Nature And Weather Lore

Dew: Dew has been used in charms and spells for many centuries; its
Mysterious origins (as something which appears even on a clear, dry night,
And disappears quickly in the morning) has made it a magical symbol. It was
Used as a remedy for many ills, especially as a lotion for sore eyes and for
Skin diseases and itches. Even into the nineteenth century it was sometimes
Rubbed into sickly children to strengthen them, and was also considered to
Heal gout and strengthen the sight (the latter property being far greater if
The dew was gathered from the leaves of fennel).

Dew gathered on May Day was considered to be the most potent, undoubtedly
Arising from the connotations of fertility and love which were associated
With the Beltane festival. Washing in May dew, or rolling oneself in it, was
Considered to protect against evil and bring good luck throughout the
Upcoming year. A tale is told of two witches in Scotland who were observed
Collecting May dew with a hair-tether; the tether was taken from them and
Hung in a cow-byre, and the cows thereafter gave enormous quantities of milk
Until the tether was removed and burnt. In Europe, cattle were anointed with
May dew on May Day to protect them from overlooking, faeries and evil spells
Throughout the year.

The most common use of dew, however, was in beauty charms and as a cosmetic.
Throughout the centuries women have gone out early on May Day to bathe their
Faces in dew, a lovely old custom which was supposed to ensure both beauty
And good luck for twelve months. If a girl gathered dew very early in any
Morning, and preferably from under an oak tree, and washed her face in it,
She would be beautiful for the year to come.

Dew Weather Lore: If a warm sunny day is followed by heavy dew, fine weather
Is likely the next day also.

Moon Lore and charms associated with the Moon could fill entire books, and
Indeed have. From earliest times the Moon has been worshipped, associated
With various goddesses, and considered to have some power over the lives and
Dealings of humans.

It is considered bad luck to point at the Moon, as it shows a certain
Disrespect. Instead, when the new Moon is seen for the first time it should
Be respectfully greeted with a bow or curtsey in its direction, and if
Wearing a hat in the Moon's presence, it should be doffed for a moment.
Bowing three or nine times, wishing during the process was also done. In
Fishing villages children would recite a charm to keep their sailing fathers
Safe:

'I see the Moon and the Moon seas me, God bless the sailors on the sea'.

It has always been customary to turn over silver in one's pocket upon first
Seeing the new Moon, as this means there will be plenty of money during the
Coming month, and many people still do this today for luck. In some
Districts a special coin was carried and turned over three times when the
New Moon was seen. To be without any coins to turn over, however, is unlucky


The waxing and waning of the Moon has given rise to many beliefs about the
Timing of events. It was formerly believed that animals should not be
Slaughtered while the Moon was waning, as the meat would shrink more during
Curing and cooking. Anything cut during the waning Moon will not grow again,
Or will grow abnormally slowly, so corns were often pared at this time, and
Hair, which was meant to stay short, would be cut. A child born under a
Waning Moon was purported to be weak or unlucky all its life and animals
Born during the Moon's wane would not thrive as well as those born under the
Waxing Moon. Marriages celebrated under a waning Moon were deemed to be
Unhappy and possibly barren, no doubt stemming from the ancient connection
Between the Moon and fertility. On the other hand, the waxing Moon was far
More fortunate. Hair trimmed during the waxing Moon will grow thick and
Lovely; eggs set under a hen then will not go bad, and seeds planted during
A waxing Moon will thrive. The word 'lunacy' derives from the Moon, which
Was once believed to cause madness. Sleeping in moonlight was once said to
Be dangerous because it led to lunacy, blindness or some other serious
Disorder.

Blowing on them nine times at the full Moon could cure warts. Another wart
Remedy was to catch the rays of the Moon in a metal bowl (preferably silver)
And go through the movements of 'washing' one's hands in the rays while
Saying:

'I wash my hands in this thy dish Oh man in the Moon, do grant my
Wish And come and take away this'.

Moon Weather Lore: When a misty ring circles the Moon, it means rain to come
If the circle is large, it will rain very soon. Several concentric circles
mean a long period of wet weather.

In winter months, a clear moon means frost is on the way. A bright clear
yellow moon rising in a cloudless sky means fine weather to come.

Rain: There was once a wide belief that cutting or burning ferns brought
rain, and in some districts this also applied to heather. Other
rain-bringing methods included sprinkling water on stones whilst reciting a
charm, or tossing a little flour into a spring and stirring with a hazel-rod
In mediaeval times images of the saints were often dipped into water during
a drought.

Children's charms to drive away rain are still common today, the most famous
being 'Rain, rain, go away, come again another day'. A variant on this charm
offers to bribe the rain to go:

'Rain, rain, go away
Come again tomorrow day
When I brew and when I bake
I'll give you a little cake'.

Rainwater was believed to have healing properties when it fell on particular
days, especially Ascension Day, or rain that fell at any time during the
month of June. The water must be collected after falling directly from the
sky; rain, which ran off leaves or off the roof, was useless. A Welsh belief
was that babies bathed in rainwater talked earlier than others, and that
money washed in rainwater would never be stolen.

