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To the scientist a naturalistic explanation appeals, while the mystic prefers a supernatural one, and our own inclination to either of these standpoints is a measure of individual psychology and not an objective choice. The circles can be seen as a gigantic Rorschach test which allow the viewer to project their own meaning on to the shapes that appear in the fields. Many people involved with the circles have commented that the subject has had both compulsive and life-changing effects. Jim Schnabel describes his circle-making in this respect: 'knowing helplessly that only the harvesters could free me from this addiction’. Another self-confessed circlemaker, Chris Kenworthy, wrote that 'the danger with hoaxing is that its addictive quality ... can lead you astray’. Equally, those involved in the investigation of circles are affected. George Wingfield described his reaction to the 'Mandelbrot' formation, desperately trying to arouse the same level of interest in others as he had and being incredulous that it was not the main news story of the day. More than one investigator has given up their day job to pursue the circles, Wingfield and Andrews being among the best-known examples. But what takes individuals beyond the initial aesthetic attraction and has motivated such large-scale interest in the circles? One explanation may be found in the idea of the collective unconscious, itself essentially an ancient idea, which was articulated in Jung's writing. He formulated a model of the psyche in which the personal unconscious of an individual is underlain by the collective unconscious of the entire human race. This may be conceived as a giant storehouse of all human experience, in which the essential elements of all human life exist as archetypes. These may lie dormant, or become active, according to the outer situation in the life of the individual or the world at large. When the outer situation prompts it, the appropriate archetype is activated and images, thoughts and behaviour patterns are released. The mandala, an ancient symbol, is an example of the way in which an archetypal content may be manifested as an image. It consists, in its simplest form, of a circular design which, according to Jung, represents psychic wholeness and appears in chaotic situations, when there is a need for a focus, to prevent disintegration. At the close of this century the confusion and complexity of human affairs, the apparent inability of government to deal with pollution, famine and the threat of nuclear war, provide the climate in which we might expect to see mandala symbols. This was Jung's interpretation of reports of flying saucers in the post-war period; circular objects seen in the skies at a time of collective psychic need. He drew historical parallels from previous centuries to show that visionary Sightings of aerial objects were nothing new. Effects on people