faith-happens

We know that the [crop circle] formations occur quickly, in some cases within a few seconds.  Eyewitnesses report the plants suddenly oscillate, moving back and forth wildly, then simply collapse to the earth. 
Dowsing [“Water witching”], a technique used to detect earth energy, demonstrates the formations are linked to ley lines, or lines of k’ul, as the Maya would say…  Interestingly, the ley lines also link the formations to ancient sacred sites such as Stonehenge and Avebury.  Are the [crop] circles activating these ancient sites as Mayan Elder
Hunbatz Men says will happen?

Collin and Synthia Andrews, from
2012:  An Ancient Look at a Critical Time

Aliens Then and Now

In the last article of this series, we discussed UFOs and how they’ve influenced our culture and impacted pseudo-religions such as Theosophy and the New Age Movement.  We also connected the phenomenon to the claims of many 2012 enthusiasts (i.e., ‘something sinister this way comes!’)  From all reports, beings from ‘outer space’ are all the rage!

One of the most popular series on the History Channel today addresses what has become known as ‘ancient astronaut theory.’  Eric van Däniken spawned this interest with his classic book, Chariots of the Gods (1968).   So far, van Däniken has sold 63 million copies of his books in over 32 languages.  Not bad for a notion Science planned to easily debunk by publishing ‘the real facts’ in no more than well-researched book or two.   Of course, never let the facts get in the way of a good story!

Over the past 40 plus years, the growth of research on this topic and the conclusions drawn are equally astonishing.  There are now countless titles by scores of authors attempting to account for the many puzzling human artifacts dating back to megalithic times long since passed (spanning from the Great Pyramids of Egypt to the Moai in the Pacific – that’s those ‘big heads’ on Easter Island).   All these manuscripts share the conviction that humankind didn’t have the technology to do the job.   Aliens had to participate in such processes to provide the out-of-this-world know-how.  Not that there is a consensus amongst all the cosmic commentators.  But what is beyond debate is that there are ‘tons and tons’ of anomalous data (being such big stones and all), thousands of years old, crying out for explanation.

What ancient astronaut theory has in common with traditional religions is the belief that the human species did not result from naturalistic evolution.  What’s unique, however, is its supposition our kind emerged from genetic engineering carried out by extraterrestrials. 

The most well-known source elaborating on this alternative history is middle-eastern scholar, Zecharia Sitchin, now 90 years old.   Sitchin, who’s been translating Sumerian clay tablets for over four decades now, concocted an amazing account regarding our origins from his many discoveries.  Now, he claims that he isn’t ‘telling stories’ – it’s all there in dried mud in Mesopotamia.  As they say, you can’t make this stuff up! [i]

It seems that tens of thousands of years ago, beings called the Annunaki from the planet Nibiru came to earth in search of gold, a necessary element for surviving on their planet.   Given they were running out of gold and they discovered our planet had plenty, they decided to raid earth’s resources.  However, since it was such hard work, these ‘gods’ determined that they would need laborers to mine the gold.  They took the forbears of humanity (our ancestors – native Homo sapiens) and improved upon our DNA, increasing our intelligence and ability to do the work required.  Consequently, through genetic engineering, the Annunaki became the masters of the human slave race.  This arrangement worked out well (at least for our masters who controlled humanity for thousands of years – as the story goes).  Many interesting events transpired, which I won’t delve into here.  However, Sitchin indicates that Nibiru – the planet from which the Annunaki originated – travels in a highly ‘elongated’ elliptical orbit that comes near to our sun (and the earth) every 3,600 years (one Nibiru ‘year’).  2012 speculators go so far as to claim that Nibiru has been detected by NASA and will come close enough in 2012 to wreak havoc upon the earth.  That’s why the Kolbrin Bible (originally an Egyptian ancient book of wisdom) calls Nibiru ‘the destroyer.’  Fortunately, the man who discovered Nibiru says that we shouldn’t worry about this rendezvous.   According to his math, these ‘extraterrestrials’ (whose DNA we apparently share) aren’t due back for another 1,000 years from now.  Feel free to breathe a sigh of relief!

