Change of Seasons: Fall Cleaning

It is definitely autumn here in upstate NY. The trees are changing color, the garden is dying back, and we had our first frost the other morning. Days are shorter and colder, and I can feel the energy slowing from the hectic pace of summer.

Even if you don't live in a place where the change of seasons is quite so obvious, you will still notice the change in daylight hours and the differing energy of fall. It can be hard to stay in tune with the natural ebb and flow in these modern times, but I think we all feel better if we can do so, at least to some extent.

This doesn't have to mean complicated rituals, if you don't have the time or inclination for such things. The energy of autumn is all about settling in and preparing for winter, and harvesting whatever there is to harvest (literally and figuratively). One of my favorite ways to do this--something that is practical and useful, but to which you can easily add a magical or spiritual component--is fall cleaning.

I know; most people do a big clean in spring (and I try to do that too). But I'm more likely to do both cleansing and protection work around my house in the fall. It's my way of preparing my "nest" for the dark days of winter.

First I start with actual clearing: I put away any clothes that won't be worn until the warm days return, make sure the harvest is tucked away where I can get at it easily, sort through closets, drawers and surfaces to get rid of things I haven't really used in the last year, and don't need to hold on to.

I clean the house, getting into the nooks and corners that usually escape the more casual weekly cleanings. THEN the magical bit starts. I take my broom (thank you, Robert!) and sweep through the whole house, from top to bottom. Before I start, I may anoint the broom with cleansing oils, or dip it in a salt & water combo that also has a bit of lemon (cleansing) or rosemary (protection) essential oil in it.

When I've done the whole house, I end up at the front door, where I sweep out both the last of the season's energy and actual dust, saying this spell from The Witch's Broom

My broom sweeps clean this house and home
My broom sweeps clean this place
With my broom I cleanse and clear
And purify this space

Then I usually follow up with some major protection work, but that's a subject for another post.

I hope you are enjoying the fall changes wherever you are. What's it like in your part of the country? Does it look like this?

Broom Magick for Spring Cleaning

When I sat down to write my latest book, The Witch’s Broom, I suddenly realized that there were a lot of ways to use a magickal broom that I hadn’t been utilizing. Mind you, I’d been doing magickal spring (and fall) cleaning for years, but my main tools had been the basics: salt and water and a sage smudge stick. Which worked just great, don’t get me wrong, but there is something quite fitting about using the magick of a broom to clean and clear the energy of your house, especially after a long winter.

There’s an entire ritual for doing so in the book, so I’m not going to try to recreate that here. But I will share the basics, in case the growing sunshine and longer days have made you suddenly feel like flinging open the windows and clearing out the stagnant energy of the cold, dark season. (This also works really well if there has been any kind of turmoil in the home, no matter what time of year it is—arguments or illness or that sort of thing.)

Really, using broom magick is pretty simple—mostly you just sweep, but add in INTENTION and FOCUS, which as we all know, are at the core of a witchcraft practice. You can also ramp up the energy of your magickal work a bit by using some herbs, consecrated water, and a few other extras. I’ll get to that in a minute.

There are two approaches to using a broom for magickal house cleansing. The first is when you use your everyday household broom (the one you always use for sweeping the floors) but add in some magickal elements along with your focus and intent. The second is for those folks who happen to have a broom that is dedicated to magickal use only (only used in rituals and not for regular cleaning).

To use a regular broom, you can give it some magickal oomph by smudging it with sage (or the cleansing incense of your choice), and/or dipping it into some water that you have blessed ahead of time—either by putting it out in the moonlight, or putting it on your altar, or adding any magickal oils. It is also nice to add a squeeze of lemon juice, which is energetically good for cleaning, as well as smelling very pleasant.

If you are using a magickal broom, you probably don’t need to do anything extra to it, although it certainly won’t hurt to give it a “freshening” boost.

Start by standing still in front of your altar or at your front door, and visualizing the broom glowing with a powerful magickal light, filled with the power to clear away any negative or stagnant energy. If you want, you can say the following:

Bless the witch and bless the broom

Bless the spirit that lies inside

Sweeping clear each household room

So peace and harmony there reside

[From The Witch’s Broom, Llewellyn 2014]

Then walk from room to room, sweeping as you go, and continuing to visualize the light from the broom whisking away anything that doesn’t belong in your home. If you are using a regular broom, you may wish to actually sweep the floors, wipe up cobwebs, get the dust off the top of radiators, and so on. If you are using a magickal broom, you probably won’t want to get it sullied, so in this case merely concentrate on moving the energy instead of the dirt. When you have gone through the whole home, you can sweep the last of the negativity and old crap out the front or back door.

Then thank the broom for its hard work, and enjoy your newly invigorated living space.