Make a Besom Recipe

How to make it

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• Prepare to make your broom by gathering all necessary materials in one place. You'll need twigs, a wood handle, willow and decorative materials. Alternatively, you may substitute straw for twigs in making your broom.
• Bind a large bunch of twigs around the wood handle with willow or another type of natural element. Be sure to bind them securely and add more twigs if it looks skimpy.
• Remember that the broom will look circular rather than flat, like the ones you would find at a regular store.
• Decorate the broom with carvings, paintings or feathers as a final touch, or draw a pentagram on the handle for protection.
• Make a small loop with willow to add to the handle so you can hang the broom rather than letting it rest flat on the floor. (Alternatively, you could use a small piece of leather for the hanging loop.)
• Bless the broom when you're finished. Use salt mixed with water or repeat an incantation to consecrate the broom.
• Keep in mind that making your own broom is more about the ritual aspect of the task than about the look of the final product. For Witches, rustic brooms are considered assets, no matter how simple they look.
• The besom is used in Wiccan marriage ceremonies, as a symbol of a threshold the couple must jump over to start a new life together.
• Ritual brooms are also used in Wicca to clean the house of negative forces and residual bad energy.
• Witches also use the besom to spiritually cleanse an area in which they will perform a magickal working.
• Wiccans believe that you should replace the broom if you move to a new home.
• Never use man-made materials, such as plastic, to create ritual brooms.
• Do not use the broom for regular cleaning and keep it away from people who don't understand its meaning or would be tempted to use it for other purposes.

Using Straw   Close