Pick

A Basic Thesis of Return

Crop circles, according to self-made crop circle expert Steve Canada--who's self-published 60 books on the subject, but says "I wouldn't call myself an expert"--are increasing both in frequency and complexity. When they first began to appear, approximately 30 years ago, they took the form of circles, circles with rings around them and sometimes four smaller circles equally spaced. "As the years go by," says Canada, "there's more complexity, greater numbers." Canada, who makes his living looking for patterns, sees one in this phenomenon.

"It certainly ties in with the thesis of communication," he says. "For example, if I were going to introduce myself to you, I would start with just my name, and tell you I'm from such-and-such a place. But the mistake that I think many people make is in assuming this is an invitation to respond. It's not. What we call a communication system really boils down to a notification system. What we are being informed about is the basic thesis of return. They're telling us they're going to return to Earth."

Whether that statement gave you the chills or the giggles, you're probably still reading. Do you believe we're alone in the universe, or are you afraid that we're not? Whatever the case, your fellow humans have been routinely seeing UFOs and aliens for a very, very long time--Canada would say as far back as 6,000 years. (More on that later.) He's developed a system of decoding crop circle designs--which have evolved into intricate and undeniably beautiful manadala patterns of mind-blowing precision and complexity--and will describe his system and the history of crop circles at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19, at Borders (4235 N. Oracle Road).

"One characteristic that describes a genuine formation," says Canada, "is that the stalks of the plants are not broken; they're bent over approximately 90 degrees 1 to 2 inches from the ground, and the plants continue to grow. Biophysicists have looked at these plants, and their conclusion is that some unknown energy has been applied to the plant stalk, increasing the bending node, allowing it to lay flat. It's an actual accommodation of the cellular structure itself. This energy creates a rounding effect; apparently it expands the water or creates pressure inside the cells of the structure of the stalk. Millions and millions of stalks are affected this way to create one crop circle.

"So many people are comfortable accepting the claims of people who say they've made crop circles, but hoaxed circles are actually quite a mess. The British army has tried, by the way. There's been contests to see who can make the best circle, but genuine circles have properties that no one has been able to duplicate."

Now for the story.

According to Canada, it was the year 1990, and he was reading translations of some of the oldest examples of human writing, Sumerian in origin (from the region now called Iraq), a verse titled "The Descent of Inanna."

"She was the Sumerian goddess of grain," says Canada. "I looked up at this (crop circle) poster on my wall of this communication artifact that was made in cultivated grain, and then I noticed that half of this design was visually constructed in a way that described at least six verses of the poem. It was very strange, but I kept applying that method over the years--that is, comparing the designs currently in this modern phenomenon of crop circles to the ancient text that we have available, particularly from Sumeria. The other half came later, when I read a book by the linguist, ethnologist, anthropologist Zachariah Sitchin, in which he describes theories of what was called by the Sumerians the 12th planet, what we would call the 10th planet of our solar system."

There's no nutshell big enough for this story (I have seven full pages of notes), but I'm running out of room, so here goes: 6,000 years ago, Sumerians were taught, led, provided for, protected and managed by beings who came from the 12th planet, Nibiru, which travels in a retrograde, highly elongated orbit around the sun. Those beings were called the Anunnaki, which Canada says "transliterates into 'from heaven, those who came down to Earth.'" The Anunnaki set up our language, writing, social and cultural institutions, all while living side-by-side with us for a very long time. The Anunnaki are immortal, thanks to some sort of rejuvenation technique, but do age faster when on Earth. At some point, they left this planet, but, Canada says, researchers have charted spikes in improvements in human culture every 3,500 years or so--approximately the time it takes Nibiru to orbit once around the sun--which could indicate they're still interested in our development.

And, in case you forgot, they're coming back. Perhaps they'll land where they Sumerian civilization once was, or perhaps in southcentral England, where 90 percent of all crop circles appear. Whatever the case, Canada says our job is to be open to and aware of that coming, and to understand that it brings with it "contributions both positive and negative."

If you need to hear more but can't make the Borders event, Canada will also be making a live television appearance with Access Tucson's Jim Rodger at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20, on channel 72.