Real-Life X-Files (14 page)

The burden remains with the cereologists to justify postulating anything other than such hoaxes for the mystery circles. In the meantime, an insightful reviewer has characterized the circles effect as “a form of graffiti on the blank wall of southern England” (J. Johnson 1991). Although the phenomenon has clearly exhibited aspects of social contagion like other fads and crazes—the goldfish–swallowing contest of 1939 comes to mind (Sane 1967,789–92)—the graffiti analogy is especially apt. Just as graffiti is a largely clandestine activity produced by a variety of scribblers and sketchers possessed of tendencies to indulge in mischief, urge religious fervor, provide social commentary, show off elaborate artistic skills, or the like, so the crop–circle phenomenon has seemingly tapped the varied motives of equally varied circle makers—from bored or mischievous farmhands to UFO buffs and New Age mystics, to self–styled crop artists, and possibly to others. The phenomenon is indeed mysterious, but the mystery may be only the ever–present one of human behavior.

Additional information on crop circles comes from what I can literally call my field research. On Sunday, June 18,1994,1 went on an expedition into the vast wheat crops, conducted especially for me by veteran crop–circle investigators Chris Nash and John Eastmond (both of Southampton University), with an assist from the United Kingdom’s
Skeptical Inquirer
representative, Michael J. Hutchinson (who did not, however, accompany us on the trip). With Chris at the wheel, the three of us motored into the picturesque Wiltshire countryside. We passed through charming thatched–roof villages—including that of Avebury, set amid a great prehistoric circle of standing stones—and came upon a hillside adorned with a giant white horse (one of several ancient effigies formed by exposing the underlying chalk). By nightfall, we had discovered a handful of circles and pictograms. Two that were reasonably accessible are shown in the accompanying photos. The first was composed of a line of circles—a dozen by my count, or, as Chris waggishly clarified, mocking the exaggerating tone of crop–circle enthusiasts, “exactly a dozen.” (Rather than follow the tractor “tramlines” into the figure, we took a shortcut, carefully picking our way through the wheat.) It is of course easier to see the overall pattern on a slope from a distance rather than from within the pictogram. The skeptics did not have with them their pole–mounted camera, but John bravely climbed atop my shoulders for a better view and a snapshot from my camera. (See
figure 10.1.)
Examining the swirl pattern, Chris thought the figure a rather ordinary example of a relatively simple pictogram.

Figure 10.1. British skeptic Chris Nash examines the swirled–grain pattern in
this slightly elevated view of a Wiltshire pictogram.

The second one we examined was more unusual, with a crescentand–circle design, but it appeared somewhat older, since the wheat was recovering from having been matted. Amusingly, the farmer had placed crude signs at the gate, requesting that visitors please use the footpath so as not to damage the crop and announcing huffily: “The Circle—It’s a Hoax.” Located just opposite the ancient man–made mound, Silbury Hill
(figure 10.2)
, the pictogram was nevertheless pronounced genuine by a group of local dowsers who had preceded us to the site. One of them twitched his magical wands for the camera and explained that the swirled patterns were produced by spirits of the earth. He observed that the fig–ure was on a “ley line” (a supposed path of mystical energy) that ran from nearby West Kennet Long Barrow through Silbury Hill to another ancient site.

Figure 10.2. John Eastmond (left) and author examine the “hoax” pictogram
located opposite the famous manmade mound, Silbury Hill, seen in the
background

Subsequently, we made our way to the top of the hill to the nearby ancient barrow, where we encountered a group of young Christian evangelists. As we explored the barrow’s tunnel–like passage with its flanking burial niches, overhead the young people sang and rhythmically clapped their hands to “bless” the site and counter any evil forces. Off in the distance was another hill slope adorned with a large pictogram. After dark we rested over refreshments at an old stone tavern, where cereologistshad once congregated in droves. It was now hosting, among others, a group of jockeys and three skeptics—at least one of whom was tired but delighted with the afternoons rich and colorful experiences.

References

BBC program, “County File,” 1988. Oct.

Blitzer, Morris J. 1990. Interview by Joe Nickell, Aug. 28.

Chorost, Michael. 1991. Circles of note: a continuing bibliography.
MUFON UFO Journal
, 276: 14–17, April.

Daugherty, Charles T. 1990. Interview by Joe Nickell, Aug. 28.

Delgado, Pat, and Colin Andrews. 1989.
Circular Evidence
. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Phanes.

Donnelly, Sally B. 1989. Going forever around on circles.
Time
, Sept. 11, 12.

England perplexed by crop–field rings. 1989.
Denver Post
, Oct. 29. Field of dreams. 1990.
Omni
. Dec., 62–67.

Fuller, Paul. 1988. Mystery circles: Myth in the making.
International UFO Reporter
. May/June, 4–8.

Grossman, Wendy. 1990. Crop circles create rounds of confusion.
Skeptical Inquirer
14: 117–18.

Johnson, Jerold R. 1991. Pretty pictures. MUFON UFO Journal 275:18, March.

Johnson, Larry F. 1991. Crop circles.
Georgia Skeptic
, 4(3), n.p.

Kinder, Gary. 1987.
Light Years
. New York: Atlantic Monthly.

Levengood, W.C. 1994. Anatomical anomalies in crop formation plants.
Physiologia Plantarum
92: 356–63.

McGuire, Donna, and Eric Adler. 1990. More puzzling circles found in fields.
Kansas City (Missouri) Star
, Sept. 21.

