READING THE SIGNS...
What's behind the symbolism found in formations?
PART NINE
As the simple circles of the 80’s progressed into the intricate designs we see around today it slowly became clear that they must be of special significance…For although they started out as seeds they soon grew into beautiful flowers!
Regularly appearing at places that for thousands of years have been centres of cultural and spiritual focus seems to indicate a crucial aspect of the phenomenon’s intent. Often marked and expressed by stone circles etc these high-energy centres are where people have gathered for millennia in order to pray, meditate and seek enlightenment. So does this mean that by placing these circles close to these sites “The Circlemakers” are deliberately gathering us for a meeting with our spiritual side?
Star symbols that perfectly encompass spiritual enlightenment have appeared near to ancient sites on numerous occasions.
THE SEVEN POINTED STAR
The seven notes of the diatonic scale and the seven colours of the rainbow teach us that seven is the governor of vibration…A vibration that many primitive traditions hold to be the very spiritual essence of matter. Seven is the number of spirit and revelation and the seven pointed star holds the symbolism of that number. It successfully brings a square (the four of the earth and the body) and a triangle together (the three of the heavens and the soul) for completeness of universal harmony. Seven to the Ancient Egyptians was a symbol of eternal life…a cyclic figure that clearly symbolised the dynamic perfection of a complete cycle. Take for instance the phases of the Moon. Each of its phases lasts for seven days and all four phases (7x4) completes its cycle. What’s also interesting is that if you take the sum of the first seven numbers (1+2+3+4+5+6+7) it equals the very same number (28). Seven not only conveys the end of a cycle but guarantees positive regeneration.
Towards the end of the ’99 season a magnificent formation appeared at Roundway in Wiltshire which was promptly nick-named “The Splash”.
The "Splash" - Roundway nr.Devices, Wiltshire... © Steve Alexander
This huge design which revealed a breathtaking 3-dimensional effect when viewed from above, contained two interlocking seven-pointed stars. Seven plus seven or multiples of seven extend and carry with them the idea of wholeness. Seven is a sacred number and was certainly worshiped as the darling child of Biblical numerology. Used seventy-seven times in the Old Testament, it provides a key to the Book of Revelation with its seven churches, seven stars and seven seals etc. Importantly seven symbolises the end of an age…the completion of an earthly cycle that’s set within the fullness of time. It was this particular aspect of seven-symbolism that helped to unlock the spiritual meaning behind a formation that appeared in 2004.
This amazing Mandala that landed below Etchilhampton Hill during late July consisted of progressive rings containing arrow-heads numbering eleven and thirteen respectively whilst the innermost ring housed a seven-pointed star.
The Etchilhampton Mandala, Wiltshire... © Steve Alexander
The numbers seven, eleven and thirteen are known as the “transcendental numbers”. These numbers are highly revered and when placed together they represent spiritual transformation in a very powerful way.
At the centre of the formation we have the seven-pointed star…(which is exactly where it should be folks - for spirit lies at the heart of all things!) Positioned here it denotes its “inner meaning”…that being the opening of humanity’s spiritual dimension.
Seven raised and sculpted nests were placed around the periphery of the inner circle. At the centre of the star and at the very heart of the formation there was another amazing nest which quite simply indicated where it’s possible to access higher states of being.
The middle ring consisted of eleven arrows pointing outward and away from the central star. Eleven is the number of spiritual enlightenment and to have eleven arrows symbolising a flight in all directions indicates a celestial ascent. Arrows are also said to signify enlightenment in that they penetrate the dark of enclosed spaces in order to illuminate. Found alongside seven on this occasion we can also consider the importance of eleven as being a cyclic number…as an example we have the sun spot cycle which repeats itself every eleven years.
The outer ring contains thirteen arrows. Thirteen is the number of transcendence…a break through to a higher plane that transcends that which is merely the human state. Arrows indicate “the way” and transcendence is “the way” or passage from darkness to light.
If this formation provides us with a clear and distinct message of cyclic re-birth and transcendence through enlightenment, are “The Circlemakers” sort of trying to inform us that we’re about to emerge from our earthly state as a chrysalis into a beautiful butterfly?
THE NUMBER CRUNCHERS
“The Circlemakers” often “crunch-out” numbers that prove to be highly significant. They often provide clues to their interpretation that really shouldn’t be overlooked. Numbers are not just characters that express quantities, but elaborate symbolic idea-forces that have their own individual and particular character. Importantly numbers employed in crop circles are often used to transcribe many complex theosophical ideas.
Because ninety five times out of a hundred crop circles are presented as geometric shapes, numbers naturally become part of it all. But by thinking a little outside the box it’s often found that the date of a crop circle’s arrival has become part of the equation.
Three sevens (777) in esoteric terms is an exceptional number for it symbolises spiritual absolute…(as in the same way 8 (Christ the King) becomes (King of Kings) when presented as a triple (888)). East Field near Alton Barnes in Wiltshire appears to attract circles like a magnet. Some of the most groundbreaking events have landed here over the years and the one that appeared on the 7th of July 2007 (7-7-7) was no exception.
The Earth Mother....East Field, Wiltshire...7th July 2007 © Steve Alexander
This massive formation that consisted of 150 circles measured a staggering 1,033 feet in length and 450 feet at its widest…in fact it broke records for being the largest area of downed crop ever laid in the history of crop circles! When you looked at it from above the circles looked perfectly round. But East Field is by no means a flat field and in order to make circles look one hundred percent circular in a field that rises up and down you have to create ovals. This formation proved to be highly controversial but without delving too much into all that how would you know in pitch-black conditions which circles have to be oval and which have to be circular? Isn’t it obvious that you’d have to know with absolute certainty exactly which part of the field you were in?
