Catholic Online Forum

I posted in the Prayer Requests for victims of a large explosion in KCMO.

This photo of the conflagration is from the Kansas City Star newspaper. I was struck by the resemblance of a wolf’s head in the smoke swirl near the fireman’s right knee (arrow)

_________________
In Christ,

Jim B

I will consider your position if stated with firm, well-thought-out, quiet reasoning. Hateful diatribe, ad hominem attacks and shouted rhetoric don't impress.

I see a wolf's head just above and to the left of the fireman's head. He seems to be looking right at it.

Or it could be a German Shepherd.

_________________
David L (CA)
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.” - Groucho Marx

You're right, David! And that is a much bigger wolf! It seems to be looking at the fireman quizzically, with its head a bit tilted!

_________________
In Christ,

Jim B

I will consider your position if stated with firm, well-thought-out, quiet reasoning. Hateful diatribe, ad hominem attacks and shouted rhetoric don't impress.

Oh, I don't know. To the right of the fireman, I see an aging Cat-in-the-hat.

_________________
Dean
Most people's sense of history goes back to breakfast time - Benjamin Netanyahu

LOL. Now that you mention it. But to me it looks like George Washington.

_________________
David L (CA)
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.” - Groucho Marx

And straight above his head, there is either a wraith or the sad twin of the tragedy/comedy masks!



Who knew smoke could be so entertaining?!?

_________________
In Christ,

Jim B

I will consider your position if stated with firm, well-thought-out, quiet reasoning. Hateful diatribe, ad hominem attacks and shouted rhetoric don't impress.

Does no one else see the human form above and to the left of the fireman?

_________________
-Lou (Louis)

ORA et LABORA
Totus Tuus
Cacciatore/Fungaiolo

Luigi, do you mean the well-muscled guy wearing a black tank top?

_________________
In Christ,

Jim B

I will consider your position if stated with firm, well-thought-out, quiet reasoning. Hateful diatribe, ad hominem attacks and shouted rhetoric don't impress.

There are demonic forms throughout the area of smoke.

_________________
Pax et Bonum


Schultzz

Jim,

I'm reminded of a little while ago when many claimed to see the BVM in a piece of buttered toast.

_________________
James Daly

"It is the Lord." (Jn 21:7)

The difference between having faith and having imagination is only separated by the ability to tell the difference and before that occurs imagination remains paramount. Some people have neither.

_________________
Pax et Bonum


Schultzz

The term for such human interpretations of abstract images is:

Pareidolia (pron.: /pærɨˈdoʊliə/ parr-i-DOH-lee-ə) is a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (often an image or sound) being perceived as significant. Common examples include seeing images of animals or faces in clouds, the man in the moon or the Moon rabbit, and hearing hidden messages on records when played in reverse.

From Wiki.

_________________
BobA

Where? Point them out please.

_________________
David L (CA)
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.” - Groucho Marx

I can't see any animals or faces or figures in the smoke. I guess I have no imagination.

_________________
Grace

As to the past, let us entrust it to God's mercy, the future to Divine Providence. Our task is to live holy the present moment. - Saint Gianna Molla

Grace,

Where there are clouds of smoke you see clouds of smoke? Rorschach would be very disappointed - you're obviously sane.



(There's an amusing bawdy joke about Rorschach, the punchline of which is the patient saying, "Who me? Hey, Doc, you're the one with the dirty pictures".)

_________________
James Daly

"It is the Lord." (Jn 21:7)

Bob, playing a record in reverse and hearing a hidden message or seeing some threatening image in random images can certainly be an indication of mental illness.

But psychologically, people are geared to attempt to make sense out of incomplete data. Completing vague images into wholes is not an unusual or abnormal phenomenon at all. That's why most people can see a face where actually the only visual clues are eyes, a nose and lips.

It's also why (in spite of the popular internet claim that most can't) most of us can read the "jumbled words" paragraph that begins "If You Can Raed Tihs, You Msut Be Raelly Smrat"

Just because some of us can convert incomplete visual patterns into wholes better than others doesn't necessarily make us disturbed (nor smarter nor dumber).

It just makes us different!

_________________
In Christ,

Jim B

I will consider your position if stated with firm, well-thought-out, quiet reasoning. Hateful diatribe, ad hominem attacks and shouted rhetoric don't impress.

See if you can decipher this one:

Speed painter - http://viewpure.com/I9ficvPdpZg

_________________
David L (CA)
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.” - Groucho Marx

Well, yes … but it took me the whole two minutes to do so!

_________________
In Christ,

Jim B

I will consider your position if stated with firm, well-thought-out, quiet reasoning. Hateful diatribe, ad hominem attacks and shouted rhetoric don't impress.

David,

Having been brought up on Mr Squiggle...

http://www.youfixittube.com/watch?v=HwNrG9a22nc

_________________
James Daly

"It is the Lord." (Jn 21:7)

I didn't interpret the definition of Pareidolia as implying any form of mental disorder! The word is simply the scientific term for seeing familiar images in abstract media. No offense intended.

_________________
BobA