Main article: Apophenia
Pareidolia is a type of apophenia involving the finding of images or sounds in random stimuli. For example, hearing a ringing phone while taking a shower. The noise produced by the running water gives a random background from which the patterned sound of a ringing phone might be 'produced'.
Recent real-world examples: the 'finding' of a cross inside a halved potato, the 'appearance' of Jesus and Mary inside a halved orange, or Jesus' face on a piece of toast or in the frost on a car window.
...someone told me once - shortly after we got here (5 years ago) - that Jesus' face appears in our rock wall at Church...
...I didn't pay too much attention then - but I went looking for this example of pareidolia - and I found it - below and a little to the right of the eternal flame...
...can you see it now - it's sort of like those 3D art posters - once you see it you'll always see it...
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ReplyDeleteI love those kinds of things, didn't know there was a word for it.
ReplyDeleteWell, I learned a new word tonight! As soon as I saw the first photo, I could see which stone you meant, even before the close-up. Very cool.
ReplyDeleteOK - I need help. In a class years ago we were supposed to look at things "differently." So every time we met, the prof gave us an image to "see." I rarely got it on my own :-|
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