine, aching knees, sweating and above all a strong disturbance to the solar plexus".
.. At the end of July a spectacular formation appeared at East Dean, near Chichester. I spoke to the farmer's wife. .. At 4 am on the 24 July, the cattle were heard making a tremendous commotion. A few hours afterwards the formation was found. Sceptics have suggested that the cattle, which had calves with them, were protecting their young from intruders who doubtless were carrying cumbersome equipment needed to make the formation. [Cows re no watchdogs, c'mon! ndJB] By chance I managed to test this theory. On Monday 25 July, I visited the formation with the farmer's permission. My sister, Steve Alexander and Graham Harrop accompanied me. In order to reach the formation we had to walk through a field where the cattle and calves were grazing. Steve and Graham both carried long poles and other bulky equipment needed to take photographs. We passed close by the herd and they paid us no attention whatsoever; they did not make the slightest murmur! It has been suggested to me that on the night the formation occurred, the cattle were frightened because "it" came from above. I wonder how many of you have noticed how desperate dogs become when an air balloon flies over their garden. It is invading their territory and yet they cannot do anything about it. It is an unknown and disturbing quantity and they react dramatically. Could the cows have responded to an unfamiliar aerial threat in a similar manner?
.. Tom and Kerry Packer .. were driving back from Avebury .. on the night of 23 July. At about 13:00-14:00 hrs they looked up and saw a bright white light above the trees towards the Ridgeway, where the first Galaxy formation had been. It appeared to be moving, but eventually disappeared. The following morning the Celtic Barmaid formation was found.
.. Ann Smith .. with her husband Richard, visited the formation a week after it had formed. Ann .. was impatient to enter and in her hurry left Richard behind. ".. I have visited many circles over the last few years and have never felt an energy as strong as this. It felt as though I was entering another world, a different habitat. I could function superbly. I ran around the formation with such joy for it was like discovering a secret garden." .. Richard was experiencing quite contrary effects. He recalled how he "could not enter, a physical barrier was preventing me and I felt nauseous."
.. Paul Vigay [reports:] "My pre-conception was that it was a hoax and I had visited numerous formations before with no ill effects. The feeling started to get worse and tended to be more psychological - although my knees felt weak. [I] felt that I HAD to get out of the formation ASAP. .. It felt really claustrophobic and was quite terrifying at the time. It got to the point where I could stand it no more and I literally ran out of the formation and back to the car. By the time I reached the car I felt fine although I still had a slight 'butterflies in the stomach' feeling."
This panic sensation was also reported by John Sayer whilst visiting the Spider's Web to the east of the Avebury complex.
He had been "very eager to visit the formation, yet I hung around for a time, losing my enthusiasm, which puzzled me as it had never happened before. It took 5 minutes before I decided I would actually walk across to the formation. Even though I was occupied with pacing out measurements and filming with my camcorder, I began to feel uneasy. [Going] towards the centre, .. the unease became worse, changing to foreboding, through panic to almost terror. As I retreated from the formation, I nearly broke into a run. I tried to fight against the feeling but it was overwhelming. I confess to being reduced to a state of paranoia by the time I got out of the field."
One of the most striking features of these reports is that in nearly every case, the effects are quite contrary to expectations and in consequence are more convincing to the sceptic.
.. Electromagnetic radiation .. is involved and present in the crop circles. .. Is it dangerous? How long does it last? Until we are able to measure scientifically what is happening, the answer is "I do not know." I would suspect that it varies from formation to formation. I would however strongly advise anyone who does not fell well, to leave a formation immediately. I would caution anyone who pregnant NOT to go into a circle. It is advisable to be careful when dealing with something we do not fully understand.
It is also possible that effects may be felt in formations that have been hoaxed. As most formations appear to be on energy lines it is conceivable that these lines may be contributing to the bizarre happenings. ..
BRAINS AND BRAWN
by Lucy Pringle, 1994
[In 1993] I had 300 reports on my data base. The research to date can be divided into several categories, namely; physical, psychological (emotional), animal and bird behaviour, remote effects, luminosites (internal viewing), mechanical failures, audio effects.
The physical effects .. (currently running at 60.5% unpleasant) .. include reports of nausea, headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, and tingling, as well as cases of short or long term healing.
"The pain seeped out of my toes." "Severe migraine disappeared, then reappeared on leaving formation." "Whilst I was in the circle, the chronic pain in my left shoulder and wrist became intense and gradually my whole left arm, hand and left part of my chest became very hot. Leaving the formation and for a couple of hours later, my left arm felt slightly "paralysed". Later in the evening the symptoms totally receded and from the next morning till several days afterwards the chronic pain disappeared." "I could lie down for the first time in fifteen years." "Extreme fatigue, head and stomach - yuk!"
.. The emotional effects are largely beneficial (64%) [and] include feelings of euphoria, calmness, joy, and heightened awareness. With these time losses and mind suspension are often experienced. .. On the darker side there have been several unpleasant experiences such as fear, uneasiness and sadness.
.. Not all reports come from direct exposure to the circles; these are classified as remote experiences. .. Barbara Berge, .. after eating grain she had collected from inside a formation, suffered increasingly uncomfortable effects, "The first effects were like having ingested speed, i.e.; high energy, sleeplessness, nervousness and loss of appetite. I felt I was flying." She did not associate these effects with the grain until she returned to the States now fully recovered, when she found some left over grains and ate them. "Within fifteen minutes the same symptoms had reappeared" and when she arrived at her workshop where she makes jewellery, the electrical equipment in the room shorted as she approached it.(The Circular. Vol 4 No 1. June 1993)
Birds and animals have also reacted in strange ways, many dogs, even the most normally placid creatures, becoming frantic the night a formation appeared. "He had almost scraped and bitten a hole right through the thick wooden door in the kitchen." Others will not enter a formation, whilst others even a year later will not walk on the spot where a formation was located the previous year. What strange energy are they sensing?
A sinister happening occurred at Wanborough in July 1994. I was called out to a simple ringed event as "it looks as though something had exploded" in the centre of the circle. I hurried over and when I got there we found an area measuring 13\14 feet radius from the centre, covered in blood, tiny feathers and minute bits of flesh, not just on the surface but penetrating every layer right to ground level. There were no bones or any distinguishable parts of the bird. .. Whatever had been in the centre of the circle had disintegrated with the "force" when the circle was formed .. (there have been several casualties, that were dragged into formations and microwaved).
.. Lights or luminosites are often associated with crop formations and are seen either hovering, moving or stationary over a fields where the following morning a crop formation is found. Many people see little balls of light dancing inside the formation. .. A woman .. saw "small glistening vortices, whirling around the flattened corn towards the perimeter." Could these little balls of light be ionised plasma, as suggested by Dr Levengood in his recent research?
.. Mechanical failures are frequent and include camera, video and mobile telephone malfunctions. In one case a mobile telephone failed to work whilst inside a formation, yet when held over the standing crop outside, immediately came to life. This test was repeated several times with identical results. Model aircraft have also gone into glitches over certain formations. Again these tests have been repeated.
.. Peter Staples and Isobel Maxwell-Cade .. performed E.E.G. (monitoring brain rhythms via Electro-encephalograph) .. tests on volunteers, by first testing them inside a house (control tests), followed by identical tests in a crop circle. The reports have shown dramatic differences in certain people and in all cases have shown heightened right brain activity.
.. There is [another] area that .. I would like to investigate: taste. I have personally experienced a most curious taste and the closest I can come to describing it is "metallic". It is cloying and invasive and no matter how hard I try to get rid of it, I cannot. I experience it only in the crop formations or their vicinity. .. Other people have .. experienced the same sensation. In fact one experienced "croppie" uses this as a litmus test to determine whether a formation is genuine or not.
.. It may never be possible to prove that any of the effects are as a result of visiting a crop formation. Maybe the beneficial ones are due to spending a relaxing day in the country, in good weather and often with agreeable companions? Maybe the adverse ones are due to tension, fear, trepidation or possibly tiredness after a long journey? It could be argued that all the results are because, the majority, even the hoaxed circles, are placed on energy lines. Research conducted in many countries, is revealing the beneficial or adverse effects of positive and negative energy lines on people and animals, even insects and trees.
Personally I do not believe that we can dismiss these results for the above reasons. Three hundred independent reports is possibly only 5% of the actual number, that for diverse reasons never reach me. .. Many people .. may feel embarrassed at what has happened to them, or alternatively feel it is unimportant.
.. I have been into well over 100 formations over the past 5 years and 90% of the time I feel extremely well, but on the occasions when I don't, I have to leave very quickly. That there is an energy present is not contested, (as demonstrated by "exploded birds" at Wanborough) but what exactly the energy is, its strength and duration, clearly varies from formation to formation.