In direct contrast to the annals of the Annunaki, there are contemporary artifacts that many 2012’ers believe evidence aliens here on earth today!   These artifacts are the sensational art form we’ve come to know as crop circles.  Consequently, if the true believers are correct, we don’t have to wait for ancient alien astronauts to return.  They’re here and communicating with us through the remarkable designs they’ve laid down in fields of gold.  (Which is, by the way, the only obvious connection between the ancient aliens and the contemporary ones – they both hang around in gold fields).

English Crop circles – The Mowing Devil

One of the most controversial subjects over the past thirty years is the formation of these large circles in the grain fields of England.  These exotic designs often appear overnight.  Moreover, crop circles grow increasingly more complex while they continue to escape a single satisfactory explanation. Like the pre-historic henges to which they are adjacent (Stonehenge being the most notable), their purpose is sheathed (or is that sheaved?) in mystery.   

As we will soon see, these formations may have much more in common with the ancient henges than just “circles whose mean­ing has hitherto been unknown.”  Various parties have documented a great deal of research and expressed strong opinions.  This includes views by the late pop scientist, Carl Sagan.  How­ever, the debate isn’t new. 

In 1678 (332 years ago), an Eng­lish pamphlet pub­lished (via woodcut) news about a mys­terious forma­tion a far­mer stumbled upon – and speculated the Devil had something to do with it.   It became known as the ‘Mowing Devil.’  Likewise, the January 2000 issue of Journal of Meteorology republished another old report of crop circles dating from July 29, 1880 (Nature, Vol. 22, pp. 290-291).  The article de­scribes inves­tigations made by ama­teur scientist John Rand Capron only a few days after he discovered them 130 years ago.  We read:

The storms about this part of Western Surrey have been lately local and violent, and the effects produced in some instances cu­rious.  Visiting a neighbor’s farm on Wednesday evening (21st), we found a field of standing wheat considerably knocked about, not as an entirety, but in patches forming, as viewed from a distance, circu­lar spots… I could not trace locally any circumstances account­ing for the peculiar forms of the patches in the field, nor indicating whether it was wind or rain, or both combined, which had caused them, beyond the general evidence everywhere of heavy rainfall.  They were suggestive to me of some cyclonic wind action… (Emphasis mine) [ii]

History suggests crop circles have been around then for hundreds of years.  They were circular and they were mysterious.  But other than speculating that they were the handiwork of the Devil, not much else could be said about them.  What does the world think about crop circles today? 

The research reveals that the vast majority of these circles are plainly formed by human beings (and intentionally so).   Whether developed for commercial purposes or just to keep the mystery fomenting, humans are responsible.    That’s what most people thing.   It’s hard to argue with the conventional wisdom since given enough time and the right instruments, smart people can make any formation. But there are other imposing questions:  “How come some are created so quickly?  Why do they get bigger and more complicated?  Are those who created these circles centuries ago responsible for the designs today?  Are the forces in play then the same ones now?” 

Perhaps the most frequent perspective of those into alternative history and the 2012 ‘movement,’ is the correlation made between sightings of UFOs and the appearance of these decor­ative field formations, employing circles in various fashions.   Believers point to many circles seem way too complex to be human; especially since some appear too fast for only a few folks to knock out overnight.  Additionally, the sophistica­tion and size of the circles continues to evolve year after year.  And the critical element is not just skill but time:   They are created ‘out of the blue’ in minutes. 

Plus, as illustrated in the famous crop circle formation known as the “409 Circles at Milk Hill” creating certain designs requires a gargantuan level of ef­fort.  Sometimes the designer/developer must factor in the difficulty of cutting the grain over ‘hills and dales.’  In other words, some circles require cutouts taking into account unleveled ground to get the design right.  Finally, some assume a viewing angle at heights which require a helicopter (or some other form of elevated view) to observe whether the design is in fact flawless.  The genuine item always is. 

