Information on folklore aka, regarding brooms besoms.
In the Yahoo Group “AWitchesBook”.
Broom
Casting Directions for ‘Info: Broom/Besom Folklore’
Broom Folklore
Traditionally, brooms are used to sweep away bad and evil luck. New brooms bring good luck.
Housewarming – A new broom brings good luck and harmony to a new residence. Never bring a broom that is old to a home
Marriage – good luck and fortune will abound in their union, If a bride and groom hold hands and jump over a broom. An old Welsh custom calls for newlyweds to enter their home by stepping over luck and a broom will follow.
If a broom falls on your house… unwelcome business will come to see you.
The old image of the witch riding around on the brooms stick casting magic spells is believed to have come from a agricultural fertility rite, where the girls rode around the fields(such as on a hobby horse), with the broom between their legs, hoping to bring the farmers a good harvest.
Jumping the Broom -Many pagan traditions have the bridal couple, jump throughout the broom, a symbol of fertility (old piece of agricultural fertility magic), to signify the establishment of the new household. The brooms are generally decorated for the event and then kept in a place of honor in the house. In many Wicca handfasting(union) rituals, couples often jump over the broom if they want children. Historically, brooms made great gifts for weddings or handfastings. Simply add a little ribbon, some flowers, and your are good to go. No wrapping needed. Every new home needs a new broom!
The Ritual Broom -Witches use brooms in ritual and magick. The pagan broom or besom is used for cleansing the overall circle or ritual area. The besom is sweeping away the psychic dirt, getting the area purified for the ritual at hand. A Witch may begin a ritual by sweeping the area with the magick broom, visualising the psychic dirt being swept out of the ritual area. The sweeping also helps to find the mind prepared for the ritual, quieting the mind and narrowing the focus for the witch. The besom is a purifier and is about the element of Water.
Locating Other Witches -Besoms have been used by Witches to indicate to other occultists that they were resident, or at work, by putting a besom (broom) outside the doorway. This isn’t to say that anyone that has a kitchen broom sitting outside their door is a witch.
Besoms, As A Symbol Of Protection -Many Witches maintain a besom by their door, or hanging from their door to protect the home from unwanted outside energies.
