How to Make a Golden Rod Broom for the fall equinox

I don’t quite remember when I first started the tradition in my home, or where I came to learn of it, but for years now around this time of year I honor Goldenrod by harvesting a few of her stalks and creating a broom to bless my home with her radiant sunshine and good fortune. I will share with you a simple way to bring the warmth and prosperity of Goldenrod into your own home as summer fades. All winter long you too will be blessed with her warmth and good cheer!!

Preferably, you would want to pick a day that is dry and sunny to go out foraging for the threeGoldenrod stalks that you will need to make your broom. On that day, it’s best to set out with a pair of scissors and a sense of gladness and joy. Spend some time walking amongst nature, reveling in her beauty, and feeling the warmth of the sun. One by one I like to choose the Golden rod plants that just seem to call to me. Offering thanks ( in my heart or out loud- usually both) I snip the Goldenrod, give her a gentle shake to make sure any little insects stay outside where life is best suited for them, and head home. You want to remove the leaves on the stems below where the flowering tops begin-you can leave a few leaves at the top, if you feel so inclined. To do this just wrap your thumb and pointer finger around the stem and pull downward. The leaves come off pretty easily. You should trim the ends of the stems so that they are all the same length.

Next, you wrap all three stems together with twine or ribbon beginning with the top by the base of the flowers. You want to wrap it pretty tightly so that it doesn’t come apart. Then you gingerly twist the stems a bit as you work your way down and do the same thing at the middle and again at the end of the stems. You’ll want to create a loop at the ends before you tie it off so that you will be able to hang the broom. You can hang her anywhere you like, some say it is tradition to place her above your front door. I prefer to find a place in my kitchen because that is where I spend most of my time and I enjoy the sunshine and good cheer she blesses me with all year long. In the photo here to the left, you’ll see how last year’s Goldenrod broom has faded, which is why I like to create a new one each year. I’ll take down the broom I made last September, offering thanks for her blessings, and place her in my garden so that she may return to the earth once more. May you enjoy Goldenrod’s yearly gift as the Autumnal Equinox approaches, and may she bring you through the winter with prosperity and warmth.

This post was written by Debrah Romano, an herbal apprentice at Herbs Love And Yoga.