Is there any connection between the effects on people and animals and Dr Levengood's findings, in which he proposes that the energy originates in the microwave area of the electromagnetic spectrum? He contends that this energy, in the form of ionised plasma, results in the softening and subsequent flattening of the crops, together with several other anomalies, such as nodes expanding both laterally and vertically and seed distortions. That the force appears with tremendous speed and intensity, flattening the crop in nanoseconds, is borne out by the few reliable people who have witnessed a circle forming.
It seems to me that there is little doubt that we are dealing with microwave activity which will vary in strength; the more chaotic the energy, the greater the power, but how exactly it is affecting people and whether there are any long term effects, is yet to be resolved. ..
SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTS
by Lucy Pringle, 2nd February 1996
.. Each year certain formations are remarkable for a number of reasons; this summer I rate five formations as having been outstanding, .. a larger number than most years.
.. The first on my list was the seven ringed spiral in barley at Avebury Trusloe. This is the field where in 1991 two formations appeared, again in barley, one facing North\South, the other East\West. It was in the North\South formation that had formed on 9 June, that Diana Clift and I found a ring so narrow, less than the width of Diana's hand, that would have gone unnoticed had it not crossed a tramline. It measured 2" and extended 10"4" into the standing crop. The surrounding area of barley was completely undamaged.
.. The second formation of particular note was the Telegraph Hill "Clutch Plate", clearly and majestically visible from the road. This appeared on the night of the 11\12 June. I had driven past the field at 20.00 hours on the evening of the 11th and the field had been bare. I [went] into the formation at 05.30 on the 13th. .. I took 1 picture using my Pentax ME Super ( Kodak Ektachrome Elite. ASA 100), but then the battery (1.3V) failed. .. I drove home and telephoned Shelly Keel [who] told me ..: "On the 12 June, we arrived at the field at 21.05 and stood by the gate outside the field. It was a little to dark to take photos without a flash but I thought I would try anyway (I knew the battery in my camera was flat, it had been for some time). [The] flash worked. I looked at the battery indicator at the top of my camera and it registered a full battery". I have spoken to Shelly since then and at the date of writing (October) the battery (6V) is still fully charged. Later that morning I .. went to my local photographic shop where my batteries were certified dead. I bought replacements but retained my old ones after hearing Shelly's story. [Then] I drove to Thruxton where I met Steve Alexander for a flight over the fields. .. Casually Steve [told me that he] had laid his second camera (Nikon FM 5 Volt, using FUJI Super G. ASA 200) on the ground whilst he assembled his pole and took several shots of the formation. When he had finished he collected the Nikon that had been lying on the ground and .. the battery was dead. .. Returning home exhausted later that evening, .. I put [the batteries] back in my cameras and .. they were as strong as if they were new. I have used them ever since! Steve rang me the following day to tell me that his defunct batteries has also come back to life! The following day Paul Vigay went into the formation with his camera, mobile telephone and electrostatic voltmeter. His camera battery (6V) and mobile telephone failed and his electrostatic voltmeter behaved in a most curious manner. [And] 2 labradors, .. the moment they entered the formation attacked each other and then [an] unknown couple. The dogs seemed very frightened and kept pressing themselves against their owners as if in need of comfort and reassurance. They were taken out of the formation and immediately returned to their normal friendly selves, wagging their tails happily and jumping about in a carefree manner.
.. The third formation was the wondrous Litchfield "Caduceus". This enormous circular formation with a radius of some 80 feet lay in the field next to the busy A34. Its size was such that the gigantic tankers and other massive vehicle that passed by, resembled Dinky toys. It appeared during the night of 6\7 July and was not welcomed by the farmer who was unable to keep people away, it being so clearly visible and accessible from the road. However he kindly allowed the BLT team and me in to conduct our research 3 days later. .. A man and his black Labrador joined me, .. but after a few minutes [he] had to leave very reluctantly as his Labrador was so disturbed.
.. Every year I find that the circles have a certain unique quality special to that year. The quality this year has been of a vortical nature. This in itself has its own particular energy, more powerful than other years. .. After giving a talk at Andover this summer, someone came up to me and said "I have got that taste now and I am not in a crop circle"! She then went on to say that she was a diet maintained diabetic and that as soon as her protein key tones were breaking down, she got this taste indicating that she must replenish her protein level. .. Could this be what is happening to people when they visit certain formations. Is their blood sugar level dropping dramatically and if so why this sudden draining and loss of energy?
.. There were 2 outstandingly harmonious formations this year that deserve special mention. The first to show .. was the .. ringed formation resembling the back of a shell, close to the sacred site at Cissbury Hill, West Sussex. As these chalk hills are comprised of powdered shells maybe this is more fitting than meets the eye at first glance. .. The second .. were the nested crescents at East Meon. This .. circular formation measuring approximately 120 feet lay undisturbed behind Hen Woods for several weeks. .. Inside the formation were 3 arcs, swinging round at angles of 180 degrees in perfect symmetry. The enfolding arcs seemed to many to represent encircling arms of love. Some interpreted it as the child in the centre, encompassed by the protecting arms of the mother, father and God. ..
FACTS AND FIGURES OR FLIGHTS OF FANCY?
by Lucy Pringle, 1996
.. The degree of MR (Microwave Radiation) activity will clearly depend on the exposure time, power density and frequency.(1) We know that MR affects the central nervous system which consists of the spinal cord, the lower brain and the cortex, .. but as yet little is understood about the function and interaction of MR with living organisms. [Symptoms:]
You will note that there are contradictions in the above list which would indicate that a certain level of MR could have beneficial effects on certain individuals. Much has been written about microwave activity but clearly much more research is needed, especially in trying to appreciate and assess the degree of disruption caused to the central nervous system by microwave activity.
.. After a cold start to 1997, the weather changed in April to almost summer like conditions.
.. The first arrival was the Scalloped Crescent formation. .. It was clearly visible from the ancient iron age hill fort of Barbury Castle, .. and appeared on the night of 19/20 April. This is the earliest recorded formation to appear in oil-seed rape. .. The mathematical precision throughout was immense, the apex of the crescents tapering to a single standing plant in every case. Oil-seed rape is a hollow stemmed and fragile crop, normally snapping if bent at more than 40 degrees. While visiting this formation I managed to take close up pictures of one of the many curved, unbroken stems bent at 90 degrees. .. It is extremely hard if not impossible, to bend this crop in a tightly curved manner without resulting damage. You will see from the aerial photograph that this formation is entirely curved.
.. So where does one start to look for clues? .. Few people walk close to the perimeter of a formation and it is here that one finds the most revealing evidence. The crop bruises easily and you will see tell-tale marks on the first row of standing crop if any mechanical instrument has been used. The use of an instrument will .. unavoidably result in a "rubbing" against the first row of crop. I found little evidence of this beyond the normal effect left as the crop fell naturally. However [a brown] discolouration at the base of the standing crop (some 8-10 into the standing crop from the sharp cut-off point of the fallen crop) .. extended approximately 6-8 inches up the stem of the crop. There was no roughening and the crop was undamaged. On close inspection of the standing crop in the rest of the field outside the formation, it showed no evidence of any discolouration, the stalks being an unbroken green all the way up. [Also,] it appears every time I shoot genuine formations, the infra red picks up the acquired heat; this is not so with hoaxed formations.
[After a visit to] the Barbury Castle formation, .. I found I could not activate my answer phone and separate fax machine, nor would my burglar alarm set itself properly. As we approached the West Meon traffic lights we observed they were out of order. My mobile telephone flatly refused to work despite being fully charged. .. What strange energies affecting all electrical gadgets had been present and were they released after visiting the crop circle?
.. In the meantime other formations have appeared, this time in Essex, both in oil-seed rape; the first a large cardioid visible only from the M11. .. The second one close by, was a ring containing the nuclear symbol which appeared well formed from the air.
.. The second formation to appear in Wiltshire(after the Essex ones) was two fields to the east of the first below Barbury Castle. It appeared on the night of 1 or 2 May and is an exact replica of the Kabbalah in every detail, .. measuring approximately 200 feet in length and 60 feet at its widest width. .. Seasoned researcher Francine Blake .. tells me that when she and colleagues entered to record the formation, such was the feeling of sanctity, they felt it improper to be calling out measurements; it reminded her of the wondrous Cathedral at Chatres and she felt overcome with awe and wonderment. I have also experienced this incredibly humbling and sacred feeling. It is as though I were treading on consecrated ground and must behave accordingly, treating the moment with reverence. .. Also, .. the ground lay of the formation was beautifully woven; an effect difficult to produce by human means.
FROLICS AMID THE FRACTALS
by Lucy Pringle, 1996
.. 1996 has been an outstanding year; .. the astounding geometric precision (see photocopy of the Triple Spiral and the series of rotating, spiralling equilateral triangles) and size defy all human skill or endeavour. [And] my photograph of the Double Helix was printed prominently in The Daily Mail and also Nature magazine; to have it grace the pages of the latter was a major breakthrough in scientific acknowledgement of the existence of the phenomenon.
