A Little Weather Witchery
I’ll be frank, I do not do a lot of weather witchcraft – mostly because I have little need for weather manipulation. I’m not a farmer; I garden, but only recreationally and rarely for food. However, I have collected over the years quite a number of weather witching rituals – that I hope may be of more use to some of you than I.
Storm Salt
This is undoubtedly what I use most in regards to weather witchcraft, as it can be used in countless ways – specifically in hexes, curses and crosses. Plus, it can be equated to Storm Water, only with the convenience of a powder, making it easier to store and giving it a much extended shelf-life. Creation is very simple.
Simply collect storm water and add it to a stock pot – or whichever size pot matches the quantity of storm water you’ve collected. To this, add salt. Add as much as you can, stirring all the while until the salt no longer dissolves in the water. No need to worry about this extra salt left, it will dissolve when the water is heated – which leads me to the next step: bring the pot to a rolling boil. Stir regularly until the remaining salt has dissolved. Reduce heat to a medium boil, and leave it to boil. It’s integral to check on it regularly, so as not to ruin your pot! Once the water has evaporated, you will be left with newly reformed “storm” salt crystals. Just scrape/collect and bag/jar.
(Being that the water is rain water – soft water – it should leave little to no calcification/hard-water build up on the pan)
It can also be used to turn regular water into storm water, with the addition of the salt – which is quite handy!
Storm Raising
Storm Raising rituals are, admittedly, a dime-a-dozen, but nonetheless I’m bringing this one to you. It’s similar – in essence – to the old, rag-beating summons, but incorporating a few added “ingredients”
You will need:
Storm Water – which can be “reconstituted” by adding the Storm Salt to regular (or preferably soft) water, though fresh is always best
Pine Boughs – gathered to form a whisk or “broom” of sorts – these must be fresh and the more flexible, the better
A Large Rock – I live in a national forest that is rife with huge rocks, we even have the Garden of the Gods (IL), so I’d say doing this “on location” would be all the better. The higher vantage point, the better! But, a large river rock or decorative rock should work just fine
Place the storm water in a large-mouthed bucket or pale, and arrange it near the rock. Dip the collected boughs into the water, and give them a stir. You’ll want to move quickly for this next part, because the saturation of the needles is key. Grab them up, and without letting them drip, lash the rock with them (you will most certainly get wet – embrace it).
While doing this, recite:
Lashing rain and maelstrom might,
Born of sky – horizon’s blight –
That which turns the day to night –
Thunder roll and lightning strike,
I calleth forth: The Storm
With each line, lash the rock. The process would be, Line #1, lash the rock, Line #2, lash the rock, and so on.
When complete, shake the excess water from the boughs and wrap them in a cloth or towel. This can then be burned, hung in a tree, or stashed in a high place as an offering.
Rain Conjuring
As with most weather magic, this should be done from a high vantage point, as nearest to the sky as you can get (safely) or in a vast field/meadow. Again, rain conjurings are plentiful, but you can’t rightly do a piece on weather magic without including at least one, right?
To perform, simply gathered a bag or bowl of whole barley or ground oats. A combination of fine, but no benefit. To this, add in the storm salt. You can also use fresh storm water, but that gets very messy and drippy (which may or may not be beneficial to rain summoning or not – but either way, I’d prefer to stay dry and not be wearing damp oats, honestly). In your chosen location, cast the grain in the four cardinal directions, saying a prayer for rain of your choosing. Repeat three times and scatter any remaining meal.
Wind Wielding
As an Air Sign, I have an extraordinary love for wind (as well as most weather – except snow, I hate snow) and love a powerful gust – messy hair a welcome effect. This particular calling is for summoning up wind, not tempering it, as I could think of no situation in which wind would not be welcomed. For this, I bring two options:
Method One:
To summon up the wind, first collect 8 or 9 weeping willow branches (In all honesty, you could also use pine, but you’d get far more wind resistance which is counter-intuitive to this process). These will be fashioned into a “whisk” – however, if you happen to have a whisk (such as a horse tail whisk – a “totem” of the Orisha, Oya) feel free to use that. For this particular method, a broom is not recommended, see option two for that.
To construct the whisk, simply bare the branches of any leaves, and bind them together with string, twine or rope – it can be as decorative or as minimalist as you’d like, as it can be reused or used once and left.
With whisk in hand, find a fitting location. As above, “high” places, life bluffs or outcroppings are well suited, or a large, flat expanse. Line yourself up and attune yourself for a moment to the wind – which is best done with closed eyes. Feel the wind (if there is any) and the air, align yourself thusly with your back to any wind or breeze. If the air is still, face the direction in which you want the wind to blow. Briefly dangle the whisk at your side, and gently shake it to “charge” it. When all feels right, bring the whisk up and snap it in front of you, first to your right, then to the left. Be careful, you don’t want to put your eye out and being that this is much like a natural, cat-of-nine tales, you don’t want to relive the “switches” from days of yore.
Continue to whip the air with the whisk until you feel a change in the air – even if it minute, you should be able to feel the pressures changing.
Method Two:
This one is one you probably shouldn’t do in your front yard unless you want your neighbors closing the blinds and pulling their children inside for fear of the crazy witch next door.
