I had the opportunity to attend a workshop at one of my favorite bead shops. The workshop was for Besom making. The word besommeans: a broom made of twigs tied round a stick.
The bristles can be made of twigs, straw, or herbs. In my broom I used eucalyptus because it is a symbol for protection. I added wheat to symbolize abundance. I am uncertain what the bushy grass is in the main part of the broom. All the supplies were provided. Most of the women chose to add ribbon and bows but, I wanted to wait and add some beading and fabric scraps. You can see the jute that was wrapped twice to hold the "sticks" and grass in place.
The broom has been associated with sweeping away negative energies and protection. If you think about it the fact that a home is swept clean changes the feeling of a room.
During the burning times in Europe the broom was an important tool for witches. It was something that was common and was used daily by everyone. So being a common item witches were able to use the broom quietly for clearing an area for ritual work. It could hide one of their most important tools, the wand. Some ancient brooms contained hidden compartments in the handle.
At this time of year near Halloween we begin to see that image of a crone riding a broom and one explanation for that coming about could be that witches would go into an altered state of consciousness and astral project themselves in spirit. Hence they were metaphorically "flying" and the broom was added because it was a tool of importance. There is so much written on this so I will not even try to address all the possibilities and I am certainly no expert.
The broom has been used for marriage ceremonies, called "jumping the broom". Again, there is a lot written on this.
Lastly, I thought it was interesting that the word besom can be found in the Bible under:
I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the Lord of hosts.
This is a story of one women's journey in to the supernatural world.
As a child she thought everyone experienced the things she did.
As she grew up she realized that not everyone was aware of the paranormal and that angels and spirits are around us everyday. She became very quiet about her awareness.
As she has matured she realized that it was important to share her story so that others who may have experienced similar experiences would know that they are not alone...
"She is an everyday mother and wife."
A lovely music box song by George Winston.
Lastly, I have been working on a skull for my Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) altar, to honor
those who have passed on. I ordered a pattern from Sublime Stitching. I love her stuff and we all need
to support our creative fellow Sista! : )
I am uncertain how old this fence is but there are many of these for miles and miles of road...
Ancient bits of history. I wonder as I drive along who built them and what were they like?
Were they building them to mark their land or keep their sheep from wandering?
It does not matter. I love the Ancient charm.
Lastly, this is Mittens the cat. She is our adopted cat that showed up before the Summer began. She is sooo sweet and is so much more adorable than this picture shows. She is staying warm on my car because I just got home and the car is still warm from driving it. The children named her "Mittens" because she has 6 toes on both of her front paws only. It looks like she has thumbs. She was starving when we first found her and now she is looking rather healthy.
