Scotch Broom a Bad Rap

Scotch Broom Cytisus scoparius Scotch Broom like its name was once used to make brooms and thatch roofs for houses long ago.  It grows abundantly in Northwest America with some what of a bad reputation because it can be a fire hazard and is so invasive. When I lived in Marin County,California during the nineties I made hundreds of flower essences. Flower Essences are emotional remedies made from flowers. The secret of flower essences is finding the hidden purpose of a plant. This is done by watching the characteristics of how the plant grows, how it smells, the color and the shape of the flowers and leaves. This is called the Doctrine of Signatures and has been used since the Middle Ages. So on with my story..Marin county is filled with Scotch Broom and it is the most hated plant in the county. There are regular broom pulls each spring to rid the hillsides of this invasive species so the Native Plants have room to grow.  So one day I went on a broom pull. I was taught that the root of a broom actually is like a cork screw that goes deep in the earth and to pull it you actually have to unwind the plant then pull.  I was astounded how people went on and on how much they hated this plant. It looked more like a therapy session than a broom pull. It was not long after this event that I was in the wild hills behind my house where I walk weekly. It was a hot summer day and I saw a field scotch broom in bloom. It was so inviting that I walked into the field and sat down in the middle of it and just sunk into the silence of the moment. The deeper I went the more empty my mind became and all of a sudden I heard a small explosive sound, a little louder than popcorn popping. I opened my eyes and to my surprise the dark black seed pods were exploding in the hot summer sun scattering their seeds to the ground. Hmm I thought, what does that mean? I reflected on the color of the seed pods and also the memory of the release of all the anger at the Scott Broom Pull I went to a few weeks before and I began to put together two plus two. The dark seed pods reflect the dark thoughts held by human beings, hate, repressed anger, the list goes on. The exploding of the seed was the release of the repressed energy. Brooms are made to clean the house and the flower is bright yellow. Yellow, in color therapy, helps cultivate a sunny disposition.  The Essence of Scotch Broom not only cleaned on a physical level yet on a  psychological and psychic level also. I thought that is why this plant is so invasive. humanity has a lot of clean up to do! I sat there pondering my new discovery of the hidden meaning of Scotch Broom in the warmth of that summer day.  I did a little research afterwards and discovered that brooms fix nitrogen into soil and help with erosion control. It is said in the “Victorian Language of Flowers “broom signifies mirth, humility and tidiness, of course it does! Somewhat like the word Witch, Scotch broom also has gotten a bad rap