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Aeromancy is a divination practice utilizing atmospheric conditions such as weather, clouds and wind to gain information.

Etymology

The term aeromancy comes from the ancient Greek words ἀήρ aḗr, “air”, and manteia, “divination”. Aeromancy may also be called “arologie”, “aeriology”, and “aërology” Aeromance, Arologie, Aeriology, Aërology, Heromanty

A Brief History of Aeromancy

Aeromancy was practiced in the Middle East in Biblical times and is specifically mentioned in Deuteronomy 18, when Moses list all the things the Canaanites do that God doesn’t want the Israelites to do when they move into their land¹.

`When thou art coming in unto the land which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee, thou dost not learn to do according to the abominations of those nations: there is not found in thee one causing his son and his daughter to pass over into fire, a user of divinations, an observer of clouds, and an enchanter, and a sorcerer, <sup>11</sup> and a charmer, and one asking at a familiar spirit, and a wizard, and one seeking unto the dead. `For the abomination of Jehovah [is] every one doing these, and because of these abominations is Jehovah thy God dispossessing them from thy presence. (Young’s Literal Translation)

During the Renaissance period, Aeromancy was often seen as synonymous with necromancy due to the condemnation of the practice by Alburtus Magnus in his book Speculum Astronomiae in the late 1200s CE, and the general belief that spirits caused storms and other weather patterns.² Thus it was listed as one of the forbidden arts as illustrated by The Book of All Forbidden Arts by Johannes Hartlieb. These works were aimed at defending Astrology as a legitimate Christian practice and identifying those specific aspects of divination that were un-Christian or demonic in order to help Astrologers walk that delicate line.   « Back to Glossary Index