Making A Besom

[Flar's Freyja]

My first besom was made from an abundance of willow that a storm dumped in my yard. We also made one from birch as a group for our Women's Circle.

Here's a bit of history:

The Witch's Besom/ Making a Besom

The Witch's Besom
from: The Sabbats
by Edain McCoy

Another indisputable symbol of Samhain is the witch's besom. 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.

At Halloween we are bombarded with images of the demonized Crone Goddess riding her broom across the moon. The idea that witches could fly on broomsticks may have been a misunderstanding of astral projection, a sending forth of one's consciousness to other places.

*I also read somewhere that women rode brooms through the fields to chase out locusts.

[Flar's Freyja]

From the same source:

~ 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.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/The_Enchanted_Garden/messages

[)O( ~ Khara~ )O(]

I started making my own brooms not long ago. I found an article on how to make the cinnamon brooms (which is what I have used as my besom for so long).

ANYWAY, instead of straw, I used eucalyptis, iris leaves, monkey grass and added Iris flowers on their long stems which I had dried.

I didn't soak anything in salt water, just sprinkled it with hyssop water and left it in a circle of cedar incense top purify it.

I have discovered making your own besom like making your own wand, staff or any magickal tool, gives it that extra burst of personal power and connection and as a result it works better for me!

Aside from all that the broom (with a blueish-purple silk bow) looks wonderful over my door and smell great!

Cool post, something everyone could have fun doing and personalizing.

[Flar's Freyja]

:) I love making my own stuff.....

Yes, you can make your besom out of anything that is significant to you! My house protection broom is a cute little "lobby broom" that I found at the hardware store. It's just slightly bigger than a child's toy broom. I have taken ribbons from several rituals I have attended and decorated the handle and the binding around the brush, applying knot magick as I wrapped the ribbons. It's very attractive hanging by my front door.

Flar and I just bought a natural broom that we found at Wal-Mart with the Halloween craft supplies for about $1.67. This is the first one we've gotten for our life together and I haven't decided yet how I'm going to charge and decorate it.

Last year, I noticed that the stores were coming out with quite realistic brooms around Halloween. Wal-Mart had the cutest little black, round brooms and I bought several of them. I think some pagans may be influencing the manufacturing business :T

[Ryhla]

Speaking of Wal-mart...I'm going back to my hometown tomarrow to visit my family with one ofmy room mates and we always go to Wal-mart. This time of year is great for things such as a besom. Since I have 3 other room mates, I'm the only pagan in the house. I am wanting one to put over my bedroom door since it is the most private space I have at the moment. I'm also going to check out the craft department at Wal-Mart while I'm home too. In the town I live in now, there isn't much of anything, let alone anything that may possibly help me in my shopping needs for workings. If possible too, I'm going to go to this great little import shop in the mall, if it's still there and I still have time. Who knows what trinkets and baubles I'll find.

[Flar's Freyja]

Craft shops such as Hobby Lobby and Garden Ridge and even the craft dept at Wal-Mart are places where you can make some lucky finds. Hobby Lobby is where I found small natural brooms last year for less than two bucks each, and Flar and I found our new broom in the craft dept. at Wal-Mart this year. I've always wanted to make a pentacle out of little brooms like I saw in one of Silver RavenWolf's drawings. Last year at a hobby shop here called Michael's, I found miniature brooms but they weren't the right size. However, they're perfect for hanging from the rearview mirror!

[Pan]

This might not be making your own.. but decorating should fit in here. 8O

Hubby let me buy a small hay broom at Wal Mart for $2.. and he let my buy small autumn leaves to stick on it! I plan on going back to purchase some plastic gourds and other autumn things.. and then winter things and spring things and summer things..

I plan on making them movable and removable enough so I can change it around as the seasons change. Or maybe I'll just buy 3 more small brooms. ;)

[Flar's Freyja]

Sure, making and decorating are synonymous to me.....not everyone can make one from scratch. Yours sounds like it's going to be lovely! I can't remember if we ever started that pics of the tools we've made thread......

[Witchy Cowgirl]

Ya'll have inspired me!
I was gonna do a Blessing Basket for my sis-in-laws first anniversary but have decided to make a Besom instead.
I have enlisted the help of her mom (my mama-in-law) so
it should be extra special.
((((ya'll)))) :D

[Witchy Cowgirl]

Just thought I'd let ya'll know the Anniversary Besom is done!
I think it is just beautiful.:D
Hubby cut a white oak staff. Then de-barked in the center and at the handle. He burned they're monogram in the center. On the handle he burned they're last name and the anniversary date.
I found the perfect brush at Wal-Mart. It was already perfectly shaped for this use. It's made of wheat, eucalyptus (sp?), dried flowers, etc. I have also inclued bits of willow in the brush. I hot glued the brush in place. It's also tied on with that straw looking ribbon (can't think of the name of it) and hot glued again.
I'm going to write a special blessing for them explaing how to use it and where in they're home it might be place to receive max. use from it. I'm going to attached it to the besom with silver and gold ribbon. I also did a years forcast with my cards and will attach it to the blessings.

After reading this thread:
http://www.mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?threadid=11387
and Rick's reply I got to thinking that a besom might also make a good Yule gift even though it's not traditionaly thought of as such.;) :)

[Flar's Freyja]

:boing: We wanna see a picture! It sounds beautiful!

I've also considered the idea of giving a few besoms as gifts, although the besom itself wouldn't be handmade. I've found several really cool natural brooms very cheap over the last year and have an abundance of them. Money is tight this year and I thought they might be a good gift for family members.

[Witchy Cowgirl]

Hopefully one day I'll have the equipment to post some pictures.

We went to the in-laws for Christmas and Sis-in-Law kept telling me how much she loved her Besom. Frankly, when I made it, I made it our of love and good intention - but I never really figured she'd use it. She ask me to come with her to her house to find a more approiate spot for it. I was so pleased when we got there to find she had it in her bedroom, right in the doorway. Not even on the wall, but behind a floor quilt rack, standing on the handle - you can't miss the brush - and it's under a beautiful crocheted, framed plaque of their last name. Like I said I really figured she toss it in her closet or something! I was so touched to see that she was actually using it. I told her there wasn't a more approiate spot for it - she'd placed it perfectly.:D

[WynterWynd]

Just wanted to jump in here!!! I love besoms/brooms!!! I have a bunch of antique ones in the house. And I really want to make one of my own, I hope I will get around to it sometime this year:(