Spelling Bee-(soms)

A crafty spell from my Book of Shadows

Maggie Shayne

May 10, 2026

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Spelling Besoms (AKA Spell Brooms)

Acts of magic are acts of faith, dearies. They’re whimsical and fun and creative, yes, all of that is true. They are also powerful acts of directing our will to bring about the change we desire. And because of natural law, expression of power increases it. Magic is a use it or lose it proposition. Like a muscle, it becomes flaccid and weak without use.

Frequent flexing makes it strong.

The best spells are always those we create ourselves, however. Feel free to use this crafty broomstick-making spell as a jumping off point to personalize with your own touches, or let it spark ideas for spells of your own.

THE SPELLING BESOM

The Witch’s besom or broomstick is one of the standard magical tools. In my practice it represents the element of air and is an instrument for clearing energy and transforming space. The witch traveling on her broom stick isn’t moving physically from one place to another, but rather the opposite. Space moves and changes around her, while the Witch remains still. The perception and effect are the same. The mechanism is different. In the first, I’m a passive passenger. In the second, I am creating change within, projecting it outward, and moving energetically according to my will. See how different?

We can make and use small, wand-sized broomsticks for specific magical purposes. This magic packs a double whammy. By flooding the space with the green, fresh, flowing, fertilizing, growing abundance energy of spring, for example, a besom simultaneously breaks up stale, old energy that might be blocking that flow.

First, choose the wood

You’ll need 1 wand-length branch
Choose a branch that has been dropped by the tree - Do not cut.
Wand-length is the distance from your longest fingertip to the crook of your elbow. For me that’s 15 to 16 inches. Yes, I’m short. Five foot one inch. I have been called the wee witch.

Diameter of the branch is up to you. It should feel comfortable in your hand, as with a wand.

The nine sacred woods of witchcraft (Most are trees. Some are shrubs.)

Birch: Rebirth and regeneration, creativity and fertility, healing and protection, enchantments and new beginnings
Rowan: Astral travel, personal power, success, protection. Associated with Brigit, Goddess of the forge, and of writers, poets, storytellers, and bards.
Ash: Wisdom and divine knowledge, ocean magic, prophetic dreams, magical power, spiritual journeys. Associated with the Gods, and specifically Odin.
Alder: Opening intuition and psychic channels, developing one’s own connection and psychism. Associated with air spirits and fairy magic.
Willow: Magic and women’s mysteries, menstrual cycles, watery things, protection from floods, healing, nurturing, growth of knowledge and understanding. Intuition, divination, and psychism. The moon.
Hawthorne: Magic, and men’s mysteries, the force or projective side of energy, decision making, connections, realm of the Fae, cleansing, protection, defense, fertility and happiness. Used in May poles. Phallic.

Where Hawthorne, oak, and ash grow together, Fae are apt to be found.
Oak: Protection, strength, fertility, potency, healing, money, good fortune. The Oak King rules the summer months in Wiccan lore. Associated with leaders of the gods (Zeus, Thor, Jupiter, etc.)
Holly: The Holly King rules the winter months in Wiccan lore, and its use is mainly associated with protection and defense, but also change, evolution, moving from one stage to the next, easier transitions, protection from lightning, luck, dream magic
Hazel: Wells, magical springs, “the salmon of knowledge,” dousing and divination. Luck, and granting wishes.

The tenth sacred wood
Elder: “Elder be the Lady’s tree. Burn it not, or cursed you’ll be.” Never burn elder wood. It’s sacred to the Goddess. I’d say that makes it rather hands off.

Other woods can also be used.

Maple: strength, love, money, exorcism, sweetness of life, long life
Apple: Magic, abundance, love, planting and harvest, healing, immortality
Pine: Purification, fertility, protection, cleansing, money energy, healing, longevity, eternal life, survival (evergreen, get it?)
Poplar/Aspen: Astral projection, “flying,” money, eloquence, public speaking, protection from thieves

Find a branch the tree has dropped that feels right to you.
Leave an offering as an equal exchange of energy.
I usually scatter some of our fertile compost over the roots.)

Second, choose the herbs

I like to use multiple different types of herbs to form the bristle end of the broom. Fresh or dried work, but use long stems or sprigs if you can find them. Better yet grow them or forage from the wild. For this spell for increasing the flow of fertility and abundance in keeping with the spring, I might choose a maple branch and the following herbs:

Mint: Money, freshness, newness, clearing, cleansing, zinging singing purifying energy.

