Before we get into this blog topic there is something that needs to be expained. Not sure if I've put it in another blog but I am gonna stick it up here so that there is a better understanding of what's being said.
***The term Pagan is a blanket term that covered Witches, Wiccan, and the old faiths. Witches do not have diety in their practice but have a magick practice, Wiccans have deities in their practice (gods and goddess) and can choose to use magick or not use magick in their practice, Pagan faiths follow the old gods and goddess and can use magick in their practice.
Often times you see images of Witches flying brooms. Sitting straight on or side saddle like it's a horse, and flying through the air past the full moon in some spooky image of devilish mischief. I think there are only a few Witches on brooms that have ever been depicted as not menicing, Bewitched (1964) is the one that stands out in my head.
Witches are not inharently evil, devilish, or menicing, they are also not good, honourable, or sunshine and rainbows either. They are human, which means their practice is designed for their individual good, bad, or whichever. Witches also do not have a god, goddess, deity, or high being that they look to, like Wiccan and other faiths which have gods and goddess or equivilant. A witch uses nature, they look to the environment and their inner self to guide them in their practice and their use of magick.
So where does the broom come in? Looking at the broom as a tool for magick we look at it's use in a home. The broom's design, a long stick with bristles on the end, is used to sweep dust, dirt and crap off the floor or out the door.
By applying that same thought proccess to magick, consider what you would use a broom for. Also, the size of the broom doesn't matter unless you're sweeping the floor. Energy build up in your sacred space can have a negative effect on your next spell, so can your mood. If your sacred space is in an area of the house that has constant flow of traffic or even in your bedroom where you go to escape your stress' and such, that will build up and do you harm.
Using a full size broom to sweep your space of energy (and your floor of dust) will help clean out your space so that when you are focusing on your next spell you will have a clean space to start in. I know that sometimes it's hard to remember to sweep your energy in a space, that's why I add it to my floor cleaning routine, it helps me remember.
If your alter/sacred space is isolated and you aren't to worried about your emotional energy and other's energies building up in that space you may want to cleanse the energy of your alter from time to time to make sure that whatever you are working on has a clean start. For this, the broom doesn't have to be that big. You can find altar size brooks in many places or, make it yourself. Being creative is a great way to add your own personal energy to your tools in order for them to hold more value to your magick works.
You want to sweep east to west. Same thing goes for the floor however, you'll want to sweep it out of the house or the room your space/altar is in. For me personally, once I have swept both my space and my altar I go around to the windows and do the same there sweeping everything out the open window. Once that's done I then take my salt (I use black salt) and I seal up all the entrances and windows to block anything from coming back in or trying to access my space.
During this cleaning process I also cleanse my protection crystals that are over my window and my door, reprogram them, and recharge them. Every 3 weeks I do this cleaning process, unless I've had a bad week or bad time of things then I do it as soon as my emotions and energy are back to a good place. This also means, if you are not in a good place DON'T.....DO........MAGICK.
Looking for more information on the use of brooms in your practice?
A few suggestions;
Books by Scott Cunningham do have connections with the broom and speak on the subject but in a magickal and passing way.
The Witch's Broom: The Craft, Lore & Magick of Broomsticks by Deborah Blake. Haven't read this book but through the descirption and reviews it seems to be a good starting point to understanding the use of brooms in a magickal practice.