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Karen Alexander : crop formation の広範な概説

· 約116分

前置き​

30年以上にわたって crop formation を研究してきた Karen Alexander が crop formation を概説している。

Karen Alexander の概説にある幾つかの奇妙な現象については、後日、別記事で謎解きを行う。

概要​

AI

ミステリー・サークルとUFO現象：カレン・アレクサンダーとの対話

この文章は、研究者のカレン・アレクサンダー氏へのインタビューであり、‌‌ミステリー・サークル現象‌‌に焦点を当てています。

アレクサンダー氏は、この分野での‌‌30年以上の経験‌‌と、共同運営する‌‌ウェブサイト「Temporary Temples」‌‌について語ります。彼女はミステリー・サークルの‌‌定義‌‌、様々な‌‌作物の種類‌‌、そして‌‌本物のサークルの物理的特徴‌‌（曲がった節や放射線の影響など）を説明します。

さらに、ミステリー・サークルの‌‌幾何学的複雑さ‌‌、‌‌人間の意識との関連性‌‌、そして‌‌出現頻度の変動‌‌についても考察します。インタビューの最後には、訪問者向けに‌‌ミステリー・サークルを安全に見学するための注意点‌‌が提供されます。

目次​

  1. 前置き
  2. 概要
  3. 詳細
    1. 概要
    2. 主要なテーマと重要な事実
    3. 結論
  4. Karen Alexander の自己紹介
    1. カレン・アレクサンダーの概要と背景
    2. ミステリー・サークルに関する彼女の活動と貢献
    3. 本物のミステリー・サークルに対する見解と判断基準
    4. ミステリー・サークルの「なぜ」に対する彼女の考察
  5. 付随：残留マイクロ波、周波数、音
  6. 意識と現象の関連
  7. 出現数の変動
  8. orb 現象
  9. 本物の特徴
    1. 物理的特徴
    2. 現象的・知覚的特徴
    3. 判断における留意点
  10. サイズ
  11. 時系列
  12. 主要関係者
  13. 情報源
  14. 文字起こし

詳細​

AI

ブリーフィングドキュメント：クロップサークル現象の探求 - カレン・アレクサンダーとの対話

情報源： 「ミステリー・サークルとUFO現象：カレン・アレクサンダーとの対話」からの抜粋（「Exploring Crop Circles and UFO Phenomena An Interview with Karen Alexander」の文字起こし）

概要​

このブリーフィングドキュメントは、UFO研究者として30年以上の経験を持つカレン・アレクサンダー氏へのインタビューに基づき、クロップサークル現象の主要なテーマと重要な事実を要約したものです。アレクサンダー氏は、「Temporary Temples」ウェブサイトを共同運営しており、その専門知識は、クロップサークルの定義、形成、真贋の見分け方、歴史、目的、および研究における課題と将来の展望にまで及びます。

主要なテーマと重要な事実​

1. クロップサークルの定義と特徴​

  • 定義： クロップサークルとは、「通常、農作物畑に出現する図形やデザイン」であり、作物は刈り取られることなく「通常、渦巻き状に倒されている」。(0:02:45)
  • 多様な形状： 初期は単なる円形や円の集まりだったが、今日では「円よりもはるかに複雑なもの」であり、「長年にわたり、非常に多くの異なる形状が存在する」。(0:03:07)
  • 作物の種類： 主にイギリスでは「小麦と大麦」で発生するが、米国では大豆、菜種、亜麻、ルリヂサ、豆類など、様々な作物で確認されている。(0:03:36)
  • 物理的特徴（真贋の指標）：節の変形・破裂（Bent/Blown Nodes）： アメリカの生物物理学者ウィリアム・リービングッドの研究により、作物の茎の「肉厚な部分」である節が変形したり、「内側から弾けるように」破裂したりする現象が確認されている。これは「ある種のマイクロ波エネルギーまたは放射線」によって引き起こされ、植物の水分が「一瞬だけ熱せられ」、それにより植物が倒れると考えられている。(0:05:31, 0:06:23)
  • 非破壊： 作物は「曲げられていて、折れていない」ことが特徴。(0:04:48)
  • 回復力： 非常に未熟な作物で形成されたクロップサークルは、人為的な干渉がなければ「作物が実際に元に戻り、そこに何かがあったとはほとんど分からないようになる」。(0:07:18)
  • 成長速度と収穫量： クロップサークル内の植物は成長速度が異なり、種子の収穫量が増加することがジョン・バークの研究で示唆されている。(0:07:36)

2. 真贋の判断と研究の課題​

  • 確実な判別基準の欠如： アレクサンダー氏は、「クロップサークルには100%の真贋判定テストはない」と述べている。リービングッドのような科学的調査は労力と費用がかかり、現在は行われていない。(0:08:40)
  • 多角的視点： 地上レベルでの作物の状態、幾何学的なデザイン、過去のパターンとの比較、そして「見慣れない」と感じる要素など、様々な要素を総合的に考慮する。(0:09:07)
  • 焦らない姿勢： 「急いで合意に達しようとはしない」という姿勢が重要であり、「自分がいつでも間違っている可能性がある」と受け入れる準備が必要である。(0:09:58, 0:10:25)
  • 人為的なサークル： 複雑に見えるものでも「比較的基本的な道具」で作成可能であり、疑わしいサークルも存在する。(0:04:48, 0:10:04)

3. クロップサークルシーズンと発生状況​

  • 時期： クロップサークルは、作物の成長期に発生する。「作物が畑に何もないときは、これを起こすものがキャンバスを持たない」ためである。(0:11:16)
  • 地域差： 季節は地域によって異なり、作物の種類や気候に左右される。(0:11:09)
  • 英国の状況： 英国では通常4月頃から始まり、作物の収穫期まで続く。今年は数が「過去数年に比べて増加」している。(0:11:32, 0:12:49)
  • デザインの変化： シーズンの初めには「シンプルなデザイン」が多く、シーズンが進むにつれて「より複雑になる傾向がある」。(0:14:48)

4. クロップサークルの「目的」と哲学​

  • 認識の覚醒： アレクサンダー氏の最も重要な見解は、クロップサークルが人々を「自己満足から目覚めさせる」という点にある。「ここには、あってはならないものが、しかし存在している」という事実に直面させることで、人々は「非人間的知性」や「地球の知性」について考え始める。これは「UFOを見るのと全く同じように、私たちが住む世界の現実に、より広く深いものがあるのかどうかを考えさせる」。(0:21:26, 0:22:15)
  • 自然との再接続： 多くの場合、クロップサークルは人里離れた場所に形成されるため、「自然とのより深いつながり」を促す。これは現代社会が「環境を十分に気にかけない」というメッセージとも呼応する。(0:22:39, 0:25:55)
  • 人類意識との相互作用： クロップサークル現象は、人間意識と現象そのものが関連している可能性が強く示唆されている。研究者自身の近くに出現したり、特定のデザインを瞑想した後にそれが現れたり、夢に現れたりする「シンクロニシティ」の要素が指摘されている。(0:41:11)

5. 関連現象と歴史的背景​

  • 光の玉（Balls of Light）： クロップサークルの周辺では、光の玉が頻繁に目撃されており、その多くが「非常に興味深い特性」を持つ。「人間の直感とは全く逆で、光が人に近づけば近づくほど小さく見え、遠ざかれば遠ざかるほど大きく見える」とアレクサンダー氏は述べている。(0:50:01, 0:50:35, 0:51:04)
  • 音の現象： 作物の内部から電子的な音やハミング音が聞こえるケースも報告されており、BBCの撮影クルーの機材を故障させた例もある。(0:38:42, 0:39:29)
  • 歴史的記録： クロップサークルは現代の現象ではなく、テリー・ウィルソンの「クロップサークルの秘密の歴史」が示すように、「近代以前のサークルの歴史的な目撃情報」が存在する。(0:33:27)

6. 研究の将来とAIの可能性​

  • AIによるパターン分析： アレクサンダー氏は、AIをクロップサークルのパターン分析に活用することは「非常に興味深い分析になるだろう」と考えている。特に「パターンを探す」ことに適している。(0:30:44)
  • 次世代の役割： アレクサンダー氏自身はAIの専門知識がないものの、「新しい世代がこれをさらに研究する道になるかもしれない」と期待しており、AIやLLMに詳しい人々に協力を呼びかけている。(0:31:07, 0:31:51)

7. 農家への影響と訪問時の注意点​

  • 経済的損失： クロップサークルは農家にとって作物の損傷や収穫量の減少による「金銭的な損失」を意味する。(0:19:03)
  • 感情的影響： 長年土地を耕してきた農家にとって、「誰かが庭を踏み荒らすようなもの」であり、「動揺させられる」ものである。(0:19:27)
  • 訪問の倫理： クロップサークルを訪問する際は、必ず農家の「許可を得る」ことが最も重要である。無許可での侵入は不法侵入となる。(0:26:42)
  • 環境への配慮： 「見つけた時と同じようにクロップサークルを残す」こと、作物の中を歩き回らないこと、トラクターの通路を利用すること、ゴミを残さないこと、殺虫剤などが付着している可能性のある作物に触れた手で口や目を触らないことなどが重要である。(0:26:53, 0:27:24, 0:27:52)

結論​

カレン・アレクサンダー氏の洞察は、クロップサークル現象が単なるミステリーではなく、多層的な意味を持つ複合的な現象であることを強調しています。物理的な証拠（節の変形など）から、人々の意識や精神性に与える影響まで、その範囲は広範です。

現象の真贋判定は複雑であり、完全な解明には至っていませんが、AIのような新技術の導入は、今後の研究に新たな道を開く可能性を秘めています。同時に、この現象は自然とのつながりや、現代社会における我々の存在意義に対する問いかけとしても機能しています。農家への敬意と適切な行動規範を守りながら、この魅力的な現象を探索し続けることの重要性が示されています。

Karen Alexander の自己紹介​

AI

ミステリー・サークルとUFO現象というより大きな文脈において、情報源は‌‌カレン・アレクサンダー‌‌について、彼女の専門知識、長年の経験、現在の活動、そしてミステリー・サークル現象に対する見解とアプローチを詳細に述べています。

カレン・アレクサンダーの概要と背景​

  • ‌‌専門家としての立場‌‌: カレン・アレクサンダーは、‌‌30年以上にわたり‌‌ミステリー・サークル現象とUFO現象の分野で研究者として活動しており、その専門知識を持っています。
  • ‌‌学術的背景‌‌: 彼女の背景はカウンセリングと心理療法であり、現在は部分的に引退していますが、この経験が彼女の分析や考察に影響を与えている可能性があります。
  • ‌‌ウェブサイト運営‌‌: 現在、彼女はパートナーのスティーブ（写真家）と共に「Temporary Temples」というミステリー・サークルに関するウェブサイトを運営しており、そこには30年間のミステリー・サークルの記録が掲載されています。