.. So what of 1996? .. The season had started later than usual due to a long cold winter followed by a long cold spring. One of the first events to appear was an appropriately embryonic formation at Girton, Cambridgeshire depicting the birth of the new season to come. In June we were all holding our breath when .. a formation of wondrous beauty appeared in the now famous East Field, Alton Barnes on the night of the 17 June between the hours of midnight and 4.30 in the morning when a farm worker passed by and saw the shape imprinted in the field of barley. .. It measured 648 feet and the precision of the finely graded circles, all separated by standing crop was....it took my breath away and left me speechless for several moments. .. It was not as many people have remarked, the DNA symbol, for the spacing of the oscillations is 90 degrees not 180 degrees. The circles along the centre line normally taken to be zero, were quite large suggesting that there could be a lot of energy at zero point!
.. I interviewed 3 people who had had independent experiences of "luminosities" on the night the Double Helix formed. The first one came from a man who had been a total sceptic until that night when he had seen extraordinarily bright lights shining through his window about 11 o' clock on the evening of the 15 June. They behaved in such an unusual manner that he called his wife and together they watched them hypnotised. "I have not stopped shaking since, I am not the same man I was"! The second report comes from Yuzuru and Akiko Kase, .. who on the same night of the 15 June at about 11 o' cock in the evening .. heard a strange sort of buzzing noise. They thought that it was the central heating boiler that was the cause, but soon realised that the noise was coming from outside, the boiler being totally silent minding its own business. At the same time the dog next door started to bark and the sheep in the field also started to baa. Yuzuru and Akiko opened the window and looked out and saw luminous lights in the sky. It was a very dark night, the night of the new moon. They observed a strange luminous flying object, "it had white, blue and red lights and was spinning very fast. It went up and down and sometimes kept its angled position in the sky. Then it started to send a white beam onto the ground a few times, although we couldn't see the ground because of trees. And every time it sent a beam, we saw a yellow or possible golden reflection in the area." They watched until they became tired due to such fierce concentration. Shortly before midnight they heard Church bells ringing from the direction of Avebury. They made enquiries and were told the bells were not ring on Sundays and certainly not at mid-night. They met an old woman in Avebury who had also heard them ringing that night. The bells are not electronically operated, they are worked mechanically. We know that the Electro magnetic field caused by UFO's can cause electrical disturbances but how were the bells mechanically activated on that night of the new moon in June?
.. Another man suffering from hay fever, found that whereas he had been "streaming on entering the formation" he dried up during his visit.
.. This elysian setting was marred by the constant over flying of military helicopters who even two weeks after it had formed were still flying regularly. What were they monitoring and why? A sinister event occurred one day as a woman researcher who had parked her car just below Adam's Grave, was videoing the formation. An army helicopter flew over her and as it flew back she videoed it. It flew over a second time very much lower, this alarmed her and again she videoed it as it passed overhead; the third time it returned, this time there could be no possible mistaking its intention, it flew so low she though she was going to be killed and fell off the roof of her car into the road; as she fell her video camera dropped through the open sun roof of the car onto the back seat pointing upwards, thereby getting a close up of the helicopter for a few frames before the camera fell over onto the seat. The helicopter was "bristling with equipment". This is not the first time military helicopters have been engaged in this sort of intimidation, Colin Andrews has a video recording of people being chased away from a formation right to the edge of the field. I would like to put in a plea to the military, "Please review your low flying practises before there is a serious accident;(I believe there was a court case earlier this year when a young man was killed by trying to avoid a low flying plane; the jury decided it was not intentional behaviour by the pilot) clearly what happened at Alton Barnes was no accident, it was quite deliberately intentional.
.. Our next visit takes us to Stonehenge, where on the 7 July between the hours of 1730-1815 hours, the incredible "Julia Set" mysteriously appeared. To mathematicians this formation represents a complex computer generated fractal image, to musicians, a base clef, (Jim Lyons tells me that it contains five fold geometry and that the relative size of the adjoining circles equals a semi-tone), .. to marine biologists, a cross section of a nautilus and to the medical fraternity, a perfect example of a mammalian skeleton.
.. A pilot flying a light aircraft from Exeter to Thruxton flew over the field opposite Stonehenge at 1750 hours, at which time the field was unmarked. A second pilot flying over the same field some 30 minutes later observed the enormous formation measuring 915.5' X 508' imprinted in the wheat below. A gamekeeper who said it was not there in the morning but was there in the evening confirms this story as did a guard at Stonehenge. There is also evidence I understand from the police that it formed in less that 15 minutes.
.. I have had six independent reports of abnormal or post menopausal menstrual bleeding in women. .. In a report in 1984 by Ruth Bethall, .. a survey of women peace activists at the U.S.A.F. base in Greenham Common, England, there were several "unusual patterns of illness ranging from severe headaches, drowsiness, menstrual bleeding at normal times or post menopausal, to bouts of temporary paralysis and faulty speech co-ordination. These were exposures to microwave irradiation."
.. There were two formations in the field below Liddington Castle, near Swindon, that deserve mention, the Caterpillar Fractal and the Solar\Lunar Eternity symbol. The latter was totally symmetrical. [But] the final masterpiece of the year must go the Triple Spiral that adorned the landscape in late July; it appeared just below Windmill Hill, the sacred mound where the Michael and Mary energy lines meet and cross. This area stretching from Windmill Hill to the main road has seen at least 6 formations in the past 7 years. This one was gigantic, measuring over 1000 feet in diameter and consisting of 194 finely graded circles spiralling symmetrically from the centre in three arms or legs. Jim Lyons reports that this contains 6 fold geometry and the relative size of the adjoining circles consists of one tone on the major musical scale. ..
TO RUSSIA WITH BOTTLES
by Lucy Pringle, October 1998
.. Subtle Energy fields. These are effectively earth energy points, similar to the structure of that has evolved in living systems and identified in former times as acupuncture points on the human body linked by meridian lines along which subtle energies are hypothesised to flow. Work in mainstream science is now beginning to relate these ideas to the concepts of forms of magnetic field lines which are known to permeate all matter throughout the Universe, under normal circumstances. A modern manifestation of these subtle energy fields at earth acupuncture points is the phenomenon of Crop Circles. Current studies of the Geophysics involved demonstrate a remarkably universal basic dynamics together with its related geometrical structure. The energy field is known to be vortical in structure showing strongly charged fields which interact with .. the crops in which they form. [Just like it happens with ReiKi: symbols are placed on the main chakras of the human body. ndJB]
.. On the 9 June, just one month earlier than last year, a "Snowflake" formation appeared opposite Stonehenge in the same field as the Julia set of 1996 . It was a beautiful and delicate event, consisting of 194 circles and measuring c 500 feet in diameter. It caught the attention of a North American Indian Rod Bearcloud, who reported that according to tradition this is a sacred three dimensional symbol, dating back through the mists of time and greatly revered. It represents the Sun Dance Ceremony Sacred Tree of Life and relates to an ancient ritual lasting 9 days in which a 40-50 foot tree is cut down and a celebration conducted in thanksgiving for the gifts the tree gives to man and the planet. To the medical fraternity it represented a cross section of our bronchi.
.. In order to take really good photographs, sun is essential, giving the flattened crop a wondrous sheen resembling glistening water or silk. As we fly [from 500-3500 feet] around the formation, there is probably just one spot in the whole 360 degrees sweep where it is possible to get a good photograph; 10 seconds before, the photograph will not work, nor 10 seconds later. Hence it is a matter of taking endless pictures which may result in just one "special" one, or if you get lucky, several.
.. After the Stonehenge "Snowflake" suddenly Hampshire came to life with a flurry of activity resulting in over 20 formations. .. Curiously the circle makers seem to divide their loyalty between Hampshire and Wiltshire, one year visiting Hampshire more abundantly, the following year giving their attention to Wiltshire. Over the years this trend had become quite apparent. However this seeming preference for these two counties does not exclude other areas of Britain; indeed Sussex, Surrey, Essex, Somerset, Cornwall, Devonshire, Dorset, Suffolk, Norfolk, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Leicestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Northamptonshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Yorkshire and Lancashire. Indeed I have missed out several counties but looking at that list, it becomes clear that this phenomenon is widespread not just in Britain but in fact extends world-wide. We have had reports of formations in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Japan, Czechoslovakia, Rumania, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Holland ,Spain, Finland, Norway , South Africa , Scotland and Ireland . There are rumours of over two thousand in India, but until I have accurate written and photographic evidence, I am treating these assertions with caution.
.. At the end of June, a wondrous formation was spotted at East Meon. .. On reaching the edge of the circle we stopped to examine the fallen crop. Was the tell tale grey film still present on the stalks, leaves and seed heads? (this is part of the growing process and is easily removed by the slightest touch or weight. Even running your finger along the stalk will eradicate it . Once removed it can never be replaced). Yes it was! .. In that moment we knew it was a genuine formation; i.e.: THAT NO WEIGHT HAD BEEN APPLIED. Clearly no mechanical or human instruments had flattened this crop.
