Flying Broomsticks
A very different type of UFO report for the June Solstice
“Then followed that beautiful season...
Summer
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.” ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Can you see the witch riding the current among the sparkles? Yes, yes, I know all about pareidolia and no, I’m not being cheeky about my watermark. Look to the mid-point of the photo if she doesn’t immediately appear to you.
My point I hope my photo illustrates is that the deepest mysteries are revealed to us in the sights and songs of nature. Listen to them, pay attention when you are out walking in the woods. And if you can learn their language no magic nor understanding will remain beyond your reach.
June’s Solstice is very close at hand as I begin to write this article. I am a Pagan Witch living in the northern hemisphere and later today I will begin crafting a simple solar altar honoring the light of the sun. Its a joyful liminal time.
And its almost a Mid-Summer’s Eve with all of its associated Otherworldly mischief.
This highly unusual and very interesting report of flying women was sent my way a few Solstices ago from Albert S. Rosales who is my very good friend and colleague in documenting high strangeness. He thought I might especially appreciate this one and he was right. Understandably, it was quite shocking for the witnesses, but something about this report gives me a lighthearted trickster vibe that I associate with the beginning of Summer.
And now I want to share it with you.
Flying Broomsticks and a Different Type Of UFO
The following occurred in the U.K. in June 1982 and has been somewhat paraphrased by me as I don’t have a copy of the actual witness testimonies.
During a period of unusually hot weather two painters working on the roof of an office building in Birkenhead, near Bidston Hill, reported witnessing something very strange in the sky. One of the witnesses, Dominic Bassett, a seventeen-year-old apprentice had just removed his shirt due to the heat when both men became aware of what they described as female screams and laughter apparently originating from above them.
According to Bassett, the sounds prompted both men to look skyward, although neither initially observed anything unusual. Moments later, the sounds were heard again, this time seeming to originate from a different direction. Turning towards the Liverpool skyline, which appeared hazy, the witnesses observed three distant objects at a considerable altitude. Bassett’s colleague, identified as Eric, initially interpreted the objects as balloons. Bassett, however, maintained that the objects appeared to be human figures, specifically three females.
The objects subsequently moved northwards and disappeared from view. Eric continued to favor the balloon hypothesis, while Bassett remained convinced that he had observed three individuals. Eric suggested that Bassett’s judgment may have been affected by his hay fever symptoms, which were causing watering eyes and repeated sneezing at the time.
Approximately ten minutes later, while the men had resumed their work, a second observation occurred. Bassett noticed paint dripping onto him from above and looked up to find Eric apparently transfixed by something in the sky. Both men then observed what they described as three female figures passing by at a much closer range.
The leading figure was described as a brunette woman approximately thirty years of age, seated side-saddle on what appeared to be a broomstick and wearing a flowing pink dress. Following closely behind was a blonde woman who appeared to have one hand resting on the leading figure’s shoulder. A third blonde female, believed to be younger and possibly in her teenage years, followed the pair. The witnesses reported that all three individuals were laughing, while the leading figure occasionally screamed as though she were in danger of losing her seat.
According to the testimony, the figures appeared unaware of the observers below and continued in the direction of Bidston Hill before disappearing from sight. The experience reportedly had a marked effect on Eric, who was said to have suffered a temporary episode of shock and subsequently left work for the remainder of the day.
While Eric attempted to debunk during the initial sighting as balloons, the second and reportedly much closer observation led both witnesses to conclude that they had observed something deeply weird that day.
Albert’s Humanoid Catalogue lists the original source for this account as Tom Slemen’s Spooky Summer: Broomsticks over Birkenhead – Liverpool Echo. He includes the following commentary from Sleman: “someone reading this knows the truth I can only conjecture what these flying women were. Modern day witches, apparently that’s what they were trying to portray themselves as?”
He also stated that years later when he gave an account of this incident on the Billy Butler Radio Show he was inundated with calls and emails from people of all ages and all walks of life who recalled the “witch scare” that summer.
So instead of the familiar flying saucers, the two men encountered witches and flying broomsticks traversing the sky. How wonderful!
Laughing women flying about in broad day? On broomsticks?
I am ENCHANTED!
Count me in sisters!
Count me in.
This encounter with humanoids described as witches seems to be extremely strange because its relatively modern and occurred in a fairly urban setting, but looking into the area I found out the Bidston Hill has long been associated with witchcraft perhaps because of the carvings of a Solar Goddess and Moon God located there.
There is a dark story of a coven of witches who were found hanged in the woods after the local men decided to rid the area of witchcraft and those involved in it, which is horrific if true. Could the witnesses have been aware of this horror and it remained somewhere deep within their subconscious only to manifest itself in an odd way?
Was the teen feeling self conscious while taking his shirt off? The “witches” flying overhead were described as youthful and attractive, but were they perceived by him as menacing? Did he believe they were laughing at him? This is definitely a thread that could be pulled on so to speak. Unfortunately there would be no way of knowing with certainty, but lots of room to speculate. What do you think? Let me know in the comments.
The area is also considered a hot spot for other UFO activity where strange craft and lights appear in the sky.
Source: Friends of Bidston Hill
More recently in the early 2Ks there was what became an infamous series of encounters in Mexico with an entity known as La Bruja de Monterrey. UFO researchers including a police officer describe encountering a flying humanoid that looks like a stereotypical witch who in one account attacked the patrol car of one of the witnesses.
“While I was driving, I saw what appeared to be a black sack falling onto the road,” said Officer Leonardo Samaniego. He had been in pursuit of robbery suspects at the time of his encounter. “I immediately slammed on the brakes and saw a shape in the darkness. When it rose up in front of me, I first tried to understand what it was.”
What the officer saw was feminine and not entirely human.
“The being first began to hide from the light and then closed its eyes. “It had completely black eyes, with nothing resembling eyelids or eyelashes. Suddenly, it turned sharply toward me, and the headgear it was wearing fell to the ground. It looked at me and then started to levitate toward me. I fled in the car, immediately requesting backup over the radio.”
This is a very lengthy case spanning 3-4 years and I am only briefly mentioning it now to give a more recent account of people’s experiences with “flying witches.” It is well deserving of its own article and analysis.
Are you familiar with other reports like these? Have you encountered a humanoid? I hope I’ve given you some interesting weirdness to ponder. Please let me know what you think in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this post why not consider subscribing (its free!) sharing with others who might be interested in the paranormal, occult, and cosmic mysteries. I’ll be back in a week or two with more high strangeness for us to ponder.
Blessed June Solstice and Merry Litha if you observe it. And a very blessed Indigenous Peoples Day in my home country Canada on the 21st. 🧡🧡🧡
Happy Summer or Happy Winter! Wherever you’ve landed on this beautiful planet of ours May the Sun shine on us all.
Blessed Be xx
would it help I wonder, to place this story in the broader context of human levitation worldwide. It’s not as common as other paranormal stuff, but there are definitely records of it, especially among spiritual practitioners. Some old Catholic saints and Hindu gurus come first to mind.