Nature has always been a mirror for the diviner. Occultist François de la Tour Blanche wrote, “As for thunder and lightening these are concerned with the auguries, and the aspect of the sky and of the planets belong to the science of astrology.”
Aeromancy is a method of divination by observing atmospheric phenomena. It is also called nephelomancy and aeromancy. The roots of the word are Greek: ‘aero’ is air and ‘manteia’ means divination.
Ceraunoscopy or keraunoscopy is divination by observing thunder and lightning. According to ancient beliefs, thunder and lightning were celestial messages from the gods and goddesses; it was a method used by ancient Hindu, Etruscans and Babylonians. In medieval Europe, it was believed thunder and lightning presaged of coming war, floods, or a powerful man’s death.
Ceraunomancers predict by observing lightning. Lightning bolts from the east were favourable omens, and from the west were bad. Northern lightning bolts were feared and lighting in the northwest augured bad news would arrive soon.
Brontoscopy is the art of divination by listening to thunder. Thunder from the left meant a lucky omen or happy ending. From the right was bad omen. Thunder on Sunday indicated the death of an educated or wise man, such as a judge, general, or scholar. Thunder on Monday indicated the death of a woman.
Anemoscopy is forecasting the future by studying the movement of wind: its speed, direction, and sound. It also studies the shape of dust clouds and smoke blowing in the wind. The anemoscoper asks a question and tosses a handful of dirt, sand, or seeds into the air and divines the answer from the pattern of the clouds formed by the matter. It also involved reading windchimes and the movement of pendulums.
The nephomancer studies and interprets the colour, shape and position of clouds in the sky. In medieval times, some aeromancers summoned ghosts and spirits to project images of future events onto clouds. François de la Tour Blanche described it as the art of fortune-telling when specters materialise in the air, possibly with the aid of demons, projecting images of the future onto clouds like a magic lantern. But modern nephomancers are harmless; they use the ever-changing shapes of cloud formations as a form of meditation.
Roadomancy or astromancy is divination through stars, comets, and meteors. It is believed that a sincere wish on the first star seen in the night sky — often Venus — will come true. Cometomancy studies
the appearance of comet tails as omens. Meteormancers see signs in shooting stars. For diviners, the sky is the limit.