EARTHLIGHTS

There has been a previous attempt to link together various supernatural appartitions from ghosts through ‘will o’ the wisps’ to UFOs. This is Paul Devereux’s ‘earth lights hypothesis’ which was first argued in 1982, with a major updates in 1989 and 1997 (Devereux 1982; 1989; 1997b; Devereux and Brookesmith 1997)

In bare outline, Devereux’s earth lights hypothesis argues that tectonic strain in rocks - especially those near to active geological fault lines - can cause anomalous light phenomena. Such phenomena have been recreated under laboratory conditions and there has been sufficient evidence to support his suggestions. For instance, ‘tadpole-shaped’ lights were seen before an earthquake in Leicestershire on 11th February 1957, and anomalous lights appeared before the earthquake centred on Mounts Bay in Cornwall of 10th November 1996 (Devereux 1997a). According to a Japanese scientist, Yoshizo Kawaguchi (1996), many people reported seeing red and blue lights an hour or tens of minutes before the 1995 Kobe earthquake.

There is also evidence for both earth lights in the Pennines and also for a continuity with folk lore predating any of this theorising. A detailed study of folklore and anomalous lights around Bristol provides equally convincing independent data linking ‘earth lights’ with, both fairy and ghost lore.

Devereux also suggests that poltergeist activity and ghosts, especially the vague white shape types, are another manifestation of the same earth light phenomena. In Places of Power (1990: 32–4) Devereux provides clear evidence for links between fairy lore and anomalous lights in Ireland and Cornwall. He has also suggested that earth lights are capable of triggering temporary brain ‘disfunctions’ (such as temporal lobe dissociation)

In June 2002 during one of the UPIA's skywathes at Ashurst Beacon, Skelmersdale, Lancashire. We were privilaged to witness and record a segmant of film, where we believe an "Earthlight" rises into the atmosphere before dispersing after several seconds, a report can be found at :-

http://maxpages.com/upia/UPIA_SKYWATCHES

A recent report emminatting from South Cheshire repored a similar event, all information gathered leads us to believe this too could possibly be an Earthlight.

28/05/05, MOW COP:

Two witnesses watched an orange ball of light, rise from hills in the Mow Cop area of Staffordshire. The ball of light travelled upwards, without noise at around 2330hrs, gradually dispersing after 30 seconds or so. The witnesses were looking due North.

Paul Devereux's website, for a more in depth study of the phenomena can be found at :-

http://www.pauldevereux.co.uk/new/html/body_earthlights.html