The Besom

The Besom

Most covens, start their rituals with a ritual sweep with their besom to begin the process of sweeping out negative energies and bringing in the good energies. This is part of creating sacred space. Many witches feel their besoms/brooms carry energies with it as well. I have several sacred besoms and feel they are full of energy from the many Circles they have been used to sweep with and simply by being in ritual with me.  There are a lot of Witches who feel that the besom is just as sacred or more sacred than some of their tools.  During rituals, Our besoms are very sacred to us and are placed some place special when ritual is over with. We hang our besoms by the fire place on a nail so that the besom does not touch the ground,  the wand and besom are most sacred to them.

Dating back as far as ancient Egypt, the besom (pronounced beh-sum) was once a wooden staff with a fan of feathers.  Used for protection and purification purposes, a magick broom is made of straw or grass tied around with  a leafy branch of pine, oak, fir, lavender or rosemary.  It is used to clean your ritual circle of unwanted energies.  Called the "Faery's Horse," your magick broom can be used for astral traveling.  Different kinds of brooms are used for different things.  For example, hawthorn besoms are best for handfasting.  Oak besoms can be used as a powerful tools for personal protection and to draw in ancestral energies and knowledge.  

Below are some chants you can memorize to do your ritual sweep and let your besom fly~!  With each sweeping motion, imagine the area being washed energetically with a cobalt blue light, as you say any one of the chants.

Witche’s broom swift in flight 

Cast out darkness, bring in light 
Earth be hallow, air be clear 
fire bright, as water heals 
A sacred bridge this site shall be 
~As my will, so mote it be~

Sweep out evil, sweep out ill, 

Where I do the Lady's will. 
Besom, besom, Lady's Broom 
Sweep out darkness, sweep out doom. 
~So Be It! Blessed Be~

 This Circle I sweep with besom of Heather; 
All harmful and evil must vanish and scatter. 
This Circle I sweep with besom of Heather;
~All peaceful and good are invited to enter~

Besom, besom long and lithe 
Made from ash and willow withe 
Tied with thongs of willow bark 
In running stream at moonset dark

As the ritual fire is lighted; 
Sweep ye circle, deosil, 
Sweep out evil, sweep out ill. 
Make the round of the ground 
Where we do the Lady’s will.

Besom, besom, Lady’s broom 
Sweep out darkness, sweep out doom 
Rid ye Lady’s hallowed ground 
Of demons, imps, and Hell’s red hound.

Then set ye down on Her green earth 
By running stream or Mistress’ hearth, 
Til called once more on Moon or Sabbat night 
~To cleanse once more the dancing site~

 The besom is the witch's broomstick, and though it is not a tool of paganism in the modern sense, it was often utilized in the magickal practice of the Middle Ages.  Like the cauldron, the besom was an everyday household object and could not be held up as a sign of witchcraft in the courts.  This fact elevated their prominence as magickal tools, often taking the place of wands and staves.

     Because of this association it is not surprising that they quickly became objects of magickal protection.  Besoms were often placed near the hearth of the home to protect the opening, and many pagans still believe a besom at the fireplace will prevent evil from entering.  If negativity is a problem, just take your besom and visualize yourself sweeping these feelings out the door.  Using the besom to sweep away negativity from a circle site was common practice, one still observed by many pagans.

     The besom is a phallic symbol and was used by female witches in fertility rites, and it is from this that the idea of the Halloween witch riding around on a broomstick also may have materialized.  The sweeping end was usually made of the European broom herb, a feminine herb.  Thus the broom was complete as a representation of the male and female together.

MAKING A BESOM 

  If you would like a besom of your own, they are fairly easy to find in craft stores, country markets, or folk art fairs.  You can also invest your energies into making one, a good idea if you wish to use it in place of a wand or other ritual tool.

     To make a besom you will need:

• A four foot dowel one inch in diameter
• ball of twine
• scissors
• straw or other long strands of pliable herbs

     Take the straw, or another herb you have chosen for the bristles, and allow them to soak overnight in warm, lightly salted water.  The water softens the straws to make them pliable, and the salt soaks out former energies.     When you are ready to make your besom, remove the straws from the water and allow them to dry a bit, but not so much that they lose the suppleness you will need to turn them into your besom.
     Find a work area where you can lay out the length of your dowel, and begin lining the straws alongside the dowel.  Starting about three inches from the bottom, lay the straws, moving backward, along the length of the dowel.  Begin binding these to the dowel with the twine.  You will need to tie them very securely.  You can add as many layers of straw as you wish, depending on how full you would like your besom to be.
     When the straw is secured, bend the top straws down over the twine ties.  When they are all gently pulled over, tie off the straws again a few inches below the original tie.  Leave the besom overnight to allow the straw to dry
     The dowel part of the besom can be stained, painted, or decorated with pagan symbols, your craft name, or any other embellishments you choose.  Dedicate your finished besom in your circle as you would any other ritual tool.