Sussex Circular - 1997 no 67

Magazine Overview

Title: SC
Issue: 67
Date: August 1997
Price: £1.00

This issue of SC, 'The Monthly Journal of Crop Circles and Beyond', provides a comprehensive update on the 1997 crop circle season, featuring detailed descriptions, photographs, and diagrams of newly discovered formations across England. The cover highlights "Photos And Diagrams Of The 1997 Season" and "All The Latest Formations Listed & Detailed," with a specific mention of "More Egyptian Links?"

Editorial and Contents

The editorial, penned by Andy Thomas, addresses the controversy surrounding the Oliver's Castle video, anticipating an exposé that may claim it was faked. Thomas expresses concern that such revelations, if true, could further embolden sceptics and damage the credibility of crop circle research. He defends SC's open-minded approach throughout the year.

The issue features a "Circles Update" by Andy Thomas, detailing recent formations in various English counties including Cambridgeshire, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. Each entry provides location, date, crop type, and a description of the formation's geometry, often noting its complexity and unique features.

Key Formations and Analysis

Cambridgeshire: A pilot reported an unknown formation near Ickleton on June 7th.

St Neots: A dumbbell formation connected by a thin path, with three "flared" paths emanating from one circle, was found on July 11th.

Devon: A single circle with a "hook" shape was spotted near Bickleigh on July 4th, appearing old.

Dorset: A small single circle was found in wheat near Poxford on July 1st.

Gloucestershire: A dumbbell formation with a standing centre was reported near Chedworth in early July, alongside a circle with three emanating arms and two "tadpole" shapes.

Hampshire: Aerial surveillance revealed a large harvested formation near Bishops Waltham in mid-July.

Headbourne Worthy: A large quintuplet formation (approx. 200' across) with four evenly-spaced ringed circles superimposed over a single circle was discovered on July 7th.

Bournemouth Airport: A formation spelling "Oklahoma!" was carved by sixteen people over six hours.

Droxford: A pictogram of two ringed circles with satellites appeared in barley around June 14th.

Lane End Down/Gander Down, Cheriton: A circle with connecting "ears" resembling Saturn, with two pairs of grapeshot and standing centres.

Longstock: A ringed circle with three semi-circles emanating, surrounded by six grapeshot satellites, was spotted on July 4th.

East Meon: A 150' insectogram resembling an ant appeared in wheat around July 15th, near the 1995 nested crescents formation.

West Meon: A ring lined with wavy arcs and a semi-circle, with a small single circle inside, was spotted on June 29th.

Morestead: An attractive quintuplet formation with a smaller central circle and nesting semi-circles appeared in wheat around July 21st.

Petersfield: Two formations were reported around July 9th: a small circle with two crescents, and a rough single circle near a windmill.

Shorley, Nr Cheriton: A ring of 29 grapeshot orbiting a small central circle, with two large mottled "spokes" emanating from the centre, reminiscent of 1995 "asteroid" designs.

Uffington: A crude smiley face appeared near the white horse carving on July 6th.

Shrewsbury: A small circle was spotted from the A5 on July 15th.

Chute Mead, Nr Taunton: An unconfirmed sighting occurred around June 29th.

Haslebury Plucknett: A large circle with a "cross-like pattern" inside, surrounded by an even larger circle, appeared around July 17th.

Newbridge: A single circle was spotted on July 11th.

Suffolk (Hitcham): An old-style triple-dumbbell formation (approx. 300' long) appeared in wheat on July 3rd, followed by a dumbbell with one ringed circle and an arc of five circles appearing later the same evening.

Sussex (Newhaven): A small dumbbell in wheat, first spotted on July 20th, featuring a pathway from a large clockwise circle to a smaller semi-circle.

Warwickshire (Cosford): A fried-egg shape with a wavy edge and a standing ring appeared around July 12th.

Long Marston: A highly visible pictogram with a circle and a "loop" appeared around July 16th, bearing resemblance to the Sneaker Pimps logo.

Wiltshire (Alton Barnes): A small single circle appeared in wheat around July 20th.

Alton Priors: A large 300' design of twelve overlapping rings surrounding a circle appeared in wheat on July 11th.

Bishops Cannings/Bourton: A crisp, neat five-pointed star in wheat enclosed by a thick ring, with straight paths emanating from the gaps between the star's arms, appeared on July 13th.

Cley Hill, Nr Warminster: A single circle transformed into a many-spoked wheel within a hexagon, resembling a maypole, appeared on July 14th.

Marlborough: Reports suggest a large 'serpent' formation was harvested around mid-July.

Oliver's Castle: A formation approx. 150' across, with a Japanese calligraphy flavour, appeared around July 20th.

Silbury Hill: The most significant event of the year, a 350' wide pattern featuring a six-pointed Star of David, smaller stars, and a chain of asteroid-type circles, appeared on July 23rd.

Yorkshire (Askham Bryan): A dumbbell formation was discovered, with the larger circle about 100' across.

Barnsley: A small ringed circle was spotted on July 21st.

"The Ones That Got Away..."

Andy Thomas clarifies that formations identified as "wind lodging" are excluded from the magazine's lists, even if impressive, to maintain focus on genuine crop circles.

Feedback and Connections

Tools of the Gods: Doug Rogers responds to Karen Douglas' article, proposing that the same alien technology used to create crop circles might also have been used to carve ancient Egyptian monuments. He argues that the precision and scale of these stone structures suggest a sophisticated, adjustable energy tool, far beyond ancient human capabilities.

The Stonehenge Snowflake & Fibonacci Sequence: Barry Reynolds explores the geometrical significance of the 1997 Stonehenge snowflake formation. He notes it is the first hexagon formation and an exact replica of the Fibonacci sequence. The diagram illustrates how the branches of the snowflake correspond to the sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34), and mentions the connection to the previous year's Julia Set formation, which was a golden mean spiral.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently emphasizes detailed observation and documentation of crop circle formations, encouraging readers to be discerning and avoid misinformation. There is a recurring theme of exploring potential links between crop circles and ancient civilizations, particularly Egypt, suggesting a shared, advanced technology or intelligence. The editorial stance is one of open-minded investigation, critical of both unsubstantiated claims and overly dismissive scepticism. The publication also highlights the geometrical complexity and mathematical patterns found in many formations, such as the Fibonacci sequence.