On the Making of a Besom

No tool screams the word 'Witch' as loudly as a broom. Well, okay, the wand and cauldron, maybe. Well, all three. But while wands are easy to make, cauldrons easy to improvise, besoms are somewhat difficult and, worst of all, about as easy to hide as a big pink elephant.
However, owning a besom is useful, because you can use it to sweep out your sacred space. And it's a good representation of the interplay of male and female forces, now isn't it? The only issue you might encounter is people telling you you don't need to actually sweep the Circle and should instead move it a little bit above the floor. This is for reasons no-one has ever really explained to me - if you're going to 'sweep' the Circle, why not actually sweep the bloody thing and put your besom to good use? The more a tool is used, the more powerful it is, and gives it that charming lived-in feel which is ever so desirable.
That being said, the besom is, surprisingly, easy to make. The difficulty arises in hiding the damn thing once you've made it. Happily, I am here to answer both, yes! both of these questions. So sit back and read on, and once you're done, you will be able to make your very own, individual besom that isn't make of raffia or some crazy...crap.

Materials Needed
I used:
A big maple stick the size of an ordinary broomstick
A bunch of willow twigs from the pruning of an enthusiastic willow bush outside my house
Three leather thongs
A candle (white, because that was what I had to hand)

Method
Get your broomstick (henceforth referred to as a 'staff') and make sure it's of a comfortable length. Gather your twigs and make sure they're all pointing in roughly the same direction, thick ends being at the end of the brush (your bundle of twigs) that will go on the staff. Thin ends are going to be at the business end of the besom.
Having arranged everything to your satisfaction, insert the end of the staff into the brush (and in and out and in and out, heehee. No, just kidding) and evenly distribute the brush around the end of the staff. Hold on to the brush tightly. If you can, get someone to hold the brush on, because the next bit is tricky.
Take one of the leather thongs, and use it to tie the brush around the staff. Use three knots. Repeat with the other two, leaving maybe an inch and a half between each thong. Use three knots for each thong - get it? Three times three = nine = sacred number of the Goddess.
Now, light the candle and drip three drops of wax on the thongs where they're tied together. This helps seal the knots tightly, because you don't want them coming undone unexpectedly.
And there you have it! A besom! Be careful that the brush doesn't shed. Mine still hasn't gone bald and I've used it regularly for over a year. This is, of course, the simplest method, and I invite you to try all sorts of interesting new ways of besom-making. Poke about online and I'm sure you'll find all sorts of ideas.
Now comes the decorating! You might want to carve purifying and protective Runes on the staff - I carved a crescent Moon, which I painted blue, a few Runes (I forget which ones but I suspect one is Othel), and some Ogham letters (I really don't remember which ones for that). You might tie on some feathers, or stones, or Gods know what else. Be creative. Experiment with materials. Tradition calls for an ash staff, for protection, birch brush, for purification, and willow bindings, as it represents the Goddess. I'm not sure where this forumla came from - Cunningham is my bet, so it's probably recent, but the combination appears to be magically sound. I would say that willow is the most important part, myself.
The besom you have just made is, let's face it, difficult to hide. What I did, before I just left it leaning against my altar, was use another thong to tie closed the business end of the brush, to make it more compact, and then slip it in a space between a set of shelves and the wall, and you couldn't see it if you tried. If you have no such arrangement, you might try hiding it in your closet, assuming space allows (hey, you have your very own broom closet!), or...well, I can't think of any more ideas. Conventional wisdom holds that you should store it brush-up, to stop the magic from falling out, but I'd say it's more because the brush will get bent. A new besom could be a lovely gift to a new couple of the day of their Handfasting to use in the ceremony. And you can lay it across a doorway you cut in your Circle to guard the entrance. When you move to a new home, you're supposed to destroy your old besom, but I personally wouldn't do that.
And that is all. You probably won't be able to fly on it, unless you're into the traditional use of flying ointments, but for cleansing the Circle? Yes! As a riding pole in Gardnerian Sabbat rituals? Yes! Besides, I'll bet that a homemade besom wouldn't be that great for flight - give me a Firebolt 2001 and a position as Slytherin Chaser any day.

Back to Main

Email: Silverfire_Darkmoon@yahoo.ca