CROP CIRCLES:
The Signature and 'Signs of Contact'.

I have been researching the Crop Circle mystery now for twenty years and I have learned a lot about bent plants and some unbelievable things that are going on around them.
 
 
 

The field of crop circle research has become very confused over the past several years with people making claims that do not stand up to rigorous scrutiny. In this article I will review areas of research from the early days of the phenomenon, discussing the 'swirlsignature'. which I believe to be very important in distinguishing genuine crop formations. Regrettably I also need to mention the current level of myth-making and deception coming from within the research community. I will also touch upon the undeniable evidence that through interaction with the crop circle phenomenon, we have made contact with non-human mind.
 

My first book, 'Circular Evidence', co-authored with Pat Delgado, was published in 1989 and is acknowledged as the ³Crop Circle Bible.² In that book we placed the building blocks into position for this new subject of study called crop circles. This new subject regularly displayed new patterns and new anomalies that were given new names in the English language. We coined the terms 'Crop Circle', 'Pictogram' and 'Agriglyph', which are now household words. We recorded the primary physical features and properties of the circles, such as the bent stems of involved plants and changes in seed germination rates. We reported the first small globe shaped U.F.O's seen and filmed around the circles; the first magnetic anomalies; and the first scientific plant analysis at HSC Laboratories. We traced the phenomenon around the world and mapped its geographical occurrence. These early days were groundbreaking times and our initial results have become the foundation upon which the current phenomenon rests.
 

Fig 3
Small U.F.O.'s seen over crop circle fields. These were captured on 35mm film at Cheesefoot Head, Hampshire, England, August 1987.
Copyright: Colin Andrews 1987.
 
 
 
 
 

Fig 4
Plant analysis carried out for me by HSC laboratories, Copyright: HSC Labs 1989. Graphic: Colin Andrews 2003.
 
 
 

Although we know from folklore and anecdotal evidence that the Crop Circle history is a long one, the earliest photographed reports in my possession start in 1966. These appeared in Australia and were followed by more in 1975. Photographs from circles in Switzerland date back to 1975 and 1976. The first photographs of crop circles in England were taken in Hampshire in 1978. Since then, more and more photographic evidence demonstrates worldwide activity with a focus in southern England.

I personally saw my first set of circles in southern England during the summer of 1983. At that time, unbeknownst to me, two other men were beginning to investigate. In 1980, fourteen years after the first report arrived from Australia, only one person was intrigued enough to begin asking questions about them. That person was meteorologist Dr. Terence Meaden. It was a year later that electro-mechanical designs engineer Pat Delgado saw his first circles in Hampshire and began his inquiries. I became the third person who was curious enough to begin a disciplined study, and together we became the first team of researchers. I was in a privileged government job that gave me access to the police and other agencies, which was very helpful in obtaining site reports. Light-aircraft pilot Busty Taylor joined our efforts in the summer of 1985 after seeing a crop formation while flying his aircraft. The team was now complete and the real work was underway. Our research consisted of aerial photography, site inspection and straightforward detective work. (Later, in 1999, when hoaxing had a become a major obstacle to the research, I hired professional detective agencies to better understand the impact of man-made circles.)

Although the world has become enamored of the giant complex formations featured in books and the media, the genuine phenomenon revealed itself through simpler formations. In the 1980's we were recording an evolution of multiple simple circles arranged together in patterns.  Starting with single circles we next found circles with a neighbor, forming twin sets; then three circles in a straight line; then five circles arranged in a Celtic cross. During these early days when the phenomenon was less contaminated by man-made formations we saw only simple geometries. Even during the late 1980's the formations evolved in complexity no further than circles with single, double and triple concentric rings. Another development of the late 80's was the appearance of numerous very small circles we called 'grapeshot' that were scattered across entire regions. They varied in size from just a few inches to a few feet, much smaller than the typical circles that ranged from 60 feet to around 100 feet across.

Fig 6
Grapeshot circles around the military ranges of Salisbury Plain. No tracks in or out of them and numerous in guantity : displayed as far as the eye could see. August 1989.
Copyright: Colin Andrews 1989.
 
 

May 1990 changed everything when two circles were discovered connected by a straight pathway with parallel boxes either side of the pathway. This discovery was the birth of Pictograms, and after this first Pictogram was born, nothing was the same again. The media and public attention forever changed the forum in which we worked, bringing a degree of human involvement and copy-cat circle-making the level of which we are still working to uncover. Because of this, I like to refer to the early days of the research as the uncontaminated phase, when information gathering was less distorted by human involvement: less people making them, less people trampling the fields and destroying the evidence.
 

