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artistic inaccuracy in the more cynical), the message seemed nonetheless clear that we were being reminded of ancient time cycles which might impinge on our civilisation very soon. As just the latest in a line of crop formations to refer directly to the 2012 time cycle, it reinforced to many the idea that we are being called to readiness for that...something just around the corner. Not content to stop there, July continued to produce a stream of interesting glyphs, at least two of which were truly stunning. A line of three tail-to-tail "swallow" shapes which arrived at Alton Priors on 22nd July then performed the old trick of metamorphosis by turning into the astonishing sight of a whole larger flock of them on the next night, with a beautifully smooth crop-lay inside. Then, on 27th July, a field at Wayland's Smithy in Oxfordshire played host to an enormous complex of hundreds of large and small circles, looking like some kind of celestial game of Solitaire and crying out for some kind of decoding by the educated faithful. Multifaceted designs August brought its own surprises. A triple-windmill-type design at Shrivenham, Oxfordshire, on Ist August seemed to be an obscure comment on the adjacent wind farm, perhaps calling attention to the current arguments raging in the UK about the pros and cons of wind power and its effect on the visual environment. A very literal rendition of a multifaceted gemstone at Yatesbury, Wiltshire, on 3rd August was perhaps the most unusual entry of the month, while a huge figure-of-eight of tailed circles back at the old haunt of Alton Barnes (amongst several other formations this season) was notable for appearing on 8/8/08. In fact, this was the only significant cerealogical event to occur on 8th August—after many unfulfilled Internet predictions of amazing things which otherwise didn't materialise, based on the supposed predictive symbolism of the preceding weeks and the neatness of the digits. Perhaps the most beautiful design to appear in August had a Celtic-Christian flavour in the shape of a huge crucifix of graceful curves and lines at Etchilhampton, Wiltshire, on 15th, raising some religious speculation (although many other faiths have also been referenced over the years). August provided a few more complex designs, tailing itself with a very striking star shape at Etchilhampton on 31st. Formations have continued into September (at the time of writing), perhaps because of late harvests due to wet weather—the latest to date appearing at Avebury on 7th, comprising a complex mandala rather like a Chinese puzzle. As ever, much of the activity was based in Wiltshire this season, although some other atypical counties such as Suffolk, Cornwall and North Yorkshire did produce the occasional single circle or simple design. There was even a grand surprise at Barton Le Clay in Bedfordshire on 14th August, with a very clear-cut mandala worthy of the very best. However, Kent and Sussex, both circle hotspots once, lay bereft. In amongst the masterpieces of the season, there were some less-impressive examples—of course, some clearly being messy doodles and others being more ambitious but flawed in their layout, demonstrating probable human error and notable signs of stem damage inside. But in the absence of firm evidence in either direction, as always it is up to individuals to make up their own minds as to the proportion of formations that are man-made (as some surely are) and those that are from that unreachable somewhere else. The lesson in discernment would appear to be part of the equation. és * o, eo “@.2 t a @ Octae % 8. PO Moen ne € - “a "0° "ee oe, * "08 @'@. ee *%, 2 i oa ‘Copyttght « teaspormrylensples.cook Wayland's Smithy, near Ashbury, Oxfordshire. Reported 27th July. Image: www.temporarytemples.co.uk © 2008 Foreign formations and English domination According to the website www.cropcircleconnector.com, the UK, with 68 formations this summer (at the time of writing), was slightly up on 2007, the second year running of rising occurrences. Meanwhile, the rest of the world seemed slightly down in numbers but still came up with around 50 confirmed reports. Germany and Italy (the latter last year being the closest Watchfield Wind Farm, near Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. Reported 1st August. Image: Frank Laumen © 2008 60 ¢ NEXUS www.nexusmagazine.com OCTOBER — NOVEMBER 2008