No, the Virgin Mary definitely did not appear in a tree despite the question being asked, shockingly, by serious news outlets and practically the entire internet. Instead, science has an indisputable answer that is the solution to the s0-called “mystery” of what some people perceive to be a divine manifestation of Jesus’ mom. The nonsense began when some folks in Iowa said they saw the image of either the Virgin Mary, Jesus, or the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus, and journalists took notice. A CNN reporter on the scene even said he saw what looked to be a six foot-ish tall image of Mary in the tree. Being that the CNN reporter actually made it all the way to CNN during the course of his career, it is a safe assumption that he knows all about pareidolia.
Pareidolia is the reason why people think they see Virgin Mary in a tree, and the reason why they see shapes in clouds. It is the reason why they see a “face” on Mars, Jesus on a tortilla, “ghosts” in their house and nearly all other “supernatural” manifestations. All of these events are in fact caused by natural phenomenon, and when getting nearer to the image in question, that becomes abundantly clear. In the case of the Iowa tree, for example, when looking from a close vantage point, it is easy to see that the pattern is actually random, and created by causes found in nature.
The human brain has a remarkable ability to pick out patterns and assign meaning to otherwise meaningless sets of visual data. It requires no effort and happens automatically in pretty much all healthy people. The ability to recognize faces and make sense out of chaos was essential to human survival, especially in the early days of human evolution. This fact is also represented in infants’ ability to recognize human faces. Synthesizing facial data and making order out of patterns is hardwired into our brains from birth.
Most journalists know this, and that is why it is so preposterous when they engage in supporting the notion that something supernatural might be going on in cases such as the one with the Virgin Mary appearing in the tree in Iowa and other similar events. It is downright silly and altogether laughable for journalists to refer to these pareidolia examples as “mysteries.” Such instances are not mysteries. Quite the contrary, actually. They are easily and definitively explained by science.
This particular image looks suspiciously like a disease called alcoholic slime flux; certainly a less glamorous cause than a miraculous sign sent by Jesus’ dad himself. However, it could be any one of a number of natural illnesses common to trees, or a combination thereof. It could also be caused by some other explainable phenomena such as perhaps a lightening strike, for example. One thing is for sure: the Virgin Mary did not appear in a tree in Iowa. Those who left flowers at the base of the tree ought to have donated that money to help save the environment. There are plenty of good causes that need funding. Oh, and they should also take some time to learn a little something about science.