ミステリー・サークルに関する彼女の活動と貢献​

  • ‌‌現地調査と研究‌‌: 彼女はミステリー・サークルの上空を飛行したり、実際に内部を訪れたりして、現象の記録と調査を行っています。特に、地上レベルでの詳細な調査を行うダン・ヴィドラーのような他の研究者と密接に協力しています。
  • ‌‌情報の普及‌‌: 彼女のウェブサイトは、ミステリー・サークルを訪れる人々へのガイドや、年鑑（Yearbook）の発行を通じて、長年にわたる現象の記録と情報提供を行っています。
  • ‌‌会議の主催‌‌: 毎年10月にはオンラインで年次会議を企画・開催し、他の研究者の発表を共有し、人々が繋がる機会を提供しています。

本物のミステリー・サークルに対する見解と判断基準​

  • ‌‌確実な判別基準の欠如‌‌: 彼女は、ミステリー・サークルが本物であるか否かを100%確実に判別する「リトマス試験」は存在しないと認めています。ウィリアム・リーヴングッドの研究のような科学的調査は労働集約的で費用がかかるため、現在は行われていないと指摘しています。
  • ‌‌多角的な評価‌‌: 本物のミステリー・サークルを判断するには、様々な要素を総合的に考慮する必要があると強調しています。
    • ‌‌物理的特徴‌‌: 作物の倒れ方（刈られていない、渦巻き状）、茎の節の変形（bent nodesやblown nodes）は、マイクロ波エネルギーや放射線によるものというリーヴングッドの研究を支持しています。また、作物の成長速度の違いや種子の収穫量の増加といった点も挙げています。
    • ‌‌幾何学とデザイン‌‌: 空から見た際の‌‌パターン、複雑さ、サイズ‌‌が重要であると述べており、特にバイエルン州で見られたような「信じられないほど正確で規則的なパターン」を高く評価しています。初期のシンプルなデザインから、シーズンが進むにつれて複雑なデザインへと変化するパターンを認識しています。
    • ‌‌現場での感覚的体験‌‌: クラブウッドのエイリアンサークルに入った際、空気が「ビリビリして」「生きている」ように感じたという自身の体験を述べています。
    • ‌‌音響現象‌‌: ミステリー・サークル内で電子的な「うなり音」が聞こえるという報告や、BBCの取材中に機材が故障した事例にも言及しています。
    • ‌‌オーブ（光の球）の存在‌‌: ミステリー・サークルの周辺で光の球が出現することは「間違いなく事実」であり、彼女自身も目撃経験があります。夫のスティーブが撮影した、トラクターのエンジンが停止した際に光の球が通過する映像の信憑性を強く支持しています。
  • ‌‌性急な判断の回避‌‌: 彼女は「性急に結論に達しない」ことを重視しており、情報を時間をかけて吟味し、自身の間違いも受け入れる準備があるとしています。

ミステリー・サークルの「なぜ」に対する彼女の考察​

  • ‌‌多面的な理由‌‌: ミステリー・サークルの出現には多くの理由があると考えています。
  • ‌‌意識の覚醒‌‌: 最も基本的なレベルでは、人々を「自己満足から目覚めさせる」役割があると信じています。予期せぬ現象を通じて、人々が非人間的知性や地球の知性、あるいはより広く深い現実について考えるきっかけを提供すると述べています。
  • ‌‌自然との再接続‌‌: ミステリー・サークルの中にいることで、交通の喧騒から離れ、自然との深いつながりを再認識する機会が得られると語っています。
  • ‌‌人間の意識との関連‌‌: ミステリー・サークル現象と‌‌人間の意識（思考、夢、瞑想）との関連性‌‌を非常に重要な部分と考えています。
    • 人々が特定の場所にミステリー・サークルを願うと出現したり、研究者の家の近くに現れたりするなど、‌‌シンクロニシティ‌‌の要素があると指摘しています。
    • 彼女自身も夢に見たデザインが、実際に現れたミステリー・サークルと共通の要素を持っていた経験を語っています。
    • 研究者が「本物のサークルはこうあるべきだ」と定義すると、次のサークルがその定義に反する形で出現するといった「反応」についても言及し、人間の意識が現象に影響を与える可能性を示唆しています。
  • ‌‌UFO現象との関連‌‌: ミステリー・サークルとUFO現象は、我々が住む世界のより広く深い現実の一部であると考えています。両者とも、なぜホワイトハウスの芝生に着陸しないのか、なぜ常に公に姿を現さないのか、という同様の「永遠の疑問」を共有していると考察しています。

カレン・アレクサンダーは、長年の経験から培われた洞察力と、現象に対する慎重かつ開かれたアプローチを持ち、ミステリー・サークルが単なる物理的現象に留まらず、より深い心理的・意識的側面を持つ可能性を探求している研究者であることが分かります。

付随：残留マイクロ波、周波数、音​

AI

付随する現象というより大きな文脈において、情報源は‌‌残留するマイクロ波、周波数、ハム音‌‌について様々な見解を提供しています。

まず、‌‌作物の物理的変化‌‌に焦点を当てています。本質的な作物輪の識別は、茎の「節（ノード）」と呼ばれる部分がどのように曲がったり、破裂したりするかにあります。アメリカの生物物理学者である‌‌ウィリアム・リーベングッド‌‌がこの分野の主要な研究を行い、彼の研究は‌‌曲がった節（bent nodes）‌‌や‌‌吹き飛ばされた節（blown nodes）‌‌という現象に光を当てました。吹き飛ばされた節は、植物の節点が内側から弾けるように見える現象であり、リーベングッドの見解では、これは‌‌何らかのマイクロ波エネルギーまたは放射線‌‌によって引き起こされるとされていました。このエネルギーが植物内の水分を短時間加熱し、植物が倒れるほど柔らかくするのです。また、曲がった節は作物の渦の方向に曲がることがよくあります。

このような研究は、本物の作物輪を見分ける重要な手がかりとなりましたが、リーベングッドが行ったような研究は‌‌労力と費用がかかるため、現在では行われていません‌‌。これにより、作物のマイクロ波による影響を100%確実な方法で証明することは難しくなっています。

‌‌「ハム音」や「周波数」‌‌といった音響現象については、その記録が‌‌非常に散発的‌‌であり、多くの場合、そもそも録音されていないことが課題として挙げられています。現存する録音はほんの一握りに過ぎず、その信憑性については「どのような調査によるか」によるとされています。有名な事例としては、初期の作物輪研究者である‌‌コリン・アンドリュース‌‌が、BBCのインタビュー中に‌‌電子的な音‌‌を耳にしたことがあります。この短い音は、BBCチームのカメラと録音機器の両方を完全に破壊したとされています。この録音の一部はCSETIプロトコルでも使用されています。しかし、これらの現象は「非常に異なるもの」であり、初期の研究を除いて、その後の研究はあまり行われていないものの、「確実に発生した」とされています。

これらの現象は、作物が形成される「方法」という‌‌より広い文脈‌‌にも関連しています。カレン・アレクサンダーは、‌‌光の球（balls of light）‌‌が作物輪の周辺で発生することは「間違いなく事実」であると述べており、彼女自身も目撃しています。彼女の夫であるスティーブが撮影したトラクター上を飛ぶ光の球のビデオは「完全に本物」であり、トラクターの運転手もその光を目撃し、その際トラクターのエンジンが停止したことも確認されています。これらの光の球は興味深い特性を持っており、例えば、人に近いほど小さく見え、遠いほど大きく見えるという直感に反する性質があります。

さらに、作物輪の現象は‌‌人間の意識‌‌との関連性も指摘されており、意識が畑で起こることに影響を与える可能性があるという見解があります。研究者が特定のデザインを瞑想した後に、それが実際に作物輪として現れたり、夢に作物輪が現れたりするといった事例も報告されています。カレン自身も、作物輪のシーズンが始まる前に見た夢が、実際に現れた作物輪と関連していたと語っています。また、特定の作物輪を訪れた際に、空気が「パチパチ」と鳴り、「生きている」ような感覚を覚えたという個人的な体験も、これらの現象の‌‌エネルギー的な側面‌‌を示唆しています。

要するに、残留するマイクロ波、周波数、ハム音の現象は、作物輪が単なる物理的なパターンではなく、‌‌何らかの非物理的なエネルギーや情報伝達、あるいは人間の意識との相互作用‌‌によって形成される可能性を示す、より大きな複合現象の一部として議論されています。これらの現象を科学的に完全に解明し、検証することは難しいものの、それらは作物輪の謎を深める重要な要素であると考えられています。

意識と現象の関連​

AI

付随する現象というより大きな文脈において、情報源は‌‌人間の意識と作物輪現象との間に密接な関連性がある‌‌ことについて論じています。カレン・アレクサンダーは、人間の意識が畑で起こることに影響を与える可能性があり、またその逆も可能であると考えており、これらは相互に影響し合う可能性があると述べています。彼女は、この問いが作物輪研究の‌‌非常に大きな部分‌‌を占めていると強調しています。

この関連性を示すために、いくつかの側面が挙げられています。

  • ‌‌意識と現象の相互作用の可能性‌‌: 研究者の中には、人間の意識が畑で起こることに影響を与えられるのかどうかを検討してきた人が多くいます。アレクサンダー自身もこれに同意しており、その可能性を示唆する良い話が多数存在すると述べています。これは、作物輪が単なる物理的なパターン以上のもの、つまり何らかの非物理的な影響や情報伝達が関与している可能性を示唆する、より広い文脈の一部と見なされています。
  • ‌‌シンクロニシティ（共時性）‌‌: 1990年代初頭から、人々は作物輪現象におけるシンクロニシティの要素に気づき始めました。例えば、ある人が「ここに作物輪ができたら素晴らしいだろう」と思った畑に、次にそこを通ったときに実際に作物輪が出現していた、といった事例が挙げられます。また、研究者の家の近くに作物輪が現れることもあったと報告されています。
  • ‌‌瞑想や夢による影響‌‌: より複雑な事例としては、人々が集まって特定のデザインを瞑想した場合、それが実際に畑に現れる可能性があるかどうかが検討されてきました。また、作物輪が夢に現れることもあります。カレン・アレクサンダー自身も、今年の作物輪シーズンが始まる直前に見た夢が、実際に現れた特定の作物輪（サットン・ヴァニーの円）と関連していると感じた経験を語っています。彼女は、これが人間の意識が現実そのものとどのように相互作用するかの部分であり、ある種の予言的な側面があったのではないかと推測しています。
  • ‌‌現象の反応性‌‌: 作物輪現象が、研究者の期待や宣言に反応するような事例も報告されています。初期の研究者たちは、「本物の作物輪はこうであるべきだ」と結論付けたものの、その直後に、彼らが「偽物だ」と断言したような特徴を持つ作物輪が出現したことがありました。これは、現象が人間の思考や信念に反応している可能性を示唆しています。
  • ‌‌関連書籍‌‌: アレクサンダーは、人間の意識と作物輪の相互作用を扱った書籍を2冊紹介しています。1つは彼女自身の小冊子‌‌「Charlie Knowles, An Archetypal Crop Circle Story」‌‌で、もう1つはアンディ・トーマス著の‌‌「Quest for Contact」‌‌です。これらの本には、人間の関与を否定しがたいような形で出現した作物輪の事例が記述されていると述べています。

