Cosmic Wreath

by  Michelle Jennings

In the West Overton formation, reported June 9, 2006, is an elegant and beautiful communication of vast knowledge and useful wisdom.  On first glance, it looks like a giant wreath placed on the field; then upon closer look, can be seen a ‘necklace’ of suggestions of many different symbols representing cycles of time and creation: Circle, Sun/Moon, Yin/Yang, Serpent, Spiral, Lemniscate. All the symbols connect, intertwine and seem to suggest a harmonious movement or dance around the circle.  All remain discreet in themselves, yet related to one another and always in relation to the circle and its centre.  

In itself, the wreath has connotations of ending (funerary rights) and beginning, interconnection, relation, eternity, continuity and union.  It is a symbol of the Yoni or Feminine Principle in India as a wreath of flowers thrown over a hero’s head in ritual sacred marriage. 

The loosely tied knot also has universal symbolism standing for: infinity/longevity in Celtic tradition, good luck in Chinese Buddhism, continuity in Hindu tradition.  Sun and Moon symbolism are found in all cultures and are related to the seasonal cycles, time, alchemical transformation, creation deities and life energy.  Yin and Yang represent the eternal dynamic between the dark and light energies of the cosmos, the eternal dance of life.  The Spiral is considered the dynamic source of power to which the universe (i.e. everything ) is subordinate.  It is one of the fractal geometric forms that scientists and mathematicians are now using to observe the interplay of ‘chaos and order’ in nature (Anderhub 128).  The Lemniscate, or figure eight, is symbolic of infinity, unlimited quantity, therefore neither beginning nor end (Anderhub 127). 

The circle is a universal archetype for ultimate perfection, the universe, completion.  It is a symbol for zero, the void, and by association, space.  These are very important and crucially related concepts.  Zero is the symbol of “complete potentiality” .  It also symbolizes ‘the object that has no properties of its own, but which confers properties upon others, as the zero placed to the right of a number multiplies it tenfold.”  It is associated with the Fool, the initiate, in the Tarot deck. (Chevalier)  In the Mayan tradition, zero is, among other things, the sign for the end of a period of time; when it is represented by a flower motif, it then represents, in the sacred calendar,  eternity, the marking of the cycles of the cosmos, in particular in relation to the Personalized presence and action of the Mother Creator Being, Hunab’Ku, the Milky Way. (Cotreras in August, www.cropcircleconnector.com/2005) 

                        Codex Illustration of Hunab’Ku from essay by G.G. Cotreras 

The centre point of the circle is equidistant from all points on the periphery, so all points relate to it on an equal basis, directly connected to the vital centre.  The Great Void (which is within the circle) is known in many cultures as the Mother of Creation: e.g. the Taoist understanding of the Great Void as the ‘Mother of the Ten Thousand Things’, the Native American understanding of the origin of the universe as the Infinite Void, which is the source of ceaseless generation.  In ancient India the deity, Aditi, depicted as a personalized void, was the source of all creation,–gods, as well as Earth and humans, etc.  One definition of ‘void’ or ‘emptiness’ includes the idea that the state of stillness and freedom from mental images, desires, feeling allows for a new consciousness to begin to flourish (Chevalier).  Thus the idea of absolute potential.                                         

                      Infinite Void                                                  Aditi 

Deep Space has similarities to the idea of the Void in that it seems ‘empty’. It contains the mysterious Dark Matter which is a main concern of scientists of our day.  An interesting coincidence is that the name of the Great Mother figure of the Hindu religion, Kali Ma, means “Dark Mother’.  The word ‘matter’ comes from the Latin word ‘mater’ meaning ‘mother’. Kali Ma, is known for Her action as Destroyer of evil in these times. However, She actually “stands for Existence, which means Becoming.  Her world is an eternal living flux from which all things rise and disappear again, in endless cycles” (Walker, Woman’s Encyclopedia   489).  She is Power (Shakti).  What is that but a great description of the comings and goings of cosmic energies?   

The message of this amazing formation combines the wonder and mystery of the scientific pursuits of our day with the more personalized and intuitive cosmic understanding of the ancients of the Earth.  It is a welcoming and warmly beautiful invitation to the cosmic dance!! 

Sources:

Anderhub, Werner & Hans Peter Roth.  Exploring the Designs & Mysteries:

      Crop Circles.  Lark Books. New York. 2002.

Arguelles, José & Miriam.  The Feminine: spacious as the sky.  Shambala

      Publications, Inc.  London.  1977.

Chevalier, Jean & Alain Gheerbrant.  J. Buchanan-Brown, trans.  Dictionary

      Of Symbols.  Penguin Books.  London.  1996.

Cole, K.C.  The Hole in the Universe.  Harcourt, Inc.  New York.  2001.

Cooper, J.C.  An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbols.  Thames

      & Hudson.  London.  1978.

Cotreras, Guillermo Garcés.  ‘El Cero Maya’ article submitted to

      www.cropcircleconnector.com/2005 for August, Ashbury-Weylands

      formation. 2005/08/18.

Tresidder, Jack.  Dictionary of Symbols:  an illustrated guide to traditional

      images, icons, and emblems.  Chronicle Books.  San Francisco.  1997.

Walker, Barbara.  Woman’s Dictionary of Symbols & Sacred Objects.  

      Castle Books.  Edison, N.J.  1988.

Walker, Barbara.  Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets.  Harper &

      Row, Publishers. San Francisco.  1983.