.. Time speeds up in genuine formations and one hour seems like 30 minutes, [and] the quietness of mind and spirit one experiences is memorable.
.. Ten days later on Sunday 6 July a beautiful "Daisy Chain" in barley was discovered at Cheriton, near Cheesefort Head, Hampshire. The surrounding 29 circles around the flattened centre each contained a tuft of standing crop; diagonally across the centre were 2 "magi mix blades" consisting of minute and perfect circles. An American researcher was the first to discover and visit this formation. She had neglected to get the farmer's permission and as she was standing in the centre, the farmer's wife came riding down the tramline towards her, .. but the moment her horse reached the edge of the circle, it stopped and despite several cracks of the whip refused to budge. .. This clearly added to her annoyance and she shouted " I do not believe in these ....circles!" "Maybe you don't but your horse certainly does!" replied the researcher. Animals particularly horses are hyper sensitive to electromagnetic fields and can detect these energies in a way no human can.
.. A huge formation measuring some 500 feet in diameter [was spotted] in the field opposite East field. It had not been there the previous evening, [and besides] due to the mathematical complexity and precision of the formation, I simply do not believe that even teams of experts could have achieved such a geometrically awesome happening. An inscription of "OKLAHOMA" was found earlier this year scrawled into a field opposite Bournemouth airport. It took 16 men 6 hours to perform this rudimentary incident. I flew over the wondrous formation later that Friday evening and marvelled at its size and mathematical enormity. Jim Lyons informs me that it is a perfect example of a Torus Knot 12,13. This a mathematical symbol denoting out DNA. Is it a coincidence that last year in the famous East field we had the Double Helix that wondrous "String of pearls" many people misnamed the DNA symbol. ( the spacing of the oscillations was 90 degrees not 180) and then this year we receive the DNA presented in perfection but in a totally different form? .. The formation lay on the shoulder of a sloping field; rendering only part of the formation visible at any one time from the ground. How could people standing on the ground have possibly laid out the interlocking circles so precisely which is only evidenced by an aerial photograph?
.. My final report comes from the Double Fractal that appeared below the Milk Hill White Horse, near Alton Barnes on the night of the 8 August. This formation measuring over 500 feet in diameter is of a complexity that takes ones breath away. .. An earlier single fractal event had formed behind Silbury Hill on the 23 July. .. The new one at Milk Hill is a double fractal containing two separate elements in a way that could not be imagined. ..
POINTS OF ORDER
by Lucy Pringle, 1998
«We are dealing with low frequency micro wave radiation. .. We are all surrounded by auras or electrical fields; the electrical field of the our natural environment is known as the Schaumann resonance, vibrating at frequencies ranging between 8-32 Hz. Evidence of Exceptionally Low Frequencies (ELF) is evidenced by hormonal activity, governed by the pituitary and pineal glands deep within our brains. However the ever increasing use of and exposure to electrical equipment of far higher electrical fields than the natural environment is inevitably causing a disturbing disruption to our well being and much more serious and in depth research is needed in this highly sensitive and topical area. This equipment includes such items as microwave ovens, mobile telephones, computers, the Internet, washing machines, refrigerators, air-conditioners, electric blankets, televisions, hairdryers etc. The results of these effects are playing an integral part in our daily existence; we are in fact bombarded with these higher frequencies everyday of our lives and the consequences of these fields on our central nervous system must be an area of concern.» ("Noughts and crosses")
.. This year I have been using two meters, one designed to measure electromagnetic fields in microtesla (0-19.99mT) and ELF (extremely low frequency) in volts per metre (0-1999V/m). Neither has revealed any anomalies, even though I have visited several formations within 12 hours of their appearance. The readings have consistently been between .01-03 mT and 001-003 V/m respectively. .. The second meter was a Gem Radalert, measuring ionising radiation in micro-sieverts per hour. The meter has a display of 7 vertical lights, each denoting a rate of exposure from 0 to in excess of 7.5 micro-sieverts. The green light measures in-between .1 -.3 mSv/h, the yellow between .5- 2.5 mSv/h and the red from 7mSv/h upwards. All was quiet on this front until I visited the Lockeridge "Dragon" that appeared on 25th May. I visited the formation within 48 hours of it forming and as I was walking through the various elements suddenly all the lights on my ionising meter flashed as though I was in a discotheque. This is the alarm/danger signal and in order to catch one's attention and alert one to the danger, will not re-set itself automatically but will continue flashing until manually re-set. ..
DAYDREAMS AND DRAGONS
by Lucy Pringle, 1998
.. This year, the summer of 1998, .. I have visited over 20 from the ground and covered 67 from the air.
.. The first formation at Weyhill .. was closely followed by a formation measuring in excess of 250 feet diameter and with 33 geometrically perfect scrolls lying with amazing symmetry within the outer ring, and with a striking resemblance to a mosaic in Fishbourne Palace, Chichester. It appeared in oil seed rape on the night of Sunday 3 May, diagonally opposite Silbury Hill, .. in Wiltshire. It also had a strong likeness to the Beltane Wheel which commemorates the Celtic festival of Beltane. This festival was celebrated a few days after the formation appeared. .. A pilot who flew over the mound the previous evening declared the field completely bare. At 5 am Early on the morning of Monday 4 May this enormous formation was discovered.
A young Scotsman, wishing to video the moon rising over West Kennet Long Barrow close by, positioned himself in field called The Sanctuary, early on the evening of Sunday 3 May. He fell asleep about 3a.m, having heard and seen nothing unusual. He awoke at 5a.m.to find the formation deeply etched into the brilliantly yellow flowered crop, oil seed rape in the adjacent field.
.. On Tuesday .. 5 May, .. Western Television also visited the formation. .. That evening the pictures were shown on the local television with brief reporter coverage. The next morning a member of the television technical crew telephoned to say that the reason the reported coverage had been so short, was because their sound system had been so disrupted that most of the recording was unusable. He simply could not understand this, their sound equipment is of the very highest quality and the most expensive available, designed to cope with any normal situation . It had never failed before!
.. Is there any particular pattern to 1998? As always the natural progression continued; we are now seeing formations not of five and six geometry, but sevenfold; such as the wondrous East Field at Alton Barnes, the "curved saw" at Danebury, Hampshire and the West Stowell "lace handkerchief". The first dragon to appear at Lockeridge on the 24 May was one which yielded much information.
.. Once again East Field at Alton Barnes was graced with an immense formation that appeared on the night of 9 July. .. This formation [was] taking in 1.6 acres of crop. .. The flattened area was dauntingly huge and seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction.
.. Christopher Bean and his team who were staying in Marlborough from 18-24 July on a CSETI Skywatch, also visited the formation. He is a meticulously well organised person, always writing the time and date that he enters and leaves a formation in his research note book. On this occasion "20 minutes turned out to be exactly 2 hours. This was just incredible." Join the club, Christopher!
.. The Michael "energy" line runs through this area (see Hamish Miller/Peter Broadbent's map). This line is also known as a "dragon" line! In ancient times the legend of the annual slaying of the dragon was a ritual ceremony symbolising the, nourishing and regenerating of Mother Earth by releasing the animal's blood into ground. The dragon is also representative of all serpentine forms, such as the lowly worm, the serpent, the twisting vortex, the DNA. It is an intrinsic building block in nature. It is also thought to symbolise the solar energy in a particular aspect.
The second Lockeridge Dragon appeared at West Woods on the night of the 10th July. During that night several night watchers reported lightning flashes in this area despite the MET office having no record of lightning in the vicinity.
.. On the 25th July Rob Speight saw a Ball of Light (BOL) just outside the newly formed "Queen" formation at Lockeridge. "I saw a BOL 30 foot away from me come out of the crop and float over the heads briefly for around 2-3 seconds and the disappear."
One of the most beautiful formations to appear was the "Sting Ray". This enormously long glyph was found on the morning of 21st July. I was fortunate to fly over it very soon after it formed and marvelled at the intricate fretwork lay of the crop.
.. Christopher Bean and his team had positioned themselves at Knapp Hill on the night of the 20/21 July and between 10.50pm and 1.30am. They noticed four cloud flashes from their position. Again the MET office confirmed that there was no lightning in the area ..: the "Sting Ray" [formation:] on the 15 June the field of oats was untouched but when he visited it on the 16th, the formation was clearly visible. There had been torrential rain that week and the ground was waterlogged. As the farmer walked down the tramline, he recalled that it was unmarked but as he looked back over his shoulder from whence he came, his footprints were clearly visible, nor was there any mud on the flattened crop when he reached the formation. In his opinion the only method of entry would have been by absailing.