Rosemary: Only goodness gets past her. She’s powerful and strong, irresistible and seductive. She makes them want to give their all and lie at her feet awaiting her command. (I don’t know where that came from, but it came strong and fits.)

Clover: The energy of clover is rich and green and abundant and lucky and wealthy and clean energy. It’s makes me think of endless renewable safe energy like that of a windmill, something that causes zero harm, massive good, and is self-perpetuating.

Sage: I grow a lot of sage. It is wisdom, calm confident knowledge, fearless knowing. It moves forward because it knows. There’s no hesitation. It disposes of nonsense, it filters and allows only purity through.

Make bundles of the herbs you choose, and then wrap the bundles tightly to the end of your chosen wood with natural twine, ribbon, string, or yarn.

Third, choose any other items

Feathers: Choose only feathers you find on the ground dropped by living birds. This can add the energy of flight, speed, connection, communication, motion, travel, change. Once a hawk dropped a feather right in front of me as I was driving. She flew over the road, and just dropped it. Magical.

Bells: A jingly bell or two will help break up stale energy and chase away negative vibes.

Flowers: Use flowers that match the energy of the goal, including blossoms from the same herbs and tree you used to make the besom, or entirely different ones to add new layers. Flowers add visual beauty and scent to the besom.

Essential oils: Adding a few drops of an essential oil with properties that match your goal will bring fragrance into the mix that will last for a long time.

Ribbons: Choose colors that match the magical goal. You can also draw symbols, runes, or words on the ribbon to represent your desire.

Sweetgrass: A braid of sweetgrass will call forth helpful spirits and energies.

Dollar Bills: If you have a couple to spare, they can go into the broom’s bristles, because like attracts like.

Anything else you can think of that you’d like to add.

As you put it together

The entire time you are working on this project indoors, there should be incense burning or oils in a warmer filling the space with their energies.

The entire time you are working on this project indoors there should be music filling your space with its energy.

The entire time you are working on this project indoors or out, you should be vibrating in tune with Source energy, with the gods themselves, with your inner being, your soul which is itself divine.

Your focus is on the goal. What energy will this besom spread throughout your beautiful space? What old, worn out energies will those energies displace and dispel? What beautiful flow will this besom’s magic open and crank up to full power for you?

These things should be foremost in your mind the entire time you craft this happy little besom.

This is how we charge the tool for magical use — by filling it with our intent.

Putting it to use

Once your besom or any other magical tool is created, the tradition of magical practitioners is to cast a circle, invoke the energies of the elements, call forth the divine, and then carry the tool around the circle, stopping at each quarter to introduce the new tool to Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Spirit, God, and Goddess. One generally asks each of those to bless the tool with their gifts to help it do its work, and here you need to know and say what that work is to be.

Then, immediately use the besom for that very task. Brush it across something. For example, if I make a besom specifically to bless the release of a new book, I would brush the besom over a copy of the book if I have one before release day, or over a printed image of the cover if I don’t.

Enchantment

The root word of enchantment is chant. Chant can be a noun (a poem or verse meant to be spoken rhythmically is a chant) or a verb (to chant, the act of chanting).

Either way, it requires words or at least sounds. When we enchant something, we speak our will and intentions to it. The chants we chant then, are magic words.

We ought to write our enchantment, our words, in the very beginning of the besom project. That way we can sing or recite it at each point of the project, while we’re gathering our branch and our herbs, and while we’re putting them together, and while we’re twisting the twine around them, and again each time we use the tool.

For example:

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published

Magic besom, tool of flight,
Filled with magic, air and light, 
Maple wood to make you go 
Rosemary makes goodness grow, 
Lucky clover brings the green 
Blessings flow from the unseen
Sassy mint to give you spark, 
Warm the cheeks and bright the heart,
Bells break up the stuck and stale,
Besom blasts them like a gale, 
Wise old sage then knows the way 
For wealth to flow and grow and stay
And so I say, and so I see, 
And so I will, so mote it be!

Tip: If you give your words a melody, they’ll be easier to remember.

Share a photo of your spell besom when you finish it!
Share your chant and ingredients in the comments section, if you like!