Readingthesignspart7

One thing’s for certain about Crop Circles…they present us with information in what might seem like an endless variety of ways. But whilst it's often true that the more you look the more you’ll find, there’s much I’m afraid that could still remain hidden or overlooked. They are meant to offer such challenges and occasionally they’ll reveal something that simply wasn’t expected. Take for example the final Wiltshire event of '98...

Occasionally "The Circle makers" have demonstrated an awareness of patterns created by number sequences. There are for instance some amazing sequences to be found in ancient mathematical grids known as "Magic Squares". These squares encode numbers in such a way, that when unlocked reveal many types of geometric patterns such as ancient temple plans etc. The most commonly known squares are the seven that have traditional planetary associations linked to the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

As an example, one of the simplest and smallest of the squares is known as the "Saturn Square", that's linked to Solomon's Temple (Fig.1). This square consists of 9 numbers seemingly placed at random throughout. In order to unravel a geometric pattern, we need to draw a grid ourselves that's numbered in a horizontal sequence of 1 to 9.

Working horizontally across the "Magic Square", line by line, (4, 9, 2, 3 etc), we then find the square that corresponds in number to our grid. By drawing a line from the centre of that square to the next indicated, we slowly find a pattern emerging (Fig.2).

You can also work vertically (4, 3, 8, 9 etc) or as I was to discover, around the perimeter, (4, 3, 8, 1 etc) of the square. By working around the perimeter of this particular square, I found a pattern emerging that seemed familiar. Looking back at some ‘98 formations a few days later - I found it!...It was the eight-pointed "Templar Star" that had appeared at Avebury on the 24^th of August (see Lucy's photo at the top of the page). But whilst the "Magic Square" had amazingly revealed the design of the final Wiltshire formation of ‘98 (Fig.3), "The Circlemakers" had also added some middle shapes. Just why “The Circlemakers” made these small additions isn’t clear, but these shapes are geometrically found by introducing a couple of lines at the centre. The thing that really amazed me though was that the surrounding circle's perimeter precisely touched each corner of my drawn grid, in proportion to its overall design!

With the Avebury formation it seemed that "The Circlemakers" were not only acknowledging "Magic Squares", but were once again trying to relate to something about our ancient past. Within the design that's revealed by the "Magic Square" we can geometrically find a splayed cross that's associated with "The Knights Templar". Founded in 1119, this old military order was formed in defence of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, which involved the protection of pilgrims who journeyed there. They first became known as "The Knights of the Temple" simply because their headquarters was once next to the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, but nowadays they're more commonly referred to as "The Knights Templar".

As we discussed in "Reading the Signs Part Six" a formation appeared just below Windmill Hill during July of '99 that many perceived to be a temple floor-plan...

Early on the morning of the 16th, researcher William Betts was amongst the first to enter the formation. After having taken some photos of the freshly-formed "grapeshot" circles that make up this design, he gathered up some crop samples which he later showed to an agricultural researcher. Apparently the agric-lab researcher appeared baffled because he simply couldn't understand why the ears of the samples were seedless. He said that, "although it was young wheat there should have been some immature seeds there, but the heads were empty!"

Photo © William Betts*

As mentioned before "The Knights Templar" were firmly associated with the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem and here we're confronted by either a floor-plan of a temple, or that of a fortress. The Templars were prolific temple builders, and whilst some of the order became dedicated monks, others were guardians and warriors housed within round churches specifically built like fortresses. Couple all this with the fact that this particular formation had appeared on land that was once owned by Templars and you begin to see the bare bones of what could be quite a connection. Furthermore...a splayed cross that echoes the Templars appears to sit quite well within the design!

The eight pointed blood-red cross (red on white) was awarded to the Templars by the Cistercian Pope Eugenius in 1146. It's often been confused by the same design (although silver on black) that was adopted by the Hospitallers of St. John, who later became powerfully established as the "Knights of Malta". Commonly known today as the "Maltese Cross", many will also recognise it as being the emblem employed by the "St. Johns Ambulance Brigade" (black on white)

What also sits quite well within the floor-plan is our "Magic Square" design, that’s borne out of the "Saturn Square" that's linked to the Jerusalem Temple. "The Templar Star" appears to fit with amazing accuracy into the floor-plan! (Fig.6). Note that the perimeter of the circle in the "Magic Square" design is set out perfectly in proportion to the circle that surrounds the temple plan.

The Knights Templar was an organisation that was established along with eight other knights by Hugues de Payen, a French nobleman. When we include him we have nine founder members of this order, which is interesting because the numbers eight and nine are commonly employed throughout the formation. (Let's give you a couple of examples...There are 72 circles that make up each corner, 8 x 9 = 72, & 7+2 = 9, etc. The eight pointed "Templar Star" arrived in '98, whilst the eight pointed "Templar Cross" sat well within the floor-plan that arrived in '99!)