このように、情報源は、人間の意識が作物輪の発生や性質に何らかの形で影響を与えている可能性を、事例や研究者の経験に基づいて示唆しており、これは作物輪現象の謎を解き明かす上で重要な要素であると認識されています。

出現数の変動​

AI

ミステリー・サークルとUFO現象というより大きな文脈において、情報源は‌‌ミステリー・サークルの出現数が歴史的に変動してきた‌‌ことについて言及しています。

カレン・アレクサンダーによると、ミステリー・サークルの出現数は‌‌常に「上がったり下がったり」‌‌しており、これは単に最近の減少傾向にとどまらない現象です。

具体的な変動の時期と傾向としては、以下の点が挙げられています。

  • ‌‌1993年‌‌は「特に少ない年」だったと記憶されています。
  • その後、‌‌1990年代半ばから‌‌出現数は再び増加し始め、
  • ‌‌2009年頃‌‌に数が「頂点に達した」と考えられています。
  • そして、‌‌2012年以降‌‌に「減少傾向」が始まったとされています。
  • 特に‌‌2023年と2024年‌‌は「非常に少ない年」だったと指摘されていますが、‌‌今年のシーズン‌‌（2025年のインタビュー時点）には再び「増加」が見られているとのことです。

この変動の理由については、アレクサンダーは「非常に多くの異なる理由がある可能性があり、私たちがまだ考えてもいない理由さえあるかもしれない」と述べています。考えられる可能性としては、以下の推測が挙げられています。

  • 現象自体が「‌‌終わりに近づいている‌‌」可能性があり、いつか停止することも「不可能ではない」という見解です。
  • 一部の人々は、出現数が‌‌黒点活動‌‌と一致している可能性について言及しており、これは興味深い考え方とされています。
  • また、イギリスの‌‌地下水位の深さ‌‌との関連性を指摘する説もあります。

アレクサンダー自身は、特定の考えを持っているわけではないとしながらも、これらの様々な理論が存在することを認めています。総じて、ミステリー・サークルの出現数の変動は、その現象の謎多き性質の一部であり、その背後にあるメカニズムは未だ解明されていません。

orb 現象​

AI

ミステリー・サークルとUFO現象というより大きな文脈において、情報源は‌‌オーブ現象（光の球）がミステリー・サークルと深く関連している‌‌ことについて議論しています。

カレン・アレクサンダーは、‌‌光の球（balls of light）がミステリー・サークルの周辺で発生することは「間違いなく事実」である‌‌と述べており、彼女自身もそれらを目撃した経験があります。

このオーブ現象に関連して、いくつかの具体的な事例や特性が語られています。

  • ‌‌オリバーズ・キャッスル映像と真偽の議論‌‌:
    • シチズンDという人物が、特定の「ミルク・ヒル・オーブ映像」が完全に偽物であると主張しました。
    • しかし、カレン・アレクサンダーは、シチズンDが言及しているのは「ミルク・ヒル」ではなく、‌‌「オリバーズ・キャッスル」の映像である‌‌と訂正しています。
    • このオリバーズ・キャッスル映像は1996年に公開されたもので、ミステリー・サークルがどのように形成されるかを示すものだとされています。
    • カレンは、この映像の真偽については‌‌不可知論的な立場‌‌を取っており、最近の分析で本物だと考えられているという意見があるものの、どちらの説も証明できないと述べています。また、もし偽物であれば、作成者が名乗り出れば明確になるだろうとも付け加えています。
  • ‌‌カレンの夫スティーブによるトラクター映像‌‌:
    • シチズンDが言及しなかった、トラクター上を飛行する同様の白いオーブの映像について、カレンは‌‌自身の夫スティーブが撮影したものであり、「完全に本物」である‌‌と断言しています。
    • この映像では、‌‌トラクターの運転手自身も光を目撃し、光が上空を通過した際にトラクターのエンジンが停止した‌‌と証言しており、後に研究者による聞き取り調査も行われました。
    • これらの証拠から、カレンは‌‌これらの光の球とミステリー・サークルの間には疑いのない関連性がある‌‌と結論付けています。
  • ‌‌光の球の特性‌‌: 光の球にはいくつかの興味深い特性があることが指摘されています。その一つは、映像で見た際に、‌‌人間に近いほど小さく見え、遠いほど大きく見えるという、直感に反する性質がある‌‌ということです。

これらの情報から、オーブ現象、特に光の球は、ミステリー・サークル現象の重要な一部であり、その形成メカニズムや関連するエネルギー現象を示唆していると考えられています。

本物の特徴​

AI

ミステリー・サークルとUFO現象というより大きな文脈において、情報源は‌‌本物のミステリー・サークルを識別する特徴‌‌について多岐にわたる側面から議論しています。カレン・アレクサンダーは、‌‌100%の確実な判別基準は存在しない‌‌と認めつつも、長年の経験と研究に基づいて、真の現象が持つとされる具体的な物理的、現象的、そして知覚的な特徴を挙げています。

以下に、本物のミステリー・サークルの特徴と判断における留意点を詳述します。

物理的特徴​

  • ‌‌作物の状態と形成方法‌‌:
    • 作物は‌‌刈られたり切られたりせず、平らになっている‌‌のが基本であり、多くの場合、‌‌円形の渦を巻いて倒れている‌‌。
    • 非常に複雑なデザインの場合でも、作物の内部が‌‌織り込まれたり、結び付けられたりする‌‌ことがある。
  • ‌‌茎や節への影響‌‌:
    • ウィリアム・リーヴングッドの研究により、本物のミステリー・サークルでは茎の‌‌節（水や水分が蓄えられている柔らかい部分）が曲がったり（bent nodes）‌‌、あるいは‌‌内側から破裂したり（blown nodes）‌‌する現象が確認されている。
    • リーヴングッドは、この効果が‌‌マイクロ波エネルギーや放射線‌‌によって引き起こされ、植物内の水分が瞬時に加熱されることで、植物が倒れるほど柔らかくなるとの見解を示している。
    • 曲がった節は、作物の渦の方向に曲がる傾向がある。
    • 非常に未熟な作物（例えば、若い大麦）の場合、誰も中に入らなければ、作物が‌‌実際に元に戻って成長し‌‌、ほとんど何もなかったかのように見えることがある。
  • ‌‌植物の成長と収穫量‌‌:
    • 植物の‌‌成長速度に違い‌‌が見られることがある。
    • ミステリー・サークルの内部や英国の古代遺跡周辺の種子からは、‌‌種子の穂が大きく、収穫量が増加する‌‌という現象が報告されている。

現象的・知覚的特徴​

  • ‌‌幾何学とデザイン‌‌:
    • 本物のミステリー・サークルは、信じられないほど‌‌正確で規則的‌‌なパターンを持つ。
    • そのデザインは非常に複雑であり、これまでに見られたことのないような‌‌目新しい要素‌‌を含んでいることがある。
    • 複雑な幾何学的構造（例：八角形や黄金比の導入）は、紙に正確に描くことすら難しく、畑で実現するのはさらに困難である。
  • ‌‌音響現象‌‌:
    • ミステリー・サークル内では、‌‌電子的な音や低いうなり音‌‌が聞こえるという報告がある。
    • BBCの取材中に、ミステリー・サークル内で電子音が聞こえ、カメラや録音機材が故障した有名な事例も存在する。
  • ‌‌感覚的体験‌‌:
    • カレン・アレクサンダーは、クラップウッドのエイリアンサークルに入った際、空気が‌‌「ビリビリしている」‌‌、‌‌「パチパチ音を立てている」‌‌、そして‌‌「何らかの形で生きている」‌‌ように感じたと述べている。
  • ‌‌オーブ（光の球）の存在‌‌:
    • ミステリー・サークルの周辺で‌‌光の球（balls of light）が出現する‌‌ことは「間違いなく事実」であり、カレン自身も目撃経験がある。
    • これらの光の球は、トラクターのエンジンが停止するといった‌‌物理的な影響‌‌を及ぼすこともある。
    • 映像で見ると、光の球は人間に近いほど小さく見え、遠いほど大きく見えるという‌‌直感に反する特性‌‌を持つ。
  • ‌‌人間の意識との関連性‌‌:
    • ミステリー・サークル現象は、‌‌人間の意識（思考、夢、瞑想）と深く関連している可能性‌‌がある。
    • 人々が「ここにミステリー・サークルができたら素晴らしいだろう」と思った場所に出現したり、研究者の家の近くに現れたりするなど、‌‌シンクロニシティ（共時性）‌‌の要素がしばしば見られる。
    • 夢に現れたデザインが実際に畑に出現したり、研究者の期待や仮説に現象が‌‌「反応」‌‌するような事例も報告されている。

判断における留意点​

  • ‌‌総合的な評価‌‌: 本物かどうかを判断するには、様々な要素を総合的に考慮する必要があり、単一の明確な基準は存在しない。
  • ‌‌地上での調査の重要性‌‌: 空からの写真だけでは判断できない、‌‌地上レベルでの複雑な特徴や微細な効果‌‌が存在する場合がある。
  • ‌‌時間の経過と複雑さ‌‌: シーズンの初めにはシンプルなデザインのものが多く、‌‌シーズンの終わりに向かうにつれてより複雑なデザイン‌‌が出現する傾向がある。
  • ‌‌性急な判断の回避‌‌: 性急に「本物だ」と結論を出すことはせず、時間をかけて情報を収集し、評価することが重要である。

これらの特徴は、ミステリー・サークル現象が単なる人間によるいたずらではなく、より深く、複雑な、そして未解明な性質を持つことを示唆しています。

サイズ​

AI

ミステリー・サークルとUFO現象のより大きな文脈において、情報源は‌‌ミステリー・サークルのサイズが多岐にわたり、その出現時期や複雑さと関連している‌‌ことを議論しています。

