The word ‘pareidolia’ has come into my awareness over these last few days. Up until then I’d never heard of it. So this intrigued me, as it pulls together some threads I had been researching over the past few months.
The definition of ‘pareidolia’ is, “a situation in which someone sees a pattern or image of something that does not exist, for example a face in a cloud” [Cambridge Dictionary]. This is a specialised noun used in psychology, and I guess thats why I have not come across it before.
The first time it presented itself was in an online critique of the Glastonbury landscape zodiac. The Glastonbury zodiac, identified and researched by artist Katherine Maltwood in the 1920s. She produced a book ‘A Guide to Glastonbury’s Temple of Stars’, showing maps of the images, along with historic background, symbology and links to the history of the Holy Grail. The writer of the critique was not a proponent of the zodiac, and laid its identification firmly down to pareidolia. End of story, flat denial, no such thing exists. Later studies made in 1975 and 1983, both dismissed its existence too.
Another artist, Mary Caine, saw some different figures, and some additional ones. I thought this was interesting, that two seers of the landscape zodiac, but they do not agree on what they see.
I identify with having the ability to see alternatives, as I like to put it. I do make sense of the patterns on walls, in floor coverings, in wood bark, crumbled sheets or anything else you care to name really. It’s natural for me, I find it entertaining and pleasing when you see something that you hadn’t before, or you view it in a different way. I am short sighted and I do wonder whether this is of benefit, particularly when viewing things at a distance.
So who is right and who is wrong? Well, no one is wrong, if you don’t see, you don’t see, thats it. If you do, you do. So a dilema in trying to find common ground, when it appears so black and white to each party.
Another pertinent account I came across through the work of Veda Austin, was her description of a Russian psychologist, Gennodiy Pavloviche Krokhalev, taking pictures of his patients hallucinations. Using a zenith camera connected to a scuba divers mask, he placed the divers mask on the patients which blocked out all light, and the long tube led directly to the camera he held. He took a photograph of their retina when his patients claimed they were seeing a hallucination. He was successful in capturing images from over 200 cases.
Today I came across a new piece of information. An interview with Robert E Grant on Next Level Soul Podcast . He was discussing, amongst many other things, his discovery following a visit to the Great Pyramid in Egypt. He has identified very light etchings on the four walls of the Kings Chamber that portray star constellation images of the Decan zodiac. The question was, why hadn’t anyone else seen them before? The discussion, a long and multifaceted one on reality and rising consciousness, referenced the research of regression therapist Dolores Cannon, (at 50 minutes). She gathered from her clients, that everyone comes into this world with a unique symbol in their auric field, a key if you will, and when that person visits a site where the matching symbol is displayed, they are able to reveal that new information. What a great plan!
This has been a fascinating muse, as I began with most of this information and then, as if by magic, I saw the above interview. Just a perfect way to round this off this musing. I hope you’ve enjoyed it too.