Mel Sanger, an evangelical author associated with published materials from Rema Marketing in the U.K., notes:

Most crop circles materialize overnight, while only a few have ap­peared during the day.  One rather intricate pattern, literally across the road from Stonehenge, is known to have formed in under an hour, in broad daylight.  Spread over hundreds of square miles, as many as 30 arrays, some being as wide as 4000 feet, have appeared in one night.  No small accomplishment, considering it is all done in the dark.  The hoaxers, who claim to be the master designers, could only produce their inferior circles in the light of day.  Many separate case studies show that, indeed, it is common for a farmer to leave his field intact at dusk and return to find a work of crop art impressed in his field the next morning. [iii]

Therefore, in studying the hundreds of accounts, numerous reports of crop circles ap­pear to surpass human resourcefulness.  This implies some sort of super-hu­man involvement for their formation.  But what kind of ‘super-human’ are we talking about? 

The Crabwood Glyph

In 2002, a striking Crop Circle appeared which may have been directed to a designer from an over-the-top website.  This site, the “Watcher Website,” dis­cusses the possible connection between (1) aliens, (2) pre-historic ac­counts of giant beings (the Nephilim – see Genesis 6:4), and (3) the Roswell event (a crash of an unidentified aircraft or UFO in 1947).  This sub­ject matter also links to (4) the unusual structures on the surface of Mars known as Cydonia that some suppose was sculpted by ‘intelligence-of-the-ex­traterrestrial type’.  The whole dialogue is very much in line with the Eric von Däniken theory.

The “Watcher Website” focuses on who could have formed the Cydonia (spelled with a “C”) Martian monuments and the possible relation­ship to Sidonia (spelled with an “S,” aka Sidon located in ancient Lebanon where the Baalbek ruins reside).  Like certain crop circles, some regard the massive and intricate nature of the Baalbek ruins beyond the creative ability of humankind.  Complicating the analysis is the conclusion by the experts that the builders of Baalbek accomplished this project many thousands of years ago, even prior to the Pyramids.   (Okay, so maybe there is a connection between ancient and contemporary aliens).

Watcher’s Webmaster created an icon to adver­tise his small business in 1996.  The crop circle appeared several years later on August 15, 2002. 

The Crabwood Glyph left the best circle debunkers scratching their heads.[iv]  However, there’s much more to the story than just the image which appears to mimic the icon.  The level of detail included in the circle went beyond any other crop circle produced up to that point in time.  Here are some of the de­tails:

• The design is separated into two images, a rectangle and a circle. 
• The rectangle mimics the resolution of a TV screen with 59 lines of resolution.  The image is created with varying widths of “grain” used for black lines and inverse ‘cropping’ of the crops to create white lines.  The effect creates a ‘gray scale.’  (By the way, the glyph appeared in a field adjacent to a television station).
• The circle uses 33 lines of information.  There is a message in the circle created with ASCII characters (“ones and zeros”).
• The message is an odd one:   

Beware the bearers of false gifts and their broken promises.  Much pain but still time.  Believe.  There is good out there. We oppose deception.  Conduit Closing.   (Bell Sound). 

[Bell sound?  Think of Leroy Anderson and his quaint classical work, The Typewriter.  Ding!]

But the numerical facts are even more intriguing:

• 59 lines of resolution in the rectangle.
• 33 lines in the disc message.
• 26 words in the disc message.
• ASCII characters in the disc, 151.
• ASCI “bits” of information, 1,208.
• 59 – 33 = 26
• 59 X 33 = 1947, the year of the Roswell event.
• 33 X 59% = 19.47, a fractal of the year of the event.
• 59 – 26 = 33, the latitude of Roswell.
• 33 x 3.141592 (π) = 103.67, the longitude of Roswell.

