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Crop Circies OF 2005 PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES Crop CIRCLES 2005 PUSHING BOUNDARIES THE Bold angular formations, optical illusions and striking developments on previous themes graced the fields of England in the summer of 2005, while the media followed its obstinately biased line that all crop circles are man-made. o most eyes, the 2005 crop circle season seemed bolder and more imaginative in its design sweep than the previous one. Though 2004 had been no disgrace, there appeared to be a new impetus and an adventurous nature behind the ever- evolving shapes that graced the fields this year. Simultaneously, brand new forms of design were explored, while old styles were revisited in new and more advanced ways. There was a sense of previous boundaries being pushed—with everything from more than one crop formation crossing a road and continuing on into another field (not previously unheard of, but rare), to highly accurate optical illusions and an emphasis on harder, more angular forms like triangles and diamonds. As for the more traditional elements, these were taken to new levels—as seen in the formation near Avebury on 27th July, which had four Celtic crosses bound together in a striking, unified pattern. A simple glance at the continuing ingenuity in the fields reveals just why the crop circle mystery refuses to go away. Perhaps the boldest new stroke of the phenomenon was the glyph at Lane End Down in Hampshire on 10th July, which appeared to represent a very three-dimensional rendition of what might be a mediaeval mace or a subatomic particle, dotted across liberally by many little circles. However, as mentioned above, several patterns dispensed with circles completely this year—as seen in the entirely angular formation at the old haunt of Alton Priors, Wiltshire, on 3rd July, where even the tiny "grapeshot" circles were in fact squares. A new crop was even broached this summer: the first formation ever to appear in bor- age (a herb with a blue/purple flower) arrived at Ludgershall, Wiltshire, on 3rd August, making for an unusual but colourful sight. The formation which had caused the most fuss in 2004 was the astonishing, if controversial, "Mayan wheel". It appeared to embody Mayan symbols around its outer edge, prompting much speculation about its connection to the ancient prophecies and time cycles which point to the year 2012 as being a pivotal time of change. However, this year saw a number of further formations which some said tapped into this symbolism, though the most overt example was the very complex design which arrived at Wayland's Smithy in Oxfordshire on 9th August. Appropriately, Geoff Stray's long-awaited and comprehensive guidebook Beyond 2012 (see http://www.vitalsignspublishing.co.uk) came out this summer, creating more awareness of the connection between crop glyphs and the 2012 phenomenon. The Wayland's Smithy mandala even made its way into one of the national newspapers (Sunday Express, 14th August), complete with talk of 2012 and ancient calendars. How many of these amazing works are the result of more celestial sources and how many are the result of human planking are, of course, still questions that are hotly debated by those who feel the need to make the distinction. However, despite the astonishing range of ingenuity and accuracy seen in the fields, the UK media have been working hard to convince everyone that all this work is down to the industrious artists whom they never seem to stop talking about. The Daily Mail (15th July), which for years has featured an annual spread of the latest circle photos with at least a modicum of ambivalence about their origins, went to the depths of crassness this year with a piece embarrassingly entitled "Corn Blimey!", in which it definitively—and untruthfully—stated that the glyphs were "once thought to be the work of aliens, but [are] now known to be intricate works of human art designed using computer technology". Note the word "known"—hardly! by Andy Thomas © 2005 Swirled News Southern Circular Research 3 Old House Courtyard Southover High Street Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1HT, UK Email: info@swirlednews.com Websites: http://www.swirlednews.com http://www. vitalsignspublishing.co.uk by Andy Thomas © 2005 Swirled News Southern Circular Research 3 Old House Courtyard Southover High Street Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1HT, UK NEXUS + 53 OCTOBER — NOVEMBER 2005 www.nexusmagazine.com