You will need:
A Broom – preferably one made of an “airy” wood, I’d recommend ash, birch, or a sturdier willow.
– or –
Simply a Limb of the same variety
With your “weapon of choice,” choose a suitable location, and like before, attune yourself to the wind. Hold the broom or limb with both hands in a passive manner (palms beneath the wood, not above). Held it near you, with bent arms – as you are mimicking the air as it is, passive and reserved. Once you have attuned yourself, flatten your palms and straighten your arms, as though you are presenting the branch as a gift.
At this point, one hand at a time, take a more dominant grip over the limb, palms now above the wood. Raise it above your head in a single, abrupt movement, at which point antagonize the wind.
I know how that sounds… Hence why I said not to do this in your front yard.
You’re literally trying to enrage the wind, but calling it weak and docile. Ask it to show you the power it possesses, command it to move, scream to the proverbial heavens to “show me what you’ve got!” Get it rustling, bully it into retaliation, basically, until it’s to your liking – at which point, commend it. “See, that’s better! Well done. Keep it up.”
Sometimes the wind just needs to be reminded… We air signs are much the same.
Cloud Cutting
Surely you didn’t think it was all going to be conjuring up bad weather… This, this is to dismantle those clouds and brings some much needed sunshine – which makes this particularly useful in the long bouts of spring rain, when a bit of sunshine would really help lighten the mood, and cut that lingering chill.
This process is relatively simple and is done much the same way as the above, but with the addition of a knife. Any knife will do, no need to get fancy – grab one out of the kitchen or from the garage and make your way to a suitable spot. Much like before, high places and wide places are most suitable, but for this one, you’ll be looking for somewhere with a great view of the sky.
To begin, warm yourself up – focus your energy to feeling the heat of your skin, as though the sun was beaming down on it. It is with this warmth that you will be cutting the clouds, much like the sun does.
Once poised and ready, knife in hand, draw the flat blade over your tongue (not the sharp bit, obviously – you’d also ideally want to make sure it’s clean first), imbuing it with sun’s heat. Hold it over your head, parallel with the sky, then drive it town into the earth. Pull it from the ground until just the point remains in the earth, and draw it straight to the right, then turning it upward, arking around to make a counter-clockwise circle around the initial point – making, roughly, the alchemical sign for sun. Clean the blade and go on your merry way, waiting for the clouds to part and the sun to shine.
Lightning Ward and Summons
There are several types of Lightning Wards – and I do mean several. I’m not sure if people used to get hit left and right with lightning or what, but they sure wanted lots of charms to prevent it. Any rudimentary search through Google will turn up countless charms to prevent personal injury from lightning, so I’ve elected to, instead, bring you a means of preventing lightning from striking your crops or homestead.
The recipe is relatively simply, gather:
Corn Kernels – from the last harvest
Storm Salt
Oak Ash – as in, the ashes of a piece of oak
– and –
Copper – coins, buttons, fixings, whatever you can find – or, alternately, a copper bowl to mix the above in
Combine the ingredients in a bowl – copper being the best, and doubling as the copper called for above. As strange as it sounds, when mixing this, do not incorporate any silver, which includes mixing while wearing silver rings, necklaces or jewelry of any sort. This is because silver is extremely conductive – far more so than copper.
When all ingredients have been incorporated and the kernels and salt have been well coated by the ash, sprinkle the mixture at the four corners of your property lines. For your home, this can be as simple as the actual corners, but for crops and vast, farm land, merely corners that roughly encompass all the land. Basically in such a way as to form a barrier around the property.
The Lightning Summons, conversely, also uses copper, but in the form of a lightning rod. Now, I’ll be the first to wonder why anyone would want to attract lightning, though I image its energy would be extraordinarily useful in the craft – and is always a nice, old-fashion go to for curses. You know, what with: “I hope you and everything you love are struck by lightning! I smite you!”
Regardless of your desires, a simple lightning summons can be made with:
A Length of Copper – solid being best, however, what with the rising prices, a cut length of pipe should do nicely, perhaps even wire. You want a piece that measures roughly 3 ft. or a meter – as your purpose is not to construct an actual lightning rod, simply a metaphorical one.
– and –
A Branch from a Tree that has been struck by Lightning – alternately, another piece of copper would work nearly as well
For the summons, you’ll want to be in much the same location as above, or near a spot where lightning has struck before. Needless to say, this should not be done in the midst of a lightning storm, considering waving metal around – while probably a sure fire way to attract some form of lightning – is probably not the best decision if you don’t want to be the victim of your own summons.
Once in position, hold the copper in your right hand and the limb (or other piece of copper) in the left over your head, one crossed over the other. Strike them together in series of three. Knock, knock, knock…. Wait, then repeat.
As you do so, recite:
Come ye: fire – of the sky (knock x3)
Blinding light – and thunder crash
Grounded by my call;
Spit white-tongues of devastation, (knock x3)
Wrought in the fires of my
Command.
(knock x3)
Rod and bolt –
Creator, Destroyer – (knock x3)
Abide this call,
By Heathen-tongue –
And from the skies,
My Will be done. (knock x3)
My Will be done. (knock x3)
With rope or string, bind the rod and limb (or two rods) together and leave them near where you desire lightning to strike.
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