Sparrow's
Nest~Time to Sweep Up!
By Claude Swinburne
Hello Nestlings!
I just returned from Capistrano and my annual vacation. Sadly, all holidays must come to an end, don’t they? However, the fall season is soon aproaching and with it, new topics for Sparrow’s Nest, and lots of learning to do. Today we will take a “sweeping” look at the origins and uses of the broom. Its one of my favorite tools and hopefully it will be one of yours.
The broom has long been associated with magick due to its shape, use in purification rituals and its kinship with magical wands and staffs. After all, it is long, straight, made of natural materials and used to direct energy. The common household tool is so sacred that in some parts of the world, broom deities exist!
In many works of fiction you'll find the image of a witch, astride her broomstick, pointed hat on her head and her familiar by her side. It has become a popular cultural stereotype in the Western world. Several theories explain this association of brooms with witches...
In ancient times, Pagans performed fertility rites to induce their crops to grow high. These people mounted brooms and rode them like horses in the fields, leaping high into the air and dancing, in order generate energy, and to show the crops how high they, too, should grow.
Brooms are a symbol of female domesticity, a tool of every woman (and most witches were thought to be female). Centuries ago, a woman would push her broom up the chimney or prop it outside the door to show callers and neighbors that she was out of the house. From there, it was an easy step to believe that witches,who purportedly could fly, would use their most common tool to soar up the chimney.
According to lore, witches flew their brooms to the sabbats, sometimes carrying along demons or their familiars in the shapes of animals.
No matter what the lore or rumor, The broom is a vital ritual tools. Many Pagan refer to their broom as a besom. Representing the Element of Air, they are utilized in purging the ritual area both physically and spiritually. They are used to sweep ritual circles clean of negative energy (and bramble, as well!). The Elder walks clockwise, traces the cast circle and sweeps with the broom a few inches off the ground. This practice can be used in addition to incense to purify a ritual space.
In the old days several different types of brooms were specially prepared for magic. For other than normal sweeping spells, you should have one broom in your house reserved for magic that isn’t used for any other purpose.
As a symbol of purification, decorative brooms are sometimes hung near doors to cleanse those entering a house.
Don't have a broom? Well, you could go down to the local Wiccan store and by one specially made, or you could head out to the grocery or country store, and look over the wares they have to offer. Or... you MIGHT want to try making your own. Imagine the personal energy you can instill in a broom made just for you... BY you. We'll look at how that can be done next time.
Until we meet again, keep your feathers dry, and Blessed Be!
Sparrow