Diagram of East Field, Wiltshire © Andreas Muller
The goddess Isis as understood by the ancient Egyptians is the female aspect of the divine…the Earth Mother and therefore the source and power responsible for the creation of all living things. Within the sketch we view Isis symbolised on the left by the crescent and the disc (the “Horns” of the goddess Hathor, which were later adopted by Isis). However we may also interpret this as a gesture of the female divinity who extends her arms upright in order to signify creation.
Isis is linked here with Osiris who manifests the divine in human form. It was this ancient god that carried the living seed of eternity…Lying between them (in the shape of a tadpole squiggle!) is the result of their creative relationship – Horus! Together they formed one of the most ancient trinities (Isis – Osiris – Horus) a union of masculine and feminine complementary energies and attributes that result in a third energy / attribute.
In ancient Egypt seven signifies the union of spirit (3) and matter (4), so therefore it’s no surprise to learn that Osiris is associated with the number seven and its multitudes (777)
Crop formations are a repository of spiritual enlightenment and the inspired use of number found within them is an obvious indication of just how high the level of intelligence is that’s behind all this. But while useable information is usually found hidden within the fractals, ratios and their measure (…and on this occasion the measure of it (1,033ft) also gives us a seven…1+3=4+3=7) “The Circlemakers” have often engaged us (as in the 777 East Field event) simply by means of their arrival date.
Sometimes they include numbers in their design...take for instance the first circle to arrive in 2004. It arrived along “The Icknield Way” in Hertfordshire on the 3rd of May and contained a spiralling figure of three at its centre. Not only was this the first formation of 2004, it had also arrived on the birthday of a well known Sussex researcher whose birthday I also happen to share…Curiously during that season a number of other “famed-croppies” appeared to be acknowledged in the same sort of way!
"Along the Icknield Way", nr Pegsdon, Hertfordshire 3rd May, 2004 © Andrew King
More unusually a crop circle appeared at Escrick Park Estate, West Yorkshire during June of ’99 that harboured two numbers… (eight alongside a zero that when reversed reads as eighty). It arrived prior to the ’99 eclipse and although it wasn’t realised at the time this puzzling creation that arrived on the solstice went on to acknowledge this forthcoming event.
"The Escrick Park Event", West Yorkshire - 21st June 1999 © Graham Tucker
What confronts us here is a digital timer - that’s even complete with a couple of circles serving as buttons! Within the design the number 80 or 08 is punched out by 31 of the laid circles that are larger than the rest. August is the eighth month and consists of thirty one days. If we exclude the two side buttons we have 110 circles in all and like the number 80 previously this means nothing until you flip it round to reveal 011 – the day and time of the eclipse. Eleven the number of enlightenment is also arrived at by adding together it‘s arrival date (21+7=28+1=29+9=38+9=47+9=56…5+6=11)
During ’97 another “countdown” circle appeared at Etchilhampton in Wiltshire. Arriving at breakfast time on August 12th it looked remarkably like a “Shreddie” in a breakfast bowl! Placed beside a crisply etched six-blade spinner that had also arrived that morning, the “Shreddie” was a standing rectangle that divided itself into 780 squares.
"The Calendar Grid", Etchilhampton, Wiltshire... 1st August 1997 © Steve Alexander
Researcher Michael Glickman nicknamed it “The Calendar Grid” as it appeared to strongly suggest a countdown to the end of the last cycle of the Mayan calendar. By playing around with the maths of the piece he arrived at fifteen, which in terms of years from ’97 equals 2012. (Further details of Michael’s workings can be found in “Vital Signs” by Andy Thomas º)
Both formations appear to share a common link for they both seem to indicate time. A calendar is a measure of time and most of the ones we nail up nowadays are all set out on monthly grids. Being a measure of time running out, the Mayan calendar that’s indicated by the grid, is complemented perfectly by the spinning six-fold that rotates anti-clockwise. I feel for certain that “The Circlemakers” are gently reminding us in a more spiritual sense that we’re about to return to more long since forgotten positive times.
"The Calendar Grid beside the Spinner", Etchilhampton, Wiltshire... 1st August 1997 © Steve Alexander
The propelling six-fold also connects when you divide six into the predicted end of the Mayan Calendar at 2012, giving us 335 • 333333333 recurring. By itself 335 is quite interesting for when you add it together we’re given 11…the number of enlightenment, which also indicates here “The Eleventh Hour” through its connection to the last Mayan cycle. Thirty three is the number we associate with “The Christ Consciousness” and to find it recurring adds considerable weight to its meaning. Symbolically it announces that the “Third Consciousness” as it’s also known, is eternal.
There’s also another link between the two. If you divide 6 into 780 (the total number of divisions found in the “Shreddie”) you arrive at 130. By knocking off the nought (as yer do) it’s reduced to 13…the number of transcendence, but equally as important the number of the last Mayan Baktun Cycle – the 13th.
“The Circlemakers” play with numbers far more commonly than you think and the examples I’ve shown here appear to be just the tip of the iceberg. The more you look the more you see and this kind of interacting number-play is worthy of some attention. And also once again it serves to remind us of the increasingly sophisticated level the crop circle phenomenon appears to be operating on.
G.T. © 2005-8 Text & Diagrams
* For more beautiful photographs of crop circles look no further than Steve Alexander’s website at…
Many thanks to Dr Andrew King for his photographic contribution…”Along The Icknield Way”.
Many thanks also to Andreas Muller for his “East Field” sketch. Visit his website at…
° “Vital Signs” by Andy Thomas is published by S B Publications…
ISBN 1-85770-256-5