Is this the face of the Virgin Mary on a tree?

There have been several reports of holy apparitions seen in various places and objects. Just earlier this year, the face of Jesus allegedly appeared on a hillside after a landslide in Colombia.

Last October 29 in Whitefield, Greater Manchester, England, Paula Raferty was talking to her neighbor when they saw an unusual image on a tree that closely resembled the Virgin Mary.

The 48-year-old mother of two claimed it is a natural phenomenon, but her children thought it looked spooky because it was found only a few days before Halloween.

The news about the sighting quickly spread around the neighborhood with many debating that the image could be of Mary or one of the twelve apostles.

Paula said she hasn’t seen anything like it. “It’s very spooky, especially considering it is Halloween on Saturday night.” She also described that the face “does look like Mary, but sometimes to the naked eye it is so creepy that it looks a bit like a witch.”

Although she believes it’s something worth observing, she does not want the Vatican to look at it as some kind of miracle. “I would be mortified if it became a site for religious pilgrims.” Since the tree is just outside her house, it wouldn’t be great to see hundreds of people lining up to take a look at the image. “I’d have to ask the council to cut the tree down,” she said.

According to Mirror, the miracle face is believed to be pareidolia, a psychological occurrence where people interpret images or patterns as those of an animal, objects, and faces.

Featured image via Mercury Press / Getty Images