The Secrets of Crop Circles
The German documentary New Swirled Order looks at crop circles in a scientific and critical way, trying to get at the mystery behind these incredibly intricate geometrical designs found in fields all over the world. Crop circle experts such as Michael Glickman, Andreas Müller, Bert Janssen, Nancy Talbot and others discuss their opinions about crop circles and the results of years of research, photographs, and books written about them. The documentary provides some scientific analysis of the crop circle phenomenon and views about the possible cultural and psychological relevance of these shapes. They discuss other instances of geometrical patterns in nature, such as the waveform patterns made when water is exposed to sound frequencies, and the natural form of geometries in things like flowers, seashells, and the feathers of a peacock. Several crop circles are given specific detailed analysis, including the Arecibo Chilbolton formations, which some consider to be messages about alien intelligence, and formations that a number of enthusiasts think represent the Mayan calendar and 2012.
While many people are skeptical about crop circles and assume that they are all man-made, there are several evidences which can be shown that indicate the difference between legitimate or “natural” crop circles and the ones which are artificial or man-made. For example, in a natural crop circle the magnetic fields around the shafts of wheat have been affected by radiation. Many of these physical changes in the crops are reproducible when scientists apply microwave radiation to wheat. There is also a higher concentration of magnetic material in the soil underneath crop circles than in the surrounding field. In a natural crop circle none of the shafts of wheat are actually broken (as they would be in a man-made crop circle created by people stomping down the wheat), but rather, they are bent perfectly without being broken, as though pushed down very quickly by something like a gust of wind or burst of energy from above. Visually, it's often easy to differentiate because the fuzziness and relative inaccuracy of the geometry in the man-made shapes pales in comparison to the precise geometrical perfection seen in natural crop circles.
While it is possible for humans to make replicas of the circle designs, this requires a lot of complex geometrical calculation and hours or days of labor to accomplish. However some crop circles have been documented as being formed in very short spans of time, in hours or minutes, and sometimes in weather conditions like heavy rain which would make the process very difficult. Evidence like this indicates that the mystery of crop circles goes deeper than many imagine. Perhaps, as some experts have speculated, the secret of crop circles lies not only in the beautiful and complex form of the designs themselves, but also in the way the shapes interact with the human psyche. The full-length documentary is available for free on Youtube, or can be purchased as a DVD with additional materials and interviews from www.nuoviso.com.
Image Creative Commons courtesy of LePetitPoulailler.
Tristan Gulliford is a writer, dreamer, and aspiring myth-keeper
who makes electronic music under the name "Dreamcode". He is currently
attending the University of Colorado at Boulder.
- 5-20-09
- Tristan Gulliford's blog
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Re: Crop circles...
http://thecleaver.blogspot.com/2009/05/beautiful-paradox.html
Yet again Mr. Kramer is spot on.
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Tristan Gulliford's review of new German crop circle DVD
Dear Tristan,
As has been the case in every other crop circle "documentary" produced so far, the actual scientific information available has been presented in only a cursory manner--and, so, it is understandable that you have not understood some of the actual facts. I'd like to clarify some of the statements you've made in your review of this new DVD, "New Swirled Order."
1. You say that "the magnetic fields around the shafts of wheat have been affected by radiation" in the real McCoy. I'm not sure what you meant by this, but the evidence is that two of the VISIBLE plant changes (apical node elongation and the presence of expulsion cavities) are both caused by the presence of a heating agency (we propose microwaves) which has instantaneously caused the moisture inside the plants stems to turn into steam--the node at the top of the plants (the apical node) is made up of young, fairly elastic tissues and these stretch to allow the steam to escape, leaving behind elongated (or stretched) node tissues. Farther down the plant stem the nodes are NOT elastic and DO NOT stretch...and, so, if the microwave radiation is strong enough, and if there is enough plant moisture present (there is a lot of moisture in young crop, considerably less in older, more mature crop), the steam pressure at these lower nodes causes them to burst--thus producing the expulsion cavities.
2. You say there is a "higher concentration of magnetic material in the soil underneath crop circles" than outside them. The tiny (10-50 micron diameter) magnetized iron spheres which are regularly found in crop circle soils are, in fact, found not underneath the soils, but in the SURFACE samples. You are right that these magnetized spheres are found in less abundance, or not at all, outside the external perimeters of the circles.
3. You say that in real (those not mechanically flattened by people) crop circles "none of the shafts of wheat are broken." Although this seems to be a generally-accepted idea, it is not true. It IS true that massive breakage at the base of the plant stems throughout the circle formation is a very good indicator that it was mechanically flattened--particularly in older, dryer crop. Young plants, however, can often be flattened repeatedly with boards or planks or one's feet without causing "breakage" at the base. It is also true that SOME breakage at the base (and otherwise) is seen is some "real" circles.
4. Then you say that "visually, it's often easy to differentiate [between the "real" and the "fake" circles] because [of] the fuzziness and relative inaccuracy of the geometry in the man-made shapes in comparison to the precise geometrical perfection seen in natural crop circles." This is, perhaps, the most widely-shared but inaccurate idea perpetrated by people who discuss crop circles. The fact is that, although certainly some (and probably many....without testing all of them there's no way to be certain) of the genuine circle formations display exquisite geometric perfection--many do not. Here in the US, for instance, we have tested many formations which (when measured on the ground, not from aerial photos) were absolutely NOT geometrically "perfect," but which contained all of the scientifically-derived bells & whistles associated with the real McCoy: elongated apical nodes, expulsion cavities, seedling growth abnormalities, magnetic material in the soils, etc.
