After I graduated from college, I had one of those experiences we all must endure in our twenties: a bad breakup. I was somewhat of a zombie but my best friend was of a more practical bent and was studying Zen Buddhism. She placed a broom in my hand and suggested I “stop thinking about anything but doing the best possible job sweeping the floor.” I took her advice and even swept the sidewalks once I was done with the small cottage we lived in. Sweeping did bring about a stillness inside me, which was a relief after all the turmoil, I was still hurting but simplicity of the chores engendered quietude. I have a few brooms, including symbolic besoms,and one is always right outside the back door and ready for the simple ritual of sweeping. Grab your broom and say aloud as you get started:
After I graduated from college, I had one of those experiences we all must endure in our twenties: a bad breakup. I was somewhat of a zombie but my best friend was of a more practical bent and was studying Zen Buddhism. She placed a broom in my hand and suggested I “stop thinking about anything but doing the best possible job sweeping the floor.” I took her advice and even swept the sidewalks once I was done with the small cottage we lived in. Sweeping did bring about a stillness inside me, which was a relief after all the turmoil, I was still hurting but simplicity of the chores engendered quietude. I have a few brooms, including symbolic besoms,and one is always right outside the back door and ready for the simple ritual of sweeping. Grab your broom and say aloud as you get started:
The Witches’ Broom, or Besom is an important and largely misunderstood tool of the Witch.
Gaining its notoriety from the witch hunters’ manuals of mediaeval Europe, it is a tool of a far more ancient origin. As we know, the writings of those who “documented” the traditions, rituals and practices of early witches did not do so in an inimical fashion. This largely explains the negative associations related to many customs, tools and traditions of ancient Witches.
It is believed that the practice and use of the Besom can be traced back as far as ancient Egypt. While typical or traditional Besoms are made of a specific plant called Broom (from which the broom gains its name); it would also appear that many traditions and cultures have their own version of a Besom.
Erin Lale
Fellow faculty at Harvard Divinity School posted an open letter to Wolpe in response to his article. It's available on this page, below the call for p...
Erin Lale
Here's another response. The Wild Hunt has a roundup of numerous responses on its site, but it carried this one as a separate article. It is an accoun...
Erin Lale
Here's another response. This one is by a scholar of paganism. It's unfortunately a Facebook post so this link goes to Facebook. She posted the text o...
Erin Lale
Here's another link to a pagan response to the Atlantic article. I would have included this one in my story too if I had seen it before I published it...
Janet Boyer
I love the idea of green burials! I first heard of Recompose right before it launched. I wish there were more here on the East Coast; that's how I'd l...