Why Tea & Brooms?
Since I was a young woman, I had always created art from things found in nature, and natural fibres, like broomcorn, grasses, leaves, pebbles, crystals, vines and branches, as well as fungi and mosses, they were/are my tools and canvas. I began making decorative house blessing and protective brooms casually in the late 90’s but took a break in 2012, after my father died, to focus on building up my tea business.
From about that time I was given a 20lb box of broomcorn by a blacksmith friend who was having a clearing up in their workshop. So, like many people during the early days of the Covid 19 Pandemic, my husband Mick and I decided to do some long overdue clearing out of our basement, and rearranging of our home. Well, much to my delight, in my basement where it had sat for 7 or 8 years, along with a lot of sticks, was that box of broomcorn and some other dried florals that was just sitting there taking up space.
In the autumn of 2020 I came across an incredibly talented broomsquire (broom maker) on Instagram. In January 2021 during a lockdown period due to the Covid pandemic, I took an online course from that maker, Alyssa Blackwell of hearthcraftbrooms.com to relearn how to craft Turkey Wing and Hawks Tail hand whisks. Well, that was it. Thanks to her, I found my passion for broom-crafting again.
Being an avid tea lover, tea sommelier, Tasseomancer and hedgewitch, I feel that there is a natural connection between tea and brooms as they both are crafted from plant material. But it’s not just that fact. For me, tea and brooms have another similarity, tea like brooms, has been used for centuries for cleaning, as well as used in many spiritual and wellness practices around the world. So I feel that there is a mystical connection as well:
Tea drinking, for example tea can be a spiritual process, it aids in staying alert during meditation, the making of tea also can be a meditative process on its own. Just look at the majestic tea ceremonies attached to this magickal plant from different cultures the world over. For me, it’s the beauty of watching the agony of the leaves (tea leaves as they unfurl), that dance of the leaves in hot water as they release their subtle, or intense flavours.
You can make your tea with a specific purpose or intent, perhaps to soothe a sad heart, or to invigorate ones brain for inspiration. Tea can also help our bodies be ‘cleaner’ due to its natural antioxidant qualities and to the L-thaenine which is a scientifically proven way to help our bodies deal with stress. Topically, tea is used in many skincare products because of the rich antioxidant and anti aging flavonoids, and other essential naturally occurring compounds. Tea has long been used in household cleaning as well, for example to polish wood, to clean glass and mirrors, to deodorize, many other uses as well, it’s a long list!
Brooms and whisks, while traditionally cleaning tools, they also can be used spiritually. A whisk, for example can be used to waft smoke from a fumitory bundle around a room. Sweeping with a broom can be very meditative. The world over, through many cultures, the broom has many connections to spirituality. For example, when seeping your home, envision you’re sweeping out all the negative, stagnant energy from your space to create an energetically more ‘clean’ home. Brooms have been used to sweep energy around and out of sacred spaces for centuries. Brooms have long been seen as protective amulets.
There are many superstitions (which essentially are ways of foretelling the future and/or folk magic) attached to brooms as well. One of my favourite superstitions is one about moving into a new home; if moving to a new home, leave the old broom behind or better, break it or burn it. Make sure to have a new broom for your new home. The old broom carries all the ‘dirt’ or bad luck, from the old home. So, start fresh with a new one so you get off to the best start!’
I could go on with the parallels, but my passion for both of these incredible plant based items lives on in every tea I blend, and every broom I make. I literally have had people say they feel the energy in my brooms or tea uplifting them.
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