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— The New Swirled Order — UK Crop Circres oF 1998 The Swirled Order — New Crop CIRCLES 1998 It's been another exhilirating season for crop circles in England, but these awe-inspiring formations still defy explanation. Crop circle enthusiast Marcus Allen, of NEXUS Magazine's UK Office, has filed the following report on the 1998 crop circle season. — Ed. o you believe that all crop circles are man-made? Do you believe that no crop circles are man-made? Most people who are asked these questions invariably answer "No" to both—which can only mean that a phenomenon exists. In 1998, crop circles have continued to appear as prolifically as in past years, intriguing the thousands of visitors to southern England where the majority of formations occur. Reports and photographs of crop circles from Belgium, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Holland, Israel and the USA have been received and are reg- ularly updated on the Crop Circle Connector website, . They indicate just how widespread the phenomenon has become. The first major formation in England in 1998 appeared between 12 midnight and 2 am on Monday 4 May. The Beltane Wheel measured over 180 feet across, consisted of 33 segments, and lay in a field of oilseed rape—a brittle and easily damaged plant about four feet high. The timing of its appearance is known because a local photographer had set up his cameras to photograph the Moon and the following sunrise overlooking this field. He would have been aware of other people nearby, but no one else was there. Lying within sight of Silbury Hill and easily visible from the busy A4 (London to Bristol road) the formation immediately attracted press and TV interest. However, the sceptical camera crew were unable to explain why their usually reliable equipment became progressively non-functional inside the circle. The geometry of the Beltane Wheel also received attention, as 33 divisions of a circle is not an obvious number to lay out. Each segment appeared to be part of three interlocking circles. The design is hard enough to create on paper, let alone on a sloping field in dark- ness. The formation is baffling. The English summer is usually notable for two things: little sunshine and few hours of darkness; six at most. As in previous years, new formations were now appearing nearly every night, with as many as two and three each night during July and August. More than 150 crop circles in England in four months this year—much the same as in each of the previous 10 years—cannot be dismissed as the nocturnal antics of a few pranksters, despite the dour insistence of some trying to explain away this most visible phenomenon. This very visual aspect has attracted the attention of TV networks this year. NBC, film- ing in New Zealand, and the BBC and ITV in Britain have all commissioned the same few people to perform for their cameras—the results being loudly proclaimed as the explana- tion we've all been waiting for. Compared to the full range of crop circles, and with now over 3,000 documented worldwide, their efforts appeared laboured, stunted and lacking in creativity. They took many hours to complete their designs, and even needed the help of floodlights in some cases. Whatever explanations are considered for how crop circles are formed, and there are many, it seems they may not be so relevant, for it is the effect these extraordinary shapes have on people which is the true measure of their significance. Lives really have been changed, and new and more productive life-paths seem to have arisen from involvement with crop circle research. This became increasingly evident at the two major crop circle events this summer. The Crop Circle Celebration weekend, organised by Francine Blake and the Wiltshire Studies A compilation of reports by Marcus Allen © 1998 NEXUS Magazine, UK and by Colin Andrews © 1998 CPR International, USA A compilation of reports by Marcus Allen © 1998 NEXUS Magazine, UK and by Colin Andrews © 1998 CPR International, USA NEXUS - 59 OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 1998