PHOTO: Crop circle at Syverstad farm, 11th of August 1999.
PHOTO: Crop circle at Syverstad farm, 11th of August 1999.
This is how a field suddenly looked at Syverstad farm in 1999, and if more of this kind appears, please call. Eva Brekkestø feels certain that we are facing the greatest mystery of our time.
Text: Morten Hallset – Photo: Eva Groven / morten.halsett@budstikka.no
She is the leader of something called The Norwegian Crop Circle Group and she knows that she risks being considered completely crazy. Crop circles are the strange, clean cut and beautiful patterns that suddenly, and without any explanation, appear in grain fields. They might measure several hundred metres across. The pattern at Syverstad measured 32.
Any healthy sceptic will of course claim that the patterns are made by pranksters, who when not observed, are trampling the fields. It’s not a problem to enter a grain field without leaving any traces, most farmers claim. That does not explain the phenomenon, says Eva.
The two Britons Dough and Dave supported this theory in 1991 when they claimed to have made all crop circles that had occurred in England up till then, -several thousands of them. The problem was, however, that records from the 1600s show that crop circles already existed, and, in addition: How could anyone make a complicated formation, 300 metres in diameter such as one that have occurred in England, in less than 3 hours. Another formation, near Stonehenge, came about during a time span of 50 minutes. A pilot who flew over the area twice during the 50 minutes, as well as four guards at Stonehenge, confirm the story. In parts of England so many crop circles appear that, every morning, aircrafts survey the area to register the new ones.
- Some circles are clearly man-made and they can be revealed as such because they are not symmetrical and inaccurate. The circle that appeared at Løken farm in the community of Bærum (close to Oslo. Ed.) showed such characteristics. But the two formations that appeared nearby the same year at Syverstad and Vettre, one a few days after the other, showed the more classical symmetry, explains Eva-Marie Brekkestø. She lives at Jar, works as a teacher in Oslo and is married to Sten “Norwegian Wood” Randers Fredriksen (he is one of the owners of a famous Norwegian rock festival called Norwegian Wood. Ed.).
IN THE FIELD: Eva Bekkestø leader of The Norwegian Crop Circle Group enjoys summer in the fields.
But what mysteries might the fields bring this year?
- Sten tells me that everyone has a hang-up, and that mine is at least beautiful, explains Eva-Marie cheerfully, referring to the sometimes very ingenious crop circle designs while incessantly elaborating on the beautiful formations in southern England.
And it’s easy to get carried away when she describes the beauty and all the documentation as to the genuinity of this strange phenomenon. She shows videos and piles of books, magazines and fhotographs. It’s not at all difficult to believe her when she tells us that she has been totally lost to the crop circles since 1996 when, on her way home from work, she was reading an English magazine in which she found fascinating things.
- I fell in love there and then and decided to order books about the subject. Then we went to England, to the area close to Stonehenge and farther north, where crop circles most frequently appear. Afterwards I contacted local newspapers in Norway, UFO-organisations etc. and started to register Norwegian crop circles.
- This ought be referred to as UFOs, but do not represent the ”traditional” type of UFOs, says Eva-Marie, as she plays a video footage shot by a young Englishman called Weyleigh. The footage has been examined by several experts who have nor been able to prove it a hoax. The footage shows a grain field, and then, at first two, then three, balls of light appear. The lights move very quickly above the field in different directions. Then, as they change direction, they accelerate so fast that the Weyleigh cannot follow them anymore. In the field below a symmetrical pattern has been created. The downed plants within the pattern is perfectly organised in swirls and turfs, and the whole thing happened in some few seconds. You can actually see how the pattern is formed underneath the moving light balls.
- I’ve actually seen a similar light phenomenon in England, close to a crop circle we visited. We discovered the ball of light in one of the photographs we took at the place, says Eva-Marie who was the initiator of The Norwegian Crop circle Group. Trough their homepage the group spreads generous information about this strange phenomenon. She travels around to symposiums and other places, whenever she’s invited, to hold lectures.