カレン・アレクサンダーは、ミステリー・サークルのサイズについて以下の点を挙げています。

  • ‌‌平均サイズ‌‌: ミステリー・サークルの‌‌平均的なサイズは、およそ200フィート（約61メートル）‌‌です。
  • ‌‌サイズの多様性‌‌:
    • 非常に‌‌小さいもの（tiny ones）‌‌もあれば、非常に‌‌大きいもの（really large）‌‌も存在します。
    • これまでで最大級のものの1つとして、2001年の‌‌ミルク・ヒル・サークルは約1000フィート（約305メートル）‌‌の大きさがあったとされています。
    • 最近の例では、ドイツのバイエルン州で発見されたミステリー・サークルは‌‌200～300フィート（約61～91メートル）‌‌の直径を持つかなり大きなものであったと述べられています。
    • 一方で、シーズンの初めに現れるようなシンプルな円形のサークル（例：ドーセット州ウィンボーンのサークル）は、‌‌100フィート（約30メートル）未満‌‌の直径であることが多いです。
    • クラブウッドのエイリアンサークルも「‌‌巨大な規模‌‌（huge scale）」であると述べられています。
  • ‌‌サイズの興味深さ‌‌: カレンは、小さいミステリー・サークルも大きいものと同様に興味深いと考えています。
  • ‌‌サイズと複雑さの関連性‌‌:
    • ミステリー・サークルのシーズンが始まると、最初はシンプルなデザインから始まり、‌‌シーズンの終わりに向かうにつれて、より複雑で大規模なデザイン‌‌が出現する傾向があります。
    • バイエルン州のサークルは、その大きさだけでなく、「信じられないほど正確で規則的なパターン」を持っており、そのデザインの複雑さも強調されています。

総じて、ミステリー・サークルのサイズは平均値があるものの非常に幅広く、その規模や複雑さは現象の進行とともに変化する傾向があることが示唆されています。また、空からのパターン、複雑さ、サイズは、本物のミステリー・サークルを識別する上での重要な要素の一つであるとも述べられています。

時系列​

AI

‌‌1945年～1960年代後半‌‌：

  • ノーシーズの祖父（ケンブリッジの農家）が、彼の農場で「ただの円」だったクロップサークルを目撃したと主張。これは1990年代にクロップサークルが主流になる前の出来事。

‌‌1970年代後半～1980年代前半‌‌：

  • クロップサークルの「現代の時代」の始まり。

‌‌1990年代初頭‌‌：

  • クロップサークル研究センター（Centre for Crop Circle Studies）が活動していた時期。人間意識と現象の関連性についての初期論文が発表された。
  • 人間意識とクロップサークルの間のシンクロニシティが、研究者や目撃者によって気づかれ始める。
  • 研究者（カレン・アレクサンダー含む）が、自身の居住地の近くにクロップサークルが現れる経験をする。

‌‌1993年‌‌：

  • クロップサークル数が特に少なかった「細い年」。

‌‌1990年代半ば以降‌‌：

クロップサークル数が再び増加し始める。

‌‌1996年‌‌：

  • 「オリバーズ・キャッスル」の映像が公開される。この映像は、クロップサークルがどのように作られるかを示すとされ、多くの研究者がクロップサークルの形成方法について考えていた内容と一致していた。この映像の真偽については、カレン・アレクサンダーは懐疑的ではないが、確証も持てないとしている。
  • カレン・アレクサンダーの夫、スティーブが、トラクターの上を光の玉が飛んでいく映像を撮影。トラクターの運転手も目撃し、光が通過する際にトラクターが停止したと証言。この映像は完全に本物とされている。

‌‌2001年‌‌：

「ミルク・ヒル」のクロップサークルが出現。これは、直径約1000フィートと最も大きいクロップサークルの一つだった。

‌‌2009年頃‌‌： クロップサークルの数がピークに達した時期。

‌‌2012年以降‌‌：

クロップサークルの数が減少し始める。

‌‌2022年、2023年‌‌：

クロップサークルが「本当に少ない年」だった。

‌‌2022年（現在進行形）‌‌：

カレン・アレクサンダーとスティーブが、過去のクロップサークルを収録した年鑑の2022年版を完成間近。

‌‌2025年（インタビュー時点）‌‌：

  • 4月： イギリスのクロップサークルシーズン開始。ドーセット州ウィンボーンの近くで、非常にシンプルなリング状の円が出現。
  • 5月中旬： リング状の円で、中央にケルトの結び目のようなデザインが施されたクロップサークルが出現。このクロップサークルは、農家が訪問のために畑に残しており、インタビュー時もまだ存在していた可能性がある。
  • 7月20日頃（インタビューの約10日前）： ドイツのバイエルン州で、直径200～300フィートの非常に複雑で精密なクロップサークルが出現。これは過去のイギリスのクロップサークルの要素を組み合わせたデザインで、出現後すぐに農家によって刈り取られた。
  • 7月下旬～8月上旬（インタビュー時点）： イギリスではクロップサークルシーズンが終わりに近づき、収穫期に入っている。今年は暑く乾燥した夏のため、シーズンは短めになると予想されている。コーンサークルは8月末まで続く可能性があるが、イギリスでは稀。

‌‌現在進行形‌‌： カレン・アレクサンダーが年次オンライン会議の企画を進行中。例年10月に開催される。

‌‌不特定な時期‌‌：

  • 「クラブウッド」のエイリアンクロップサークルが出現。カレン・アレクサンダーはこれを実際に訪れており、地面では「完全に理解不能」な状態だったと述べている。
  • ウィリアム・リーベングッドというアメリカの生物物理学者が、曲がった節や破裂した節に関する主要な研究を行う。この現象はマイクロ波エネルギーや放射線が原因であるとリーベングッドは結論付けた。
  • ジョン・バークという人物が、クロップサークルやイギリスの古代遺跡周辺の種子の収穫量について調査した書籍を執筆し、種子が大きく、収穫量が多いことを示した。
  • コリン・アンドリュースがBBCのインタビュー中にクロップサークル内で電子音を聞き、その結果、BBCの機材が損傷した。この録音の一部はCSETIプロトコルで使用されている。
  • 作物が非常に未熟な状態、例えば若い緑色の大麦のクロップサークルでは、誰も中を歩かなければ、作物が元に戻り、痕跡がほとんどなくなることがある。
  • 土壌に謎の環状模様が過去数年間で出現したことがあった。 サットン・ヴァーニー（ウィルトシャー）の農家が、畑のクロップサークルを年間を通じて維持し、人々からの寄付を受け入れることでマイナスをプラスに変えた。

主要関係者​

AI

‌‌カレン・アレクサンダー (Karen Alexander)‌‌:

  • 30年以上にわたり、クロップサークル現象とUFO分野を研究している専門家。
  • 20代前半からクロップサークルの研究に携わる。
  • カウンセリングと心理療法が専門だが、現在は半引退状態。
  • 夫のスティーブと共に「Temporary Temples」というクロップサークルに関するウェブサイトを運営しており、30年間のクロップサークル飛行記録や訪問記録が掲載されている。
  • クロップサークルの真偽を見極める際には、急いで結論を出さず、多角的な要素（形状、デザイン、地面での状態など）を考慮し、他の研究者とも協力する。
  • クロップサークルが人々に与える心理的・精神的影響、特に「安堵感を打ち破る」効果や、自然との再接続を重視している。
  • 人間意識がクロップサークル現象に影響を与える可能性を信じている。
  • 自身の体験や研究活動について、著書『Charlie Knowles, An Archetypal Crop Circle Story』とアンディ・トーマスの『Quest for Contact』で言及している。
  • 年次オンライン会議を企画し、年鑑の発行も行っている。

‌‌スティーブ (Steve)‌‌:

  • カレン・アレクサンダーの夫であり、写真家。「Temporary Temples」ウェブサイトを共同運営している。
  • 光の玉がトラクターの上を飛ぶ様子を撮影し、その映像は本物であるとされている。
  • クラブウッドのエイリアンクロップサークルを空撮した際、現像するまでそのデザインに気づかなかった。

‌‌ウィリアム・リーベングッド (William Leavengood)‌‌:

  • アメリカの生物物理学者。クロップサークルの植物に見られる「曲がった節」や「破裂した節」に関する主要な研究を行った。
  • これらの現象はマイクロ波エネルギーや放射線によって引き起こされるという見解を示した。

‌‌ペニー・ケリー (Penny Kelly)‌‌:

  • ウィリアム・リーベングッドの実験助手の一人。YouTubeでリーベングッドの研究に関する講演を行っている。

‌‌ジョン・バーク (John Burke)‌‌:

  • クロップサークルとイギリスの古代遺跡周辺の種子の収穫量について調査した著書がある。

‌‌ダン・ビドラー (Dan Vidler)‌‌:

  • イギリスの研究者。長年、クロップサークルの地面レベルでの研究、写真撮影、記録を行っている。
  • 「UK Crop Circles」というウェブサイトを運営しており、地面で発見された驚くべき現象を報告している。

‌‌スコット・オンストット (Scott Onstott)‌‌:

  • カレン・アレクサンダーの友人。クロップサークルにAIを適用することに非常に熱心である。

‌‌テリー・ウィルソン (Terry Wilson)‌‌:

  • 著書『The Secret History of Crop Circles』で、1970年代後半～1980年代初頭の現代の時代以前の歴史的なクロップサークルの目撃例を調査している。

‌‌ダグとデイブ (Doug and Dave)‌‌:

  • クロップサークルを偽装したことで有名になった人物たち。彼らが作ったとされる円は、テレビ向けに作られたものであり、よりシンプルなデザインだったとされている。彼らは現在存命ではない。

‌‌マイケル・グリックマン (Michael Glickman)‌‌:

  • カレン・アレクサンダーの長年の指導者。
  • カレン・アレクサンダーと共に、クロップサークル訪問に関するガイド（ウェブサイトで無料公開）を執筆した。

‌‌アンディ・トーマス (Andy Thomas)‌‌:

  • UFOポッドキャストにゲスト出演したことがある研究者。
  • 著書『Quest for Contact』では、人間意識とクロップサークルの相互作用の可能性について探求し、カレン・アレクサンダーもその執筆に関わった。

‌‌シチズン・D (Citizen D)‌‌:

  • グライメリカのポッドキャストでインタビューを受けた人物。
  • 自身がクロップサークル製作者であると主張し、ミルク・ヒルのオーブの映像（実際はオリバーズ・キャッスルの映像）は完全に偽物であると述べた。カレン・アレクサンダーは彼を知らない。

‌‌ノーシーズ (Nocease)‌‌:

  • リスナーの一人。彼の祖父が1960年代後半にシンプルなクロップサークルを見たという話をした。

‌‌ピクセル・ウルフ (Pixel Wolf)‌‌:

  • リスナーの一人。クロップサークルが非物理的な手段、例えば指向性意識や念力によって形成される可能性について質問した。

‌‌トビー (Toby)‌‌:

  • ガーンジー島在住のリスナー。過去5年間でクロップサークルの数が減少した理由について質問した。

‌‌ヒューマン・ニュートリノ (Human Neutrino)‌‌:

  • リスナーの一人。クロップサークルの典型的な大きさについて質問した。

‌‌シェーン (Shane)‌‌:

  • リスナーの一人。シチズン・Dの主張とオリバーズ・キャッスルの映像（彼がミルク・ヒルの映像と誤認）について質問した。

‌‌ニック (Nick)‌‌:

  • リスナーの一人。クラブウッドのエイリアンクロップサークルについてカレン・アレクサンダーの意見を求めた。

‌‌ヴァリス (Vallis)‌‌:

  • リスナーの一人。クロップサークルにAIを適用する可能性と、残留マイクロ波、周波数、ハム音の証言が検証に耐えられたかについて質問した。

‌‌アンディ (Andy)‌‌:

