Find out “Why do Witches have Brooms?” (Symbolism)

Brooms have always been associated with witches but why? And why do witches have brooms and how do they use them? Let’s find out!

Why do witches have brooms?

The broom is used to open the sacred space, drawing a circle almost as if it were a compass. It has the function of protection, purification or attraction.

It is often placed next to the front door, outside or inside to manifest different purposes. If the sorghum is facing upwards it indicates protection, if placed downwards, on the other hand, it eliminates heavy energies.

“As in heaven so on earth, as above so below” reads the emerald table. This statement indicates a natural law according to which everything follows a specific order that is repeated at every level of existence in a sympathetic way.

The broom is used, in everyday life, to clean the house, remove dirt, and take it away. Here then, even on a mystical level, its task is the same: to clean the environment or people from dirt. To do this, the sorghum, of course, must be placed downwards.

The fact that the sorghum is facing upwards to indicate protection reminds us of the image of a maid chasing away a victim with the sorghum.

In order to be used as a magical and ritual object, the broom must be consecrated and activated. It is possible to do this with sacred (or blessed) water and fumigation with specific purification and protection herbs. Subsequently, the wood will be activated with a special oil through which to charge it also with our intentions.

At that point, it can be presented to the 4 elements and directions as we saw in the consecration of salt.

A broom: an ancient item

Let’s start by saying that because of its place as a household object, brooms were easily associated with women, especially in the medieval period, as women were the ones looking after the home. But we know that ancient symbology does not see the broom only as an object of domestic cleaning, but also as an instrument of ritual purification. It was in fact also considered the means by which the Witches took off.

In this case, we speak of the tradition of the Dominae Nocturnae linked to the goddess Diana but also, in Northern Europe, to the Queen of the Fairies.

These are the flying hosts of witches following Diana who visited the men who honored and respected them. In Scotland, this belief existed in relation to fairies and the Queen of the Fairies was the one who guided these women.

In the first millennium AD, among the writings of the monks, there is information about the cults linked to the Lady of the Game, Diana, but already in 367 AD, the tradition of the Dominae Nocturnae was widespread enough to be banned as a diabolical belief.

The maid broom

Initially, the household broom was a stem cut from a broom plant with a tuft of leaves at the end. The broom had magical properties for good and bad, it was associated with both granted and denied fertility, and marriages were celebrated with the broom as a symbol of abundance and good luck. Jumping over the broomstick is said to have been part of the wedding rites of the Gypsies.

Related:
11 Most Powerful Good Luck Charms [Wave Bad Luck Goodbye]
How to Find a Good Luck Charm? [The Most Powerful Ones]

In India, the broom has an equally important role as in Europe, but since those who used it belonged to the poorer classes, this fact did not spread internationally for a long time. We know thanks to Margaret Murray that the house broom was made with leaves of date palm and was considered sacred, but no magical properties are associated with it.

Its branches were used by chimney sweeps to clean the chimney and it is said that it brings luck to use the broom in this operation. It seems like the ancient tales of witches coming out of fireplaces with brooms generated these popular customs!

Or, instead, the cleaning of the fireplace was done precisely to welcome witches into their homes. In fact, in Ireland, fireplaces were decorated with evergreens to welcome ancestors and spirits.

An evil tool?

The broom, used to collect dirt, is symbolically a catalyst for Evil. If facing forward, the bristles express the intention to capture Evil to exploit its magical power; in this way the witch can fly in the direction of the place where the Sabbath is held. But on the contrary, the bristles want to mean the opposite intention, that is the need to get rid of Evil after neutralizing it.

In popular tradition, it was customary to sweep the floor of the house after receiving an unwelcome visit. Even today, many keep the ‘good luck broom’ hanging behind the door of their house. It is not uncommon to run into vans or three-wheelers that flaunt brooms placed vertically and with the brush facing upwards.

Related:
Horseshoe for Luck – Is it Up or Down? [Explained]
20 Superstitions about Good Luck (& How to Use Them)

Hoisting a broom like this is sure to bring you bad luck and may even set obstacles in your path as you try and reach your goals.

The broom is the ritual object that, most of all, characterizes the witch. In our imagination, it is the witch’s companion or the object that makes them fly across the skies.

Analyzing this first aspect, it is evident that we will never see a witch flying in the sky, at least with our physical eyes. The broom has the same function as the drum for the shaman. It is the vessel through which, in an ecstatic state, the witch flies in the 3 worlds.

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Sources & References

Claims Based on Documented Sources

• Broom used to open sacred space/draw circle for protection/purification/attraction: Documented in ritual practice
• Bristles up = protection, bristles down = eliminate heavy energies: Documented in folk magic
• Broom requires consecration with sacred water/purification herbs: Documented in ritual practice
• Hermetic principle “As above so below” from Emerald Table: Documented in esoteric philosophy
• Dominae Nocturnae tradition linked to goddess Diana: Documented in classical/medieval sources
• Flying hosts of witches following Diana: Documented in Mediterranean witch lore
• Scottish belief: fairies/Queen of the Fairies: Documented in Scottish folklore
• 367 AD: Dominae Nocturnae tradition banned as diabolical: Documented in historical records
• Broom plant stem with leaf tuft initial household broom design: Documented in domestic history
• Jumping the broomstick in Gypsy wedding rites: Documented in Romani tradition
• Indian broom (date palm leaves): sacred, used by poorer classes: Documented via Margaret Murray research
• Broom as vessel for shamanic ecstatic flight (like shaman’s drum): Documented in comparative spirituality

Claims Based on Personal Practice & Experience

• 10+ years witchcraft experience (Tina Caro)
• 1000+ private clients (Tina Caro)
• Spellcasting/crystal work/astrology expertise (Tina Caro)
• Global Excellence Award (Tina Caro)

Recommended Reading

• “Sacred Space” (Magickal Spot internal)
• “Protection Bath Herbs” (Magickal Spot internal)
• “Salt: Magical Uses & Properties” (Magickal Spot internal)

About the Author

Written by Tina Caro, witch with 10+ years experience in spellcasting, crystal work, astrology, tarot, and ritual. Owner of Magickal Spot. Global Excellence Award recipient. Works with 1000+ private clients worldwide.

Note

Witch brooms: ritual tools for protection/purification; bristles up=protection, bristles down=remove negativity. Consecration: blessed water, purification herbs, activation with oils, present to 4 elements. Historical origins: medieval association with women/household, Dominae Nocturnae (Diana flying hosts), Scottish fairies. Cultural: jumping broomstick (Gypsy weddings), date palm brooms (India), fireplace decoration (Ireland for ancestors). Symbolism: transform/purify, capture evil (forward bristles), neutralize/release (backward bristles). Modern use: ecstatic vessel (like shaman’s drum) for astral travel in 3 worlds; not physical flight.