Through the years I have looked closely at the clues found in the fields, looking for footprints, plant and soil compression, damage and other evidence of human presence. I have investigated along an entire spectrum of research initiatives, looking for insights into the phenomenon. I have sent plants and soil for analysis; worked with scientists from Japan measuring brain wave activity of people inside thecircles; taken infrared photographs; conducted electrostatic and electromagnetic site surveys; and taken many other, less traditional, research initiatives. It is worth mentioning that I am an electrical engineer by profession, and qualified to design and conduct research of this kind. Our original team has been able to demonstrate that there is a genuine phenomenon with identifiable features. In addition to that we have recorded significant anomalous events. To this day, what intrigues me the most is not that anomalies abound in the circles, but that they exist in the genuine and man-made circles both.

There are some distinct differences in the features of the formations we studied in the less contaminated phase of the research than is found in the patterns we see today. These features are key to understanding the degree of human involvement in present day crop circle formations.  One primary feature is found in the 'swirl signature'. The signature is a clear demonstration between the difference in genuine formations and man-made formations. It is my belief that the genuine phenomenon does still exist but is sadly overshadowed by the degree and complexity of man-made designs.

There have been many attempts to replicate the complex swirl patterns found in genuine crop circles but ALL have failed. The media has sponsored circle-making competitions, has put forth challenges, has created circles to dupe researchers and trap them in error, yet no one has reproduced the swirl floor lay of the original simple circles. Circle-makers have been able to reproduce complex designs at night while being filmed; they have created giant patterns in only four hours, again being filmed; they have reproduced complex geometries; but no one has reproduced the features found in the original simple circles. Let's take a look at a few examples of the 'signature' I am referring to.
 

Fig 8
The incredible floor-lay details of the counter clockwise swirl signature at Headbourne Worthy.
Copyright: Colin Andrews 1986
 
 

Compare the swirl signatures of Fig 7-11 and note the marked difference with the man-made circles made by Doug Bowers and Dave Chorley in the late 1980s (Fig 12 and Fig15). Also look at the design made by Matthew Williams in 2000 (Fig 13). The 'swirl signature' of the genuine circles reveals a rotation from the center of the circle to the outside edge of less than two rotations, usually approximately one rotation. The man-made circles leave numerous swathes, equally spaced and rotating many times across the profile of the circle, related to the width of the tool used to compress the plants. These swathes are not present in the genuine phenomenon (Fig¹s 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11).
 
 
 

It has become clear to me that there is a distinct difference between the man-made formations and the real formations and yet it is also clear to me that both are part of the phenomenon and together create a genuine mystery. Myself and others have reported many times that the phenomenon interacts with human intention, often responding to visualized patterns or foiling well-developed theories. On many occasions real crop circles have occurred in the same field and at the same time as man-made formations, and often have a relationship to each other. Cheesefoot Head, Hampshire in 1986 is one such example as is the picture on the cover of ŒCircular Evidence¹ at Longstock, 1988. Interestingly, the real formations in both of these examples display the swirl signature, while the man-made formations do not. Many human circle-makers feel compelled to make designs, discovering afterwards a link to a larger event. In my new book, 'Signs of Contact; I delve into these kinds of interactions taking place between the observers and the observed. I believe that a non-human intelligence is at work and that whether the observer is a researcher or a person constructing circles, physical manifestations are responding to their minds and intentions. This possibility has enormous implications for mankind and perhaps, our future.

My book, 'Crop Circles ? Signs of Contact', published by Career Press is due out March 2003. In the book I have the opportunity to thoroughly develop these ideas and present the full evidence.  In addition, every crop pattern ever discovered and recorded in the 'Andrews Catalogue' will be published in the book. This will be the first time all the patterns that have been discovered worldwide will be made available in one place.

After two decades of researching this extraordinary mystery I have come to two conclusions. First, a substantial number of circles aroundthe world are genuine, but many more complex designs are man-made. Second, there is interaction occurring through the phenomenon between a non-human intelligence and us. This interaction creates enormous implications for humankind. To fully realize the degree and importance of the interactive nature of this phenomenon we need to open better dialogue between researchers and circle-makers. When people on two different sides of a debate are not talking to each other, important conclusions can be missed. The people who are making circles and the people who are researching them are not communicating and therefore the extent of interaction with this non-human mind cannot be shared, or in some cases even recognized, by the individuals involved. The fact that these people on different sides of the fence each have experienced vital pieces of the puzzle is ironic and symbolic too.

It is with sincere regret I have to mention the level of distortion of information coming from within the crop circle research community. In recent years the level of myth making surrounding the subject has grown exponentially and on occasions I have reason to wonder if some of the hype constitutes deliberate deception for reasons of profit. These are strong suggestions I know, but the importance of what this subject could mean demands honesty. I don¹t want to fully engage this aspect of the subject in this article, but I will show one important example of how the public is deceived. If we have something of importance going on, then we need to be dealing in truth not exaggerated claims.

