The Faeries involvement ensured the spiritual properties of the broom. Celtic lore includes tales of witches entering the forest and being guided by Faeries to the perfect tree to secure a staff for her broom. They associated it with Faeries and other spirits of the forest. The broom frequently depicted in images of witches is one example of spiritual significance to the Celts that lingered. Spiritual traditions lingered and were often blended with the new. The religious conversion wasn’t as instantaneous as flipping on the light switch for a new religion and flipping it off for an older religion. In reality, gods of the Old World existed and were worshipped for thousands and thousands of years before Jesus and even for many centuries after by Europeans. Sometimes, it seems as if people think Jesus was born and that was when all time began – nothing existed before or after.
The reason I bring this up is because the spiritual path of the early Europeans (including the Romans and Hellenistic Greeks) is complicated. Some tribes (such as the Vikings) worshipped the Norse gods well into the 12th century before converting to Christianity. During the final centuries of Roman control and into the Dark Ages, the traditional gods of the Celts and other “barbarian” tribes continued to be worshipped publicly and privately among western Europeans along with Christianity. Christianity didn’t become the official religion of Rome until 380 AD and was, instead, spread by missionaries prior to Rome becoming the Holy Roman Empire. While the Roman Empire had been an ever-present military and cultural force in western Europe from ~ 300 BC to 500 AD, it wasn’t necessarily driving European spirituality. After that, 500 – 1000 AD, Europe descended into the Dark Ages – notable for the disappearance of Rome’s influence in western Europe. The city of Rome itself was captured by Germanic tribes in 476 AD. However, by 500 AD Rome’s western empire was collapsing under the continued assault of “Barbarian” tribes. Ultimately, Rome conquered and controlled most of western Europe (though uprisings were frequent) for centuries. As the Roman Empire battled to conquer these tribes (for well over a thousand years), the Celts resisted both military and spiritual conquest. The Celts, in short, were among the early tribes of central and western Europe, Ireland, and Britain. The answer to this dates back to the Celts. Still, there must have been other tools available to administer the ointment.
As odd as this sounds, it seems like a plausible explanation for the “riding” part of my inquiry. Their depiction as naked or partially clothed also supports this method of administration. The broom gave flight to witches and that is why they are often depicted in flight, “riding” a broom. The effect of this hallucinogen was to induce the sensation of flight. You know where this is going, right? Yes, witches eventually began to rub the ointment on a broom stick – sliding it along their pussies or taking in the hard, thick staff. Eventually, it was discovered that if the ointment was absorbed under the arms through sweat glands or vaginally, the side effects were significantly reduced. The agent had severe gastrointestinal side effects if taken orally. Witches were part of this group and they used a hallucinogenic compound to create transcendent spiritual experiences. During the middle ages in Europe, an ointment with hallucinogenic effects was present and in use by those still worshiping the ancient gods of the Old World. Throughout human history, plants have been used for medicinal and spiritual purposes. Why would a witch ride a broom? And, why would she ride a broom?
Let’s take a brief stroll back in time to explore two aspects of one question. An example of this is a witch flying on a broom. There are images, even behaviors, we sometimes experience on a superficial level that often have deeper, more spiritual origins.
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