- Our aim is that our group gets well enough known for people to automatically report to us when they see something. Thus enabling us, on short notice, to travel to the crop circle to photograph and study it.
WORKS OF ART: Crop circles often look like the most beautiful works
of art, like this one shown by Eva Marie Brekkestø.
- For 12 years, American researchers have studied crop and soil samples from 250 different crop circles. In 90% of the formations the plants have changed, both internally and in appearance, or the soil has changed chemically. Furthermore, the germination rate of the grain is changed. In ripe plants the germination rate increases, and in young plants it decreases, Eva-Marie explains while showing us some affected stalks of grain.
- In some of these stalks you’ll see that the nodes are elongated up till two or three times the normal node length. It seems that they have been strongly heated, which makes the moisture in the nodes turn into vapour, which then has to escape the nodes. In old and dry plants as the ones you can see here, she says holding out a couple of stalks, the nodes seem to have exploded.
PHOTO: Halset Farm, Furnes nr Hamar, 8th of August 2002.
IN CIRCLE: The plants that are flattened lay in neat patterns.
She refers to the theory that an electro-magnetical force must be involved to create such effects.
Researchers also points out that the source emanating this electro-magnetism might be a ball of light above the centre of the formation. The plants at the centre of the formation are the most affected and the changes decline towards the periphery. A couple of the crop patterns even resemble the iron particle pattern created by a magnet, that we remember from school days.
- Which are the theories trying to explain the crop circles?
- There are several, including everything from “greetings” from intelligences in space, witches, earth energies and the Gaia Theory, - which says that the earth herself, Gaia, makes the crop circles. Some think our collective unconscious is behind the phenomenon. Many of the patterns resemble Indian mandalas, - ancient geometric symbols. A lot of advanced mathematics is expressed through the patterns.
- Where do you stand in this question? – My main focus is not on the purely material aspect of the crop circles. Even though I believe there are intelligent life forms in the universe, I do not primarily see them as alien humanoids visiting us in material crafts. Some see the crop circles as a prelude to the alien’s arrival on earth. Whole books are written from this point of view. This might be something one shouldn’t say, but I see the crop circles more than anything else, as a gift to mankind. The beauty of the crop circles fascinates me more than anything else. Even though I come from the southern part of Norway, I do not consider myself a Christian. Still the spiritual and religious explanations to the phenomenon attract me more than to the UFO-angle. One thing is certain; there must be an advanced intelligence behind the circles. Some see them as a wake-up call, or a warning for the human race to turn back on our destructive path.
- People always want the answer for three questions concerning the crop circles. Who makes them, why do they appear and how. The only thing I reject with absolute certainty is that they are landing marks left by alien crafts.
- Many people will surely dismiss the whole phenomenon as pure nonsense?
- Some always will. But as opposed to ghosts and UFOs, crop circles cannot be dismissed as something people imagine seeing after drinking too much. Some will still claim such an explanation to the phenomenon, but as opposed to UFOs or ghosts the crop circles are there for everyone to see and visit. They represent a tangible mystery. But of course, one cannot pull people by the hair into crop circles.
CROP CIRCLE at Halset farm, Furnes close to the town of HAMAR the 22 nd of July 2000.
- Do all the members of the group share the same view?
- No, some have differing opinions.
- Would you be disappointed if you never get the answer to the mystery?
- No. As I’ve already said, it’s the beauty of the formations that is the most fascinating to me. They are like works of art. The patterns get more and more complicated. The first ones observed were simple circles. Over the years they have grown larger and more complex. It seems that the more attention we give the phenomenon, the more the formations develop. Maybe our collective sub-consciousness comes into the picture.
- Are you interested in astronomy?
- As a twelve year old I was given a telescope, and for some years I was very preoccupied with the universe. But I’ve got the feeling that Cosmos, in some way, is the same thing as God? You might say I’m a little naive; you see, laughs Eva-Marie and taps her finger at her head.