[I was] flying over the newly formed three sided scalloped formation containing nested crescents at The Sanctuary. .. The clouds had momentarily disappeared and I had clear sunlit visibility and perfect positioning. All to no avail, my camera containing slide film, would not focus. .. On our return I happened to pick up the rogue camera and .. it focused perfectly. .. I believe this is yet another indication of the vertical energy that extends to an as yet immeasurable height. ..
DREAMS, DISAPPEARANCES AND MAGIC CARPETS
by Lucy Pringle, 1999
.. The season started as ever in a blaze of yellow as the oil seed flower erupted into bloom playing host to the first crop formations of 1999, the first being reported on the 4th April in the field next to the Eclipse at Over Wallop. This is the earliest event ever recorded in the fields. .. Monday 3 May ..: a new, unreported formation, .. like a string of pearls, lying in the yellow oil seed rape field below me, stretched out over a distance in excess of 600 feet. .. Whereas Wiltshire has been graced with the majority of formations, Hampshire has not been ignored. Visitors are not so plentiful in Hampshire and therefore the formations retain their .. form far longer.
.. Analysis of [crop-circles' visitors'] reports to date show that results fall within the following categories:
Long lasting effects of 24 hours or more, were largely beneficial.
.. The fact that I receive a greater number of reports describing negative physical effects is not surprising for on the whole we are more likely to remark on an ill effect whereas if we feel better or happier than normal it is often attributed to other factors such as the beauty of the formation, the warm sun, a day out, or being in the country with family or friends. It is not until there is an immensely noticeable feeling of well-being that it is remarked upon as being out of the ordinary.
.. Steve Page, an independent researcher, has recently produced a comprehensive geological study .. showing that the overall percentage of crop formations appear on chalk land. He found that an impressive 93% of all British formations appeared under such conditions.
.. Dr Levengood, Nobel prize winning biophysicist from the States .. has dedicated many years research into analysing plants and soil taken from inside and outside crop formations and [his] findings have confirmed the general belief that we are dealing with an ionised vortical plasma which when it hits the ground will discharge in the region of hundreds of thousands of volts for a nanosecond, causing the plants to soften at the base and bend over. The force then continues to break down the molecular structure inside the stalk escaping through expulsion cavities when the force becomes to great.
.. Two of the most dramatic 1999 formations were to appear on the same night, 12th June, in the famous East Field at Alton Barnes. The Serpent stretching 390 feet in length was dwarfed by the gigantic pictogram measuring an awe-inspiring 1024 feet from top to toe. The latter could be described as a collective inventory of all the formations that have appeared over the years since the late 1980's.
.. The masterpiece of the year was soon to appear beneath the chalk White horse at Hackpen, the magical area in-between Marlborough and Swindon so beloved by the Knights Templar. . It was found on Sunday morning, the 4th July. James Hussey the farmer told me that when the field had been sprayed the previous afternoon; there was no trace of the formation. Bordering the east edge of the field is a house with a commanding view of the field. The owners keep easily disturbed guinea fowl who make a terrible screaming noise if startled in any way. They were silent all that night and indeed the owners said there was nothing in the field at 2330 hrs when taking their dogs for a walk. It was a clear moon-lit night. (photo)
The following morning the "spiral" measuring over 300 feet in diameter was found. The complexity of this design is breathtaking and Nigel Tomsett and Debbie Pardoe, experts at drawing up formations to scale, .. struggled with this one for over two month. They almost gave up saying it was the most difficult one they had ever come across, even surpassing the famous 1997 Triple Spiral at Avebury Trusloe.
The precision with which the wide crescents starting at the centre narrowed at the waist and then expanded again before diminishing to a thin arc at the perimeter was astounding. Each crescent tapered to a single standing plant at the apex and each thin arc was .. less than 7 inches.
.. Christopher .. visited the formation on the 11 July and .. discovered that the three bank and credit cards he had brought with him into the formation, no longer worked. They had been wiped clean. This would indicate the presence of an oscillating electromagnetic field or .. even a simple DC field (direct current).
.. I got out of my car and walked back to Peter and Isobel .. and said I was going to turn round and go back and drive down the front entrance. They said they would follow me. I backed my car into a small lane in front of Peter and Isobel. I then changed my mind and decided to drive in via the side entrance. Consequently I drove right across and in front of Peter and Isobel‘s car and expected them to follow. When I reached the house Fiona‘s charming mother, Lili Millais came out to greet me. "I am so sorry I have come in the wrong way, I meant to drive down the front entrance at the top of the lane", I said. Lili looked at me strangely and said "But this is the front entrance, there has not been a front entrance at the top of the lane for years and years and years!". Where were Peter and Isobel? At last they arrived hot and bothered. "Where on earth did you go Lucy, you completely disappeared?" I could not possibly have disappeared as I had been right in front of both Peter and Isobel all the time I had been in the lane. Also there were two of them, both scientists with rational, logical brains so it seems unlikely they should be victims of over active imaginations or self-delusion. So what is the answer? Where had I gone? .. Maybe my disappearance could be explained by my entry into another earlier time and place? This apparent lapse of time and space has happened to me on several occasions and seems quite normal at the time. Also on this occasion I could see Peter and Isobel at all times until turning into the side entrance when they were hidden from my view by the wall. .. When I asked Peter and Isabel for their version of the event, Isabel said "You simply disappeared, you were there one moment and gone the next. We drove back down the lane expecting to find you at any moment. We searched everywhere."
.. In the genuine formations we have scientific proof that there is a noticeable difference in the nitrate/nitrogen contents of seeds take from genuine formations compared to the control seeds taking from outside the formation. This is likely to be the residual effect of the electrical, vortical "force" measuring in the region of hundreds of thousands of volts for a nanosecond as it hits in ground. This results in microwave activity which softens the base of the plants, allowing them to fall over but not break. The electrical discharge then travels up the interior of the stems and, when the force becomes too great, escapes through "expulsion cavities" in the stem joints (leaf nodes). This is similar to the effect of putting a jacket potato in a microwave oven without first pricking it: the potato will explode. These "expulsion cavities in the joints are clearly visible. (photos x 2)
.. In the three segmented formation at Liddington Castle a brand new camcorder with 2 new batteries had complete battery failure within 2 minutes. Paul Vigay [says:] "I've an Eriksson SH888 mobile phone with internal infrared modem (ie. you don't need a lead to plug into the computer, you just put the computer next to the infrared sensor and the two can talk to each other in a similar way to a TV remote control etc). .. The mobile phone was working fine - I phoned [to many people] - and the computer was working fine - ie. no dead batteries etc. However, for some reason it wouldn't communicate with the phone properly. It kept coming up with a 'bad link' error. I've never had this ever since I've had the phone or computer (and I've used it for checking emails etc whenever I go away). .. There is nothing to go wrong with infra-red - unless there is something interfering with the signal. I put the two right next to each other and shielded from the sun (which does emit infra-red) so that it wouldn't get interference from anywhere. It still wouldn't work." Paul reported that it worked perfectly before and after visiting the formation.
.. Over the years there have been many reports of strange trilling and chirping noises being heard in crop formations or their vicinity. We know that when human beings are exposed to pulsed microwave radiation, they hear audible sounds. These can seem to appear from near the head or within the head. These sounds have been described as clicking, buzzing or trilling.
.. An extraordinary formation christened the "Escher" Cube appeared on the 24th June in wheat at Allington in Wiltshire. Such was the 3-D effect from the air, I had to visit it in order to convince myself that it really was 2-D after all!
.. M.C. ESCHER was a Dutch artist (1898-1972). A graphic designer of immense ability. He denied any mathematical knowledge or ability despite using Platonic solids and displaying an astonishing mathematical brain in his designs. He was an illusionist and teaches us to look at things in a different and unconventional way.
.. We are dealing with an unconventional phenomenon and maybe Escher is pointing us towards a new approach and raising of our understanding of the subject. Maybe we need to explore the way we look at things from different/new angles. Should we be looking for unfamiliar and unusual explanations? Should we change our ways of exploration and examination? It seems flexibility and agility in our thinking is required.
BROUGH IS BACK?
by Lucy Pringle, 1999
On the night of the 28/29 July 1999 a triangular formation appeared at Avebury. .. It contained 33 circular standing tufts of corn, with lines running through each tuft linked to other tufts, thereby creating 6 sets of 3 dimensional "Escher" cubes. .. An article appeared in the Daily Mail on Saturday 7 August, some 10 days after the event. [It] stated that it was a hoax, which had carefully planned taken place on the night of 28/29 July between the hours of 11pm and 4.30am. We are told by accompanying journalist, Sam Taylor that [a team of 8 people] constructed the formation using wooden planks and surveyors tapes.
