Friday, June 7, 2013

Pariedolia: Tell me what you Really See

I ran across a new word this week: pariedolia,
pronounced pair ee DOH lee uh.
It is the phenomena of seeing a meaningful image in random shapes.
Seeing the man in the moon or a horse galloping in fluffy white clouds
are both examples of the phenomenon.

horse cloud
http://equineink.com/2011/03/23/is-your-head-clouds/

At times, people see images that they think are heavenly signs.
This happened in Malaysia in late 2012 when
many people thought an image on a hospital window
was the Virgin Mary:
In this Nov. 12, 2012 file photo, an image believed to be the Virgin Mary is seen on a window of a hospital in Subang Jaya, near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A Malaysian church is taking possession of the hospital window that has attracted hundreds of people who believe it bears an image of the Virgin Mary. (AP/Lai Seng Sin)
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/11/13/malaysia-church-gets-window-with-virgin-mary-image.html

The Malaysian image is pretty convincing, actually.
 I once saw Elvis in the grill marks on French toast,
but I can't say it was much of a spiritual experience though.
But seeing images in random patterns is fascinating.
So for the next few days, I will be sharing some images
that qualify as pariedolia.
Here is the first one, a smiley face in a Mars crater:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia

Join me tomorrow for another fun example of pariedolia.
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