London - When a 200ft pentagram-shaped crop circle appeared in his prized wheat field, farmer Henry Arden was livid.
And the arrival of hordes of sightseers when pictures of it spread rapidly online did little to calm his temper. But now Mr Arden’s views on the mystical design have turned full circle – he admits he has “grown to love it”.
The five-point star appeared last week in his field near Tetbury, Gloucestershire. Within hours it was photographed and logged on internet crop-circle sites.
The reports went viral – and soon the design was drawing the crowds.
A party of French nationals turned up by coach, offering to pay for a viewing. A Lyon-based TV crew filmed it for the Discovery Channel and a group of unannounced visitors got an earful from Mr Arden when he caught them on his land.
But the pentagram, widely used in paganism, Wicca and other religions, seems to have had a calming effect on Mr Arden.
He and his girlfriend Sarah Jennings – temporarily separated following a “falling out” – repaired their relationship after spending time enjoying its tranquility at the weekend. Mr Arden, who is also a professional photographer, said: “Sarah and I spent a wonderful, peaceful four hours there, chilling out. It happens to be on a part of the farm that is astonishingly beautiful.
“I don’t believe in mystic powers and I certainly don’t want people to think these things are made by aliens, which obviously they’re not. But I have to say, it looks great.” The first Mr Arden knew about the crop circle was when he saw a helicopter hovering nearby.
“I went up there and found the circle,” he said. “I didn’t really want hordes of people trampling over our finest milling wheat. I was so angry about it I was really rude to some people. However, I’ve grown to love it for various reasons.”
Alas, he and Miss Jennings will not be able to enjoy the crop pattern’s aura for much longer – Mr Arden is about to harvest the grain. - Daily Mail