The field in question is on a step incline and clearly visible from the road. Avebury is a place that never sleeps. .. This particular night was the night of the full moon; it was a clear cloudless night. Canadian researcher Gwen Chad was seated leaning against one of the stones facing and overlooking the field until 1am. [She] had seen and heard nothing despite the alleged starting time of 11.30pm. She was in a direct line to the subsequent formation and as such could not have possibly missed seeing or hearing any activity in the field. Another woman could not sleep that night and walked past that field at 3am. There was nothing in it. .. Another report comes from Clive Gale who was passing through Avebury in the early hours that night .. on a research programme investigating Radon 22 ..: "I never saw any evidence of people upon that hill side at all, and from where I was positioned I could not have possibly missed any human activity. .. Treading on crop and applying weight to flatten it would undoubtedly make a noise."
In the article it states many people were interviewed by Sam Taylor the morning the formation appeared, the 29 July. Several friends of mine [were] interviewed, but [it] was on Friday 30 July, the day after it was found, not the Thursday 29 July.
.. Over the period of the next few weeks, several of us telephoned the Daily Mail asking to speak to the author of the article, Sam Taylor. On each occasion we were told that her number could not be released but we could leave our telephone numbers and a message and she would get back to us if she felt like it! She never did feel like it!
Eventually a friend of my mine said she knew someone at the Daily Mail and would try and find out the true situation. The message came back, ring Graham Brough at the Daily Mirror. .. He was very brusque and told me [that] the formation had been made by the people mentioned in the article and that was all there was to it. I then questioned the reason for my referral and he said it might have been because he was responsible for writing the article Men who conned the World in 1991 about the two antiquarians Doug and Dave for Today newspaper who professed to have made all the circles since circledom began. The article which had had front-page coverage on newspapers worldwide and which had indeed rocked the world and divided the crop circle community. "And I have as much interest in crop circles as I have in a used train ticket." End of conversation.
.. Could Graham have been the real author of the article, not the invisible Sam Taylor? Does Sam Taylor even exist? We will never know for sure. ..
MILLENNIUM 2000
by Lucy Pringle, 2000
With the advent of the new millennium, there were those among the ranks of onlookers who wondered if the crop circle phenomenon would desert our fields; indeed the start of the season was .. slow. .. However they were proved delightfully wrong as the phenomenon set about producing one of the most exciting and varied crop circle seasons to date.
.. The Wessex triangle was the predominant nesting ground, Wiltshire proudly boasting the greatest numbers. Hampshire though lying in second place numerically, produced some of the most elaborate formations; in particular the Chilbolton 'Indian belt buckle' that lay within feet of the Government owned radio and field station. The size of the formation matched the size of their large rectangular car park. The Observatory was unmanned at the time.
.. How can people be affected by seeing circles ..? We know that certain shapes trigger off responses in the brain. It is known as SIGN STIMULUS and has a similar effect as when people hear lovely music. The resonances from the music passing through the ear into the brain kindle emotions. Shapes can also trigger off this reaction or behavioural pattern without the observer having any conscious awareness of the process.
The reports are analysed and put into categories listed below. The categories may seem arbitrary, so there are also additional sub sections to each.
HEALTH CATEGORIES:
I have over 600 cases on my database and despite such a huge volume of information, many a sceptic has challenged these reports, saying they were the ramblings of people with overactive imaginations. Over 600 weird and rambling people, what a terrifying thought! .. Those who have given such accounts comprise a wide distribution of intelligence and education. Their accounts are not sensationalised but sober yet puzzled in style. In the absence of nay evidence to the contrary, I am prepared to accept that the vast majority of these people are telling the truth as they understand it.
.. On one occasion a young man, much to his amazement, had an erection in a formation. This uplifting experience lasted until the following day! So who needs Viagra? [Anyway, this] takes us back to the possible effects of Nitric Oxide. It would seem likely that a strong electrical force measuring hundreds of thousands of volts per metre for an nanosecond is present when a formation appears. We also know that this is likely to be a plasma, a gas containing a high density of electrons and positive ions. When in a gas they stops behaving like individuals and start behaving coherently like an integrated whole, such as a swarm of bees, a shoal of fish etc., that can move simultaneously with tremendous force and speed. When this condition occurs nitric oxide, not to be confused with nitrous oxide (laughing gas) can result. It is a by-product of combustion and can be formed from air by lightening. It was this situation that encouraged Jim Lyons to suggest to ADAS that there might be residual traces of Nitrogen in the soil .. and indeed this was proved to be the case in several of the formations tested. .. Nitric oxide has a bad reputation and has been given a bad press, being linked to acid rain and smog and is also thought to be carcinogenic. It gives us sore throats, sore and running noses and eyes and coughs. It can also lead to light-headedness and intoxication. It is a poison, but in small doses is a necessary one, it occurs quite naturally within our bodies, acting as a messenger and is responsible for regulating our blood pressure and plays a large part in controlling our digestive system; it is also thought to enhance our long term memory potential. In men, it plays an essential role, acting as a messenger relaying sexual excitement to the penis, dilating the blood vessels, causing an erection. In the 1995 Avebury Trusloe Spiral in which Keith Wakelam and I when standing in the centre, both suffered instant and severe migraine headaches, in tests conducted by ADAS, the nitrogen level in the centre was found to be 90 % higher than in the rest of the formation.
.. Kerry Blower went into the wonderful Grid formation at East Kennet .. soon after it appeared and reported ..: "The first thing that hit me was how immaculate the lay was and how complex the 'grid' was. I didn't feel anything and I didn't enter it with any expectations at all. I sat for a while and then I turned to look who was in the circle and I saw everything around me was in a blue haze. I had a pressure in my head and the haze lasted for approximately 5 minutes. I took out my electronic organiser to write in it and I noticed that the text was fading in and out. I didn't think that it could be the formation at this time. So I wrote in it to replace the batteries. .. I then walked back to my car and noticed that the battery light was on. I then noticed that the petrol was in the red and I was concerned that I wouldn't make it to a garage. I put some petrol in and then I noticed that the petrol gauge was still in the red. I soon realised that nothing electrical was working on the car and that the battery light was still on. I drove the car like this for the next day and then I took it to our mechanic. He said that I needed to have the alternator replaced. I then drove the car for approx. 20 miles and suddenly everything came back on. The battery light went off and it hasn't come on since. Meanwhile, I noticed that my watch face was 'blank'."
.. Dr Richard Boylan informs us that when flying over a formation that had appeared on the 14 August 2000, in a field of wheat at the corner of 93 South and Church Drive, between Whitefish and Kalispell, Montana, the pilot noticed his compass sway 10 degrees.
"I had just recharged my new 8 hour camcorder battery but after taping for only 20 minutes, the battery drained."
Dennis Eklund, Saskatchewan director for CPR- Canada .. reported that .. when he tried placing a few test stalks of oats inside his microwave, he found similar "damage" to those found in the field.
.. Not only do strange sounds and presences present themselves but people also experience time slips or lapses, déjà vu and jamais vu. It seems that some people are able to access other dimensions more easily than others. At the time it occurs, it seems totally natural and normal maybe due to the fact that the person is in the "now" and the "now" is not unreal in any way. Just as when we are dreaming, the dream seems real at the time.
.. I have had many wonderful reports from people telling me of time lapses and time warps occurring in and around Avebury. This is a sacred area, frequented by our ancestors since the dawn of civilisation. It is an area of healing and high spirituality. The Michael and Mary energy lines run through Avebury, Windmill Hill and Silbury Hill, meeting and crossing. Avebury is female and Silbury Hill is male. ..
MEONSTOKE FORMATION
by Lucy Pringle, 25th May 2001
The first crop circle of 2001 has appeared in Hampshire, the cradle of crop circles since the 1970's & 1980's. Meonstoke is a hamlet nestling close to the Iron Age hill fort Winchester Hill, in a remote part of the Meon Valley in HampshireThe formation, located south west of the hill fort, was seen first by farm hand Ernie who noticed it from his cottage on the morning of 12 May. The formation is in oil seed rape (canola) and consists of a flattened centre with 2 circles of standing crop. It is not completely circular, measuring 128 feet x 124 feet diameter and the flattened crop is all swirled anti-clockwise. I [visited it] on Sunday 20 May ..: the large majority of stems were unbroken, bent over at 90 degrees to the ground. However on the far side of the formation there appeared to be an increased number of broken stems. .. Had other people been in before us or was it man-made? Clearly any visitors inevitably break stems when walking over such a fragile crop, as we did ourselves. ..
BIBLICAL TIMES
by Lucy Pringle
.. On the 11 May reports came in of a circle at Meonstoke below the historic Winchester Hill in Hampshire; a simple circular formation in oil seed rape. [Then] a formation appeared in Berwick Basset .. in Wiltshire.
.. The second formation of 2001 that I visited was the Corhampton event. .. A short while before our Corhampton visit, Colette Ardagh had broken her collar bone and was still having regular physiotherapy treatment. Whilst in the field I had asked everyone to collect a few stones as markers, without thinking that Colette might have a problem. To her amazement she was able to stretch out her damaged shoulder quite easily. A few day later she attended her physiotherapy appointment; her regular physio was on holiday, so she was seen by a replacement physio who on examining her shoulder looked puzzled and asked Colette if she had really broken her collar bone as the usual bump (there for life) marking where the bone mends was not present! The physio was astonished as she had never seen this effect before.
