We carried a photo recently of cloud formations on Jupiter, taken by the Juno probe, which began orbiting earth’s largest neighbor in July 2016 [below] and asked: “What do you see?”
That’s because it seemed unusual in many regards, as astronomical structures sometimes do, especially nebulae and cosmic “clouds,” as if the supernatural imprints itself in them.
Some immediately saw the Virgin, in prayer. If one is so predisposed, one can also see a woman behind “her,” as well as a smaller Jesus Crucified just below her; a skull at the bottom; what looks like a saint in repose above, replete with long beard and halo; and any number of other silhouettes and “profiles,” including one that, discordantly, looks like an alien. A snapshot of spiritual warfare?
“I thought I would answer your question under today’s website photo of Jupiter,” wrote Susanne Kuerner. “I see three separate images/scenes in the photo. In the upper left of the photo, I can see Our Lady’s head bowed in prayer, with folded hands/white mantle. Just beneath her hands I can see the Holy Family with Joseph’s shepherd’s staff too. The brightest orange image is the head of baby Jesus and He is being held by the Blessed Mother. I don’t usually see much in these types of images, but I sure do this time and they are just beautiful. I feel very blessed! Thanks for sharing this!”
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We accept that the mind can play tricks, that we often see what the brain is oriented toward seeing — that there is that phenomenon of pareidolia; but we also accept that the supernatural world melds with the physical one more frequently than we realize, that in fact there is a constant interplay.
There were other incredible photos like this one, taken on October 29. Not all have interesting images. All are part of God’s mysterious Creation. One day we will understand what “space” is! Surprises will be in store. For the supernatural world is behind the curtain or “gossamer veil” (as one person put it) that separates us from eternity.
“This picture was taken on a shower wall of a house located in a military housing on Oahu,” writes Lucy Burgess. “It is a natural part of the stone used in the shower.” She saw Guadalupe. Do you?
In other cases, it is not with the physical eyes, but the spiritual ones, that we see such things.
We had a special report delving recently into the New Age center of America, which is Sedona, Arizona. Countless have written or spoken about the spiritual ambience there.
But even in such a setting, we see what we are oriented toward, or what we want to. Sometimes it is good to focus only on the good, the holy aspects. Sometimes we see a wider panorama. Sometimes our perceptions evolve. As in the photo of Jupiter, good and evil seem present everywhere. For example:
“I read your New Age special report with interest as I have lived in Sedona my whole life except for my college years (I am 50) and my husband attending dental school,” wrote viewer Liz Westervelt. “I had never heard of a vortex or any of the New Age practices while growing up. It has only been since moving back to Sedona that these bizarre stores and beliefs came about. I have hiked all over Sedona and have never heard any strange sounds or felt any energy. Perhaps only those people who are open to such things experience it.
“Just this past weekend at Mass, our Catholic priest mentioned a medical miracle that occurred at the Chapel of the Holy Cross [in Sedona] just recently. A woman from back east who had terminal cancer was given only months to live and had received all the medical treatments that doctors could provide. She had a dream of a specific Crucifix and that she would be cured there. After searching, she discovered an exact match in Sedona at the Chapel of the Holy Cross. She flew to Arizona and stood in front of the Crucifix and was healed! Her doctors reported it as a miracle.
“Even though Sedona has become a town that I don’t recognize anymore, there are a lot of good Christians here who are fighting the good fight! I have learned a lot from your website over the past seven years and have read most of your books. With this knowledge, I have been able to steer people away from New Age’s subtle influences. Just recently I read your recommended book TheMiracle Ship and learned about the terrible influences that New Age objects and practices result in. Little did you know that you were helping our little town from afar! Thank you for all the great articles that you put on your website. I look forward to viewing it every day and I don’t think I have missed but a few days over that past eight years!”
Good points made here: focus on what is holy about a place — looking always beyond and above the dark landscapes (and starscapes) of this passing world.
[resources: The Miracle Ship]
[Feedback from the mail: “I was flying home over Nevada near Lake Tahoe on Monday, November 12. Looking out my window down to the ground I saw a huge, partial image of what to me looked like Our Lady of Guadalupe, flat on the ground. There were no facial features but the image was remarkable. Then I turned my eyes to the left and saw an image of a white skull face on the ground. Although I have no pictures to show, these images impressed on me how we are in a spiritual battle, especially here in CA where the state is burning at both ends. Our Mother is here with us. Sincerely, Katie Fleming, Gold River, California. ‘Times are never so bad that a good man cannot live in them.’ St. Thomas Moore. ‘”A lie is a lie even if everyone believes it. The truth is the truth even if no one believes it.’ Fulton J. Sheen.”]