Leave the Broom Behind: The Witch’s Superstition When Moving Homes

Avanjia
Apr 9
4 min read

When you step into an empty house, stripped bare of belongings and all that remains is a single broom leaning quietly against the wall, understand this: it was likely left behind on purpose.

And it might just be one of the oldest, most quietly powerful superstitions in witchcraft and folk tradition.

As a witch myself, this is a practice I hold sacred. Every time I’ve moved homes, I’ve left my broom behind, deliberately, and with intention. I never bring the old one with me. I never sweep new floors with bristles that have touched the past. In my world, that broom belongs to the old space, the old chapter, and sometimes even the old version of me.

The Broom as a Magical Tool and Energy Conduit

To the mundane world, a broom is just a cleaning tool, a humble object with bristles and a handle. But in witchcraft, the broom (or besom) is so much more. It’s a boundary marker, a space clearer, a threshold guardian. It's the very tool that sweeps away not only dust and debris, but stagnant energy, emotional residue, and spiritual clutter.

Every time you sweep a home, especially with intention, your broom becomes imprinted. It absorbs the energy of your environment: the good, the bad, the grief, the joy, the tension, the spells, the arguments, the blessings, the unspoken things that live between the walls.

It becomes, in essence, an energetic sponge.

So when you move, why bring the energetic sponge from your old life into your new sanctuary?

Why You Should Never Bring Your Old Broom Into a New Home

Bringing your old broom into a new home is like bringing your old baggage, spiritual and emotional, into a fresh start. You're inviting the energy of your previous space into the new one, and not all of that energy is meant to follow you.

Here’s what can happen if you don’t leave your broom behind:

Lingering Energies: That broom holds everything it’s swept, arguments, illnesses, sorrow, stress, spells cast, and energy cleared. Without realizing it, you could be reintroducing those vibes into your new space.

Unintentional Blockages: An old broom can anchor you to the past. You may find that progress feels stuck, energy feels stale, or you keep repeating emotional cycles you were trying to leave behind.

Unwelcoming Spirits: If your old home had spirit activity, energy attachments, or even protective wards embedded into the broom's bristles, those energies might not mesh well with your new space. Spirits and energies don't always travel well. Some might feel displaced or unwelcome, and that can stir up all kinds of chaos.

Resistance to New Blessings: A fresh space deserves fresh tools, fresh intentions, and fresh magic. An old broom may block or dull the blessings and flow you are trying to create in your new chapter.

What It Means When You Find a Broom in an Empty House

Sometimes people stumble upon an abandoned house with nothing left behind but a broom.

That broom wasn’t forgotten; it was intentionally left.

It’s a spiritual boundary. A quiet act of finality. It says, "We have moved on. We leave the old here. We start anew."

Some believe that leaving the broom behind acts as a closing ritual, an act that finalizes energetic ties to the house and protects those who once lived there from lingering attachments. It’s also a form of respect to the land and spirits of place, leaving behind the last bit of used magic that belongs to that space alone.

It’s like saying goodbye without words.

How to Properly Leave a Broom Behind (Witch’s Way)

If you’re preparing to move, and this tradition speaks to your spirit, here’s how to honor it fully:

Thank the Broom – Hold it with both hands. Speak aloud your gratitude: “Thank you for sweeping away the past. Thank you for protecting my home. Thank you for the magic we shared.”
Cleanse It One Last Time – Use smoke, salt, or moonlight. Not to reuse it but to respectfully neutralize it before you leave it behind.
Leave It Quietly in the Home – I personally lean mine against a wall or place it in a corner with quiet dignity. Some witches even tie a black ribbon or sprinkle protective herbs around it, marking it as a spiritual object. This is also something I will personally do.
Never Look Back – Once you leave that broom behind, don’t go back for it. Let it go, just as you’re letting go of the past.

Blessing Your New Home With a New Broom

When you enter your new home, bring in a fresh broom, one that hasn’t touched any other floor. This broom will serve as your new magical companion.

Sweep inward on your first day to draw in blessings, love, and abundance.

Or sweep outward (without sweeping dirt out!) to cast away the last remnants of others’ energies, especially if the home previously belonged to someone else.

You can dress your broom with charms, ribbon, dried herbs, or crystals, and anoint it with oil if you wish to formally bless it as your magical tool.

Discarding your broom when you move is not just superstition, it’s a sacred practice. It’s a boundary-setting ritual. It’s energetic hygiene. And it’s a symbolic severing from the past, allowing your new home to truly be yours, unshadowed and unburdened.

This tradition has followed me throughout my life, and I hold it as a firm belief, one I will never stray from.

So the next time you move, remember: Leave the broom behind. Let the past stay swept away. Blessings, Avanjia