EXCERPT from Pareidolia by Georgene Inks in Vivacini 01 January
2013 Do you see images in clouds like faces or animals? Have you
ever looked at an object and seen it looking back at you? If so
you have experienced “pareidolia.” According to Wikipedia it is
“a psychological phenomenon involving a vague or random stimulus
(often an image or sound) being perceived as significant.”
Wikipedia goes on to explain that common examples of pareidolia
are images ascribed to the “face on Mars,” “ the Man in the
Moon,” “the Moon Rabbit,” and even hearing hidden messages on
records when played in reverse. My husband and I remember the
international sensation caused when folks played the Beatle’s
“Revolution #9” backwards—everyone claimed they could hear:
“Paul is dead.” So even sounds can be mistaken for something
else. Apparently pareidolia is not a surprising phenomenon.
Wikipedia explains that the brain is a facial recognition,
storage, and recall machine connected to survival and humanity’s
evolutionary READ MORE IN TH