Literature Review #4

 Citation:

Ghidina, Marcia J. "Finding God in Grain: Crop Circles, Rationality, and the Construction of Spiritual Experience." Symbolic Interaction, vol. 42, no. 2, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 2019, pp. 278–300, doi:10.1002/symb.386.

Summary: 

In Symbolic Interaction, I use the article "Finding God in Grain: Crop Circles, Rationality, and the Construction of Spiritual Experience written by Marcia Ghidina. In this article, Ghidina talks about the spiritual significance people experience when they are near crop circles. Through fieldwork done in southwest England, Ghidina incorporates eyewitness statements regarding crop circles and the feelings that many of them experienced. Along with talking about the spiritual energies that are given off many crop circles, Ghidina also talks about the background of crop circles and how they came to be and the different theories that correspond with them. Ghidina, along the way, mentions her experience with crop circles when she investigated them. 

Author:

The author of the article, "Finding God in Grain: Crop Circles, Rationality, and the Construction of Spiritual Experience," is Marcia Ghidina, an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Ghidina's current research focuses on supernaturals' belief systems along with privilege affecting empathy and dehumanization, amongst others. I believe that Marcia Ghidina is knowledgeable on this topic because her primary research focus is on supernatural beliefs. Since she has done fieldwork regarding the matter, she has experience. Along with fieldwork, Ghidina has also interviewed witnesses, which I believe helps in gaining experiences about crop circles and their spiritual significance. 

Key Terms: 

Spiritual Experience: recognition of a feeling or sense of belief 

Significance: The importance of meaning 

Three Quotes:

"Even the most avid cerealogist (crop circle researcher) will acknowledge that some circles are made by humans."(Ghidina 281)

"Sightings of quick-moving lights, the overnight completion of complex designs, the association of patterns with sacred geometry, and the energy experienced in the formation are cited as some of the evidence of non-human, higher-being involvement." (Ghidina 281)

"Of course, some are real, and some are hoax, I can tell a real one, by the energy I feel once inside it. Different crop circles seem to resonate different energies, which I usually feel within my chakras . . . . Each one is different, some seem to energize me, giving me a real buzz, others make me want to lay down in them, and be very still. Sometimes I can get the same effect, within a single circle, at different parts of it, depending where I am positioned. Overall the experiences are very positive." (Ghidina 293)

Value:

This article will help me explore the spiritual aspect of crop circles which is very significant in understanding the supernatural side of the creation, which correlates to the basis of my research. It allows me to understand the significance of crop circles through these witnesses' lens that have spiritual experiences. This discussion supports my aspect of how there is a supernatural aspect to crop circles that can be seen through these witnesses and how it relates to hidden messages.