That’s a lot of information packed into a tight little circular mes­sage built with the raw stuff of Cheerios^®.  So, did these messen­gers target those who follow the Website?  Who are the messengers?  Why did they state, “There is good out there” and “We oppose decep­tion”?  Were they responding to their accusers?  Finally, were they confirming that Roswell was part of their ‘handiwork’ as well?   Are aliens the creative critters responsible for the circles?

The 2012 Crop Circle

On July 8, 2008, near the Avebury henge, one circle provides the most direct correlation between the meaning of the crop circle phe­nomenon and the prophecies by the Maya, vis-à-vis, the impor­tance of the date December 21, 2012.   In the formation, all nine (traditional) planets of our solar system circle the sun in their locations precisely where they will be on that specific date.  According to the experts, solar software confirms the precision of the planet’s location.  The level of precision is amazing.  But is it just another hoax?  If so, the formation is extrava­gant, taking a great deal of planning and precision in its creation.  How many people, over what duration, and with what special equip­ment, are required to build a formation like this?   Plus, we ask “Why bother?”

However, there are other reasons besides degree of difficulty and peculiarity of measure to consider a non-human cause for the strange appearances of these circles, so often found in the areas near to the old circles (i.e., the ‘henges’). 

Indeed, the old circles and the new ones have traits in common.  First, they occupy the same areas.  Secondly, the purpose of the henges had pagan religious significance.  Moreover, the paganism thousands of years ago may have tarnished the areas, marking them as ‘ground given over’ to paganism.^[v]

Daniel Pinchbeck, spends a considerable amount of space in his book, 2012:  The Return of Quetzalcoatl, attempting to understand the meaning of such circles.  Pinchbeck is characteristically inclined to “experience it first and ask questions later.”  He has attended con­ferences (‘on location’ in England) and walked these fields season after season to determine what crop circles mean.  He describes the strong sensations he and his friends have experienced when standing in the circles.  Many who experience this phenomenon for the first time faint or are knocked down by the sounds from the psychic presence they encoun­ter.  For Pinchbeck, something deeply spiritual is transpiring in ‘crop circles’ which is clearly not human in origin.  Crop circles are a place to encounter other-worldly phenomena.  But are they from ‘outer space?’

Are Crop Circles Mandalas?

Another type of ‘spiritual circle’ might shed some light on crop circles.  Mandalas are used in Hindu and Buddhist rituals to aid in medi­tation and to encourage a trance state.  They are usually circular in nature and intended to represent the cosmos or the universe.  They may include images of large stars or certain Hindu deities at their center.  Supposedly, they help the ‘focus-ie’ to merge his/her consciousness with the cosmos.  Given both their design and their purpose, is it possible that crop circles are meant to create a similar affect?  Consider this definition of Mandalas which speaks to their purpose: 

Mandalas are commonly used by tantric Buddhists as an aid to me­ditation.  More specifically, a Buddhist mandala is envisaged as a “sacred space,” a “Pure Buddha Realm,” and also as an abode of fully realized beings or deities.  While on the one hand, the mandala is regarded as a place separated and protected from the ever-chang­ing and impure outer world of samsara [the life cycle of life with em­phasis on suffering] and is thus seen as a “Buddhafield“ or a place of Nirvana and peace…[vi] (Emphasis mine)

In her book, Yoga: Immortality and Free­dom, Romanian scholar Mircea Eli­ade explains that the mandala is also im­portant for spiritual warfare Hindu-style:

At the periphery of the construction there are four cardinal doors, defended by terrifying images called “guardi­ans of the doors.”  Their role is twofold.  On the one hand, the guardians defend con­scious­ness from the disintegrating forces of the unconscious; on the other, they have an offensive mission – in order to lay hold upon the fluid and mysteri­ous world of the unconscious, consciousness must carry the struggle into the enemy’s camp and hence assume the vio­lent and terrible as­pect appropriate to the forces to be combated.  Indeed, even the di­vini­ties inside the mandala sometimes have a terri­fying appear­ance… The guardians of the doors and the terrible divinities empha­size the initiatory character of entrance into a man­dala…[vii]

So just exactly what do henges, crop circles, and Man­dalas have in common?  The answer appears to be they are all means for humans to open themselves to higher levels of conscious­ness, and specifically, encounters of non-human entities.  Pinch­beck ultimately draws the same conclusion.  Crop circles and mandalas share this spiritual element.[viii]  Perhaps it’s not over­stating things to say that crop circles are mandalas drawn by the space brothers to create another means to meet them.  That is, if you believe in the space brothers.