.. A report sent to me by someone who had visited the first Milk Hill formation beneath the White Horse (12 July 2001) [reads: "I had already experienced] the 'metallic', dry taste .. from using any Glyphosate weedkiller. It is very distinctive. In my business I do use selective weedkillers (never herbicides). .. I looked at the contra-indications on the reverse of the 'Gallup'container (this is one of the least environmentally harmful herbicides) [and] it says that exposure can lead to dizziness, nausea, vomiting, blistering of the skin, minor conjunctivitis, tightening of the chest etc etc." [So this] report could offer possible explanations to both the much-reported "metallic taste" syndrome, and the lesions and rashes suffered by many when sitting in a crop formation.
[And] I had an interesting report form Peter Hyoguchi telling me that to his amazement, he recognised the formation as representing his family crest. His family are descended from the Samurai.
.. The Jaw Dropper, one of the final wonders of the season, appeared on 12 August at Milk Hill on the Wansdyke Ridge of chalkland, the highest vantage point in Wiltshire.(photos 9 & 9a) It measured 878 ft in diameter and consisted of 409 circles. It looked truly awesome from the air covering almost the entire width of the field with the ancient Wiltshire countyside of fields, hamlets and folded hills stretching as far as the eye could see. .. On entering from the ground it was bewildering, circles stretched in every direction as far as the horizon, an endless, perplexing sea of circles rippling in the sunlight. [I was] completely disorientated and unable to find the centre, .. until another visitor remarked that there were 13 circles to each spiral, so that by beginning at the smallest circle on the perimeter and following the spiral round and counting, eventually [she] found the centre!
.. Unlike the 1996 Avebury Trusloe Triple Spiral (photo 10) where all the circles, both large and small had their own wonderful individual lay, the circles in Milk Hill formation were not so intricately formed. .. Many of the centres of the circles were "off" centre; some also were elongated into ellipses to fit the slope of the field, as though they had been beamed from above. .. On examining my aerial picture it was clear that none of the perimeters of the circles/ellipses were even minutely misshapen or distorted.
[Here is] a message I received from the CircleMakers, .. who aptly christened the formation The Jaw Dropper ..: "If this formation was man made allowing for time to get into and out of the field under cover of darkness the construction time left should be around four hours. Given that there are over 400 circles some of which span approx.70ft in diameter that would mean that one of those circles would need to be created every 30 seconds". .. Whereas I do not approve of many of their activities, I was delighted to receive this .. acknowledgement that the "Jaw Dropper" was beyond the wit of man.
.. In August Nancy Talbot .. witnessed a crop formation appearing. It was in the early morning hours of August 21, 2001; Nancy was reading in bed at 3:00 AM, when she heard cattle outside her room making noises. A few minutes later, they started again but stopped about 3:15 AM. Nancy noticed her room was brightening like a welder's arc light. An intense column of light was above the field located behind her bedroom. There were two tubes of light about a foot in diameter shinning down on the field. The light went out for a second and the other came down. Nancy .. rushed outside and there was nothing in the sky or field. Everything was quiet with no sound, and no smells. [She] walked toward the field and just beyond the fence was a Crop Circle in the string beans. It was a 35 foot ellipse (stretched circle) with a twenty foot long off to one side with a crossbar at the end, forming a 'T' coming off the ellipse. Nancy thought she saw some steam rising from the Crop Circle. The next morning Nancy saw the field from her bedroom window.
.. A photograph taken at 1537 hrs shows eight circles and another photograph taken at 1749hrs reveals [an] additional circle. Robert Boerman tells us ..: " 'This is impossible', were our astonished words, but the new circle was lying at our feet. A circle that was not there 10 minutes go. The new circle had a diameter of 1.40 metres and felt warm. [My friend] wanted to shoot some photographs with this digital camera, but the battery was empty. The minute before the battery had power for another 30 minutes but now it was empty."
.. Shortly afterwards, journalist Roel Toering tried to take some pictures but his camera battery did not function properly. ..
CHILBOLTON HISTORY AND CROP FORMATIONS
by Lucy Pringle, 2001
The village of Chilbolton in Hampshire lies in the Test Valley .. about 15 miles north of Winchester and 5 miles south of Andover. .. Axe heads and flints left by Stone Age man (250,000 - 8,000 B.C.) tell us that this part of England was active in prehistory. A long barrow dating back to our Neolithic ancestors, some 4,000 - 1,800 B.C was discovered in 1924 on the Chilbolton - Leckford boundary. Several bowl barrows dating from 1,800 - 800 B.C have also been found indicating that Bronze Age man also settled in and worked this area. .. This area is also rich in ancient hill forts. .. The remains of a Roman settlement have been found at Chilbolton adjoining the Radio Telescope.
.. It was King Egbert in about 829 who made Winchester his capital city and reputedly built a hunting lodge in Chilbolton. Not long after King Egbert, Chilbolton was raided and pillaged every springtime by the Vikings, who would sail down the river Test to Chilbolton, lay waste to the land, terrorising the people as they went.
.. In the time of King Athelstan (925 - 934) legend has it that a great battle was fought between the Chilbolton giant who was laying waste to the land, and Sir Guy Warwick. So great was the terror instilled by the giant that King Athelstan fled, locking himself safely in Chilbolton. A fearsome battle ensued in which eventually Sir Guy was victorious, slaying the giant with his mighty sword. .. Our ancestors believed .. long barrows .. to be the resting places of these enormous men.
In 1986 before drilling started, the oil companies Amoco and Ultramar agreed to an examination by archaeologists of the proposed drilling site situated on an old airfield (now the site of the Radio Telescope) near the village of Chilbolton. .. In an undisturbed burial mound [were found] two pairs of gold earrings .. dating back to .. some 4000 years ago. The discovery .. was particularly important "as only four or five gold earrings have previously been found in such sites separately in England." To find two pairs together in the same place is so exceptional and could possibly be the only such example found in north west Europe.
.. The Markway, still in existence, was one of the most ancient roads in England, .. forming the boundary west of Chilbolton. Our ancestors from times immemorial used this prehistory track as they travelled with their flocks and it is thought to have been the route taken by the early travellers to Stonehenge. Our Neolithic forebears even before 3,000 B.C were active, travelling great distances selling their beautifully made hand axes and they too would have trod the Markway. The site of the Markway now passes close to the Radio Telescope at Chilbolton.
Over recent years several crop formations have appeared near this ancient area of Chilbolton, one in 1990 resting on the age-old Mark Way. Another beautiful formation (see picture) was found in 1992 on the edge of Chilbolton in Stragglers field, close to a tumulus. .. In 2000 a large and elaborate formation, resembling a piece of jewellery, appeared in the field north of and adjacent to the Radio Telescope.
On the 14 August 2001, yet another formation was discovered, once more in the field north of the Radio Telescope. .. When I flew over the field I was surprised to see two formations not one. One was a large rectangle (90 x 265 ft) and my first impression was that it was some kind of communication, probably a computer chip? The second formation, a smaller rectangle measuring 145 x 165 ft was completely indecipherable from the air; I could see no meaning to it. It was not until I was at the photographic lab later that day that my printer said "Oh, there's a face!" The picture has to be viewed at a particular angle for the 3D face to become startlingly apparent.
I immediately scanned the pictures and emailed them to computer expert Paul Vigay requesting his identification of the "computer chip". Within minutes he telephoned to say that it was not a computer chip; he had instantly recognised the "chip" as having a striking resemblance to the Arecibo message sent to globular star cluster M13 in 1974 by SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence). [Further details here.]
.. The lay in the "Face" was one I had not seen before; it seemed as though the flattened, swirled crop around each standing tuft had been laid individually. A task that would surely be beyond the ability of man during the short hours of darkness at this time of year? None of the stalks were broken in either formation; they were bent at the base. In the "Face" I found a stalk with a blown node. Researchers Charles and Frances Mallett, visited the formation after it had been harvested and whereas there were no underlying lines in the Arecibo message there were grid lines in the "Face" some measuring 2 inches wide, others were wider but not more than 3 1/2 inches. These were not visible prior to harvesting. .. How were these lines made? .. In the photographs both formations appear in the positive, whereas previously the large majority of events have been in the negative (ie in this instance, the standing crop has determined the pattern rather than the fallen crop).