Officially the Templars came into being solely for the purpose of providing protection for the many pilgrims that journeyed along the Judaean Desert roads to Jerusalem. Most agree though that there's no real evidence to support that, and when you think about it...Just how would it have been possible for a handful of guardians to have dealt with a large bunch of Saracens? The whole protection thing was a bit of a smokescreen and it was realised some time later that from their headquarters built upon the foundations of the Temple of Solomon, the Templars had conducted massive excavations underneath it. Over a period of nine years (nine again!) the Templars had managed to locate the stables of King Solomon that had remained well hidden since biblical times. Just what were they looking for? Many have speculated that they were hoping to find untold wealth and treasure that had been safely hidden prior to the Roman demolition and plunder of this magnificent temple around 70 AD. But it's also believed that alongside these riches they also found a cache of parchment scrolls containing esoteric knowledge that had been lost to mankind since the pyramids were built...Including that which was thought to be the lost architectural secrets of geometry, proportion, balance and harmony. Should we then look upon it as a mere coincidence that within a few years of the alleged find, Gothic architecture, that's considered highly advanced in terms of building techniques, suddenly appears from out of the blue? Gothic Cathedrals were designed specifically to exemplify the principles of sacred geometry, and guess who with their newly acquired wealth actually stumped up the cash to build them!

Less than three weeks after the "Temple Floor-Plan" had arrived, a similar formation appeared beside the West Kennett Longbarrow that was almost an interlocking inverted image of it. (Fig.8 - but see also Reading the Signs - Part Six). When viewed from the air the way it was swept created quite a stir, for it appeared to shimmer in sunlight just like an exquisite multifaceted jewel. With such an obvious relationship to the floor-plan and looking somewhat like a jewel from a regal crown, was it suggesting Templar treasure? Did "The Circlemakers" with these Templar related formations purposely bring our attention to this? What's for certain though is that the cathedral building Templars who must have been in possession of an absolute treasure trove of esoteric wisdom, had deliberately encoded it within the symbolism of decoration and design...All of which folks is obviously known and employed in much the same way today by "The Circlemakers"!

Reduced to its simplest form, the "Temple Floor-Plan" formation is merely a square locked within a circle. The square has four equal sides with its four corners touching the surrounding circles circumference. Just by adding a few diagonals as "The Circlemakers" have done on a number of occasions, it can all add up to something quite meaningful. For its importance lies in the fact that here we have an illustration of the basic construction of the universe. Whether physical or spiritual, all that exists we find contained here...along, across, and around. We're also made aware of within and without as well as above and below and all this is acknowledged within common patterns laid by "The Circlemakers". Interestingly, God was once defined, as being length, width, height and depth, by St. Bernard who was not only the leading figure of the Cistercian Monastic Order but also a patron of the Templars. Both the Templars and the Cistercian Order developed at around the same time and in 1146 just seven years before the death of this great mediaeval saint, the Cistercian Abbey at Boxley was founded. Interestingly on two recent occasions, "The Circlemakers" chose to place formations close to the ruins of this abbey, which in its time was considered world famous.

Hidden just below the surface of a few circles we occasionally find a geometric attempt to reconcile a square with a circle. Commonly known as "Squaring the Circle", this is a term that's founded in ancient alchemy. Seen conjoined, the human psyche can immediately view a relationship between the archetypal symbol of eternity, along with the square of our Earthly existence. Symbolically to "Square the Circle" is to illustrate spiritual wholeness...the bringing together of the divine self within our Earthly ego. Given equal areas together, they harmoniously represent the fusion between spirit and matter.

Although quietly unnoticed at the time, a fine example of an underlying "Squaring of the Circle" appeared back in '97 in a large chunky quintuplet at Headbourne Worthy. By simply connecting the centres of the outer circles, a square is formed that has a perimeter equal to the centre circle's circumference.

Not only do we find that quite a number of formations are geometrically very precise, quite often how or where they’re placed in a field can also be regarded as an act of precision. The Headbourne Worthy formation is no exception and I believe that there could be a strong possibility here that "The Circlemakers" are actually working from grids! For if you imagine an intelligence viewing the field from above, say through a semi-transparent grid-screen containing the intended design, wouldn't this allow for precise positioning of the formation prior to placing it in the field?

At a risk of sounding somewhat imaginative, I think it's possible that all formations could well be designed upon a grid system - even the smaller ones, for this would help explain why "The Circlemakers" have often employed tramlines as an integral part of the underlying geometry. Many of the early pictograms, as well as the simple circle groupings that are still found today, occasionally have featured this.

The height at which the "intelligence" hovers above the crop in relationship to the grid, could be that which determines how many tramlines the formation would have to rely upon for easy access. If this is the case, then obviously the actual size of the formation would be pre-determined by this.

Such is their intent that you are able via tramlines and inner pathways, to visit each and every part of the design. Where tramlines are going to slice through a formation is carefully pre-planned, for often they’re placed specifically to minimise attempts by those who feel such a need to wade through standing crop.

Headbourne Worthy and the like that appear to sit on perfect grids are usually the exception rather than the rule. Look for where the middle tramline slices through most formations and nine times out of ten it doesn't pass straight through the middle, but to one side. Now surely that's deliberate! For "The Circlemakers", being the attention-seekers that they certainly are, wouldn't want balding tramlines running through their beautiful centres! Being mindful of all this, they allow us to view them to one side...a small gesture perhaps, but yet another simple reminder of the imaginative and sophisticated level this phenomenon operates on!

* Lucy Pringle’s many beautiful photographs of crop circles can be viewed at her website…