Deborah Blake - The Witchs Broom: The Craft, Lore & Magick of Broomsticks

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

Copyright Information

The Witchs Broom: The Craft, Lore & Magick of Broomsticks 2014 by Deborah Blake.

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First e-book edition 2014

E-book ISBN: 9780738739748

Book design by Rebecca Zins

Cover design by Lisa Novak

Cover illustration by John Kachik/Lindgren & Smith, Inc.

Interior illustrations by Mickie Mueller

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Llewellyn Publications

Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

2143 Wooddale Drive

Woodbury, MN 55125

www.llewellyn.com

Manufactured in the United States of America

for my grandmother ... who proved that love was the greatest magic of all.

Contents

: A Witch and Her Broom

: Brooms in History, Tradition, and Lore

: The Witchs Broom in Popular Culture

: Broom Basics

: A Broom of Your Own

: Fast and Easy Spells, Charms, Crafts, and More

: Specialty Brooms

: Brooms for Special Occasions

: Brooms in Ritual Use

: For the Young Witch

: A Broom for Every Witch

: Runes

introdu c tion

A Witch and Her Broom

If you ask most people to describe their idea of the typical witch, they will probably mention a tall pointy hat, long flowing robes or a dark cape, a bubbling cauldron, a black cat or twoand a broom. Whether the witch in question is the Wicked Witch of the West, with her long, crooked nose and green face, or the cheerful, blond Samantha from Bewitched , almost every one of them is shown with a broom.

Theres a reason for this. Brooms have been associated with witches and magick since the very beginning. Maybe this is because most early witches were women, and brooms were a womans tool. Maybe it is because there is something about the idea of flying that captures the imagination and excites the spirit.

Either way, youll rarely see a picture of a Halloween witch without her faithful broom, and where would Harry Potter have been without his Quidditch team, all of them zooming around on their brooms and chasing the elusive snitch? Brooms and witches go together in fiction, but they also go together in fact.

Todays modern witch may have a vacuum for her floors, but with any luck, she will also have a broom or two for magickal use as well. Traditionally, the broom is most widely used to sweep negativity out of a ritual circle before beginning a rite or as part of a Pagan handfasting (marriage) ceremony. But its usefulness goes far beyond these common basics.

Broomstick magick can be used for cleansing, protection, preventing nightmares, bringing in love, and sweeping away illness. If you believe in the old legends, it can even be used to make rain or get rid of unwanted guests! In truth, the broom is a much more versatile and useful tool than you ever might have suspected.

Some witches have only two brooms in their houses: one for mundane housecleaning and the other for magickal work. Others may have many, from small, decorative brooms hung in the kitchen or bedroom to larger ones dedicated to particular magickal tasks. They may buy a broom and customize it with anointing oils and decorations, or they may craft one from scratch using carefully chosen supplies that each serve a purpose.

broom lore
for protection, cross two brooms
and hang them on a wall
or nail them to a door

Whether you want to add a new facet to your magickal practice, make a unique gift for one of your witchy friends, or simply explore the role of brooms in Witchcraft past and present, I hope that this book will be both fun and educational.

Have a nice flight!

chapter
1

Brooms in History,
Tradition, and Lore

No one knows who invented the first broomprobably some poor woman whose Neanderthal husband dragged in a dead prehistoric bird, leaving a trail of feathers and blood all over her nice clean cave. Either way, bundles of twigs, plant stalks, and other natural fibers have been used since ancient times to sweep floors and hearths. Brooms were even mentioned in the Bible (although not in conjunction with witches).