:witch_broom: Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE - Blessed Besoms

[BryWisteria]

Merry meet!

Thank you once again to all those who joined in for last week’s Weekly Witchy Challenge - Ghosts & Spirits

After sharing stories both spooky and heartfelt last week, it’s time to shake off the shivers and sweep in something new

The theme for this week’s challenge is…

Blessed Besoms - A Witch’s Broom

Alongside pointed hats and wands, brooms (also called “besoms”) are one of the most common items often depicted alongside a witch. Although media often portrays them as something that witches use to fly through the night sky, brooms are powerful magickal tools that can serve many purposes and uses in the Craft.

While most modern witches are not going to be found riding on brooms, for any reason, the broom is still a vital tool for the witch. Today, it is mainly used for sweeping away negativity and cleansing a space. These brooms, also known as besoms, come in many different shapes and sizes. They are easy to make and tailor to a witch’s specific intention!

From Spells8: Witch History: The Witch’s Broom

Whether it’s crafting a besom, enchantments, besom spellwork, broom history or more- this week we are sweeping into the exciting world of this popular magickal tool!

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This week’s challenge is all about magickal brooms - how you choose to take on this theme is up to you!

So are you ready? Because it’s…

CHALLENGE TIME!

Picture from Pixabay

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STEP 1 : The Magickal Besom

This challenge is all about brooms - but as always, how you choose to take on this theme is up to you!

Still not sure where to begin? To help you get started, here are a few ways in which a witch might approach this challenge.

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Enchant/Consecrate/Cleanse a Broom

Want to enchant a useful household item to make it work better or bring specific blessings to the house? Consider enchanting your household broom to imbue it with magick!

Alternatively, if you have a broom that you wish to use specifically for magick, consecrate it to welcome it into your practice. You might cleanse it from time to time to remove negativity too!

Guide to Enchanting Items

For more information about enchanting, consider viewing the Coven’s entries in the previous Making Objects Magickal Challenge

Consecrate a Magickal Tool for Use in Your Practice

More consecration spells and ideas can be found in the Coven’s entries to the previous Consecration Challenge

Easy Cleansing Methods

More cleansing methods and negativity removal spells can be explored in the Coven’s entries to the previous Cleansing in the Craft Challenge

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Broom Spells & Rituals

Brooms can be used as a component in casting or spellwork, or as a tool to assist during a ritual ceremony. Consider exploring spells that involve a broom, or perhaps write your own spell!

Broom Spell #1:

@Francisco

Here’s a quick spell you can do with your new besom!

1. With your broom in your hand, face your altar and take a deep breath. Use your thoughts to being clearing the space around you of any negative energy.
2. Use your broom to sweep the area around your altar in a counterclockwise motion, beginning in the middle and continually moving outward from there.
3. Sweep away all unwanted energy. Now take another deep breath and with your mind energy, fill the space with an aura of prosperity. Do this by envisioning everything you can think of that means prosperity to you.
4. Using your broom, again sweep your altar beginning in the middle, but this time sweep clockwise, all the while imagining images of prosperity until their energy fills the space. As you do so, turn your mind toward sweeping extraordiinary success to you while saying this affirmation:

“Tonight and every night, I sweep prosperity and abundance into my life.”

– From Wiccan Spell A Night by Sirona Knight

Broom Spell #2:

@Francisco

This spell might help you too:

• Take a handful of coarse salt and place it on the floor.
• Use the broom to carry the salt and sweep it all over the room, as you repeat the following chant:‘Elemental Protection’: Home-Cleanse Spell with Salt

A different chant you can use during this ritual is the House Blessing Prayer

Broom Spell #3:

Broom Hanging Ritual Page from Spells8: The Magick Broom

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Craft a Besom of Your Own

Magickal brooms come in all shapes, sizes, and types- if you feel called to crafting, consider making your very own broom to use in your Craft or to decorate your magickal space.

Related discussions and resources:

• Besoms and Wood Meanings
• Mini door besoms
• I made a besom!
• Besoms? Did you make yours?
• I crafted my first besom
• Show me your besom

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The History of Brooms and Witches

Feeling called towards research? For your entry this week, consider delving into magickal history to explore the history of brooms and witches. We’d love to hear what you discover!

The Magick Broom: What Does a Broom Over the Door Mean?

@Silverbear’s broom facts shared in The Broom - Research

The Broom

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… And More!

