by Deborah Blake
Witches and broomsticks go together like the full moon and the tide. If you ask someone to describe a typical witch (as if there really was such a thing), they might mention a pointy hat, a black cat, and in all likelihood, a broom. Many pictures of witches show them holding or riding on a broomstick, and even the most famous fictional witches—like Harry Potter and Samantha Stephens from Bewitched are often shown with their brooms.
So you might be interested to know that the earliest drawings of witches riding across the night sky actually had them sitting on sticks, or even farm implements like pitchforks. Still, by the time the witch-hunts were at their height, people had been warned to watch out for witches riding their brooms to forbidden sabbat gatherings, and from that time onward, witches and brooms have been tied together, for better or for worse.
Luckily for the modern witch, the broomstick is the perfect magickal tool. One of its benefits, of course, is that it is a common household item that can be found in virtually every home. You can leave your magickal broomstick out in the open, and unless you have decorated it with pentacles and other obvious symbols of witchcraft, no one can tell that you use it for anything other than cleaning.
The earliest brooms, called besoms, were made out of birch twigs that were wrapped around a stick (the handle was usually made of hazel, but other woods also worked) and tied on with willow bark or rope. Unlike today’s flat brooms, made from the more flexible broomcorn, the besom was round and irregular. As a cleaning tool, they left a lot to be desired, since they left behind almost as much mess as they cleared. Nonetheless, many witches prefer to use a traditional besom for their magickal work. As with all else we use, there is no one right or wrong type of broom—it is simply a matter of choosing the one that best suits your tastes and needs.
Your Own Broom
There are two basic kinds of broom: the traditional besom mentioned above, or the more conventional modern flat broom made from broomcorn. You can make your own broom (instructions are available in books and online) fairly easily, or you can buy one already made and add your own personal touches. Like most witchcraft tools, the more of yourself you put into it the better.
How you decorate your broom depends on a number of factors. Will it be hidden or kept out in the open? And if it will be in plain sight, does it need to be able to “pass” as a regular, nonmagickal broom? Do you want a broom (or brooms) that has a particular purpose, or do you want one that can be used for any magickal work? Will it need to go with your general décor, or will it spend most of its time tucked away?
If you need to keep your magick on the down-low, there are still a number of things you can do to subtly enhance your broom. It is thought by some that early witches used brooms as a way to hide their magickal wands, by disguising them with twigs and making a besom out of them. You could do the same, taking a staff or wand and creating a broom, with any magickal symbols hidden underneath the twigs or broomcorn.
Alternatively, you could bless and consecrate the most common-seeming broom with salt and water, sage, and/or anointing oil. (I like to use oils that are good for protection and cleansing on broomsticks.) Once consecrated, the broom will look just the same, but you will know that it is dedicated to magickal work. Just don’t let anyone sweep the kitchen with it! I’m a big fan of consecrating most magickal tools, so you may want to do this step even with a broom that is clearly magickal.
If you are going to create a magickal broom that you don’t need to pretend is anything else, then the sky is the limit! Brooms can be adorned with anything from dried herbs, to wood-burned or etched symbols, to dangling crystals, feathers, or ribbons. Some people use broomcorn that has been dyed so it is more colorful. Just make sure that your magickal broomstick isn’t so ornate that it can’t be used (unless you intend it to be purely decorative and hung on the wall); it should still be able to function as the esoteric tool that it is.
Using Your Magickal Broomstick
Broomsticks can be used in a number of different ways. Two of the most traditional are as part of a handfasting (a Pagan wedding rite) and to energetically clear a magickal space before doing a ritual.
The tradition of “jumping the broom” has been used historically in various cultures to symbolize the joining of a couple and their creation of a new household. This wasn’t limited to Pagans, either. On the American frontier, when there were few formally ordained clergymen available, couples would jump over a broom in front of witnesses to signify that they were married. The practice was also used by African-American slaves, who were forbidden to marry, and carried the tradition with them from their homes far away.
These days, modern Witches often include jumping the broom as a way to honor their Pagan roots and symbolize their new start together, even if the couple has already been sharing a home. A new broom is always used for this, and some people keep the broom for only sacred work after the ceremony. Sometimes a couple will create their own special handfasting broomstick or have one crafted for them by friends or family. In this case, the broom will usually be ornamented in the colors used at the wedding, and is not expected to be anything other than a decorative treasured belonging.
“Jumping the broom” is very simple, and usually performed at or close to the end of the handfasting ritual. The broomstick is brought forward and either placed on the ground or held by two participants in the rite (hopefully only an inch or two above the floor, since no one wants to see a new couple fall flat on their faces during their own ceremony). The couple then joins hands and jumps over the broom in unison. This signals that they have officially begun their new lives together.
