Fulgores

Fulgores (lightning) have a not secondary role for the Traditional Roman Religion both as physical-natural phenomenon and as symbolic element.

According to a physical-natural perspective, the lightning obeservation plays a peculiar importance because fulgores are a very powerful expression of Nature's Force. This obesrvation, as already mentioned for other kind of signa, is not aimed at the future prediction, fortune-telling or other forms of vulgar magic, but rather to keep us in a status of constant consciousness and awareness about role and position of humankind inside the world. This observation thus must contribute to keep us "awake" and aware about the Nature's Force.

The Fulgores discipline has mainly etruscan origins: etruscans divided the sky into 16 regions. We remain in line with the roman tradition dividing the sky into 4 regions.

Please note again that the fulgores observation is a mystical moment: the observer sets the orientation watching southwards (South is "the origin of everything"). Two areas at the East are named "sinistrae" (favourable) while those at the West are named "dextrae" (unfavorable).

The value of a lightning is given by the area of the sky it comes from and that one where it ends.

According to the roman tradition (very different from the etruscan one) only Jupiter and Summanus (Nocturne Jupiter) can throw lightning even if often on the base of indications and suggestions of other Deities.

Fulgores can be divided into three main categories (manubiae):

• first manubiae (favourable): they start on the left and end on the left - they are used to "suadere" or "dissuadere" those have made a promise, a commitment, a plan
• second manubiae: they start on the leftside and end on the rightside (or viceversa) - partially negative and harmful. They may indicate benefits with damages.
  
• third manubiae: they start on the rightside and end on the same side - totally negative . This kind of lightning is a sign of devastation, deep changes in the normal status, nothing will remain as it was.

Other traditional classifications:
fulgor quod terebrat, quod discuit, quod urit
fulgores minimae, maiores, ampliores
ostentatorium, perenptorium, presagium
fulmen quod terreat, adlet, puniat

While observing fulgores it's important to note also.
place (public/private, sacred/profane), time, receiver, circumstances, lightning's nature and strength

Some fulgores bring signs directed to humans, other do not announce anything, others may have a meaning but not intelligible to mankind (fatidica, bruta, vana).

The place, thing, entity hit by a fulgor must be purified to appease the Nature's Force. The site's purification must be achieved cancelling all the traces of the event: they have to be buried in loco. In the past also a sacrifice of a black sheep was held. The site is identified as "religiosus" and it mustn't be trampled on. The site is marked by an augur or a pontifex with a lituus and named "puteal" or "bidental" (the distinction of these two terms has been lost).

The lightning is a complex symbol and a deep understanding of its symbology is at the base of the mystical fulgores observation. Lightning is the symbol of the Sky's and Nature's force. Its symbols are the scepter and the lituus. Other symbols are the arrow, the hammer, the sword and all the weapons having two heads or blades.

It is also symbol of divine paternity: it symbolizes production and destruction, condensation and dissipation. It's the symbol of the Nature's occult and secret Force.

In the lightning the invisible force of Nature becomes visible and ineluctable: the force of the common man bends when dealing with it.

Jupiter and the supreme power (in a mystical sense) hold the scepter-fulgor (the broken scepter) as symbol of "force's control" and achievement of an interior peace and stability against chaos. Peace is intended as Perfect Activity and Pure Activity. Control and Calmness opposed to Agitation: it's a transcending force ready to be in action.