  • ポッドキャストのホスト。カレン・アレクサンダーに質問し、対話を進行させた。自身の著書『Atlas of UFOs』についても言及。

情報源​

動画(59:37)

Exploring Crop Circles and UFO Phenomena An Interview with Karen Alexander

文字起こし​

展開

（以下は "Exploring Crop Circles and UFO Phenomena An Interview with Karen Alexander" と題された動画の文字起こしです。）

Hi everyone, and welcome back to That UFO Podcast. My guest today is a returning guest and a researcher with over 30 years of experience in the UFO world with an expertise on the crop circle phenomenon. Love to welcome back Karen Alexander. Karen, how are you? I'm good. Thank you for having me. I hope you're okay too. I'm not bad. (0:00:44)

It surprised me just mentioning before we hit record that it was two years ago, I think, the last time you were on. I don't know what happened that I didn't get you back on last year. Again, you're one of those folks we message now and again, don't we? And I think it just never happened. And you get busy because, as we're going to talk about crop circle this time of year, especially over the summer, it's a busy time, it's an exciting time, a lot going on, and that's what we're going to get into. (0:01:09)

And I also mentioned to you a huge response from the listeners, Karen, when I said I was going to have you on talking about crop circles, a lot of listener questions to get through. And I'm going to devote most of the time today to that. But I always have to ask to start off, Karen, give us a little bit of your own background. Who are you? What do you do? (0:01:23)

And how have you got to the point you've been so well entrenched in the UFO topic for so long? Yep, so I'm Karen Alexander. I've been involved in the crop circle subject for over 30 years now, since I was in my early 20s. And, and also adjacent to that, the UFO subject as well, which I have a really keen interest in. My background is in counselling and psychotherapy. (0:01:53)

Although I don't practice anymore, I'm partially retired. And I now run the temporary temples crop circle website with my other half, Steve, who's a photographer. And we've been on there, there is a, you know, a record of 30 years of crop circles that we've flown over and visited and so on. So, yep, in a nutshell, that's it. (0:02:20)

It's a great website. And the link is, of course, in the description, folks, and I would recommend you go and check that one out. And but there are always folks new to the subject, Karen, getting involved, folks who are lapsed, ufologists or whatever you want to call them. Really simple question, but I think an important one to start off with, you know, what is a crop circle? Yeah, it is a good question. (0:02:45)

Basically, a crop circle is a shape or design that usually occurs in a field of crop. The crop isn't mown or cut in any way. Usually it's flattened. And usually in a swirl, if the pattern allows, usually in a circular swirl. Of course, crop circles can be a lot more complex than just a circle. We've had many, many different shapes over the years. (0:03:17)

And sometimes the interiors, the crop can be woven or knotted or all kinds of different things go on at ground level. So crop circle, it's a little bit of a misnomer these days, because, of course, when the phrase was first thought of, crop circles were just that. (0:03:28)

They were sort of circles or groups of circles in crop fields. And of course, they appear in many, many different crops. So wheat and barley are the main ones, particularly in the UK. But it kind of depends on where you're looking at them. So in the US, where they've had crop circles, it's often been in soya, because that's kind of one of their main crops grown in the US. So yeah, and even in the UK, they're in rapeseed or canola. (0:04:02)

We've had them in linseed, in borage, in beans, all kinds of different crops. They're much rarer. It's usually wheat or barley, but they do occur in other crops as well. I'm just going to bring up an image here. Again, for those on YouTube, I'm trying to put some more of this stuff in here. But for those on the audio platforms, it's the image of the wheat. (0:04:27)

And this is something that always interested me. And I hope this image represents it, Karen, because when I got into the UFO topic early on and looking up crop circles, they're one of those things that can be easily debunked in terms of, oh, that looks man-made for a variety of reasons. And even very intricate crop circles, I think you'll agree here, can be made by folks with relatively basic tools. (0:04:48)

However, there are some telltale signs that I've always found really interesting. And it tends to be with the angle of the wheat, how it's bent and how it's not broken. And also, I've heard that these middle bits of the stalk, and you can correct me on what they're called, there's almost like a little pop. (0:05:08)

And it comes out. And that's meant to be due to radiation, high temperatures, which would be painstaking and nigh on impossible to do for someone to walk around and pop these all out. Can you talk around that element of it and what makes a genuine crop circle stand out? So the picture that you're showing on the screen at the moment shows three different sets of stems. (0:05:31)

So we've got the normal, which is the control sample, then we've got one that shows bent nodes. And the nodes are those little fleshy parts of the stem of the plant, basically where the water and moisture is stored. And these can become deformed in some crop circles. So the work was done, the main work on this was done by an American biophysicist called William Leavengood. And in fact, this morning, just this morning, I was listening to a lecture given by one of his lab assistants called Penny Kelly, which you can look up on YouTube, where she actually talked about some of the work that she assisted Leavengood with. (0:06:04)

So that's a good place to start if you're interested in this kind of stuff. So there's bent nodes. And then finally, you've got a third set there, which are blown nodes. And this is where, as you say, it's like those nodal points sort of pop from the inside out. And, and it was Leavengood's opinion at the end of his work, that this kind of effect was caused by some kind of microwave energy or radiation, and that the moisture in the plant was heated up for a fraction of a second, but it was enough to cause these effects, and essentially to soften the plants for them to lie down. And you very often see with the, with the bent nodes that they'll bend in the direction that of the swirl of the crop. (0:06:59)

Sometimes some of the effects that you see in crop circles could be put down to phototropism, where when a plant lies down, obviously, it wants to grow back towards the light. And so you can see effects where the crop starts to stand back up, and those nodal points will then be in the direction of trying to stand the plant again. (0:07:18)

But I've seen crop circles in the past, particularly those in very immature crops, say in very young barley, when it's still very green, where if nobody walks inside them, the crops will actually grow back. And it'll be virtually impossible to tell that there was ever anything there. So that's one of the effects. (0:07:36)

There are many others to do with the growth speeds of the plants, and also the yield of the seeds as well. And there was a, I think, a really good book, again, for people interested by, I think, John Burke, who looked at the yields of seeds, not just from crop circles, but also around ancient sites in the UK as well, which showed that for some reason, the seed heads were bigger, that there was a greater yield in seeds from crop circles and from ancient sites. (0:08:14)

For people looking for loads more detail on the background of this kind of stuff, I'd suggest checking out our first interview as Karen, so we're not repeating too much of the same thing. But for you, what makes a genuine crop circle? When you get to the area, whether it's via helicopter, because obviously you're looking from above at the pattern, the intricacy, the size, what for you really makes it stand out? Well, as you can imagine, it's a whole mix of things. (0:08:40)

So, I mean, one thing that, you know, I would definitely say is that there isn't a 100% litmus test for a crop circle, because obviously the kind of research that was done with Leavengood is labor-intensive, it costs a lot of money to do, it's no longer being done. So, there's all kinds of things. How it appears on the ground is one thing. (0:09:07)

I work very closely with another UK researcher called Dan Vidler, who spent years actually going in and looking at the crops at ground level and photographing and recording all the different things that he sees. So, Dan would be one person I'd want to speak to. Other things, just, I don't know, it's very hard to kind of pin it down, but I would look at things like the geometry and design. (0:09:33)

I'd look at, is this something we've seen before? Or is this something else? Or is this something that we've never seen before and feels out of place? So, lots and lots of different things, really. And the other thing is, I try never to reach a consensus in a hurry. So, whenever there's a season happening, I kind of just let it all unfold. I, you know, get as involved as I can do. (0:09:58)

I speak to a lot of people that are also doing their work as well. And then maybe, you know, at some point I might say, yep, I think this is the real deal, you know. But it's certainly not something that I would do in a hurry. And as you say, it's, you know, there are some tricksy people out there. (0:10:25)

And, you know, and so you, I just find that I take my time with it. And also, I'm prepared for the fact that I might be wrong at any point. Wash your mouth out, Karen. No one's wrong on this subject, as you know. And patience is very rare in the UFO topic. (0:10:39)

And I think many of us are guilty of snap judgments and putting things out or jumping to conclusions. And I try my very best to not do that too often, because you very often end up with egg in your face or a big crop of wheat springing back and smacking you in the face in your case. (0:10:56)

So, you mentioned crop circle season. And again, this might be a really obvious question, but crop circle seasons, are they different throughout the world, given time of year, when crops grow? Talk about the actual season of a crop circle, and where are we in the UK just now? Yeah, so that's, it's exactly right, as you said. (0:11:16)

So it, the crop circle season is essentially, takes place during the crop growing season. Because obviously, when there's not anything in the field, there's nothing for whatever does this, that it doesn't have a canvas. Although I have seen rings in soil, mysterious rings in soil going back a few years. But so yeah, so in the UK, that usually starts, well, around about April time, much of it is weather dependent, have we had a sunny, dry winter or a cold, wet winter. (0:11:45)

And we'll go right the way through until the crops are harvested, which I think this year will probably be quite early, but we're not far off it now. It's been a very long, hot, dry summer here. So I think they will see that the season is a little bit shorter than, I mean, I've known crop circles to go through to September, some years, and then to be over by the end of July. So it really does sort of depend on the weather and the crops and so on. (0:12:11)

But that's the growing season. And it will be exactly the same wherever you are in the world, it'll be during the crop growing season itself. And obviously, the crops themselves, whatever they are, have to be sort of tall enough to hold a crop circle. It's no good a circle happening, you know, when the wheat is three inches high, it's just not going to happen. (0:12:38)

So it's usually when they're getting to be fully grown. So let's talk about what you've been doing this season then. How far into the crop growing season are we in the UK? And what's it been like so far in terms of actual circles? (0:12:49)

So circle numbers are up this year compared to the last couple of years where they've been, the numbers have been quite low. And it started, I think, around, yeah, it started in April this year, we had just a very simple ringed circle near Wimborne in Dorset at sort of mid-April time, and then nothing until mid-May time when there was a circle that probably lots of people have seen on the internet, which was a ringed circle, and it had that lovely sort of Celtic knot design in the middle of it. (0:13:29)

And that, in fact, that crop circle is still there, I think, the farmer has left it in the field for people to be able to go and visit, which is really, really wonderful. But I would imagine it's not far off being harvested now. So right now in the UK, we're getting towards the end of the growing season, we're pretty much into the harvest season now. So anytime, that's it, that's the one. (0:13:53)

And yeah, so anytime now, really, from now on, the farmers are going to start to be bringing the wheat in. There'll be maybe some corn around, maybe through until the end of August, something like that. But although we have had circles in the UK before, they are actually quite rare. So I think we're getting towards the end of it now. So I've put the wind-borne crop circle on the screen from April. As a layman, Karen, for me, I would say that looks pretty basic. (0:14:25)