This new German crop circle DVD was not intended as an in-depth presentation of the scientific info available -- it was assumed by the producer, I am pretty sure, that these details are boring to most people (or that most people are not capable of absorbing them). Which may, sadly, be correct. But it is these details which are critical for those of us who are trying to intellectually grasp the physical aspects of whatever it is that is going on. And, unless the phenomenon decides to suddenly become more apparent than it has so far, it is only through an accurate understanding of these (and other as-yet-undiscovered) details that we are likely to actually approach an increasingly correct understanding of the nature of this marvelous phenomenon.
For people interested in learning more about the scientifically-derived info available about the circle phenomenon, please see the BLT Research Team's web-site: www.bltresearch.com. And for those individuals who have their own reasons to suspect (as I also do) that something truly mysterious is behind all this, be sure to read through the BLT's Robbert van den Broeke page--the events reported there are, as difficult as it will likely be for some people to absorb, real...and being updated constantly.
We really are living in very interesting times
Nancy Talbott
BLT Research Team Inc.
www.bltresearch.com
Clarifications
Wow, thanks for this response.
As a journalist the best I can do is to evaluate something as accurately as I can and then try to synthesize a perspective on it. With something like crop circles this can be challenging because there are many perspectives and it's difficult to find information because the media seems to be strangely uninterested in talking about this incredibly interesting phenomenon.
Anyway, thanks for the clarifications! I will check out your website.
The Invisible College redux 2009
Dear Tristan,
It was good of you to bring that new crop-circle film to people's attention!
During the 17th century, free knowledge was suppressed both by church and government, leading to the formation of an informal network of scholars, who would spread new knowledge by private messages to one another: "The idea of an invisible college became influential in seventeenth-century Europe, in the form of a network of scholars exchanging ideas by post. This is an alternative to that of the academic journal, which later became dominant in the nineteenth century" (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_College)
As an answer to your critics, much the same thing is happening today regarding important discoveries about spirituality, UFOs or crop circles, for example. Some of us have formed a modern Invisible College that exchanges new knowledge about those subjects by email or web postings, because nothing serious can be said in "learned" academic journals.
Now in order to become convinced about the paranormal reality of modern crop pictures, all you have to do is go to the major website www.cropcircleconnector.com ("2009"), and look at what has happened to the plants ("Field Reports"). For example, thick oilseed rape plants have been smoothly bent at their bases, yet continue to grow normally, horizontal to the ground!
By contrast, if you search for "crop circles May 2009" on Google, you are led to a disinformational video where a young fellow has broken off a few stems with his hands, then claims they are all man-made: see www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmDfXE4Hnjo
Perhaps this is just an accident, or perhaps the subject is being actively censored on Google, to show ridiculous websites rather than serious ones? Just like Google censors certain websites in China?
So what is there in the crops that powerful forces of authority do not want you to know?
1) In a general sense, these are clearly messages from higher intelligences who live outside of our local reality, whether spiritual or material.
2) In a specific sense, many of their pictures so far this year in April or May have seemed to predict an upcoming event on our Sun, where it may flare or emit coronal mass ejections later this summer, perhaps in July.
3) No indications have been given so far that such an solar event will affect Earth, but it is interesting all the same, and leads one to question our ordinary notions about space or time.
4) Symbols for the legendary Quetzalcoatl also appear regularly in crops from 2000 to 2008, as his "feathered serpent", "jester's hat" or "Venus" motifs. This leads one to think that the whole crop circle phenomenon might be focussed on whatever will happen in late 2012, just as Daniel and others at Reality Sandwich believe.
In summary, the crop circle subject is: (a) real, (b) important, and (c) related to 2012 and the Mayan calendar.
If you now choose to get your information from the research-accepted Crop Circle Connector website, rather than active disinformation from Google, Wikipedia, National Geographic, Discover or other such skeptical websites, written by authors who have never seen a real crop picture themselves (like the Pope advising Catholics on sex), then you will almost certainly find the new 2009 season to be quite amazing, as we all follow events in realtime, and watch to see what happens next!
Crop circles: reliable versus unreliable sources of information
Dear Tristan,
In case it wasn't clear, my previous post was in response to what you wrote: "With something like crop circles, there are many different perspectives. Also it is difficult to find reliable information, because the media seem to be strangely uninterested in talking about this incredibly interesting phenomenon."
So now you have been pointed to reliable sources of information, I hope!
One of the best ways to debunk something is to place false information about it on Wikipedia or National Geographic: see www.lucypringle.co.uk/news/natgeog.shtml.
They also debunked the famous video from Oliver's Castle: see www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMeRd5EdBwE Look at how the whole picture is angularly offset from the crop tramlines by precisely 1 degree? No fakers would or could do that in pouring night-time rain.
A local Wiltshire taxi driver, Andrew Pyrka, has also set up a new website that offers speculative but interesting theories: see www.cropcirclewisdom.com/mystory/mystory.html
He apparently had a close encounter with the remotely controlled devices used to make those pictures on July 20 over South Field (the most impressive crop picture of 2008). I walked through that huge picture several days later, and saw two snake-like "signatures" on each end for the legendary Quetzalcoatl, that were made not by flattening crop, but rather but somehow affecting the soil in mid-winter, so that no seeds would germinate there in mid-summer.
In summary, the data speak for themselves, if people would just listen. Followers of this website should listen especially, given Daniel's psychic contact by an "avatar Quetzalcoatl" in 2003: see www.breakingopenthehead.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-2525.html
"I am an avatar and messenger sent at the end of a kalpa, a world age, to bring a new dispensation for humanity – a new covenant and a new consciousness."
George Harrison was quite right in his song "Horse to Water": You can have it all laid out in front of you, but that still doesn't make you think!
Best, RC
Crop Circles, Conciousness, Synchronicity