The Oliver's Castle Videotape

That five seconds of video footage are able to stimulate as much excitement and debate as they have appears to me a phenomenon in its own right! I've been evaluating and trying to absorb all the controversy that's been raging across The Internet with regard to this stunning footage, and greatly appreciate this opportunity to share my thoughts.

Before I received a copy of the Oliver's Castle Lights tape from PeterS, hence before I'd formed my own opinion, I was interested in learning what those who had seen it thought of it. I spoke with some early viewers, but mostly followed the almost-daily postings on The 'Net. When I talked with Peter, he sounded pretty confident that, based on technical points, the video had been computer-enhanced. MichaelG, who believes the Formation was "as un-man-made as ever existed", called the video "astonishing", and wrote that it is "one of the most important pieces of film in the world". FreddyS' infra-red photos appear to rebut Michael's belief about the Formation: While the first-day ground shots of the WMH Triple Julia and the Liddington Castle Fractal show thermal changes, the Oliver's Castle Formation, also photographed within 24 hours of its arrival, does not. (See Freddy's report and pictures included elsewhere on The CropCircle Connector.) AndyT wonders, "What's the matter with us? ... Why not start off with the viewpoint that it *might* be genuine ... It certainly "looks" convincing!" Busty maintains that the shadows are wrong for a dawn's-early-light shoot because the camera was pointing *west*. MichaelG, in his report, states that the camera is looking *south*. DanD (a documentary cinematographer, videographer, and still photographer with 35 years' experience and, by his own admission, with "a reasonably solid understanding" of special effects used in "motion pictures, computer graphics, and computer-video techniques") was impressed by the "elegant" quality-of-motion the Lights exhibited: flowing, non-mechanical, with a "rhythmic 'aliveness' ... reminiscent of ... dolphins at play". He further noted that the process-of-formation was "one continuous, progressive motion with no jerkiness or discontinuity to it, exhibiting a smoothness-of-action that was "all of a piece". (See Dan's complete report, including his technical analysis, also on this website.) PaulV, on the other hand, believes that, with the aid of his computer, he has replicated what we see on the tape. (I look forward eagerly to viewing this, Paul!) Chad's decided to put his faith in Paul's analysis. Colin initially expressed great excitement over the footage, but now writes that it almost certainly is a fraud. Erik seems, at least preliminarily, to be giving the footage the benefit of his doubt.

Dr Levengood's results, unfortunately, are inconclusive. Since no control stalks were submitted with the sampling, the few stalks he did receive from the Formation were insufficient for a complete analysis. (We had the same problem with the Chehalis Formation this year: The sampling was not carried out according to protocol, and Dr L's final report had to conclude that Chehalis was not genuine. My personal evaluation of the Formation upon my return from England, however, has convinced me beyond any doubt that Chehalis was, in fact, a Gift of The CircleMakers. I explored it on five or six occasions, and the Formation effortlessly met all generally accepted criteria for "genuineness".)

Interestingly, the Oliver's Castle Formation arrived on my birthday; oddly, this is the first time in five years that I've left England before my birthday. To my regret, I didn't receive the opportunity of visiting this Circle, but have intensely examined the available photographs. I'm usually not prompted strongly enough to form an opinion (let alone venture any credibility I might have) based upon photo analysis. This tape, however, is a strong prompt; for if, in fact, the Formation were an elaborate joke, there'd be no question but that the video was, too. Both Michael and Patricia visited the Formation, and both experienced it as a Gift. I have confidence in their discernment. I therefore accept that the SnowFlake CropCircle was indeed manifested via Transmission.

When I consider: Michael and Patricia's positive findings and my own positive evaluation of the photos; John's straightforward presentation of what he saw that night supported by his stunning and, I believe, unassailable footage; the correlation and synchronicity of what I witness on the tape with what I was guided to record this spring in "An Hypothesis: The Transmission of a CropCircle", a 21,000-word monograph in which I suggest a unique method by which The CircleMakers might be laying the crop incorporating Silver Spheres, Sound, MASER heat, and horizontally-spiralling WindTubes; and the synchronicity of the Formation's arriving on my birthday - I further believe that the Transmission that created this Formation is that to which we have been exceedingly privileged to bear witness on John's video footage. It is footage I've known would one day be our "reward" for allowing ourselves to stretch, and be stretched, as we've reached out consciously and urgently in our efforts to grasp the next rung in our spiritual evolution.

My ultimate goal as I work with the Circle Energies is TO LEARN, and to share what I learn with others who also want to learn. What's happening in our fields is NOT a game. The Circles are arriving for each of us on our planet, and I believe that integrating these Energies into our lives is CRITICAL for the survival of our species.

Many have already dismissed this footage as a wind-up. But hey, guys, WHAT IF ... ? We're learning that OUR THOUGHTS create our reality. I, for one, want very much to believe that John, when this incredible Event unfolded before him, was as stunned as WE all were when we first watched his tape. And that's what I've chosen to believe. I want to explore that reality, and see where it leads. Cheese, guys, c'm'ere and STOP for a minute:

WHAT IF ... just MAYBE ... this tape is, literally, an answer to our prayers? What if it really, REALLY is?

- ilyes
National Coordinator
Centre for CropCircle Studies / US Network
October 30, 1996


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