If you're asking me about in terms of hoaxing, all that kind of stuff. If you looked at me and said, could someone do that? I would say, yeah, that could be man-made. Is there anything to this one that made you think otherwise? Not particularly. I mean, it's important when we look at this thing that just because we might imagine that people could do it, that the answer is that they did do it. (0:14:48)

I know that there's a lot of that kind of thinking around, and it's not always a good thing. But very often at the beginning of a season, we start with simple designs. And then as we go through the season, they'll get more complex. So we get the most complex usually right at the end of the season. So this would be pretty typical of the crop circle season in the UK, that we would start with a simple circle or a ringed circle. And then we would sort of build from there, if you like. (0:15:19)

So the circle that happened straight after this one, again, was another ringed circle, but the circle in the centre was larger. And also it had that nice complicated design in the middle of it. So it does tend to go like that. There is a pattern to it. And that pattern usually begins with something quite simple at the beginning of the season. (0:15:43)

Quite a few listeners wanted me to bring in, and a good place to do it, I think here, a crop circle found in Bavaria, Germany on the 20th of July. So as we record this about 10 days ago. And just before I bring it in, this for me, the intricacy straight away strikes me. (0:15:59)

And if I go from the one I've just shown, for a reason, which could be man-made, could be something else, then you see something like this, which Karen, you'll be better and more eloquent than I am at describing. Can you just talk through what we're looking at on the screen now? So yes, this crop circle was reported, as you say, about 10 days, two weeks ago in Germany. And looking at this is quite a large one, somewhere between 200 and 300 feet in diameter, I would imagine, whereas the small circle at Wimbledon that we've just looked at would probably be less than 100 feet in diameter. (0:16:32)

And as you can see, this one is an incredible pattern. It's incredibly precise and regular. (0:16:40)

As a design, it's not kind of new. It brings in elements of designs that we've seen before in the UK, particularly the centre there, the sort of the sphere with the points. There was a crop circle that had a very similar design to it in Hampshire a few years ago. And then we've got this lovely sort of almost Greek kind of scroll work around the outside, which again, we've seen in a few crop circles in the UK in past years. (0:17:14)

But yeah, it's a really great design. Unfortunately, the farmers now cut this field, but that's because it was cutting the field time in Germany. They're a little bit ahead of the UK, because obviously they're a bit further south than we are. And it didn't last very long. But fortunately, we've got a record of it, which is great. Do you know, I don't know if yourself, you managed to get there, but any colleagues or researchers managed to go and do any kind of experiments on this kind of thing? Because again, for me, I'll put this design as part of the thumbnail for the podcast, I think. (0:17:42)

This one's pretty spectacular, and obviously very recent. Yeah, not that I'm aware of. As I say, it didn't last very long. I think once the farmer knew that it was there, he didn't want a lot of people in his field. It is that time of year where they would be harvesting anyway. So I think probably just decided, right, we'll do this field next. (0:18:04)

I mean, farmers, you know, they have to be, you know, wary, particularly in the heat of the summer that we've had all over Europe. People go in there, they smoke, they light a match, there can be a, you know, a fire before you know it. So it's very often a safety thing. Sometimes in the UK, when we're flying over the fields, we'll see that the farmers will take the tractor in and they'll cut all the way around the perimeter of the field. (0:18:32)

And that's they do that because it's a fire break. So they're trying to, you know, protect the crops that they've got. Because, you know, obviously fire is a huge risk this time of year. So, so yeah, unfortunately, it didn't last long enough. Once the photographer had got the pictures up on the internet, you know, somebody would have alerted the farmer and he decided the best thing to do would be to take it out. (0:19:03)

Yeah, it's sad, you know. Yeah, farmers won't be a fan, will they, of the damage to the crops and the yield and they lose money on this, don't they? Yeah, they do. Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, and it's the thing that's not, you know, brought up too often. You know, I mean, particularly when we're talking about, you know, man-made circles, you know, I mean, it causes hurt and upset, you know, farmers, you know, are very attached very often to the land that they farm, particularly if they're an owner farmer and have farmed that that land for years, it's, you know, I guess it's a bit like somebody coming in and trampling your garden, I don't know, but, you know, it is upsetting for them. (0:19:43)

Again, going back to the farmer at a place called Sutton Vaney in Wiltshire this year, who kept the circle in his field all year, he was able to turn a negative into a positive and, you know, people were able to donate money to a GoFundMe, I think it was, in return for a visit, which helped him to, you know, get some of his money back. But obviously, he would have had to keep an eye on it. (0:20:08)

And that would have been in addition to his other duties as a farmer. So, you know, it would have cost him time as well. But I'm always happy when farmers can find a way to turn a negative into a positive. I think it's, you know, I think it's a good thing in life anyway. But I just think sometimes trying to keep people out of the field when they know that there's something there is difficult, and you can sort of give yourself a heart attack, being up and down the road, trying to tell people to leave. (0:20:46)

But, you know, when they can make it, you know, something good out of it, it's a good thing. So I'm going to get to the guide in just a moment you've got on the website around visiting crop circles, because I think that's important, because again, you're on someone's land and not necessarily always meant to be there. (0:21:00)

And it's important to kind of raise the awareness around that. However, the why of crop circles? Where is Karen Alexander's thinking right now in 2025? (0:21:06)

You know, all those decades of experience and research, and this will be something we talked about a couple of years ago. But I wonder, where are you at in terms of what crop circles are for? What is the reason? Is there one or is it many? I think there are many reasons. I tend to look at the way that crop circles affect people, and then look for some reasoning in that. (0:21:31)

And I think one of the biggest things is that they shock people out of their complacency. You know, on a very, very basic level, here is something that shouldn't be there, and yet is. And it appears in a mysterious way. And, you know, I mean, I've had thousands of conversations with people over the years in circles or around the circles, you know, where people have talked about how much just seeing one sort of opened their mind and got them thinking about, you know, whether it's non-human intelligences, or perhaps the the intelligence of the planet, or what, you know, just all kinds of things, you know, in the trying to find the reason or origin for something, you know, it does, you know, just, just the same as seeing a UFO, you know, that, that it gets you thinking about how, why is there a wider and deeper reality to the world in which we live? And I think the answer to that is yes. I think crop circles and UFOs are part of that. (0:22:39)

And, and I, so I think on a very, very basic level that they do wake people up. And then, then there are many, many different threads that you can pull on that, you know, many people develop a deeper association with nature through this. I mean, it's not very often, is it that you, I mean, sitting in a crop circle is an amazing thing, because very often, you're sat in the middle of nowhere. (0:23:07)

You've got nature all around you very often, you can't even see or hear the traffic. And, you know, it's, again, it's sort of that reconnection somehow with the world around us and a deeper connection as well, all things that we desperately need in our times, I think. And I, and I do think it evolves people, you know, psychologically, and even spiritually, if I'm allowed to say such a thing, that it does, you know, open people up to a whole new view of reality, if you like. (0:23:46)

So I think that's what they're, they're very basic terms. I think that's definitely what, what they do, and therefore must be part of why they're here. That's not unfair. And I wonder, is there anything to that, that distance and location away from civilization, you know, miles and miles from your nearest city tend to be, that there must be a deliberateness to that, and that it is far from the prying eye. (0:24:08)

Whereas if it was something that a non-human intelligence wanted to be seen more readily or frequently or on a bigger scale, you would go to Central Park in New York, and you would make a massive design in the grass. These things seem to be, they're extravagant, they're extraordinary to look at, they're in massive scale quite often, very intricate, but they're quite far away. And I imagine there are crop circles that appear that we don't even hear of. (0:24:39)

Yes, I would imagine that too. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And I mean, some crop circles are, you know, are visible, you know, they could be in a field next to a road. They're not all right, you know, away from civilization. But I mean, obviously, they're in the countryside, very often they're, you know, in small villages or whatever. (0:25:03)

So I think there's a little bit of both in it. And I, and of course, with human society, where it is at the moment, these things get popped up on the internet, and they're there for everybody to see them. So, you know, they're not the vast majority of them, I would expect, don't say, stay a secret. They are around for people to look at. (0:25:22)

And if people were looking... no, carry on. (0:25:26)

Well, I was gonna say, I mean, you know, you listen to the accounts of a lot of UAP experiences, and they'll tell you about this idea of, you know, that we're getting too tech-knowledged, that we don't care enough for our environment, and those kinds of messages. And I would say that some of that is echoed in the crop circle subject as well. (0:25:55)

You know, that there's this idea of a reconnection to nature, and the fact that this happens in nature, as you say, rather than, you know, organizing bricks or whatever. And it's the same question with the UAP thing. I mean, people always say, well, why don't they land on the White House lawn? And it's, you know, it's the eternal question, isn't it? You know, do they want to be seen, or are they deliberately hidden? And I think there's exactly the same kind of tension in the crop circle subject. (0:26:23)

For anyone who maybe wants to go and visit a crop circle, what are some of the do's and don'ts? And again, I'll refer folks to the guide to visiting crop circles, which is on the temporarytemples.co.uk website. But Karen, if you want to kind of go over some of that, the basics for folks. Yeah, I mean, the first thing is really to not go in a field unless you've got permission to be there. That's the first thing. I mean, you can always check the crop circle websites. (0:26:53)

Certainly, we would give information if the farmer was allowing visitors and how, and all the details around that. But otherwise, you really do need permission to be there, because otherwise it's trespass. And it's not going to be a good start if you're caught somewhere you're not supposed to be. The second thing is, you know, to leave the crop circle as you found it. Never ever walk through or flatten any crops or plants. I mean, just don't do it. (0:27:24)

It's a real no-no. If you're walking to enter a crop circle, use the tractor lines. I mean, that we have this wonderful convenience in the UK, because we spray from the ground rather from the air. So we have the convenience of a tractor line. Don't make long lines into a crop circle. It's just not good. (0:27:52)

Don't leave anything in there that shouldn't be there. You know, I mean, I've seen people try to bury crystals and things in crop circles. And it's a nice thought, but not so good for the farmer if he's got, you know, mechanical equipment and things like that. And, you know, don't touch anything and then use your hands to touch your mouth or your eyes, because very often the crops are sprayed. (0:28:20)

What they're sprayed with isn't very good for human beings at that point. So be very careful with that. Always wash your hands afterwards. The same, be really careful with pets. You know, some people like to take their dogs with them if they're walking a dog. You know, again, just be careful because you just don't know what's around and how it's going to affect pets. So be careful with that as well. And then just the simple things. (0:28:42)

If you open a gate, close it behind you. Don't park your car where it's going to be a nuisance to farm vehicles. All those kinds of things. Take a bottle of water with you. You know, it gets hot and there's no shade in the summer. Just sensible, you know, common sense things just to think about. (0:29:10)

And the guide that we wrote with my longtime mentor, Michael Glickman, it's free. It's on the website. You can print it off. It's just a few pointers, just things to think about. Again, it's common sense stuff, but always worth a read before you go. Absolutely. And let's dive into the listener questions, Karen. Thanks to everyone who sent stuff over for Karen. And if I've not got to it, I apologize. But yeah, there was a lot sent over. (0:29:33)

