Crop Circle Con.com

By John J. Hawkins - August 2004

Over the past decade or so we have been treated to an annual display of crop circles. Spectacular and often highly symbolic, they've captured the media's attention and the public's imagination. Yet as researchers Colin Andrews and Busty Taylor have pointed out, nearly 80% of these crop circles are man made.

Having said that, it should be emphasised that not all crop circles are hoaxed. The simple, yet elegant formations, which graced the feilds around Avebury and Stonehenge during the 60's, 70's and 80's, (long before the hoaxers began to stomp the fields), are testimony to this fact. Indeed as long ago as the 17th century crop circles were being reported, so this is not a recent phenomenon but a long-standing mystery.

In an effort to solve it, Busty Taylor has researched both genuine crop circles and man-made formations for over 20 years now, in the process clocking up over 500 flying hours looking for crop circles. He points out that from the air stomp board marks and construction lines are clearly visible, although they often go undetected on the ground.

Despite a few openly acknowledged hoaxes however, the crop circle season has become something of an annual event. With hordes of foreign tourists flocking to the ancient county of Wessex to visit the formations, believing them to be a genuine paranormal phenomenon.

Instrumental in this is the website, 'cropcircleconnector.com', which reveals the locations of crop circles along with stunning aerial photographs of the formations. With photographs and onsite reports, cropcircleconntector has become one of the world's leading websites, featuring the latest crop circle formations as and when they occur.

With Holding the Truth

Stuart Dike, who co-runs the website alongside Mark Fussell, was recently informed that certain hoaxers were active in the Avebury and East Field area. Yet the work of these hoaxers may well appear in next years 'Crop Circle Yearbook 2005': because Stuart who promotes the Yearbook is, along with other well-known researchers, fully aware of the hoaxes.

According to Stuart: "Everyone is celebrating it [a hoaxed formation] in the way it should be done. In someways I don't mind.'


[PICTURE: Stuart Dike knew this formation was hoaxed]

So, the critical fact is that certain crop circle researchers are aware that many crop circle formations are being hoaxed. Yet these very same researchers, who are regarded as 'authorities' on crop circles, do not reveal this information to the general public, either at their lectures, or on their websites.

In essence they are deceiving the public but why?

Could it be that the money generated from sales of crop circle postcards, calendars and lectures is more important to them than the simple truth?

Other researchers, such as Ron Russell and Peter Sorosen, who are respected for their commitment and research into the genuine crop circle mystery, have always been truthful about their involvement regarding hoaxing. It's a shame that other well-known researchers do not follow their example and confess to their 'behind the scenes' involvement.

The Ritual Landscape

Genuine, yet simple crop circles continue to appear in the Wessex landscape, but they go largely unnoticed as people are drawn to the more spectacular but hoaxed formations. The landscape of Wessex itself is rich in ancient sites, many dating back thousands of years and shrouded in mystery. Numerous local people have witnessed 'earthlights'; strange balls of blue, amber or white light that often appear around ancient sites and ley lines.

These 'earthlights' have also been seen in and around the real crop circles. So instead of treading in the footsteps of the hoaxers, maybe we should follow in the footsteps of our ancestors and explore what really is behind these mysteries.
There are more important paranormal events occurring in the ancient county of Wessex than planked-down corn. The cropcircleconnector website should come clean and reveal to the public the truth, that hoaxed formations are prolific and they should be viewed for what they truly are – at best rural graffiti. At worst, a money making scam that is helping to obscure a real paranormal phenomenon.

Like fairground showmen who boast displays of mysteries and wonders, and then go on to beguile the public with tawdry fakes, the hoaxers are engaged in a confidence trick. The ultimate aim is not genuine research but to fleece the gullible of hard earned cash. In itself, that is bad enough, but in the process the hoaxers are muddying the waters for those who are genuinely looking for the truth regarding crop circles.


[PICTURE: Above: crop circle that appeared near Silbury Hill, Wiltshire on August 2, 2004. Digital Video Image © 2004 by Andreas Feliziani and Cropcircleconnector.com]



[PICTURE: The same crop circle the following day, billed as 'Crop circle of the Year, note the details that have been added overnight. Photo: Stuart Alexander]



[PICTURE: Finally, in the same formation markers were found, possibly overlooked by the hoaxers.]


Also see:
My Introduction to the Mystery of Crop Circles
http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?id=305

Last updated 30/08/2004