Beesom

The witches broom (also known as a Beesom) is representative of both the Goddess and God because the staff or handle is considered masculine, whilst the brush itself is considered feminine. This is why the besom a natural choice for Handfasting rites as it symbolises the merging together of the male and female entities.

It is believed that the broomstick was actually brought into being because the witches would bind twigs around their magical staff or wand to hide the fact that they had these tools because, of course, every household needed a brush or broom for cleaning!As to the idea of witches flying around on them, there are e few theories as to why this came about but the most popular one would seem to be that the country folk of old would celebrate at certain times of the year by dancing around their cornfield to encourage good crops and they would often use these staffs in their dance, ‘sitting’ astride them and leaping in the air to simulate the growth of the crops, often in the light of the full moon.

It is believed that this act of dancing astride the staff may have been observed by others (who will have been feasting and drinking mead and ale) to be them ‘flying on their broomstick! Another reason for this belief may be that witches would rub their bodies with an hallucinogenic ointment during rituals and they have sworn afterwards that they were flying even though observers have testified to the fact that they were asleep/unconscious and appearing to have very explicit dreams/hallucinations.

The modern day Witch or Warlock uses his or her Broom to sweep a sacred space of negative energy before performing a ritual as a means of purifying it more than as a physical cleaning activity. While they sweep they would usually visualize all the negativity being swept out of the ritual area. The circle should be thoroughly cleaned physically prior to using your besom to cleanse ritually. Also, it is still used as an integral part of the handfasting ceremony with the happy couple ‘jumping the broomstick’ to seal the marriage ceremony and symbolise crossing the threshold into their new life as a couple as has been done in many countries through the centurys.

Brooms/Beesoms are also thought to protect the home if they are set across the top of the door and this may be linked to the old practice of carpenters and builders of setting a piece of wood over the door frame in a new house.