besom

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Permalink Reply by Mystic Witch on September 6, 2008 at 10:33pm

very nice!!! I don't have any photos of my besoms but perhaps soon::) blessings

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Permalink Reply by Diana Bayer on September 6, 2008 at 10:42pm

thank you so much for the complement, i put alot of time into it, and i am so proud of my besom , please let me know when you post pictures of yours.

bb,
diana

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Permalink Reply by Diana Bayer on September 6, 2008 at 10:43pm

thank you, i would love to see a picture of your besom, and thank you for the reply.

bb
diana

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Permalink Reply by Reefahnae on September 6, 2008 at 10:46pm

ooohhhh very nice i like it
was it easy to make ???
if you could please pass on how to make a bessom

~Reefahnae

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Permalink Reply by Diana Bayer on September 6, 2008 at 10:57pm

use your local area hardwood, i used ash, for the handle cut to the height you would feel comfortable with, keeping in mind you have to add the bristles also, use birch for the bristles, and bind with willow, drill one hole at the top to put a string through to hang and another 2 to 3 inches from the bottom of the handle to put a 4 foot length of hemp cord through , put 4 to 8 pieces of the birch into a pile on the 4 foot length and wrap hemp cord around it, repeat this until you have enough for your bristles, put one end of hemp into bottom hole and carefully wrap this around your handle.

NOTE; leave handle natural or sand off bark and decorate your handle as you feel you want to, Just Remember have fun making it,
PSS: if you are using willow for binding, remember to soak branches for 1- 6 months to keep soft and flexable.

i hope this helps, Scott Cunningham has a book about besoms.

bb,

diana

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Permalink Reply by Reefahnae on September 6, 2008 at 11:03pm

Thank you for that i will give it a go

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Permalink Reply by Diana Bayer on September 6, 2008 at 11:06pm

I know you will do good with your besom also, have fun.

bb,

diana

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Permalink Reply by Dravan Luhawk on September 7, 2008 at 3:27am

That's Great! I have one that was made by my Great-Grandmother. She made it completely out of broomstraw and bound it with red ribbon. My wife and I used it to jump over during our handfasting!
It could use a re-binding, but I consider it to be one of the greatest treasures that I have, because she is'nt around to make anymore.

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Permalink Reply by Diana Bayer on September 7, 2008 at 9:43am

thank you dravan, i sure hope i am around to give it to my children and great grandchildren, and i sure hope one day they will follow this beautiful path and be able to appriciate it.

bb,

diana

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Permalink Reply by Madam Wolinski on September 7, 2008 at 10:12am

Beautiful, indeed! Thought you might enjoy a tad of background on 'Witches Broom' ( of which I have several in my gardens ).......

WITCHES BROOM
This Air plant has furnished ritual brooms (besoms) and floor brooms for hundreds of years. A besom made from this plant is handy for purification of a space through ritual sweeping (nice as a mini-broom for your altar). Some believe this broom to be offensive to the Fae, though this is also the broom that folk jumped over when they wed. Traditionally, this plant is a substitute for furze/gorse, heather, holly, or butcher's broom in Celtic pathways. It is Ngetal, the twelfth letter of the Ogham alphabet, according to The Scholar's Primer. It has played a role in Air magic, having been burned to calm blustery winds and thrown into the air to raise winds. In Scotland, broom flowers among others were used to decorate female figures made from sheaves of corn and paraded on Imbolc (St. Bride's Day) in what was apparently a maiden celebration. The yellow flowers are considered good luck, but in Suffolk and Surrey you were not to make a besom of broom when it was in flower, or you would sweep away your luck. Warriors might also consider it as a protective charm, as Richard the Lion-Hearted always stuck some in his helmet before riding into battle. This plant was chosen to represent Glasgow by its inhabitants, so it's nice to work with if your ancestors came from there. Its flower essence helps increase a positive attitude.

Brightest Blessings...
Janet ( Madam )

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Permalink Reply by Diana Bayer on September 7, 2008 at 10:20am

Also what is the actual name of this plant, i would love to get one.

diana

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Permalink Reply by Madam Wolinski on September 7, 2008 at 10:26am

Diana,

It is actually called Witch's Broom ( Cytisus Scoparius ) . Keep in mind they look quite lovely when small, but can become VERY difficult to maintain when large. As you can see from my pic, this broom is the largest I have and if not staked and tied becomes quite a problem ......But all in all, when the blossoms appear in the spring and the fragrance can fill an entire block - it's well worth the trouble.....

Janet

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