Happy Yule

Fun to have Grandchildren to share the joy of the season & *presents* with!! They were up at 6:30 - tickled that Santa came & brought wonderful treats - a dolly stroller for the 4 year old, & a girl Nutcracker for the 8 year old, who was in the ballet this winter! I got in on a bit of that - then across town to the other grandparents' for more presents & a lovely Christmas Brunch! A baby for the stroller (she has several 'favorites' already, & new BIKEs!

We'll have to wait for the snow to melt (slowly, Devas, slowly!) before they can ride them . . .

This afternoon I shoveled my walk & dug out my car - the neighbors across the street came over to help - so sweet! The city doesn't own a snowplow, & the State HWY dept hasn't seen fit to lend us one, so the streets are a combination of mounds, slush, & pavement, . . . the intersections & center mounds are tricky to navigate. Tonight it's clear, so will probably freeze again; though it's about 50 F this afternoon. There are still a few icicles hanging from the gutters.

I've used my broom to sweep the walk a few times, & we used it to uncover my car - I realize I'd like a new one for the new year!
"Don't take an Old Broom to a New Home." When I was newly married, my mother-in law swore by the Portland made "Brown Beauty" brooms, as they were well made & last a long time. I've had a perhaps 3 Brown Beauties, & have moved the last one several times. Occasionally I will look at brooms in the stores, & be disappointed in those available.

So I checked online - first for Brown Beauties, & was intrigued to find Mirador, a Portland store that carries them - (alas, now made in Ca), & also Scheumack brooms, (a seasonal rainbow of their besoms are shown on the right) made in Eugene! Oh, my oh my!! What beautiful brooms & besoms, even a Quiddich broom!!
Sacred Suzie's tell of blessing her besome with Cinnamon came to mind - I spritzed my small one with water & Cinnamon essential oil back in November, & love 'sweeping energy' after I've swept with the big broom.
Looking for more information, I found some lovely chants & other information at Hecate's Cauldron

I'll add one here once I receive her permission :) Meanwhile - this is the one that came as I thought about it:

Broom of Light

Broom of Flight
Circle round & bless this room
Clearing all of stress & gloom
Bring Abundance, Cheer & Love
As is below, so is Above
O Sada! Blessed be

Most of my broom lore is in my head - 'jumping the broomstick' was an old marriage custom, & taking a new broom or besom into the home was a sweet tradition, associated with carrying the 'bride' over the threshold, & bringing flame or coals from her mother's to lite the new hearth-fire.
Another Oregon broom maker, Warren Olney, suggests that Realtors give clients a new, handmade broom as their 'thank you' gift! 'never bring an old broom into a new home!' He has also been asked to provide some "Nimbus 2000" Quiddich brooms for VIPs, & 1800s style brooms for the first "Pirates" movie, & The Last Samurai.
In some cultures, you didn't sweep things out the door, in others, that's part of the cleansing! You can hang a broom by the hearth, to keep evil spirits from entering, or by the door. Brooms are used to 'sweep' the circle free of negative energy before ritual gatherings (often above the ground).
In Karen Kingston's delightful 'Creating Space with Feng Shui,' she talks about the importance of clearing clutter & physically clearing & sweeping before doing the energetic rituals, & that each morning in Bali, wherever you are you hear the sound of hundreds of broom sweeping. (For anyone who was involved with Soul Coaching, Karen is another great guide to shifting energy in your life!)
I think of the Zen tale of a novice given the task of the daily sweeping, & feeling it beneath his dignity, so doing it with a vengeance, & waking the older monks . . . & eventually realizing the importance of bringing his Presence to any task!

This simple cleaning tool has survived for centuries, & even in the most high tech home, there's usually a broom around somewhere. & how much nicer to find these BEAUTIFUL locally made brooms!