I grew up in the Midwest and learned about the weather with keen interest. I had a book on weather for children titled Everyday Weather and How It Works by Herman Schneider which saw much use. In fact its spine is broken, and some pages are falling out. That book taught me a lot about meteorology, how weather and climate work, forecasting and how to make instruments with materials I could find at home. These instruments were not highly accurate, but through building them, I learned a lot about meteorology and the instruments used to measure atmospheric conditions. My dad and I spent hours talking about weather forecasting and especially about weather maps. Before radar was used to track precipitation, I would climb our apple tree to gain my best view of clouds and precipitation. OK, climbing up that tree was not exactly a bird’s eye view of clouds, but at that young age, it was what I could do. I learned to identify clouds and make observations. I learned to use my senses for observation like smelling rain as it was coming. I wanted to be the first woman meteorologist reporting the weather on TV. But, sadly this was in the day when boys were expected to go into the “hard” sciences, and expectations for girls were at best the “soft” sciences. Then there was Math: I had “a fine mathematical mind” until I was in a class taught by a teacher who was not approachable and who was downright frightening. Math is one of those subjects in which learning builds upon what is already learned. Without help I just could not keep up. I understood that to become a meteorologist, I needed the math. Then life got in the way, and I let my interests go in directions other than meteorology. I am glad for STEM which now encourages girls to follow their passions in science.
Tropical Storm Debby paid parts of Florida, and the Southeast Coast a visit. It weakened and became a tropical depression as it continued further North. Finally, its remnants traveled into the Northeastern states and Canada. When I lived in the Midwest, I was used to seeing lines of storms marching across the plains generally moving from West to East. This kind of movement was what I came to expect in the Midwest. But, surprise! Tropical systems have a very different look and feel. The humidity is incredible, and it never ceases to amaze me how fast lower clouds in tropical systems seem to move. This is a video of clouds moving within Debby.
What does the weather mean for our practice other than what it will do affecting our outdoor rituals? I like to think about it this way. Weather is very powerful. It involves the energy of both our sun and atmosphere. It also involves the water vapor in our atmosphere and bodies of water that retain incredible amounts of heat. The wattage of energy from the Sun that the Earth receives each moment is in the trillions. The output of energy from a single thunderstorm has a rough equivalency to a 20 kiloton nuclear blast. The number of thunderstorms on Earth are in the tens of thousands each day. Think about being able to tap into this just a little bit of this energy. Even these fractions of this energy are massive, and care must be taken to protect yourself by using well honed skills like grounding. This energy is available to all of us in one way or another. Let us think about not just weather but also climate. Weather is the transient conditions of the atmosphere in a given location. Climate is the average of those momentary conditions over many years. Minneapolis, Minnesota for example has cold and snowy winters. But Phoenix Arizona has mostly sunny days in winter with the temperature rarely falling below freezing. Different approaches are needed to tap into these different climates. You might want to research the power of the Sun in Phoenix, but look into latent heat involved with water changing states in Minneapolis. To utilize the energies in a specific location an understanding of its climate is important.
There are many activities you can do to incorporate weather in your magick. Many of us have already done some activities. For example, I remember watching the TV on a very snowy day crossing my fingers for my school to close for the day. Even teachers do that! Remember that I was one. You may have done something like that, too. Something simple I do is gathering water in sacred ways. I have collected water from oceans and precipitation to incorporate into my magick. The precipitation may be a gentle or driving rain, hail, sleet or snow. To collect precipitation I leave a collection container placed outdoors away as much as possible from bushes, trees and buildings. A wide opening of collection container is key. A heavy mixing bowl or pot works well. I put something out that will not blow away. I recommend filtering the water before storing it. Little labeled glass bottles with corks for storage of water in the refrigerator has a witchy flair, but I have run into issues with that system. Even in the refrigerator I have found water that has developed a bit of a slime over time. Then there is the refrigerator that got too cold and froze its contents breaking the glass bottles. One way around this is to freeze the water in an ice cube tray. Labeling the ice is a must. Consider putting little flags in the ice cube tray or transferring the ice cubes into a labeled freezer bag. When using this water I think about the powers in it. For example, water collected from a gentle rain may be used in ritual bath for relaxation. Meditation in special weather conditions is another thing you can do. Be cautious with weather that could be a danger to you. Certain weather like thunderstorms and bitter cold are best enjoyed from inside your home. Make a rain stick, which may be simple or fancy made with a tube, some nails and rice. Some of you may remember learning how to fold paper and cut it to make paper snowflakes which can be used in so many ways. No two snowflakes are exactly alike. If you have a prism or garden hose, use it to create a rainbow. Create a sun-catcher and hang it in the window. These are just a few simple ways to incorporate weather in magick.
Late night August 11 and early the next morning the Perseid meteor shower will reach its peak. A dark sky without light pollution is best for viewing. The moon will be about 46% full. But she sets at 12:09 am on August 12, so the early morning of August 12 is really the best time to view them. Fingers crossed that the sky will be clear in your vicinity! The Perseids will hang around until about September 1 this year, so other opportunities to see them exist. The moon will be full August 19, so be mindful of that while planning viewing opportunities.
If you would like to learn more about using weather in your magic, I recommend Weather Magic: Witchery, Science, Lore by Debra L. Burris, published by Llewellyn in 2024. NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a great website for learning more about meteorology. Visit noaa.gov to learn more.
Auburn Greene
My Inner Wiccan 