READING THE SIGNS...
What's behind the symbolism found in formations?
PART SIX
One of the basic conditions to our survival has rested upon our means of expression. Symbols have become the perfect vehicle for expressing our need for communication. In leading to a mutual understanding they remain an essential ingredient in our growth and development.
Long before the printing press, "yer average yokel" not only possessed an important oral tradition, but also relied heavily upon symbolism as an aid to thought and communication. Most pictures and signs were easily understood, whilst others had an occult or esoteric meaning known only by initiates that were probably coerced into the so called "mystery schools". Thanks to "The Circlemakers" though, these encoded signs and symbols have now found their way into the public domain. It's obvious that the wheat twisters make good use of a medium that's always been amongst the most important elements of communication...And what's more it seems, they relentlessly pursue us year in year out regardless of whether we fully understand what's being said or not!
Up until '97 "The Circlemakers" were always talking to us through circles, and their use of circles. But in August of that year at Etchilhampton in Wiltshire, they boldly went where they'd never gone before, and suddenly introduced us to...
THE SQUARE
Along with the circle and the cross, the square is one of the most important geometric figures employed within the language of symbolism. Psychologically the way in which it's formed expresses firmness and stability, and in so doing it goes a long way to explain its frequent use as a symbol of construction. In the past many areas that were set aside for temples & meeting houses etc, were laid out in a squared quadrangular form and often placed within a circle - even if that circle just happened to be a circle of surrounding hills. The square is the symbol of the Earth as opposed to heaven, whilst the circle is spiritual and "heavenly" in nature. Placing a square within a circle symbolically creates a perfect union...Just look at how many times "The Circlemakers" have featured that one!
As mentioned before, back in '97 on August 1st, we were suddenly introduced to a square within a circle for the very first time. Looking very much like a "shreddie in a breakfast bowl", it was a standing rectangle that divided itself into 780 square boxes resembling a grid. Michael Glickman nicknamed it "The Calendar Grid", as it appeared to suggest a countdown to the end of the very last cycle of the Mayan calendar. By playing around with the maths of the piece he arrived at 15, which in terms of years from '97 equals 2012! **
"The Calendar Grid" - August 1st '97 Etchilhampton Wiltshire © Steve Alexander
Many didn't like this design and thought it boring, and let's face it, from the air it really doesn't appear to have an awful lot going for it. But at ground level the reverse was true, for here was a meticulously woven lay whose mind-blowing intricacies in retrospect, were at that time "state of the art".
The following photos by Steve Alexander illustrate just how the square has been successfully employed by "The Circlemakers" over the years. The square has often provided a backbone to some of the most stunning and oddly perplexing formations we've yet encountered, and one begins to wonder at times what we're in for next! Back in '99 for instance, squares simply "fractalised" before our very eyes...
"The West Kennett Fractal" August 4th 1999 West Kennett Wiltshire "The Windmill Temple Floor-plan" July 16th 1999 Windmill Hill Wiltshire
Photos © Steve Alexander
Interestingly apart from some differences along its edges, this particular formation that lay close to the West Kennett Long Barrow, was almost an inverted image of another that'd arrived at Windmill Hill a few weeks earlier. Amazingly the incredibly laid West Kennet fractal could actually be positioned over the centre of its Windmill Hill predecessor with pinpoint accuracy!
So if we had two formations interlocking...were they derived from the same template?
One year later following on from the floor plans they again chose Windmill Hill, but on this occasion they laid down the floor tiles! This was to be a truly amazing eye-popper that allowed us to view a chequered floor lay from a three-dimensional perspective.
"The Windmill Floor Tiles" - June 18th 2000 Windmill Hill Wiltshire
© Steve Alexander
Commonly found in cathedrals and churches as well as Masonic lodge's etc, black and white floor tiles are steeped in symbolism. They represent our physical world that's woven by the eternal conflict that exists between the spiritual powers of light and darkness...an equivalent if you like to the positive/negative message of "Yin-Yang".
The "level playing field" of the physical plane that's clearly symbolised by the chequered floor in the formation, looks as if it's been on the receiving end of an almighty push skywards! Could it be that "The Circlemakers" are once again hinting of dimensional change? Here there are thirteen lines of squares going across complemented by thirteen lines of squares going down. I'm sure thirteen is repeatedly shown here because it's the number of transfiguration. In the Tarot the thirteenth major arcanum is Death, but in no way should it be taken as that in a literal sense, because it really interprets as meaning a fresh start following the completion of a cycle.
During the summer of 2000 they laid another grid made up of 1600 rectangular shapes, that extraordinarily in a sense created a sort of metallic "chain mail" shimmer whenever it was hit by sunlight. It was an odd looking design that appeared to share some similarities with the interference patterns we've encountered of late. Most interference patterns at first glance appear quite meaningless...that is until you shine a laser light at them and find you've produced a hologram! Now there's a thought...
