Text, images and diagrams © Freddy Silva 1999

This is rather an amusing story, and one that dares show just how anybody, given time and concentration (and quite a lot of practise) can interact with the natural energy of the earth and dowse for any information it cares to ask.

The year is 2000. I had just completed a survey of a fabulous crop circle at East Kennett, where the crop had been laid in waves but gave the impression, from the air of a straight-line grid. With help from the sun, the gradual thinning and thickening of lines also gave the overall effect of four cubes- two pointing up and two pointing down, a possible hint at quantum physics and the theories of 4-D space.

That crop circle contained all manner of dowsable patterns associated with genuine crop circles. A while later, a second formation appeared nearby: a heart with a band of force-fitted circles. From the air it was not as convincing as it's nearby brother.

Regardless, I adopted the same protocols to the second crop circle. No matter where I went, or what I dowsed for, no energy pattern was detectable. As this is generally the case with hoaxes, I looked at the floor for incriminating evidence and found construction lines everywhere- obviously we had the hand of man present! But who?

I decided to have a go at figuring out the names of the perpetrators, running through a series of well-known names to see if my copper rods reacted. When I reached the name Rob Irving, my rods swung in agreement; I also established the number of people involved to have been at least six, but less than eight. I kept this to myself.

A week later a colleague of mine called. She'd been speaking to the farmer about the 'heart' crop circle. He told her it had indeed been comissioned for a wedding ceremony, and the best man wished to make a crop circle for the couple to be blessed in. "And who was this person?" enquired my friend. The farmer duly replied, "Rob Irving!"

(NB- Rob Irving is known to have been involved in hoaxing around 1992)