And a couple of similar questions to start off with. So I'll read both of them for you, Karen. So from Vallis, he says, AI is very good at finding patterns. Has anyone fed images of the important crop circles into AI and prompted for an analysis of code, meaning recurring symbols and mathematics? And similarly, Harvey said, Karen, is anyone using AI to unlock information within the patterns of crop circles? I know researchers at MIT have developed a system that can automatically decipher lost languages. Is this an avenue you might go down? (0:30:06)

It probably would be a really interesting avenue to go down. It's probably not something I would do. (0:30:14)

I'm just not experienced enough with that kind of technology to do it. I know a friend of mine, Scott Onstott, who's really quite keen on this. So I think it probably will be something that's done. There's a really great website called cropcirclecenter.com, which is a database of crop circles that go right the way back and also include listings from circles reported all over the world. (0:30:44)

And that would probably be a really good point for people that are interested in doing any kind of work like that with the crop circles. I think, you know, I think AI would, it would be a really interesting analysis to do. I think particularly looking for patternings, because crop circles are patterns, you know, at their most basic. So I think, yeah, it would be a really interesting piece of work to do. (0:31:07)

It's just something I don't feel qualified to do myself. That's very fair. I've just looked up crop circle center there, and I've put the link in the description to go and check that one out. Thank you, Karen. Do you think AI, do you think it may be something for the newer generations coming through then? And I see that someone who's 39, like kids are good with this kind of stuff now, and they're learning things like coding and AI prompting or LLM prompting at a very young age now. And it's perhaps something that researchers who have been involved in this for a long time, maybe don't see the value in themselves, or it's a case of, you know what, I've got my expertise, I've got what I can do. (0:31:51)

Let's let the new generations coming through get involved in this because this can be their way to further these studies. And I'm sure, Karen, if there's someone listening to this who is an expert with prompting on LLMs and that kind of stuff and GPT, get in touch with Karen. Her contact details are on the website and offer your services. Karen doesn't go around charging people to view and research crop circles, that's something she does on her own dime. (0:32:16)

So I don't think there'll be money there for you. But they've a great experience, a great wealth of knowledge. And it's something people ask me often, how can they get involved in the topic? If you've got a real passion and thirst for the burgeoning and emerging AI scene, maybe that's a way to go. (0:32:33)

So yeah. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. You know, it is something, as I say, that I don't have a great expertise in and I am now an older person. But yeah, I mean, I think it would be incredibly interesting to see what AI would make if there could be any connections that could be made on that level between many of the formations. So yeah, absolutely. I'd be interested in anybody who would, you know, be interested in doing that. (0:32:57)

Question from Nocease says, Andy, does Karen know of any reputable circle cases between 1945 and 85 that cannot be contributed or attributed to Doug and Dave, the hoaxers or modern circle makers that became famous from the 1990s onwards? The reason I ask is because my grandfather on my mother's side was a farmer in Cambridge up until the late 60s. And when crop circles became mainstream in the 90s, he claimed to have seen them during his farming years. (0:33:27)

However, these were just circles, nothing more complex. Yeah. Yeah, I've heard many, many similar stories. There's a wonderful book, actually. It's called The Secret History of Crop Circles, and it's by an author called Terry Wilson. And that looks at historical. So going right the way back to look at basically historical sightings of circles pre the modern age, which I would say was probably the late 1970s, early 1980s. So his book is really, really good and has some really interesting cases in it. (0:34:07)

You can still get copies of it. I think secondhand copies of it on the Internet. And it's a really good read. So I could recommend Terry's book, definitely. (0:34:12)

The Doug and Dave thing. Am I right that this may be one of those hawk circles? I'm just going to bring it in, Karen. Is that one you're familiar with, I've put on screen? Yep, it is. Yep. From a few years ago now. Yeah. The Doug and Dave stories, it's a really interesting one. I think we talked a little bit about this last time that I was on the podcast. (0:34:39)

Yeah. Obviously, they're no longer around. And the circles that they made for TV or whatever, were a lot more simple than something like this. This is actually really interesting. I mean, if you, I mean, one of the great ways of getting to know how easy or difficult something is, is to actually try and draw it yourself on paper. (0:35:06)

And the first thing that I would have difficulty with this is, is drawing the octagram, which is the eight sided shape that goes around here, without drawing a circle first. If I was to draw this on paper, I'd want to draw the octagon in a circle so that I could do the, sorry, so that I could get the angles, the angles and the sectors, the correct degrees. (0:35:30)

So that would be quite difficult to do for a starter. How do you do that accurately? So a lot of these are not as easy as they look. And also, if I remember rightly, there's some golden section proportioning going on in this particular circle. And it would also do something called squaring the circle, which is that where there is a circle or a square within, hidden within the design that have a similar or equal perimeter or area. (0:36:01)

So very often, even though crop circles look, you know, quite simple, when you get them on the drawing board, and you actually look at how they're put together geometrically, it's a lot more complex than it looks. So I actually really liked this particular crop circle, and I don't see any reason to put it the black bin. Fair enough. I would look at that one compared to the Bavaria circle from before. (0:36:27)

And I think as intricate as this one looks, it looks rough. I mean, I couldn't begin, like you say, to even draw this on paper, let alone attempt to do that in a crop. But again, for me, I would look at that and say, yes, intricate, but it looks off kilter, the proportions aren't right. And it's not as clean and polished as the Bavarian crop circle. (0:36:56)

So for me, it's actually not as rough as it looks, it really isn't. You know, I think when you see a direct overhead image of it, you'll see that it's pretty regular. But yeah, I mean, again, I would, again, want to speak to somebody who'd been inside it, I'd want to know, you know, what they've seen inside and so on. Again, you know, another recommendation for people is a great website called, I think it's called Crop Circles UK. And it's run by researcher Dan Bidler, who does all the ground research, and to go and take a look at some of the things that he's found inside circles, and even circles where you wouldn't necessarily, you know, think that it was particularly complex, you know, geometrically or whatever, that he still finds these amazing things going on on the ground. (0:37:51)

So yeah, some, you know, with this, there's a little bit of a don't judge a book by its cover, because sometimes, you know, what what is might not be going on from the air for you is actually going on on the ground. So if you know, yeah, don't judge a book by its cover too quickly. (0:38:09)

You were close, it was UK Crop Circles, not Crop Circles UK. And again, that will be in the description, folks. That's good. For the love of God, Karen, no more recommendations before I start running out of space here. No, but it's some good stuff. And I'll put that in there too. So next question, it was back to Vallis. And Vallis, let me know, I've pronounced that wrong in the past, V-A-L-L-I-S. I don't know if it's Vallee or Vallis, sir. Have claims of residual microwaves, frequencies and humming sounds stood up to scrutiny over time, Karen? (0:38:42)

I think the problem, I think the problem with that is that whenever those sounds have been heard, that a lot of the time they've not been recorded, or those that they have, those that have been very, very fleeting. And so I think that there's only maybe a handful of recordings of it. Have they stood up to scrutiny? Well, it depends on the scrutiny that you're talking about, obviously. I mean, one of those famous cases happened with Colin Andrews, one of the first crop circle researchers in the UK. He was doing an interview for the BBC, I think, in a crop circle, I think in Hampshire somewhere. And there was a cameraman, a sound guy. (0:39:29)

And they were studying, it was quite a simple circle, I think, one of the early ones. And they suddenly started to hear this sort of electronic sound. And I believe that whatever it was, it didn't happen for very long. But it completely ruined the equipment that the BBC team were using, I think, both the camera and the recording, the sound recording, I think, as well. (0:39:56)

And in fact, it's that parts of that recording, because it's only very brief, and that are used in the CSETI protocols. And, you know, so, again, it's, it's kind of, they're very sort of disparate things. And I don't believe that apart from some research at the early days, when most of those recordings happened, that there's been much work done on them, but they happened. (0:40:28)

Absolutely, they did. Yeah. A good follow-up question to that, Karen, is from Pixel Wolf. Given the theories about crop circles, particularly those suggesting they are messages or have an energetic signature, I'm curious about the how. Have you encountered any compelling evidence or hypotheses, even speculative ones, that explore the possibility of these formations being influenced or manifested through non-physical means, perhaps through some form of directed consciousness or psychokinetic energy? Yeah, so this is a very, very big part of the crop circle subject, is the question of human consciousness and the phenomenon itself. (0:41:11)

And is it possible that the two are connected? Is it possible that one can influence the other and vice versa? And I think the answer to that is yes. I think that there are plenty of really good stories around from researchers, myself included, where we've looked at, is it possible for human consciousness to affect what goes on in the field? And this was a question that has been around from the very earliest days. (0:41:46)

And I remember in the very early 90s, when the Centre for Crop Circle Studies was still in operation, that one of the early papers written by the chairman at the time was about this question. And it arose because of people's experiences with the circles. And one of the things that people began to notice straight away was that there was an element of synchronicity involved in the subject somehow. (0:42:15)

So people would say, oh, I'd be driving or cycling somewhere, and I'd go past a field. I think, oh, that would be a great place for a crop circle, only for there to be one the next time they were there. Or for researchers to have crop circles show up near where they live. (0:42:31)

That's happened to me, but not just to me, it's happened to many other people as well. And then, of course, there's the more complex version of that, where people have actually got together and looked at, is it possible if we meditate on a design, would that happen? Do crop circles show up in your dreams? That sort of thing. (0:43:02)

I had a dream just before the crop circle season this year, and I dreamt about seeing a circle on the side of a hill, and it was like a long string of beads. And at one end was like a loop, and then at the other end was like a Celtic knot thing. And actually, when we flew over the Sutton Vaney circle right at the beginning of the season, I think that my dream was linked to it. (0:43:29)

Although the pattern of the circle wasn't the same, it contained many of the same elements. Now, is that part of the way that human consciousness interacts with reality itself, and that there was something a little bit prophetic about it? I don't know the answer to that. But many people have these kind of connections and attachments, which suggest... I mean, another really famous way of looking at this was that, particularly, again, in the early days, researchers would say, we've been looking at the crop circles, and we've decided that all real crop circles do this, and if they don't do this, then they're definitely a hoax, only for the next circle to happen to do the very thing that they said was a hoax. (0:44:25)

So again, there is lots of evidence and stories that kind of show that this is the case. And myself, I've been involved in this. It's a long story, so I'm not going to bore you with it now. And I won't recommend another book, Andy, but there are a couple of books out there that tell these kinds of stories about that interaction with human consciousness, and about how it may well be possible that the human mind can, in some way, influence or connect with whatever is involved with the crop circles. (0:44:57)

I recommend the book, by the way. I was only joking before. Go for it. Okay, I have two. So the first one is my own, which is a very small book. It's called Charlie Knowles, An Archetypal Crop Circle Story. And it was published in small numbers, but I am about to put the PDF of it on the website. (0:45:17)