During the summer of 2002 most researches, including myself, received an e-mail from a well known human circle-maker. This man and his team are responsible for making some of the more elaborate crop formations in the UK. The email announced that the circle-makers would be making a complex face design in the crops during the weekend of August 31st. Other sources indicated this would be done in Wiltshire. This engendered much disbelief due to the enormous publicity and public interest generated by an earlier formation of an alien face with a disc that had appeared on the 15th of August in Hampshire. A whole range of theories with photographs and reports were posted on crop circle web sites within hours of discovery of this 'ET' face. It was the focus of magazine articles and newspaper stories. There was a strong sentiment within the research community that it could not be made by people. If the human circle-makers were able to construct a face, did it mean the alien face could be human made too? The majority of interested people will never be able to ask that question or answer it for themselves because none of the crop circle web sites or crop circle magazines will post any information about the human-made face of August 31st. The majority of people will not see the complexity of design nor will they know that not only one such face appeared in the fields that weekend, but four identical faces appeared in multiple locations (Fig 5). So most people will not be able to ask the questions and find the answers that may lead to some of the most important information of our times. That is clear deception and censorship and the reason why we must be committed to the truth, wherever it may take us.

I have stated publicly in my lectures as far back as 1988, that I felt we would inch slowly towards the truth and meaning of all this, and that as we did so, negative forces would be moving at the same rate, at the same time. I saw the cumulating point as occurring simultaneously with the end of our current period of evolution, represented as the point of an arrow. When both forces reached that place, I anticipated chaos. And yet, that is the moment of true creativity, when important discoveries can be made and anything or everything is possible, but only through honest intent.

I imagined in that creative moment, negative forces would also be fully engaged with maximum disruption to society. I look around at these times and think I was not so far off. I suspect the changes that we need to assure the survival of all earth-based species can only come about this late in the game by radical changes in the old systems ? as the Native Americans say: 'A start over'.

Since the 11th of September, 2001 when one mind-set attacked another in New York and Washington, enormous problems have naturally surfaced. They brought Muslims and Christians into perceived direct opposition; Islam and Israel reached new levels of antagonism; the Roman Catholic Church began to disintegrate under sex scandals; and international big business scandals rocked confidence in the money markets. All this and more left politicians suddenly without the old ways of doing business? HUGE change in anyone¹s terms and that is only a part of it.

So, coincidentally or not, the world has indeed entered a period of potential chaos just as the crop circle research has reached a key point of discovery. All the structures that anchored mankind, good or bad are being broke away. The whole pack of cards has been thrown into the air and it¹s this situation that ironically offers the greatest hope. The positive thing about these dreadfully worrying and unstable times is that the big changes the world and the planet needs ARE now possible because we have OUR chance of setting new anchors in position. The old ones were destined for certain catastrophe. Yes, it is true that the privileged few who have been in positions of power and who have profited by the old anchors are scrambling to maintain authority. Everything is in place, we have reached the point of the arrow. I am anxious to disclose through my new book the full extent of what I believe to have been the crop circle experiment that has been taking place for many years.

As I write this I am aware of the difficulty some will have in comprehending or reconciling the scale of what is going on in the wider world with that of the crop circles. I ask only that you are prepared to look at the evidence and then to consider the enormous benefits to us of using to good effect what the crop circle experiment has implied. To accept and participate with the findings will be to contemplate a whole different series of possibilities.

The swirl signature I have discussed here is but a small part of the evidence of a real phenomenon. Proof we can directly interact with another intelligence shows that we have enormous opportunities ahead of us for rapid and positive change and NOW is the time to discuss how we can take advantage of it. These findings will give us hope and strength. There is no time or place for yet another new religion, simply time to embrace the faith in ourselves.

In recent times I have become known for speaking %s, well let me do that just one more time. I am 100% certain that through the crop circles we have 'Signs of Contact'. We badly need some good news, and I believe we have found some at the 11th hour.
 
 
 

If lessons are learned and we can appreciate what we have going for us, there is no question in my mind that the study of crop circles will center upon human consciousness and the enormous potential for change it will bring us. As we should know by now, to get that far it¹s all down to us.
 

'Crop Circles ? signs of Contact'
The new book is to be published by Career Press
March 2003.
Will be available in all good stores or can be ordered now at:
www.newpagebooks.com/book490.html

Colin Andrews: Web Sites: www.CropCircleInfo.com ,    www.CosmicArtistCD.com
E-mail: CPRAndrews@Yahoo.com
Box 3378
Branford, CT. 06405-1978
USA.