THE GODDESS AND MAGICK
Besoms or Brooms
Brooms have long been associated with witches because they were used in pagan rituals of marriage and birth. In Rome the broom was a symbol of Hecate's priestesses, who swept the threshold of a house after each birth to remove evil spirits that might harm the child.
The broom also used in weddings, signifying sexual union. Wedding customs included jumping over a broom. Medieval peasant weddings were churchless and came under the area of common law. The broom was so closely identified with non-ecclesiastical marriages that by the time of the Renaissance, when the church began to take over wedding rites, marriages "by the broom" were considered illegitimate.
The broom's stick is traditionally made of ash for protection. It represents the male. The brush is traditionally made from birch twigs for exorcism, purification, and also protection. It represents the female principle. A branch of willow is used to bind the stick and the brush together. The willow represents protection, healing, and love. Because of the sexual symbolism involved, the word "besom" was used as slang to describe a "loose" woman.
The legend of flying Witches on their broomsticks is commonly thought to have its roots in the fact that some witches used an ointment that contained aconite. This drug is readily absorbed through the skin and mucus membranes. It produces sensations of giddiness, confusion, lethargy and tingling sensations followed by numbness, and possibly the illusion of flying.
The besom is used in ritual and magick. This tool is sacred to both the Goddess and God. Pre-Colombian Mexico worshiped a goddess who rode naked on a broom, so this idea is not new. The broom became a powerful tool against curses. Even today many people hang a broom on the front door of their home, but most do not know the symbolism behind it.
The area to be used for ritual is swept clean with the broom. The sweeping is more than a physical sweep of the area. Visualize the broom sweeping out all the negativity in the area. This clears the way for more effective magick.