Crop circles and the Meta-Conscious Mind

This mandala-like affect is parodied through an intriguing expe­ri­ence.  Colin Andrews in his book with partner Synthia Andrews (2012:  An Ancient Look at a Critical Time), explores the crop circle experience from many angles.  Colin Andrews literally wrote the book on crop circles and coined the term eventually accepted in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1997.  Andrews brings a great deal of research to the table (he has stu­died about 2,500 circles).  Thus, he’s a noted authority (perhaps the most noted authority) on the subject.  Financed in 1999 by the Rock­efeller Foundation to investigate the fraudulent aspect of crop circles and publish his findings, Andrews estimates 80% of the circles are unequivocally of human origin.  Never­theless, Andrews remains a firm believer in an ultra-di­men­sional cause for the other 20%. 

He continues his explanation of the phenomenon linking it with the advancement of human con­scious­ness.  In this way, he harmonizes (or to use the New Age word, reso­nates), with other Mayan authorities that believe the goal is the trans­formation of consciousness.

Andrews compares what he calls meta-consciousness with Jung’s collec­tive unconscious.  He contends that our minds are intercon­nected.  He also believes hu­man minds link to a higher level of con­sciousness.  This collective intelligence is somewhat autonomous yet remains influenced by what we imagine. 

For instance, Andrews recounts how he visua­lized an object (a Cel­tic cross) and then the next day (for the first time ever), discov­ered the image had just appeared in a nearby crop circle formation.  His imagining seemed to make it come into being.  Was this an ac­tion of the ‘meta-conscious mind’ or only a simple case of ‘mind over matter?’  It certainly amounts to a lot more than bending spoons.  He confirms that crop circles are associated with the henges and with other ancient loca­tions like Silbury Hill, the largest ancient manmade mound in the world (a sacred site to those of the Druid persuasion). 

Quoting Andrews:

We know that the formations occur quickly, in some cases within a few seconds.  Eyewitnesses report the plants suddenly oscillate, moving back and forth wildly, then simply collapse to the earth.  Dowsing [“Water witching”], a technique used to detect earth energy, demonstrates the formations are linked to ley lines, or lines of k’ul, as the Maya would say.  ‘Ley lines’ is the term used by modern people for the lines of energy across the planet…  Interestingly, the ley lines also link the formations to ancient sacred sites such as Stonehenge and Avebury.  Are the circles activating these ancient sites as Mayan Elder Hunbatz Men says will happen? [ix]

Elaborating, Andrews speaks of magnetic activity and the disrup­tion of compasses within a crop circle.  He indicates also how an iron residue is present within an authentic crop circle (ultra-di­mensionally created), a residue that is of a purity not found in nature (here on earth that is).  Moreover, he talks about a “chirping sound” that he and others have witnessed, tape-recorded, and analyzed.  According to Andrews, the sound is verifiable, but to date no one knows what the sound is or what it means.

His most fascinating story relates a visit by an 87-year-old Aztec Elder named Tlakaelel and his guide, Burt Gunn.  They arrived at the Andrews’ office in Guilford, Connecticut on May 23, 1994. 

The Elder Tlakaelel offered a drawing he had frequently envi­sioned and asked Andrews if he had ever seen the design before.  Andrews had not.  They went through many designs together.  However, no one design pictured the image.[x] 

As the meeting ended, Tlakaelel and Gunn got into their car and began to drive away.  At that very same moment, the fax machine awoke and Andrews received a fax from Reg Presley of the musical group, The Troggs, a friend to Colin (and an avid crop circle investigator).  The second page displayed an amazing design of a crop circle (a scorpion) just recently formed there.  As you might guess, it was the very design that Tlakaelel had been describing.  Additionally, its location in England was in a field where the ancients held ceremonial (pagan religious) dancing.  What did this infer?  Was it only an interesting synchronicity?