Using a magickal broomstick to cleanse and clear the space where a ritual will be held is almost as simple. Most people don’t actually touch the broom to the ground, since you are using it to sweep energy, not dirt. The person leading the ritual (if it is a group gathering) or the individual (if it is a solitary rite) will walk around the outer edges of the circle and sweep away any negativity or unsettled energy that would interfere with the magickal working. The broom can sweep through the air right above the ground or at waist height.
Some people do this in silence, while others use some form of chant or incantation. I like to say something like:
Cleanse and clear this sacred space, and make it ready for my magickal work. I sweep away all that is negative and sweep in positive energy to help me with my ritual. So mote it be.
You can also sprinkle the broomstick with salt and water to give it an extra boost before clearing your ritual area, or waft it with a sage smudge stick. Some people use the broom as part of the actual circle casting, thus combining the cleansing with the delineation of the magickal space. If you are going to do so, you may also want to use it to dismiss the circle by walking widdershins (counterclockwise) instead of deosil (clockwise) and sweeping away the energy you originally built up to contain your magick at the beginning of the ritual.
A Magickal Cleansing Ritual
The magickal uses of a Witch’s broomstick go far beyond handfastings and circle casting. Some people create unique brooms to give as housewarming gifts, or to celebrate some special occasion. They can also be used for healing work, nightmare prevention, protection, and much more. Of course, the most basic way to use one is as part of a magickal cleansing ritual.
I like to do something I call “spiritual spring cleaning” every year. This goes beyond the usual mundane cleaning, although you will want to do that first—there is no point in trying to clear a home on an energetic/spiritual level if there are piles of dirty dishes in the sink, and dust bunnies the size of panthers under the bed!
It is a good idea to periodically cleanse the energy of the place you live, whether it is a house or an apartment. If there has been a lot of chaos or arguing, then it becomes a downright necessity. It can also be helpful if you are feeling “stuck” and having a hard time getting things accomplished. So don’t just think of this as something to do in the spring; you can perform this simple ritual as often as you want or need to.
I start by doing the actual cleaning: sweep the floors (with a mundane broom, not your magickal one) or vacuum, dust, put things away where they belong, and wipe down surfaces. You want to start with a reasonably tidy space, although it doesn’t have to be perfect. If you can, open a window in every room. (If you can’t do that, just make sure that you mentally guide the energy you are getting rid of out of the closed windows.)
Depending on the time and oomph you have to dedicate to the task, you may want to start by going through every room with salt and water and/or a sage smudge stick. If you do this, then make sure you sprinkle the salt and water and waft the sage into every corner of every room, and around any entrances, such as doors, windows, and chimneys.
Whether or not you add that step, you will want to start by focusing your intent. For some people, this is easiest to do in a formal circle or standing in front of your altar. If there is someplace you can safely leave a candle burning while moving through your home, you can light a white candle. Otherwise simply close your eyes and visualize yourself holding your broom. See the broom sweeping away all negativity—any stale or stagnant energy, darkness and depression, leftover resentment from quarrels or disagreements, and any negative energy you might have brought in from the outside world.
If you want, you can give your broomstick a boost by dipping it in water that has been blessed and consecrated for magickal cleansing or by anointing the handle and bristles with a magickal oil containing herbs used for cleansing and protection. You can also just visualize the broom glowing with positive, cleansing energy.
Starting at the spot farthest away from your front door, move from room to room (starting at the bottom in the basement, if you have one) and sweep the room. If you are using a magickal broomstick instead of a mundane one, then don’t actually touch the bristles to the floor. Walk into each room and then make your way around the entire room, paying special attention to any spot that seems particularly “off” to you.
Remember to focus as you go on your intention to sweep away all those things that you no longer want in your home. When you are done, finish up at the front door by opening the door and sweeping all that stuff outside, away from you. If you want, you can then close the door firmly behind you (with you back inside the house) and turn your broom upside down. Tap the end of the handle on the floor three times and say: I have swept my home clear, and clear it will stay. So mote it be.
Every Good Witch Deserves a Broom
Each of us has different magickal tools that call to us. Not every witch will have an athame or a wand, nor feel the need for one. But I highly recommend the broomstick as a magickal tool—even if we can’t actually use them to fly on. I like the thought of continuing the tradition that has come down to us from those early crones who swept their homes clean with a birch twig besom and then went outside to stand under the same glowing moon we stand under. Our brooms may not be their brooms, and our magickal practices may be very different from theirs, but we are still witches, all the same. And every good witch deserves a broom.