Weather Divination
How often have you heard the phrase, “Red sky at night, sailors’ delight, red sky in the morning, sailors take warning?” This saying actually originates in the Bible, in the book of Matthew: He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, they say there will be fair weather for the sky is red. And in the morning, there will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and lowring.
While there is a scientific explanation for the accuracy of this expression – relating to weather patterns, dust particles in the atmosphere, and how they move across the sky – our ancestors simply knew that if the sky looked angry in the early hours of the day, they were probably in for inclement weather.
In the northern hemisphere, the celebration of Imbolc, or Candlemas, coincides with Groundhog Day. While the notion of holding a fat rodent up to see if he projects a shadow seems quirky and campy, it’s actually something similar to weather predictions done centuries ago in Europe. In England, there's an old folk tradition that if the weather is fine and clear on Candlemas, then cold and stormy weather will reign for the remaining weeks of winter. Scotland's Highlanders had a tradition of pounding the ground with a stick until the serpent emerged. The snake's behavior gave them a good idea of how much frost was left in the season.
Some weather prediction folklore related to animals. In Appalachia, there’s a legend that if the cows are laying down in their fields, it means rain is on the way, although this may well be something that mountain folks tell outsiders – most cows seek shelter under trees or in a barn when bad weather comes. However, there are also stories that if a rooster crows in the middle of the night, it is foretelling rain the next day, and that if dogs begin running in circles, poor weather is coming. It is also said that if birds build their nests closer to the ground than usual, a hard winter is on its way.
The term “weather magic” is one that is met with a variety of reactions in the Pagan community. The very notion that a single practitioner could generate enough magical power to control such a powerful force as the weather is one that should be met with a degree of skepticism. Weather is created by a complex combination of forces all working in tandem together, and it’s unlikely that you’re going to bump into someone who has the skill, the focus, and the knowledge to actually control anything as vast as weather patterns.
This is not to say that weather control magic is impossible – it certainly is, and the more people involved in it, the more likely the chances of success.
It is indeed a complex process, and one unlikely to be carried out by an inexperienced and unfocused solo practitioner.
However, it is often possible to influence existing weather systems, particularly if you’re looking at a short-term need that has to be met. After all, how many of us remember doing some sort of “snow day” ritual the night before a big test, in hopes that school would be cancelled? While it’s unlikely to work in May in Texas, you’ve got a reasonably good chance of success in, say, February in Illinois.
In the book Nebraska Folklore, author Louise Pound describes the efforts of early homesteaders to make it rain on their fields – particularly since they knew that the local Native American tribes had rituals that were credited with controlling weather. In the nineteenth century, large groups of settlers often stopped what they were doing at a designated time so they could embark on a mass prayer for rainfall.
There is a legend in northern Europe of magicians who were able to harness the wind. The wind was imprisoned in a magical bag with intricate knots, and could then be unleashed to cause devastation to one’s enemies.
Snow days in particular are one of the most popular targets of weather folk magic. Spoons under your pillow, pajamas worn inside out, ice cubes in the toilet bowl, and plastic bags over the socks are just a few of the legends that school children have used for years in hopes of finding the white stuff blanketing their neighborhoods.
In many magical traditions and modern Pagan paths, if one wishes to have good weather for an outdoor ritual or special occasion, a petition and offering can be made to the gods of that tradition. If they see fit, they may just grant you a bright sunny day to suit your needs!
In many magical traditions, weather magic is a popular focus of workings. The term “weather magic” can be used to mean anything from divination and forecasting to actual control of the weather itself. When you consider that many of today’s folk magic customs are rooted in our agricultural past, it makes sense that an ability to foretell or change weather patterns might be considered a valuable skill. After all, if your family’s livelihood and life depended on the success of your crops, weather magic would be a handy thing to know.
Dowsing
Dowsing is the ability to find a water source in a previously unknown area via divination. In many parts of Europe professional dowsers were hired to locate new places to dig wells. This was typically done with the use of a forked stick, or sometimes a copper rod. The stick was held out in front of the dowser, who walked around until the stick or rod began to vibrate. The vibrations signaled the presence of water beneath the ground, and this was where villagers would dig their new well.
During the Middle Ages this was a popular technique for locating new springs to use as wells, but it later became associated with negative sorcery. By the seventeenth century, most dowsing had been outlawed because of its connection to the devil.
Harvest Predictions
In many rural and agricultural societies, fertility rituals were conducted to ensure a strong and healthy harvest. For instance, the use of the Maypole during the Beltane season often tied in to the fertility of the fields. In other cases, farmers used divination to determine whether the grain season would be successful – a few kernels of corn placed on a hot iron would pop and jump around. The behavior of the hot kernels indicated whether or not the price of grain would go up or down in the fall.
Frogs and toads feature prominently in magical folklore in many societies. These amphibious critters are known for a variety of magical properties, from their ability to help predict the weather, to curing warts to bringing good luck. Let’s look at some of the best known superstitions, omens and folklore surrounding frogs and toads.
- In parts of Appalachia, it is believed that if you hear a frog croaking exactly at midnight, it means rain is on the way. However, in some societies it’s just the opposite - frogs croaking during the day indicate coming storms.
- There’s an old British legend that carrying a dried frog in a pouch around your neck will prevent epileptic seizures. In some rural areas, it’s just the frog’s liver that gets dried and worn.
- Live frogs appear in a number of folk cures. It is believed that putting a live frog in your mouth will cure thrush, and that swallowing live frogs - presumably small ones - can cure whooping cough and tuberculosis. Rubbing a live frog or toad on a wart will cure the wart, but only if you impale the frog on a tree and let him die.
- Some cultures believe that a frog coming into your house brings good luck - others say it’s bad luck - the Xhosa tribe says that a frog in your house might be carrying a spell or a curse. Either way, it’s usually considered a bad idea to kill a frog. The Maori people believe that killing a frog can bring floods and heavy rains, but some African tribes say that the death of a frog will bring drought.
- For the ancient Egyptians, the frog-headed goddess Hekt was a symbol of fertility and birth. If you wish to conceive, touch a frog. The association of the frog with fertility has its root in science - each year, when the Nile river flooded its banks, frogs were everywhere. The annual flooding of the delta meant rich soil and strong crops - so the croaking of millions of frogs may well have been an indicator that farmers would have an abundant season.
- Frogs have only been in Ireland for a few hundred years, since students from Trinity College released them into the wild. However, there are still some frog folktales in Ireland, including that you can tell the weather by the color of a frog.
- Ranidaphobia is the fear of frogs and toads.
- In the Christian Bible, a plague of frogs swarms over the land of Egypt - this was the Christian god’s way of showing dominance over the gods of ancient Egypt. In the Book of Exodus, the following verse details how frogs were sent to frighten the people of Egypt into rejecting their old gods: Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. 2 But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs. The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.”