Meaden, George Terence. 1989.
The Circles Effect and Its Mystery
. Bradford–on– Avon, Wiltshire: Artetech

———.1989–1990. A note on observed frequencies of occurrence of circles inBritish cornfields.
Fortean Times
, 53: 52–53, winter.

Michell, John. 1989–1990. Quarrels & calamities of the cereologists.
Fortean Times
, 53: 42–48, winter.

Mystery circles in British cornfields throw a curve to puzzled scientist. 1990.
Newark Star–Ledger
, Jan. 10.

Nickell, Joe. 1996. Levengood’s crop–circle plant research.
Skeptical Briefs
6.2 (June): 1–2.

Noyes, Ralph. 1989. Circular arguments.
MUFON UFO Journal
258:16–18, Oct.

———, ed. 1990.
The Crop Circle Enigma
. Bath, England: Gateway.

Pearce, Dennis. 1991. Report to Joe Nickell. July 21.

Pickering, Keith. 1990. Unpublished monograph, Dec. 3.

Randles, Jenny. 1991a. Nature’s crop circles nature’s UFOs.
International UFO Reporter
, May/June, 14–16,24.

———. 1991b. Measuring the circles.
Strange Magazine
, 7: 24–27, April.

Randles, Jenny, and Paul Fuller. 1990.
Crop Circles: A Mystery Solved.
London: Robert Hale.

Sann, Paul. 1967.
Fads, Follies and Delusions of the American People.
New York: Bonanza.

Schmidt, William E. 1991. Two “jovial con men” take credit (?) for crop circles.
New York Times
, Sept. 10.

Shoemaker, Michael T. 1990. Measuring the circles.
Strange Magazine
, 6:32–35, 56–57.

Story, Ronald D. 1980. The
Encyclopedia of UFOs
. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday.

A witness from Whitness. 1989–1990.
Fortean Times
53: 37, winter.

Chapter 11

Marshall Herff Applewhite (1931-1997) and Bonnie Lu Trousdale Nettles (ca. 1927-1985) were styled “UFO missionaries extraordinary” in a 1976 book by that name compiled by ufologist Hayden Hewes and paranormal pulp writer Brad Steiger (Hewes and Steiger 1976). The story of Applewhite and Nettles is a bizarre tale of fantasy that led eventually to psychosis and to the annihilation of an entire cult.

Fantasy Proneness

In their pioneering study of the fantasy-prone personality, Sheryl C. Wilson and Theodore X. Barber (1983) stated that, as suggested by their research data, “individuals manifesting the fantasy-prone syndrome may have been overrepresented among famous mediums, psychics, and religious visionaries of the past” (371). Wilson and Barber found that they could use biographies of mystics—like Helena P. Blavatsky (1831-1891), the founder of Theosophy—to determine whether or not such a person had the requisite fantasy characteristics. Discovering in the affirmative in the case of Madame Blavatsky, Wilson and Barber reported: “When we look further back in history, we find that famous psychics and mediums of the past also had the characteristics we have found in fantasy-prone subjects” (371). Sixteenth-century occultist Jerome Cardan, visionaries Joan of Arc and St. Bernadette of Lourdes, and others, like Christian Science founder Mary Baker Eddy (who talked with spirits), exhibited the traits of fantasy proneness. Also, “almost all [of their research subjects] who had many realistic out-of-the-body experiences and all who had the prototypic ‘near-death experience,’” were fantasy prone (371-72).

I found numerous fantasy-prone characteristics among a group of persons who believed they had been abducted by aliens (Nickell 1996). Subsequently, I have been applying Wilson and Barber’s suggestion about famous mystics to a number of contemporary and historical individuals, ranging from psychic sleuth Dorothy Allison and the prophetess Jeane Dixon, to faith healer Kathrynn Kuhlman, hierophant Aleister Crowley, and “sleeping prophet” Edgar Cayce. In each case, after I determine from biographies or autobiographies that the person was fantasy prone, I then write a short life history of him or her, being sure to include in the sketch sufficient evidence of the fantasy traits. I have considered fourteen po-tential characteristics from Wilson and Barber for these “fantasy-assess-ment biographies” (as I call them):

(a) being an excellent hypnotic subject,

(b) having imaginary playmates as a child,

(c) fantasizing frequently as a child,

(d) adopting a fantasy identity,

(e) experiencing imagined sensations as real,

(f) having vivid sensory perceptions,

(g) reliving past experiences,

(h) claiming psychic powers,

(i) having out-of-body or floating experiences,

(j) receiving poems, messages, etc., from spirits, higher intelligences, and the like,

(k) being involved in “healing,”

(l) encountering apparitions,

(m) experiencing hypnagogic hallucinations (waking dreams), and

(n) seeing classical hypnagogic imagery (such as spirits or monsters from outer space).

I have considered the possession of six or more of these characteristics to indicate fantasy proneness.

The following is an example of a fantasy-assessment biography. Actually it is a combined biography of the two “UFO missionaries” who founded Heaven s Gate, the cult whose adherents shocked the world with their mass suicide in Rancho Santa Fe, California, in 1997.

Marshall Applewhite was the son of a domineering Presbyterian minister of the same name. Little is known of his childhood, but he was born in Spur, Texas, in 1931. He was, his sister said, “very outgoing and caring” as a child (Winant 1997). In 1948, he graduated from Corpus
Christi High School, then attended Austin College and, briefly, Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, where he studied sacred music. In addition, he served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He received a master s degree in music from the University of Colorado and was choir director at a Presbyterian school in Kingsville, Texas. Subsequently, he held the same post at several other churches (Hewes and Steiger 1976, 24-27). At some point, Applewhite married and became the father of two children.