A Path Of Mystery

I travel the curving path of the Crop Circle labyrinth, swaying through switchbacks and winding through each lobe of the geometric pattern. I feel that not only am I in motion, but the labyrinth, like a whirligig or wind spinner, rotates underfoot. At times, I feel lost, as though heading in the wrong direction. But I continue on, knowing that I will mysteriously find my way to the center.

I was inspired to create this labyrinth design by the image of a 780-foot diameter crop circle that appeared in 2001 in Wiltshire, England, near Stonehenge. The double triskelion pattern of the crop circle, most apparent from high above, was a spectacular expression of balance, beauty, and sacred geometry (Photo by Handy Marks. Public Domain).

Much to the chagrin of farmers, crop circles began showing up in farm fields of England in the 1970s. They are made by flattening cereal crops in a specific pattern, similar in effect to the cutting of corn mazes for harvest festivals and Halloween.

For many years, people speculated that extraterrestrials, energy fields, or unusual weather phenomena may have been responsible for creating the crop circles. Often made under cover of night, crop circles are discovered the following day by farmers, passersby, or people flying overhead in aircraft, lending mystery to their origins.

Thirty years ago, two men came forward and claimed that they had created many, but not all, crop circles in England. This inspired a movement of crop-circle artists who continue to create increasingly sophisticated designs. These designs are thought by some to contain important symbols or messages. Although rare, people have witnessed crop-circle artists in action, but most are never seen and remain anonymous.

Using rope, my husband and I created the 36-foot diameter Crop Circle labyrinth through a complex process of precise measurements, angles, and adjustments over the course of two and a half hours. I can only imagine the immense challenge of making my labyrinth design as large as the 2001 crop circle in Wiltshire. It would be an incredible undertaking to say the least.

For the first time ever, we sent up a drone to photograph a labyrinth—the Crop Circle labyrinth. Seeing the labyrinth as though we are flying overhead is a perspective we have never been able to achieve until now. Like pilots who spy crop circles on farmland, we appreciate the mystery of discovery as we view the labyrinth from above.

For all that is,

Crop Circle Labyrinth

Drone Image

Sources

Rob Irving and Peter Brookesmith. December 15, 2009. Crop Circles: The Art of the Hoax.

smithsonianmag.com.

Leon Jaroff. September 23, 1991. It Happens in the Best Circles: A pair of British artists claim they are the hoaxers behind those mystifying and intriguing crop patterns. Time Magazine.

Benjamin Radford. June 10, 2017. The Crop Circle Mystery: A Closer Look. Live Science.

Richard Taylor. June 10, 2010. The Crop Circle Evolves. NATURE, Vol 465.