Rain Weather Lore: Rain, which falls from a fairly clear sky, is likely to
continue falling in short bursts for some time. If it rains in the very
early morning, the weather may clear up by the afternoon - 'Rain before
seven, shine by eleven'

Rainbow: The rainbow has had many meanings in many cultures, the main
similarity being that it is always connected with deities. In the Christian
Bible the rainbow was set in the sky as God's pledge that there would never
again be a great flood. In Burma the rainbow is a dangerous spirit; in India
it is a bow from which divine arrows are fired. In Norse mythology the
rainbow is the bridge that Odin built from Midgard, the home of men, to
Asgard where the gods lived, and the souls of the worthy dead passed along
the rainbow. In ancient Rome the rainbow was the many-colored robe of Isis,
attendant to
Juno. It is lucky to see a rainbow, and to wish when it is first seen, but
unlucky to point directly at it, which will lead to bad luck or at least to
the return of the rain. In Ireland, anyone who found the place where the
rainbow touches the ground would find a pot of gold at its foot - something
my brother and I tried to do several times as children! A rainbow in the
morning means further rain during the day, but a rainbow appearing late in
the day means the rain is gone for the rest of that day. Small broken pieces
of rainbow appearing on a cloudy sky are sometimes called Weather-galls, and
signify storms and blustery weather.

Rainbow Weather Lore: If a rainbow fades very quickly, good weather is on
the way. A rainbow generally means that the rainy period is about to end.
Stars In many traditions and cultures stars are thought to be the souls of
either unborn souls, or those who had passed away. In some cultures a
shooting star foretells a birth, and is said to be the soul racing to
animate the newborn baby, while in other places the shooting star foretells
a death, or a soul released from purgatory. In some Native American
traditions the Milky Way was considered a soul-road, where souls traveled on
their journey after death, and that the brightest stars were campfires by
which they rested on their travels.

It is unlucky to point at a star, or to try to count them. However, making a
wish on the first star of evening will ensure its fulfillment, especially if
the wisher repeats the old rhyme:

'Star light, star bright
First star I see tonight
Wish I may, wish I might
Have the wish I wish tonight'.

A wish made while a shooting star is seen in the sky will be granted if it
is made very quickly; an old French cure for pimples was to pass a cloth
over them while a shooting star fell.

Star Weather Lore: If the stars look larger and brighter than usual, and
very flicker, rain or a storm may be on the way. If faint stars have
disappeared and cannot be seen at all, the wind is about to rise.

Storms: Storms have usually been considered an omen of divine wrath, and in
most cultures a person struck and killed by lightning was thought to have
been directly struck down by a deity. In ancient Rome a person killed this
way was hastily buried without extensive mourning rites, and it was also
frowned upon to rebuild any home struck by lightning. In Britain in past
centuries, a storm was usually considered the work of the devil; witches
were also often accused of raising storms and at witch trials accusations
were often made of deliberate attempts to damage property or sink ships by
raising a storm. Some wise-women and cunning-men sold knotted threads to
sailors which were supposed to have the power of the wind bound into them;
one knot would be untied to release a wind until the sailor had as much as
he needed.

Some people still cover all the mirrors in their house during a thunderstorm
it used to also be believed that windows and doors should be left open so
that if the thunder got into the house, it could get out without having to
damage anything. Comforting superstition states that lightning never strikes
twice in the same place, but since many high buildings have been struck
repeatedly, it is also untrue.

An old rhyme speaks of which tree is least likely to attract a lightning
strike, and therefore should be sheltered under if caught outside during a
storm:

'Beware of the oak, it draws the stroke,
Avoid the ash, it courts the flash,
Creep under a thorn, it will save you from harm'.

A winter thunderstorm was once thought to be an omen of death for a great
man.

Storm Weather Lore:

'Thunder in spring rain will bring'.

Thunder in the evening often means several days of wet, sultry weather.

Sun: The sun has been worshipped as a symbol of life itself in many cultures
since the dawn of humanity. The bonfires that our ancestors lit at Midsummer
Beltane and Samhain were intended as rituals to encourage and strengthen
the sun on its journey throughout the year. In common with most other
heavenly bodies and phenomena, it is unlucky to point at the sun, and in
Hungary if a girl threw house dust from the broom towards the sun, it was
said that she would never marry. It is a fortunate omen to be born at
sunrise, and also considered to be lucky for a bride if sunlight surrounds
her:

'Happy is the bride the sun shines on'.

Primitive peoples, who worried that the source of light, warmth and light
was being devoured forever, feared an eclipse of the sun. From this arose
the idea that an eclipse heralded a prominent death or a great disaster such
as war, plague or famine. It was believed to be unlucky to view an eclipse
directly (as well as bad for the sight).

Sun Weather Lore: When the sun appears hazy with a thin, watery light, bad
weather is on the way. However, if it looks like a large bright ball as it
rises, that day will be fair and warm. A bank of heavy dark clouds at
sunset indicates that the next day may be stormy. A ring around the sun
during rainy weather indicates a period of sunny weather and clear skies to
come. If the sun comes out while it's raining, the showery weather will
continue for a few more days. A red sunrise means rain, but a red sunset
means fine weather the next day. Three old sayings:

'Red sky at night, shepherd's delight
Red sky at morning, shepherds take warning'

'If red the sun begins his race, be sure the rain will fall apace,
If the sun goes pale to bed, 'twill rain tomorrow, it is said'.

'Evening red and morning grey sets the traveler on his way,
Evening grey and morning red brings the rain upon his head'.
Author unknown