The BLT Research Team, Inc . (begun in the early 1990s by John Burke, Michigan biophysicist W.C. Levengood, and Nancy Talbott) has examined thousands of plants and soils from more than 250 crop circles in eight different countries.
The samples, taken from within the flattened-crop areas, are compared to plant and soil controls, taken at various distances outside the flattened areas. These papers, which have been published in the scientific literature, discuss the crop circle results and, according to BLT President, Nancy Talbott, a fourth paper will be published soon. Several hundred laboratory reports, on individual cases in various countries, have also been produced.
The three published papers present evidence for the involvement of three different types of energy involved in the creation of crop circles: A heating agency, probably microwaves;
strong magnetic fields and unusual electrical pulses.
The evidence for the presence of microwaves is found in the plant stem nodes. The moisture and nutrients, which sustain the plant, is carried up through the hollow plant stem. This moisture is more abundant at the plant stem nodes. In crop circle plants massively stretched, or elongated apical nodes (1 st node beneath the seed-head) are regularly found, as are expulsion cavities (holes blown out at the nodes, usually the lower nodes on the plant stem). Both effects are thought to be the result of the plant-stem's internal moisture being exposed to intense heat, and thus turning to steam.
Another discovery by The BLT Team, which indicates the presence of a heating agency, also demonstrates the presence of strong magnetic fieldspresent at the time the formation occurred. Since 1993, when routine soil sampling at crop circle sites was instituted, hundreds of tiny, 10-50 micron diameter magnetized and spherical particles of pure iron have been found in the soils. Usually these tiny magnetite particles are found clustered around the edges of geometrically circular formations.
The presence of highly unusual electrical pulses in the crop circle formation process has been clearly demonstrated by The BLT Team also. When crop circles form in mature plants, plants in which the seeds are both present and fully formed, it was discovered that these seeds produced an amazing 4-5 times increase in the growth rate. The BLT Research Team has carried out several control studies, in which they have flattened plants by the various methods claimed to have been used by hoaxers. The results from these control studies have been compared to the results obtained from plants and soils from crop circles in eight different countries over a 12-year period. None of the plant/soil changes outlined above were found in any of the BLT-run control studies, ruling out mechanical or manual flattening of plants as an explanation for the crop circle phenomenon.
10.000 crop circles
The aim of the Norwegian Crop Circle Group is to gather and register information about all crop circles that have occured or will occur in Norway. The group has its own web site, www.kornsirkler.org , which presents this material along with various articles and lectures about the phenomenon.
FOTO: Nedre Rotvoll farm, Rotvoll nr Trondheim, 30th August 2001.
At world basis 10.000 crop circles have been registered so far, the greater part of which have appeared in England. A substantial number has also occurred in Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Holland, Denmark and Russia. In Norway we have registered circles as far back as 1995, three of which have appeared in Asker and Bærum (the district in which this newspaper is published. Ed.). The 11 th of August 1999, the first crop circle in our district was observed at Syverstad farm in Asker. The same day another circle was found at Løken farm in Bærum, but this circle might have been a man-made prank. The 22 nd of August the same year the latest crop circle in our district so far, appeared at Vettre farm in Asker.
The greatest mystery of our time. Even though some crop circles are known to be man-made, some commissioned by TV companies and newspapers and some made as pranks, the origin of the rest of the circles remains a mystery, argues the Norwegian Crop Circle Group, as well as researchers and numerous crop circle enthusiasts. Despite of extended scientific research into the crop circle phenomenon for more than 12 years, no one has so far been able to establish how they come about.
Fake circles. The Norwegian Crop Circle Group does not intend to determine whether particular formations are genuine or fake. In cases where the group is made aware of definite proof that a circle is man-made, this information will be made available at the web site.
Everyone is asked to be careful when visiting crop circles. The Norwegian Crop Circle Group wants to remind you that it’s forbidden to enter cultivated land during the growth season without permission from the landowner. The Outdoor Recreation Act that ensures public access to the land is not without restrictions.