GEORGE GORING has an encounter with Japanese crop circle film makers and one Doug Bower....


You may be interested in our little trip down to Wiltshire one weekend this summer. My wife Mercy and I camped at ‘The Barge’ at Honey Street on 19 August just to see how the scene was down there (pretty dead in fact). But as we were about to leave on the Sunday, we were approached by a be-suited man with a Japanese woman who asked us if we would like to appear as extras in a film they were making about crop circles. Having nothing much to do that day, we agreed.

The location was below and along from the White Horse between Alton Barnes and Stanton St Bernard where there was a crop circle, the film crew, some extras and a mobile crane. The vibe was not exactly buzzing and after talking with some of the people, we soon realised that this was not to be a balanced portrayal of the phenomenon. In fact, it included a reconstruction of Doug and Dave's board on a rope trick, which we witnessed. When I questioned the Japanese woman in charge, she said flatly that all crop circles were now known to be man-made and started by the two D's.

What surprised me, however, was that the part of Doug was actually being played by the man himself. I had the privilege of meeting the great hoaxster, but he was very unfriendly and like everyone else seemed somehow distracted and 'low-spirited'. In fact, the whole vibe was dreadful. This was real debunking in action. I learned that the film was to go out on primetime TV in Japan as a docu-drama.

What the whole thing taught me was the importance of belief - being able to believe the unbelievable. Unbelief is governed by a fear of the unknown and losing control. Whatever is behind the circles, having an open mind towards them is life enhancing, but denying their magic and mystery leads to emptiness.

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