According to ancient Chinese tradition, the gods of heaven didn’t exist entirely on a separate plane of reality—they also had a material correspondence on Earth. The ancients believed that large rocks, mountains, or capricious land reliefs were part of a cycle of movement through which the gods lived and were nourished. So every time one of those images fell, it meant that the life-cycle for that god had ended.
Beyond the myths or truths of the fate of the universe, these visual wonders of nature can be found throughout the planet—and even beyond. While our current culture doesn’t offer such splendid explanations for natural stone structures, these unusual formations still capture our imaginations, often becoming treasured centerpieces in parks and nature preserves.
The Badlands Guardian
Located in southeastern Alberta, Canada, this great geological wonder can only been seen from high above the ground. Nevertheless, its humanoid details are stunning when one considers that human hands did not take part in shaping this large mass of rock. Interpreted by many as a human head donning both a native headdress and an iPod, the profile was formed by the erosion of rainwater on layers of clay-rich soil.
The headphone’s wires are formed by a dirt road, and the earpiece is formed by an oil well where the road ends. However, these additional manmade details only add an interesting touch; they are not absolutely necessary to give identity to the figure.
In fact, they give a modern air to this face that seems out of place with the native style of the original form. Other names given to the “Guardian” during its course of popularity are “Super Granny,” “Cliff,” “Hickox’s Head,” “In Plains View,” “The Listening Rock,” and “Napi.”
The Old Man of the Mountain
It is believed that glaciers and a succession of several geological phenomena unleashed some 200 million years ago first began to shape this naturally occurring sculpture. It has been admired for decades by tourists as a noble symbol of New Hampshire.
Although legends from the natives of the region told how following the course of the Merrimack River would show the way to the mountain with a stone face, the first written account detailing the “Old Man of the Mountain” dates back to 1805.
Over the past hundred years, many devices were employed to prevent the granite monument from falling. Just a few years before its demise, the use of cables and epoxy were utilized, but eventually the mythic head succumbed to the very forces of nature that created it. Strong winds combined with heavy rains and successive freezing led to the collapse of the gigantic face early one morning on May 3, 2003.
Martian Face
But Earth isn’t the only planet with such capricious formations.
When photos of the notorious Martian citadel, Cydonia Mensae, were released in 1976 it unleashed a flood of controversy. Images of these supposed formations fed the fantasies of thousands who harbored hope that intelligent beings with an advanced technology might inhabit the red planet.
While NASA officials insist that the initial images of the “Face on Mars” (also part of Cydonia) were merely produced by a chance illusion of light and shadow, others are convinced that these photos reveal a startling untold history of our red neighbor.
Perhaps the most outspoken of these individuals is controversial researcher Richard C. Hoagland. Because the location of these curious Martian structures bears a remarkable parallel to the Earth’s Egyptian pyramids, Hoagland offers a bold theory that seeks to establish relationships between the creators of the famous Egyptian Sphinx and this enigmatic Martian face.
For many, the more recent satellite images of the “Face on Mars” taken in 2006 discounted the Face’s reputation as either an engineering marvel or a miraculous natural formation. However, in 2008 the Martian landscape revealed another photographic mystery: the appearance of a seated figure among the rocks. The photo was captured by the Martian probe Spirit, and like the earlier “Face on Mars,” this picture has convinced a number of researchers that Mars might not be so uninhabitable after all. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t4KfMok4U0
Whether or not Martian technology and culture really do exist, no one can deny that these structures, like the ones found on Earth, have succeeded in capturing our imaginations. Humankind has long been moved at witnessing its own image carved in stone. However, when these sculptures are found chiseled by the hand of Mother Nature herself, the rock becomes imbued with an even greater air of mystery.
In these moments, nature appears to offer up a reflection of ourselves. The natural world produces a face we can easily relate to.