So keep an eye out for it on there. You'll just be able to download that for free and read it. The other one is a book called Quest for Contact, which was written by the researcher Andy Thomas, who I know that you've had on the podcast as well. And that's another really great book about the work that he did. (0:45:34)

And I was also involved in that, where we looked at the possibility of that. And in both those stories, crop circles appeared that were almost, you know, it was hard to deny that they had, that the human beings had played some part in that. So yeah, two good books to read there. Question from Toby. Toby says, Hi Karen, I hope you're well. (0:46:01)

Do you have any insight into why the number of formations has declined so significantly over the past five years or so seasons? Whilst I find a sad this is the case, I'm also fascinated by this aspect of the phenomenon as a phenomenon in itself. I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks and best wishes. Toby from Guernsey. Oh, hi Toby. Yeah, I mean, it is, it's an interesting thing. (0:46:24)

I mean, crop circles have always been up and down numbers wise. I mean, I remember 1993 was a particularly slim year when it, you know, came to crop circle numbers. And then they began to build again, sort of from the mid 90s onwards. I think the apex of, you know, speaking number wise was probably around 2009. And then sort of after, maybe after 2012, they sort of began a decline. (0:46:58)

I think 23 and 24, again, were really lean years, not many around. But this year, there's been an uptick again. So it's, you know, it is a, I mean, there could be many, many different reasons for it, you know, perhaps even reasons that we've not even thought about. But it could also mean that, you know, perhaps we are, you know, maybe coming to the end of it, you know, it's not an impossibility that one day it may stop. (0:47:29)

So I, you know, again, it's, it's, I don't have any particular, you know, thoughts on it. I mean, some people have talked about numbers matching sunspot activity and things like that, again, which is interesting, or even related to the depth of the water table in the UK. So yeah, there are lots and lots of different, different reasons. (0:47:57)

You know, but yes, they have been in decline apart from this year, when there are a few more. Human Neutrino asked, what is the typical size of a crop circle? Okay, so the average size of a crop circle is around about 200 feet. And, you know, and then you can get very small ones, and you can get ones that are really large. So I think one of the largest ones was about 1000 feet across, which was the Milk Hill one from 2001. So yeah, they do really vary. (0:48:31)

I've been in tiny ones, you know, which to me are just as interesting as the big ones. But, you know, yeah, about 200 is the average. And really good timing, Karen, to bring up Milk Hill. So on that, and I'm going to try and get the picture. I know it's a video, but we'll see. Shane says, recently a person named Citizen D was interviewed on the Grimerica podcast. (0:48:54)

Citizen D claims to have been a crop circle maker and knows of many other makers. He says that he knows exactly who created the Milk Hill orb video, the one that shows the balls of light making the circle, and that it's totally and absolutely fake. (0:49:05)

He didn't mention all the other videos of the same white orbs in the area that were filmed over a tractor flying off screen, seemingly at high speeds, nor did he mention the orb that was flying around a helicopter, just the one above the field. So my questions are, can Karen confirm the Milk Hill video is indeed fake? What about the other videos of the similar orbs in the area? And does she know who Citizen D is? Okay, so the first answer is no, I don't know who Citizen D is. (0:49:31)

And I didn't hear the interview, unfortunately. Actually, the video that you're talking about is the Oliver's Castle video, not the Milk Hill video. The Milk Hill crop circle is something completely different. So this is the video that came out in 1996 of a crop circle that appeared below Oliver's Castle, which is sort of a natural ancient hillfort, sorry, not natural, but an ancient hillfort in Wiltshire. Been lots of crop circles around there over the years. (0:50:01)

I remain agnostic about the video, I have to say, which gets me into a lot of trouble with a lot of my friends. But I am quite agnostic about that. I do know, I definitely know that balls of light are a thing in and around crop circles, because I've seen them. And one of the videos that you mentioned there about one of them flying over the tractor was actually taken by my husband, Steve. And that video is completely authentic. (0:50:35)

And what was nice about it was that the tractor driver remembered seeing it. And in fact, his tractor cut out as the light went over as he was turning in his field, and was interviewed afterwards by researchers. So there's no doubt about it, there is a link between whatever these balls of light are and crop circles. And they have some very interesting properties. (0:51:04)

One of which is that when I've seen videos of them, the closer to the person that the light is, the smaller it seems, and the further away, the bigger it seems, which is completely counterintuitive, you would expect it to be the other way around. I guess what makes the Oliver's Castle footage stand out was because it purports to show how a crop circle is made. And certainly, I think it's how many researchers think that crop circles might be made. (0:51:28)

That's the Milk Hill circle. So the Oliver's Castle one was 1996 and was like a big snowflake. And so in one respect, it kind of shows what a lot of researchers thought about how crop circles were made. Is it genuine? I don't know. There's actually been some recent research done into it, or some analysis, recent analysis, which I think you can look at, I'm sure you can look it up. (0:52:01)

And the recent analysis, I think that the opinion was that they thought that it was real. So, you know, it's very difficult, isn't it? And it's also difficult when, if this was a man-made fake video or whatever, that the person hasn't come forward to say, hey, yeah, it's definitely mine and I did it. (0:52:28)

That would help clear it up, wouldn't it? But yeah, so I remain agnostic about it. It's interesting, but I can't prove it one way or the other. No, that's fair. I think one that if folks are indeed anyway well-versed in the crop circle phenomenon will know this picture. And it was from Nick. He asks, what does Karen think of the Crabwood alien crop circle? Yeah, I mean, again, this one is, obviously it's a real mystery. (0:52:56)

I don't know. I actually went in this crop circle and I can tell you at ground level it was completely incomprehensible. You had no idea what it was that you were stood in at all. So, you know, it was an incredible thing to behold. And in fact, I think when Steve actually flew over this circle, because I wasn't with him when he flew over this one, that he didn't, it wasn't until he was looking at the pictures after they'd been developed, because this was the time where we were still using film, that we suddenly realised what it was. So, yeah, I mean, again, you know, there are, you know, debunking theories about this one. (0:53:32)

Some say it was made to promote the movie Signs. I don't know if that's the case or not. Certainly, I don't think the farmer has said anything to that effect. So I don't know is the answer to that. But yeah, I mean, and this one, this one was, for me, when I went inside it, all I can tell you is that it was completely buzzing. (0:54:02)

That, you know, the air felt crackly is the only way I can put it into words. When I walked in it, it just felt like it, you know, that it was alive somehow. And I, you know, again, I just think it's one of those that is very, very interesting. (0:54:17)

I mean, there have been other depictions of the, you know, the alien face and things in Crop Circle design, but they've been much more geometric rather than this, which is, you know, the design is made from, you know, standing and flattened lines. But I could certainly, I couldn't think of how I would do this at ground level. But yeah, I don't know. Just for those on audio, it's like, it's strange that it's not just one pattern. (0:54:48)

You've got, separately, you've got a desk with lots of little dots and almost like it's like Morse code going around or something akin to that, yeah, that would be worked out. And then separately, as part of that, you have an almost passport photograph style of, would you say it's more of a grey or mantis type looking being because of the eyes? I don't know. (0:55:09)

It could be. It could be either, couldn't it? Yeah. Yeah. It could be either. Yeah. But it looks like it's been made or the picture, like if you had an old printer or like a Game Boy where you could print stuff off of your Game Boy screen and you would have that poor quality because of the time. (0:55:30)

But someone's done that in a crop and a huge scale. And like you see, just the way to do that on a piece of paper would be artistically quite difficult, let alone do that sort of artwork in a crop. And do you know what? Maybe someone's listening to this, Karen, going, oh, that would be so easy. (0:55:46)

You would just have to do X, Y and Z. I would love to see it attempted because it's very intricate for me. It's ridiculous in what it is, because it's not a really fancy, you know, like the Bavaria or Milk Hill or any other crop circle you want to name. It's nothing as intricate like that. But it's a picture of an alien. And when I say passport photograph picture, folks, that's almost what it's like, you know, side on. So, yeah, really strange, very intricate in its own way. (0:56:15)

And yeah, it is. And unlike any other crop circle that we've had seen before or since. So it really does stand out as a thing on its own. You know, yeah, design wise, completely unique. Karen, what we'll do is we'll wrap up there because we're getting towards the hour mark now and you've been very genuine with your time. I just want to give you the kind of final word. (0:56:37)

Do you want to let folks know kind of what the plans are for the rest of this crop circle season, what you're up to in terms of the work on your research and anything else you want to say? So, yeah, at the moment, I think we're sort of coming, we're winding down the season, but still maybe hoping for one or two more. Who knows? So we're kind of on standby for that. (0:56:57)

The next thing that I'm going to be doing is organising our annual conference, which we do online. And there will be details of that on the website in the events section as soon as I've sorted it out. Normally it takes place throughout October. We do one or two speakers on a Saturday and Sunday throughout the whole month. (0:57:18)

And you can come and listen in to the live or you can purchase the recordings afterwards. But that's a great way to hear what other researchers are doing and also to sort of make connections with people. So please keep an eye out for that. And then, oh, I guess the last thing is I should really plug our new yearbook. (0:57:41)

So we're kind of playing catch up with the yearbook since Covid. And so the next one that we're going, we put one out every year. We've been doing it for over 25 years. And these are, they're essentially big, they're essentially picture books. They have the sort of the best ones that we've been able to record that year. (0:58:02)

And there's a little bit of commentary about them. And the next one we're going to put out is our 2022 edition, which we're just finishing up now. It's going to be hitting the printers very, very soon. So if you're interested in keeping up with that, with the yearbooks, then that's the next one that's going to be ready. (0:58:17)

But other than that, yeah, I hope to see some people at the conference. That would be nice. Some new people, especially. Awesome. Go and check out the website. The link is in the description, folks. And Karen's work, check out our books if you're at all interested in the crop circle phenomenon. Thank you for all the questions, Karen. Thank you again so much for your time. Been great speaking with you again. (0:58:34)

Oh, pleasure. Absolute pleasure. And thank you for the questions as well. That's really great. Your eyes keep looking over my shoulder. And for folks, spurious link on the audio side of things. This may not be ideal, but very quickly, I've actually got a hard copy of my book, folks. I'll do a little proper video for it online. (0:58:55)

So anyone looking in the background, that's the actual book. I have the real proper atlas of UFOs here, loads of maps, pictures, and there is text and stuff in there as well that I wrote. So if you've not pre-ordered it and planning on doing so, great time. It's real. It's an actual thing. Look, there you go. For the audio, folks, that flick was the hard back of the book. (0:59:16)

So I'll do a proper little... How do I get one of those? How do I get a signed... How do you get a signed copy? Well, there's so many different ways. Nathan, I'm glad you asked to order. But what we'll do is we'll go through that at the end, okay? So I don't annoy folks right now tuning in for the actual UFO news. Go and shut the fuck up, Andy, and just get on with it. (0:59:31)

But yeah, ask me again at the end, Nathan. I can run through all those details with you. Good man. (0:59:36)

(2025-08-16)