Weather Witchery

I've heard it said that witchcraft is either an actual connection to and interaction with the "magical" current of nature, or a psychosis.  I think it might be a bit of both.

Weather magic, in particular, is something that walks than fine line.  Did you actually shift the weather pattern or was it already shifting and you just caught wind of it (no pun intended.)  Creating weather out of thin air is not something I think happens - at least, not often.  That kind of energy manifestation (especially coming from one person,) would be rare.  But grabbing hold of an already forming meteorlogical event and putting a bit more "oomph" into it, or shifting it in a new direction - I've been witness to that a time or two.  Was it a fluke?  Or was the practitioner able to coerce the sky to cooperate with her?  I honestly can't say.

Additionally, if you can actually change the weather, then there is a rather large responsibility to consider if things go a bit haywire (floods, droughts, lightening strikes.)

While wandering through the yard and gardens this morning, I found myself watching the rain clouds we had so hoped for, pass completely over us.  Clear sky was not far behind, and I was dissapointed. The wind was blowing in from the south-east and carrying all those clouds over to the next valley in the west.

I suddenly remembered a story I had heard about witches who had been employed to bring in rough weather.  If a ship was coming into port carrying valueables that a treasure-hunter wanted, or if the ship was carrying invaders, the witch would be approached to do a bit of storm-brewing, meant to take the ship down.  One of the ways she did this was by simply stirring her tea in a certain way.

Being amused by this vague recollection, I set to stirring my coffee while chanting about bringing the rains back in our direction.  Within ten minutes the wind shifted.  As I look at the Canadian flag out my window, I can see that the wind is now blowing in from the north-west and the rain is falling in earnest.  And just as I am typing this, thunder has rumbled and sheet lightening has lit up the dull morning sky.

Do I think that I created this weather?  No.  There was rain in the forecast today.  Do I find it a bit strange that the wind shifted direction completely and the clouds that had just passed us by with not a drop of moisture to spare, have retreated back on themselves to pour rain down outside my window?  "Strange" is a good word for it.

I think perhaps I'll simply stick to stirring honey into my coffee, and forget about stirring up the weather.

If you enjoy a bit of weather lore, check out these pages:

New World Witchery Podcast - Episode 7 - "Weather Magic and Lore"

Weather Magic and Folklore - Patti Wigington (about.com)

Otherworld Apothecary Blog - Traditional Weather Witching



Picture from Wiki Commons - found here: