Aeromantic

One of the amazing things of living in Florida in the summer, besides our weather, is the sky. For me, the humidity and heat and rain are well worth it, in part because of the beauty on a darn-near-daily basis of the sky. The cloud formations take your breath away as the weather patterns move across the state in their mostly-predictable patterns.

Aeromancy is defined as the divination or foretelling of the future by atmospheric conditions. It uses cloud formations, wind currents and events in the cosmos to predict the future. There are sub-types of aeromancy, for instance nephomancy relates to cloud formations only. Aeromancy has a long history, back to the Babylonian kings and is mentioned in the Bible – and condemned.

These are photos I took this morning in the parking garage of where I work. In the distance I could hear thunder, but the sheer visual power and grace of these clouds made me stop and look.

Through the years I have frequently (always?) looked at changes in the sky. Only once can I remember when the clouds and sky foretold an event: it was summer, the clouds looked extremely unusual that morning, and a darling child I was caring for as a hospice nurse was dying. The clouds told me – I swear to you I headed to her house solely based on the way the sky looked. She died as I pulled up to her house.

These days, I marvel at how rapidly the sky can change, how the clouds grow in size and beauty, and then clash. I love how the sun peaks out here and there, watching the majesty below it.

For now, let’s say I’m an aeromantic.