The suggestions above are just a few ideas to help kickstart your creativity- if you feel called to explore magickal brooms in another way, please feel free to do so!

As always, all witches are encouraged to embrace their own unique practice with how they explore the challenge theme

Wolfshäger Hexenbrut Walpurgis Wolfshagen im Harz

“Witches Dance” with brooms, shared in Witches Dance Discussion

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STEP 2 : Share Your Experience

Click here for a note about challenge inclusivity

Everyone is welcome to join the challenge by practicing magick in line with the current theme. For lurkers and those who don’t feel comfortable sharing, it is absolutely okay to follow along with the challenge but keep your entry personal. Feel free to join in spirit and do what feels most comfortable for you!

That being said, please know that if you would like to receive a prize and a public shout-out, it is required that you share your experience.

Getting Your Credit

In order for your entry to be counted, all you have to do is write/share about your experience and label it as your challenge entry. There is a lot of chatting here (which is awesome- chatting and discussion are very welcome!) so please clearly write that it is your entry so I know to count it!

Where Should I Share My Entry?

Click here to learn where to share your challenge entry

You are welcome to post it right here- just click “reply” to this post and write your experience in the text box that pops up!

Alternatively, you could create a new post in the forum (this is good for when you have a lot to share and/or would like to discuss aspects of your entry not related to the current theme)

Note : If you do choose to create a new thread, please add the “challenge-entry” tag and/or add a hyperlink back to this post so that it can be easily found- thank you!

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Deadline

This challenge will close in 6 DAYS

To join in, please share your experience by:

Tuesday, November 7 at 7:00 AM EDT (Eastern US Time)
2023-11-07T12:00:00Z

(Note that the time zone is ET- if you don’t see your time displayed above, you can use this time zone calculator to check for your time zone!)

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Prizes

For their efforts, all participants will receive a special shout-out and a small prize!

Acknowledgments will be given in a Props and Presents Post that will appear in the forums on Tuesday.

After the challenge closes, you are still very welcome to post but please be aware that no additional prizes will be given. This discussion will remain open for about a week after the challenge finishes.

Picture from Canva

A warm reminder that the challenges are designed to be very open- everyone is encouraged to participate in a way that honors and reflects their unique practice

If you have any doubts about if something is acceptable to post or say, please double-check with the Forum FAQ and/or reach out to your friendly Moderator Team.

And for those new to challenges- welcome! Know that the goal of these activities is to help you further diversify and strengthen your abilities and to bring together the Spells8 forum family to inspire and support one another in creative ways

Picture from Canva

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Around the house and all about,
A broom is your friend, without a doubt!
So keep one close and you’ll be glad,
To brush blessings in and sweep out the bad

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Blessed Be!

[tracyS]

Picture Disney Hocus Pocus

Yeay

[Artemisia]

Hmmm I don’t use, nor to be honest, do I have a besom so perhaps my challenge is to make one for myself! Research time!!!

[Sivonnah]

I was planning on making a Besom and witch bells this weekend!

[starborn]

Well, I suppose I wouldn’t mind a full-size one for the dance…

Tall people problems. There doesn’t exist a store-bought broom that is long enough for me. So into the bush I must go.

[wendy]

@tracyS Mary is my favorite. I looked at this picture and i could see the scene being played out!

[wendy]

Challenge Entry

I was hoping we would get to a broom challenge!!
My family and friends always laugh when they come over because i have so many brooms. I had several before i started my journey on being a witch. But i added a couple more to my collection.
I always felt a connection with brooms, i always felt they helped getting rid of negative energies and all that bad jojo. Whenever i sweep my floors at home or at work i always think of something positive and what makes me happy. After reading about the challenge i am going to try out the Broom spell #1. I need a little more help around my altar area. I swept and vaccumed around it 2 days ago and put a new rug under my desk. But i think this spell will still work for me.
Cant wait to see how everyone uses their brooms or what their brooms look like.
The broom that is hanging on my front door, i put it on the door instead of above it beacause i like when you open and close the door it actually looks like it is being used to sweep up the bad , and because we use the front door the most.

[Susurrus]

Ooo… I like this one too! I make smaller ones & I have made them as gifts too! Oh this will be a good one! I also have one by my door too! My husband recently found me good piece(s) of branches that I can use for making a besom or maybe a staff/walking stick type of tool. I haven’t really decided on that one yet though

[starborn]

I love that bottle of Eek!

