Collection: Witch Brooms & Besoms

What Is a Besom?

A besom is a round broom made by binding a bundle of twigs or plant fiber around a central handle, and it is the traditional witch's broom. The classic English besom was birch twigs tied to a hazel handle with split willow. The tool took its later name from the broom shrub whose twigs were bound the same way, and the flat broom in most kitchen closets only arrived in the 1800s. When witches and pagans say besom, they mean the old round shape and the old job that goes with it: sweeping a space clean of what you can't see.

What Is a Witch's Broom Used For?

A witch's broom is used to sweep energy rather than dirt. Before a ritual, many practitioners walk the room or the circle and sweep the air just above the floor, pushing stale or unwanted energy toward the door and out. After the work is done, the broom hangs by the front door, bristles up, as a guardian of the threshold, or lies across the doorway while you sleep. Small altar brooms do the same work on the altar itself, clearing it before you set out your tools. The broom also has a place at weddings: jumping the broom is an African American wedding custom born under slavery, it has a separate history in Welsh Romani weddings, and many pagan couples leap a besom at the end of their handfasting.

Why Do Witches Ride Brooms?

Witches ride brooms because of the European witch trials. The first person in Europe to confess to flying on a broomstick was Guillaume Edelin, a French prior convicted of witchcraft in 1453, and records of so-called flying ointments appear within the same few years. From there the flying witch passed into woodcuts, fairy tales, and finally films like The Wizard of Oz. The broom was already the most ordinary object in any home, which is exactly why it made such a good symbol, and many modern witches have happily claimed it back.

What You'll Find Here

Altar brooms. These small besoms, from 6 to 13 inches long, are sized for the altar, a shelf, a desk, or a travel kit. Most are bound from natural coco palm fiber, and one is made of broomcorn, the tall sorghum grass used for household brooms.

Crystal brooms. These altar brooms are crowned with a crystal point: amethyst for calm and intuition, clear quartz for clarity, or rose quartz for the heart. They pair the sweep of the broom with the stone's own associations.

Charmed brooms. These brooms carry a symbol on the handle, such as a pentagram, a triple moon, a Celtic triple goddess, a Tree of Life, a peacock feather, or an evil eye bead with a Hand of Fatima for protection.

Full-size besoms. Our 21-inch besoms, such as the black and red dragon besom with garnet and onyx beads, are large enough to sweep a circle or to hang as the guardian broom beside the front door.

How Do I Use an Altar Broom?

To use an altar broom, hold it in your working hand and sweep in slow strokes just above the surface of your altar or floor, moving from the center of the space toward the door. Many witches sweep counterclockwise to remove and clockwise to bless. Speak your intention as you go, for example: "Out with what is stale, in with what is welcome." When you finish, open the door or a window, give the broom a shake outside, and put it back in its place. Keep the bristles well away from candle flames, because dry palm fiber and broomcorn catch fire easily. Our brooms are made for ritual and decoration, so keep a separate broom for the kitchen floor.

Explore Related Collections

The besom belongs with the rest of the altar tools in altars and altar tools, alongside athames, cauldrons, and chalices. If you are clearing a whole home, you'll find more ways to do it in home cleansing, smudge sticks, and spiritual washes for the floor. For a simple sweeping ritual to start with, read 5 Easy Ways to Create Sacred Spaces on the Plentiful Earth blog.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Difference Between a Broom and a Besom?
A besom is a round broom with its bristles bound around the handle, while most modern brooms are flat. Every besom is a broom, but in witchcraft the word besom means the ritual broom kept for sweeping energy rather than floors.

How Do You Hang a Witch's Broom by the Door?
Most practitioners hang a witch's broom bristles up, beside or above the front door, a folk custom meant to guard the entrance. A small altar broom can hang from a nail by its loop, and a full-size besom can lean in the corner beside the door.

Can I Use My Altar Broom to Clean the House?
No, an altar broom should be kept for ritual only. Our brooms are made from soft natural fiber for symbolic sweeping, and keeping the ritual broom apart from the everyday one is a custom most witches follow.

What Does Jumping the Broom Mean?
Jumping the broom means leaping over a broom together as part of a wedding, to mark the step into a shared home. The custom is most associated with African American weddings, where it dates to the era of slavery and was revived after Alex Haley's Roots in 1976, and many pagan couples include it in their handfasting.

How Do I Cleanse a New Broom Before Using It?
To cleanse a new broom, pass it slowly through the smoke of incense or a sage or rosemary bundle, then state what the broom is for. Some people also leave it on a windowsill overnight under the full moon.