New Raw Video Featuring An Ancient Design

A PROMINENT DESIGN IN THE STONES

The simplicity of one waterside Stone Row we came across in Boylston, Massachusetts last month made it a great candidate for me to use as I try to explain something I've been seeing, a simple, prominent, yet iconic Serpent Effigy work pattern I've seen repeated elsewhere in New England, representing side fins sweeping off a Serpent form. I believe this pattern to be indicative of Indigenous stonework, but admit the Serpentine attribution is speculative.

A Stone Row — with Possible Serpent Stonework — in Boylston, Massachusetts. Photo by Mike Luoma.

I think we might all be able to see this work if we de-condition ourselves a little. Our rational brain often filters out our mind's tendency towards pareidolia, "the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern" (Merriam-Webster) - like seeing shapes in clouds, or faces on cars.

We're not supposed to see Serpents in New England, we're supposed to see Stone Walls. But If I didn't tell you where this was, and told you it was a stone construct which could be portraying the side fins of an Indigenous Great Horned and Feathered Serpent Form somewhere in the Americas, would that make it easier to see?

Illustrations by Mike Luoma.

Sometimes, a drawing can help. I've drawn a stylized version of this section of the Serpent Form, then separately highlighted the side fins (aqua), and the top ridge fins (yellow) so they'll stand out.

I've attempted to put the stylized drawing (which wasn't traced, obviously) roughly over the top of a video capture of the Serpent Form, just to roughly correlate the illustration with reality.

Above, the Stylized Drawing Superimposed on the Actual Stone Row. Below, the Stone Row in a Video Capture. Illustration and Video/Photos by Mike Luoma.

This post also includes raw, uncut video of this stonework in the field.