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Weather Shamanism: Harmonizing our Connection with the Elements
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From hurricanes and blizzards to cool breezes and sunny days, weather is a part of all of our lives. In Weather Shamanism: Harmonizing Our Connection with the Elements
While reading the stories recounted in the book, I recalled my own attitudes about weather. I have always been fascinated by the force of water, especially during storms. I have recurrent dreams involving tidal waves of varying strength and circumstances. This translated into what I would often describe as “fear of tidal waves” when determining places to live. I would not live near water as I understood it could change its path at any given moment. As I have grown, my fear has transformed into respect and while I love to visit the ocean and rivers I am still wary of planting more permanent roots at water’s edge.
There are three defined levels of weather connection. The outermost level of connection is weather modification, or “power-over” weather, the furthest removed from the heart. The heart level is the innermost, representing harmonious relationship with weather, also known as “weather dancing.” Between these two levels is “weather working,” or attempts to control the weather, which may tend towards either level.
An example of modifying the weather may be seen in an event in which I took part. It was lightly raining during an ayahuasca ceremony when participants were invited to sing a favorite song. My husband, an experienced bata drummer, sang a familiar chant used in Cuban Santeria ceremonies. During the song, we heard distant, gentle rumbling thunder that became stronger then stopped when the song was finished. Later, I learned he had chosen a song for Chango, the god of thunder.
Other instances of “weather working” may be viewed as more intentional. There are those who have consistently shown their ability to affect weather, for example, with the goal of creating rain due to a drought. Others have attempted to move the path of a hurricane to less populated areas. When approaching the task of weather modification, one must be aware of the reason why.
“Both the desire and the need must come from the wisdom of the heart. There may be a desire to work for rain, but no need for it. Any working like this will serve only ego. This can create trouble. To have desire without the need is empty of heart.”
Sometimes, we merely note seeming synchronicities with weather and wonder at their significance. For instance, on my wedding day, the March day was clear with a few fluffy clouds. During the early afternoon ceremony, clouds quickly formed and a brief thunderstorm occurred with thunderclaps occurring simultaneously with the end of the ceremony declaring us man and wife. While thunderstorms are somewhat common in our area during the summer, they are more unusual and much less common in the early spring. Why the thunder formed and expressed itself at that exact moment is not known, but it was definitely noted as significant by those who had gathered for the ceremony.
Those who intentionally connect with weather obseerve the well-being that comes with creating this harmonious relationship. Indigenous tribes assign the vocation of weather working through one’s inherited lineage. Individuals in more modern cultures choose to develop the act of relating to nature and weather. Whatever the case, there is value in the awareness of weather and its reflection of humanity’s collective experience.
Book Authors: Nan Moss and David Corbin
Bear & Company, 2008
http://www.bearandcompanybooks.com
Nan Moss and David Corbin have been faculty members of Michael Harner’s Foundation for Shamanic Studies since 1995 and also teach courses at Esalen Institute in California and the New York Open Center. They have been researching and teaching the spiritual aspects of weather since 1997 and have a private shamanic practice located in Port Clyde, Maine.
