BESOM CHANTS
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. I have one particular besom hanging in my moon/sun room which I purchased in Salem, Massachusetts and when I pass it each day, I actually chat to it and touch it. It is very special to me and very magickal from the energies it picked up with its stay in Salem. We Witches are weird lots, I must say! I have another besom which has been with me during my days as a Handmaiden to my High Priestess in a Wiccan coven and through my degrees of elevation.
There are a lot of witches who feel that the besom is just as sacred or more sacred than some of their tools. After all, that is what we witches are known by. During rituals, we dance around with our brooms as if we were flying, as they are our partners. 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. We name all our magickal tools but in truth to some witches their staff, 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. You can also put magickal herbs on and around your broom for the different kinds of magick. I have three different kinds of brooms in my cottage and each are very dear to me as mentioned above.
Below are some chants you can memorize to do your ritual sweep and let your besom fly~!
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~
With each sweeping motion, imagine the area being washed energetically with a cobalt blue light, as you say any one of the chants.