One year later, Tlakaelel joined the Andrews at Silbury Hill where the scorpion circle first appeared.  As Andrews describes it, the mood was reverent.  The Elder quietly pointed to several spots on the landscape where there was “energy” – Andrews recognizing that each location noted by Tlakaelel was where a crop circle had been previously.  As they walked to a site called the West Kennett Long Barrow, a man look­ing all of 18, appeared on a bicycle seemingly out of thin air.  Sud­denly he stopped and looked directly at Tlakaelel and said, “My ances­tors respect and welcome you and thank you for coming.”  The two talked for several minutes about the importance of the land.  Then the young man disappeared as mysteriously as he had ap­peared.  In the months that followed, Andrews indicates that many crop circles began featuring Mayan symbols.  Additionally, several of the designs reflected 2012 themes and predictions.  Wow! This would certainly make a great episode on X-Files. 

Given such strange goings-on, what can we conclude?  The con­nection of paganism from the henges of England, to the Pyramids of Egypt, to the structures and glyphs of Mesoamerica, all seem to tell a universal story.  We discern a connection to an expansion of human consciousness and to beings of non-earth origin.  The cosmology of circles and spheres, of planets and suns, of human and divine beings, all seem coded in monuments and messages originating from at least 5,000 years ago, right up to today.  And they all testify to a cohesive religious worldview, commonly called paganism.  Please be mindful that my label is not, in and of itself, meant to pour scorn upon this viewpoint.  I am merely connecting the dots, illustrating how there is a singular, unified earth religion that is “as old as the hills”[xi] or henges as the case may be.

So is there a single explanation for the origin of these common traits in all these phenomena?  Is there meta-consciousness at work that ties all these formations to human activity, either physical or spiritual?   Alternatively, are UFOs involved?  If non-human sources are responsible, should we assume they’re extrater­restrial?[xii]  

On the other hand, biblical scholars would propose that if any non-human entities are accountable, we call them by their proper name:  De­mons.   They would charge that there a diabolical scheme of spiritual decep­tion at work.    We can imagine that in ancient times, the henges were circles enabling ancients to encounter the spirit world.  Whether such spirits visibly appeared then or not isn’t the point.  The ‘cosmic circles’ enabled humankind to expand its consciousness – but more to the point, they facilitated human-spirit encounters.

Ancient astronaut theory doesn’t go into the spiritual side of things as do the 2012 enthusiasts.  But we have in the process wandered onto another connection.  It’s really simple:  Humanity can’t seem to explain its origin or its purpose without reference to entities from ‘beyond the stars.’  The traditional God of Judeo-Christian history doesn’t appeal to modern men and women.  We’d rather invent a different source for our consideration, whether it’s purpose is to explain our past or to predict our future. 

Ultimately, it all boils down to a simple word:  Idolatry.  Modern man worships new idols ‘detectable’ by technology – or mystically encountered by techniques devised from the earliest ages.  Why do we prefer these ‘gods?’  Because we perceive we can control them – at least to some extent.   The ‘god hypothesis’ is much more appealing when we have tools to manage ‘god.’    We also find ‘gods’ useful when we’re sure they can be kept at a safe distance – like far, far away in ‘outer space’ from whence all true believers assert they originate!

 *   *   *   *   *

 In the next blog, we will tackle the many ‘natural’ threats from ‘Outer Space’ that have given rise to the apocalyptic fervor
in 2012 books and movies.

 S. Douglas Woodward has written two books, the most recent,
Decoding Doomsday, now published by Defender Books (380 pages).   
 You can order the book www.decodingdoomsday.com or www.survivormall.com. 

For more information about the book and the author, please see the following link:   www.decodingdoomsday.com