The Kennett Grid - July 2nd 2000 East Kennett Wiltshire" © Steve Alexander
2003 brought us a beautiful rope square, and possibly for the first time a circle within a square. Could the amazingly laid centrepiece that's said to have confounded geometers, be representing a captured ball of pulsating light?
The Rope Square - August 8th 2003 Alton Priors Wiltshire © Steve Alexander
Although some have interpreted this square as a chain that links together, I think personally we're viewing a knotted rope. Knots in themselves signify the binding together of the physical with spirit, whilst rope symbolises unifying strength through the make-up of its many individual strands. Rope binds together as a unifier offering eternal strength. Here we view it forming a seamless square that carries a similar message to a circle...that message being that because a circle has no beginning or end it symbolises an eternity. We never look upon the physical as being eternal but in one sense it is, for although it's forever undergoing a continual cyclic process, the physical realm where all the ingredients are mixed always remains in place.
Interestingly in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, a square that appears in a twisting spiral signifies a construction of materialised energy...now isn't it just what a crop circle is?
The Magic Square - July 27th 2004 Savernake Forest Wiltshire © Steve Alexander
And as for this Savernake magic puzzle it literally shape-shifted when you circled it from above... Squares, diamonds, triangles and X's rapidly fought in succession to seek our attention. The message of "The Circlemakers" is often about reality shifts through altered states etc, and I guess as far as they were concerned this time, this seemed a sort of fun way of putting that across!
The Skyscrapers - July 8th 2006 Wayland Smithy nr. Ashbury Oxfordshire © Steve Alexander
I don't think anyone was really prepared for the amazing "last word in squares" that suddenly turned up during July of 2006. Through a clever use of 3 dimensional geometry, eye-popping cubes emanated from a single central source that resulted in such a powerful impact when viewed from above.
Dubbed "The Skyscrapers", the formation provided us with a very surreal image that looked as if we were witnessing the exploding birth of a new metropolis...Symbolically folks, do we find ourselves staring at the "New Jerusalem"?
THE ANTAHKARANA
The Antahkarana - June 23rd 1999 Allington Down Wiltshire © Steve Alexander
Whilst I was down in Wiltshire during June of '99 this huge formation arrived on the slopes of Clifford's Hill at All Cannings. I don't think I'll ever forget this formation that arrived on the 24th, because I was really suffering from back pain at the time...In fact it was touch & go as to whether I was going to make Wiltshire at all that year. Although I was faced with a 15 - 20 minute walk that was all uphill, I was determined to get into it though, because at the time I believed the formation to be new and unreported.
As it all turned out it was well worth the effort...But rather surprisingly, I wasn't expecting to be confronted by squares and oblong pathways. The whole thing was alive with energy, which I think as a consequence left me feeling rather drained and a bit befuddled. It seemed to take an age for me to work out what is basically quite a simple design. Interestingly I learnt, that Stuart Dike of "cropcircleconnector" also encountered a similar experience of disorientation, whilst photographing it later that day.
Easing myself down, I laid out for a while on its springy mattress and settled down to soak up some warm sunshine. I was in no hurry to get back to the car, as the getting into and out of was quite painful. However much to my surprise on that particular occasion, I only felt a slight pain as I cautiously got in. Getting out of the car at the other end though I never felt a thing - the pain had miraculously disappeared!
Still pain free when I arrived back home a few days later, I viewed for the first time the aerial shot of the formation and learnt for the first time that this square of squares within a circle, was an ancient healing symbol known as "The Antahkarana"...OMIGORD! Had this particular formation contained healing energies? After all as all fellow sufferers will tell you, back pain doesn't just disappear like that...does it?
Although its true origin isn't really known, "The Antahkarana" has been widely used in Chinese healing and Tibetan meditational practice for many thousands of years. Just by focussing on it, or having it nearby during a healing session, is said to be enough to heighten any positive healing process.
Basically it's composed of three sevens that are angled in such a way as to automatically create a three-dimensional cube. Stare at it for a few seconds and you'll see what I mean! Because we can instantly sense its multi-dimensional functions, we simply have to acknowledge that purposefully stored within this ancient symbol is a powerful transcending energy.
Seven is the number of spirit and revelation, and "The Circlemakers" have sought to further embellish their interpretation here, by enclosing it within a broad and precisely scribed circle.
G.T.© 2005-6 Text & Diagrams
* For more beautiful photographs of crop circles look no further than Steve Alexander's website at...
** Further fascinating details of Michael's workings can be found in "Vital Signs", by Andy Thomas (page 67)
SB PUBLICATIONS ISBN 1-85770-256-5