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.
Smudge Feathers
A smudge feather is a group of feathers used for dispersing inscence or the smoke from a mixture burning herbs, either tied in a bundle or burnt in a fire-proof dish, around the space that you would like to cleanse of negativety. It can be as simple as a single feather or a bundle of feathers tied together or it can be an elaborate collection of feathers bound together ornately, wrapped in hide or leather and decorated with beads, embrodery or whatever feels right.
They are not dissimilar to Native American Prayer Feathers and I see no reason why they cannot be used in the same way as each other, it seems to me that, with smudge/prayer feathers, it is the same as most things spiritual....intention is everything! With this in mind, it should be noted that you can use something as simple as a fan as a 'smudge feather' or indeed nature's own 'feather' - your hand!
This is an example of a smudge feather I fabricated recently.
