Thunder and lightning

So far this Summer ~ which is only a couple of weeks ~ there has been a lot of rain with relatively high temperatures where I live. Not exactly Summer temperatures, but not unpleasant either. It is a combination that sparks thunderstorms…
The unexpected thing is that right now, we hardly see any ‘thunder-heads’ in the clouds. Some days because it is so overcast we simply cannot see them. Other days, like today, because they simply don’t seem to be there. And yet, there is an almost continuous sound of thunder in the distance; even when the sun is out.
Last night, after seeing the bright light of lightning in the night sky, the thunder never came…

There are many myths and legends about thunder, lightning and rain; almost every culture has one. The loud noises an fierce lights that come from the skies simply have to be the work of ‘the Gods’. And when a thunderstorm breaks with heavy rain and lightning right overhead, it is easy to understand that this was sometimes looked upon as ‘the Gods’ talking to us; even being angry with us.

But there is also something magical about it.
Something very refreshing. After a thunderstorm, the air always smells different. And during a thunderstorm, it seems like people are either afraid of the raw power of it; or are attracted by it, finding it hard to turn away. Simply have to keep watching how the rain pours down, seeing the lightning and then counting the seconds until the thunder follows…
And just like there are myths and legends about it, there are fairy tales and tales about those that wish to use this raw power of nature. Perhaps the most famous quote is found in Shakespeare's Macbeth when the three witches are contemplating their next actions: “When will we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?”

Whichever way we look at it ~ as the scientific phenomenon, the wrath of ‘the Gods’, the raw power of nature ~ whether we are afraid of it, or captivated by it, when it goes on for a prolonged period of time it can make us wonder…
Especially when we find ourselves experiencing a weather pattern that is a-typical for the time of the year; when the amount of rain has changed dramatically and the daily highs and lows of temperature are all over the map. (Last Christmas was warmer than it was on Whitsunday.)

Whether it is coming from ‘the Gods’, from nature, from magical creatures, or just form our own subconscious… What are we being told?
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Picture by Gellius Kaars Sijpesteijn