«.. These unique rectangles were a totally new departure from anything we had seen before. Firstly the images were in the positive, the image being depicted in standing rather than flattened crop; secondly there was no mathematical basis to either and thirdly they were completely unambiguous in their interpretation. Both events lay within feet of the Government owned radio and field station, close to where the spectacular 2000 "Indian Necklace" formation had lain. - the Observatory was unmanned at the time; no trace of any happening during the times they appeared, was found on their radar screens.» (from a following article)
I gave the Daily Mail the "scoop" on the events and for about 72 hours there was a flurry of excitement in all areas of the media and then it went dead, almost as though it was too hot to be handled. However there was prolonged interest in America. The rest of the world ignored the story.
.. I also spoke to Darcy Ladd, manager of the Radio Telescope ..: nothing had shown up on their radar screens during the two nights prior to the discovery of the formations and the meaning of the formations could not be seen from the radio telescope. .. He also mentioned that the military were major users of their technology (radio spectrum) in regard to obtaining weather information. ..
THE MIND OF GOD
by Lucy Pringle, 2002
Everyone has heard of crop circles but what are they? The most striking features of these depressions in the crop are the neat swirling and flattening of the crop, and the sharp cut-off point between the flattened crop and the standing crop. Not only have these events appeared in arable crops but in fields of potatoes and sugar cane, also in heather, sunflowers, rice paddies, snow, ice and sand.
There are reports going back to 800 AD and the famous woodcut depicting the "Mowing Devil" dated 1687 tells the story of a Hertfordshire farmer who had a field of oats. When they were ready to be reaped he approached a mower who clearly charged such an exorbitant price that the farmer was heard to say that he "would rather the Devil took his oats" and with that he stomped away. We are told that during the night strange sounds were heard and strange lights were seen (this is particularly relevant as it coincides with the numerous reports of "luminosities" and reports of animals being disturbed by noises on the nights formations appear), and the following morning when the farmer went into his field, he found part of the crop lying in round circles. He was very frightened and took to his heels and fled.
Clearly it was considered such a strange and unusual happening that it was recorded and that record has been passed down to us through the ages.
In more recent times I have come across numerous cases of people still living who played in crop circles as children in the 1920's and 1930's.
The circles were often looked upon with suspicion by farmers who either feared that they might not get the full price for their crop if the grain merchants heard about it or in other cases they were thought to appear only "when bad times were about". To-day many farmers are concerned by the damage inflicted by thoughtless visitors who instead of walking down the tramlines, march straight across the field.
Could these events have with us forever?
.. If anything strange or unusual had happened [at the times of] our Neolithic ancestors (some 2/3000 years BC), .. would they not also have recorded it, .. for the survival of future generations? .. They would have used whatever means or tools they had to hand such as stones or wood. Is it not possible that the complex stone structures such as Stonehenge could have been constructed as markers of commemoration? Indeed .. there [are] complex stone structures all over the world. ..
How widespread is this phenomenon?
We have eye witness reports of crop formations from over 40 different countries including Russia, Japan, America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, France, Spain, Germany, Holland, Norway, Finland, South Africa and Israel. It is a worldwide enigma with Britain playing the leading role. .
Since serious records began in the late 1970's, it is estimated that between 4/5000 have been noted. However many escape notice as farmers are reluctant to report them.
Over the years not only have the numbers increased but also the complexity. Scholars of the arcane liken the shapes to Celtic, astrological and astronomical symbols, whilst others see pure examples of medical, musical, engineering or biological forms. Each year has produced its own masterpieces.
There is no doubt the mathematical and geometric precision is huge and awesome. The shapes have progressed from five, six and sevenfold geometry to elevenfold in 2000 and thirteenfold in 2001; we have now moved from elementary to university standard maths. Latterly the completely unambiguous "Face" and the "Arecibo message" formations at Chilbolton, Hampshire were a totally new departure, having no mathematical basis and the images depicted in standing instead of fallen crop.
.. Are they all man made or is there an unknown intelligence working behind the scenes? Could they be made by atmospheric conditions such as plasma vortices or .. could they be .. imprints left by UFO's? The fact that these forms simultaneously represent perfect aspects of many disciplines could lend credence to the participation of an external intelligence. Alternatively could they be manifestations of our own subconscious?
.. Whereas we have no definitive answer to this enigma as yet, there is increasing scientific evidence that when the "force" hits the target there is a huge electrical discharge measuring hundreds of thousands of volts per metre lasting a nanosecond, which in the case of crops, softens the plants at the base allowing them to fall: this "force" then traveling upwards breaks down the molecular structure inside the stems. When the "force" is too great it escapes through expulsion cavities in the nodes along the stems. The effect is similar to a baked potato exploding in a microwave oven when the energy is excessive.
It has also been found repeatedly that the seeds collected from inside a formation germinate faster and need less water than those gathered from outside the formation.
From my findings to date it would appear that research should be based in the infrared, microwave area of the electromagnetic spectrum and the latest results indicate that the endocrine system and the pineal gland are being affected whilst tests on brain activity have consistently shown Alpha blocking whilst inside the formations. More research is needed to evaluate the link between these subtle energies and living systems.
Close to 600 personal reports have been amassed from people, describing the effects of electromagnetic fields on living matter, i.e.: humans and animals, also the malfunction of electrical and mechanical instruments, after visiting crop formations or being in their vicinity.
What happened in 2001? Biblical Times?
.. We started off with the worst of times. Floods, pestilence and fire! .. But worse was to come. In February 2001 the first case of the dreaded Foot and Mouth virus was discovered in Northumberland. .. The countryside was closed off and heavy fines ranging up to £5000 could be levied on people going onto banned land. ..
So how did it affect the crop circle phenomenon?
Despite the mutterings of the Doom and Gloom merchants who suggested that since all circles were man made, we would not see any events until the ban was lifted, we had a greater number of circles during the closed period than is previous years!
2001 was indeed a good year for crop circles. The events in 2001 were varied and complex, without any particular theme running through the diverse shapes, yet as always captivating the beholders with their beauty and at times, quixotic humour.
As in so many previous years, the "Wessex triangle" was the predominant nesting ground, Wiltshire proudly boasting the greatest numbers. Hampshire was not to be outdone: it had been the cradle for this phenomenon when it came to the public notice in the late 1980's and just as it seemed appropriate that the first formation of 2001 should appear in Hampshire under the ancient iron age hill fort of Winchester Hill, so it was equally appropriate that Hampshire should produce two of the final most evocative and elaborate masterpieces of the season, namely the remarkable Chilbolton Face and Arecibo Message. They appeared respectively on the 14th and 20th August.
.. These unique rectangles were a totally new departure from anything we had seen before. Firstly the images were in the positive, the image being depicted in standing rather than flattened crop; secondly there was no mathematical basis to either and thirdly they were completely unambiguous in their interpretation.
Both events lay within feet of the Government owned radio and field station, close to where the spectacular 2000 "Indian Necklace" formation had lain. - the Observatory was unmanned at the time; no trace of any happening during the times they appeared, was found on their radar screens.
Had communication been established?
These formations met with a mixed reception; whereas the media attention given to these formations in the US was intelligent and long lasting, the interest in the UK was intense for 48 hours, then everything went dead. Why was this? My belief is that they were too disturbing and close to home for comfort. What if there was no other explanation than extraterrestrial communication? It is one thing to read about other intelligences and see films on the subject but--to have confirmation of outside intelligences arriving on your doorstep is quite another matter. Did they have a physical body or were they disembodied intelligences consisting of unknown electromagnetic particles? Did they resemble us in any way? Where did they live? Clearly they knew what WE looked like as portrayed by the Face in the field, but what did THEY look like? Were they material or immaterial? If they are material, are already amongst us? Are they able to change from the material to immaterial forms by rearranging the electrons in their bodies?
From whence were they transmitting and how?
[These are] both disquieting and alarming [questions,] and this was brought home to me by the reaction of an unusually intelligent friend of mine who is taking a university degree in theology. Over the years he had been trying to persuade himself that, although unlikely, it was just within the realms of possibility that the hoaxers were becoming more and more adept each year, and that all the formations were therefore man-made. However when I confronted him with the Face lying in the field with the Arecibo message alongside and the Chilbolton Radio telescope close by, he noticeably blanched and became quite distressed. In order to try and preserve his sanity and theological beliefs, he had to persuade himself that I had never shown him the photograph at all; he had to persuade himself he had never seen it. There was no rational explanation of any kind; I could not have faked the photograph to any degree of satisfaction and the complexity of the lay of the formation was such that human involvement had to be excluded. No, there was no remedy to his confusion. Help! .. I believe this troubled reaction is a more common than we realize. Clearly there are certain "no go" areas in deeply rooted beliefs systems and if these are threatened, they endanger the whole core of the person's fundamentals?
.. It is evident we are entering new and previously unexplored areas of research and learning due to these beautiful and enigmatic creations in the landscape. It is also evident that there is a progression taking us into advanced areas of physics, mathematics, and medicine. These majestic shapes touch the heart as well as the mind as they lead us into new realms of mystery, along paths of fresh understanding, engrossing and delighting us. .. Not everything can be explained within the existing tried and tested laws and parameters of science. ..