[wendy]

Thank you, so does my step daughter, she is always trying to take it to her room.

[Cosmic_Curiosity]

not sure I am going to be able to contribute to this one. Besoms and brooms aren’t part of my practice. I look forward to reading everyone’s entries though.

Blessed be

Alan

[Winter]

Oh perfect time, I just bought a new broom to put over my door.
Will make some protective spray and put it up later today. Me thinks my upstairs neighbor wont appreciate me hammering nails into the walls at 2:30 am

[korvo]

Challenge Entry

Well I have a nice broom on the wall over my altar that I use for cleansing. But to be honest, this challenge makes me want to credit my favorite broom store in the world; and take a drive north!

Granville Island Broom Co. Handmade Brooms in Vancouver BC

On Granville Island in Vancouver, BC. They have the most incredible broom shop. My working broom for mundane use came from here; it is a shaker flat broom. I use it all the time. And I like it more than my Magickal broom. I even had a customs certificate drawn up by the shop to cross the border.

When I go back, I want them to make me a Magickal broom. I fancy the Manzanita Round Floor Broom.

They have a great folklore page on their website:

Folklore

I love the shop, the folklore and the uniquely crafted brooms they make.

[Phoenix_Fire]

challenge entry
I decided as i couldnt make a big version due to lack of supplies i was going to for this challenge make a craft.
Using a straw as the base, wool, beads and crystal beads with tape and bead string this is what i came up with using what i had on hand.

And i put it above my altar on this stand thing thats been not doing anything i finally have a use as it seemed to hold my new little besom there quite nicely above my altar space

[Phoenix_Fire]

Omg i just realised i had a cat figurine on altar as well lol and its holding a besom or broom

[georgia]

Challenge Entry
I learned a craft in day camp one year, and loved it. Ever since, whenever there has been a storm, I go out, looking for a white or scotch pine to see if the storm brought down a limb. I never harvest off a tree in respect for the tree!

I pull the long needles off the branch and gather a large handful. Then I arrange them around a found stick.

The hair bands I use often come with a co!or which doesn’t match what I wear, so I use one of those instead of throwing them away. They hold the broom together nicely, strong enough for combing hair or dusting shoulders.

When I use such a besom, I stick my head with the bristles with the intent of clearing my thoughts of negativity. I may also brush cares and chips off my shoulders.

This one doesn’t have a stick because of my move a year ago. It still works well, though I usually like to make a new one each year, weather permitting.

When I take it apart, the pine needles make good incense.

Long ago, I found a postcard of how people once used brooms to alert visitors to their whereabouts and activities. This is the typed version of a page in a previous post for members only:

https://forum.spells8.com/t/challenge-entry-correspondences/43045

If the bristles are facing up near the front door, the occupant is out, visiting; bristles down means the occupant is home. If the broom is lying down on the ground, the occupant is busy- call again later. If the bristles are up, hung over a window, it is an invitation to come in and wait. If the broom is crossing the door diagonally, it means do not enter.

[starborn]

@georgia

If the bristles are up, hung over a window, it is an invitation to come in and wait.

I love all of these! That’s such a wonderful close community kind of thing.

While distance and security these days makes it impossible, we keep a pretty “open door.” The best we can achieve is “buzz the thing downstairs to be let in” for friends and family who randomly drop by.

[Winter]

CHALLENGE ENTRY
I made my protection water last night and performed the ritual on my front door and my patio door as some people do use it as an entry.
Here are my pictures of my protective besoms.

Oh that is adorable do happen to remember where you got it? I would love one. @Phoenix_Fire

Oh I ADORE the Black Cat Hiss bottle. Think if I pull my cats tail I can catch it in a bottle? Jk @wendy

Very creative indeed, never thought of making one with wool.
@Phoenix_Fire

[Susurrus]

@Cosmic_Curiosity, even if they aren’t a part of your practice, it doesn’t exclude you from participating at all

Even if you looked into the history, uses, types… found out something about them… that could also be an entry.

The challenges are very open on how you approach them. So you wouldn’t have to make, own, or use them in your practice for the entry to be included

I’ve loved seeing everyone’s entries & the pictures &/or links about the besoms & brooms! One of my favorite things about the challenges

[Phoenix_Fire]

The cat figure with broom was from a little local shop called Chantique. They gave crystals n ornaments incence, candkes, tarot n oracle decks and figurines etc. Its a cool lil shop love the energy feel going in there, dont get to often but when i do.