Crossroad Mayhem

Universally, the Crossroads is a place of spiritual power, but also danger, where ghosts, malevolent fairies, the old gods and goddesses of Europe and Africa, as well as devils are thought to lurk. The Crossroads, that place where two roads intersect, now exist everywhere, of course, but forks in the road weren’t as commonplace in the ancient world.

            The Indian god Bhairva was said to guard the Crossroads at the edge of each town which were often littered with stone phalluses and statues to represent him as the watcher of boundaries between worlds and to honor opening doorways to new information from other places.  In Germany, the Crossroads are called Geisterwege or “Ghost Roads.”

The Goddess of the underworld and sorcery Hecate (also the “Queen of Ghosts”) held dominion over the Crossroads in Ancient Greece. This probably originated from her older role as Goddess over the wilderness and unclaimed areas. The Greeks often placed offerings of “Hecate cakes” at the Crossroads to the Goddess, sometimes marked by a single candle so Hecate could find her way in the dark and evolved into candles on birthday cakes.

            In Africa, the Crossroads gods are varied and they go by many names such as Eshu, Legba, Ellegua, Ndumba, Pomba Gira and Nzila as those who open the way to the powers and teach wisdom.  Hoodoo practices of the Mississippi Delta rely heavily upon the mystical and sometimes maligned powers of the Crossroads.  Hoodoo associates the Crossroads with the Devil. However, the Hoodoo Devil is not exactly the same as the traditional Christian Devil. Instead, the Hoodoo Devil is more of a trickster spirit, wise and crafty but not really evil, more like a friend who has also gone down the wrong path.

            Populations who are brought up on Hoodoo believe the Devil hangs out at the Crossroads, waiting for the right person to come along, to strike the right bargain, so he can steal the person’s immortal soul in exchange for a favor.  

In the Crossroads ritual the bargain that is usually made is to learn a skill such as to play a musical instrument superbly, throw dice, sing, public speaking or preaching, and most popular to win in any kind of gambling. During the ritual, whatever object is wished to be mastered, the guitar, banjo, deck of cards or dice are brought to the Crossroads at midnight, or just before dawn for three to nine nights in a row.  Certain animals should appear, such as a bear, a black dog or cat, to let the person know his spell is beginning to work. On the last visit a large black man should materialize. The black man (not dark-skinned, but completely coal black) will ask to borrow the object brought to the Crossroads.  He will then demonstrate how to properly use the item. When it is returned, the bearer will then be gifted with almost supernatural powers when it comes to the object, winning all games or becoming the greatest musician in the town and beyond.  But often the person who sells his soul to the Devil at the Crossroads for sudden wins will often die tragically, or will have his winnings quickly taken away.

Because the Crossroads is land that belongs to no one it is an area that invites ghosts and other creatures that might not belong in the natural world such as vampires and demons. In Eastern Europe it is thought that vampires carry their shrouds to the Crossroads looking for fresh victims. Malefic fairies are also believed to haunt the Crossroads looking for lost souls to lure into the half-lit world of the Fairyland.

 In England, gallows were built at the Crossroads where the condemned were later hung. This was done to confuse their ghosts, in case they decided to return and revisit those who took their lives. Suicide victims were also sometimes buried at the Crossroads so their spirits would not search for those who had wronged them in life. It was thought the four directions of the forked path would confuse them, to keep such restless souls from “walking.”   Certain routes were used for funerals and called “corpse way” and sometimes “corpse cross.” Part of the funeral ritual was to rest the coffin at the Crossroads before heading on to the graveyard.

            Some have suggested this is because the Crossroads form a Christian cross. But belief in the powers of the Crossroads predates Christianity by at least 1,000 years and occurs in cultures that are not Christian. India may be a source behind the European tales of the Crossroads when the Sanskrit-speaking Rom people, otherwise known as Gypsies, spread their legend and lore about the Crossroad’s occult powers. These European and African beliefs later informed Hoodoo practices and Voodoo rites in the United States.  Ritual sweeping was also done at the Crossroads and become associated with witches.  A few hundred years ago, the Irish thought witches met at the Crossroads to celebrate their sabbats.

The Roman god Mercury (or the Greek god Hermes) known for his slippery wit, deft intelligence and fertility also lorded over the Crossroads.  The Greeks erected phallic statues at the Crossroads to honor Hermes (or Mercury), the god of travelers and to note the place were information was exchanged.

Sulfur :)

Sulfur is a Fire stone associated with the Sun, perhaps because of its light yellow color, and with Saturn, because of its scent (and because sulfur burns down borders).  Sulfur is used for protection as well as banishment (although I have seen it listed as an ingredient for raising negative spirits as well).  Sulfur gives its name to one of the three alchemical principles (Salt, Sulfur, Mercury).  It goes into Crossing Powder and more mundane explosives, like black powder.  Sulfur burns with a blue flame and the famous sulfur smell.  Its fumes are used to preserve dried fruit, to clean winery vessels (makes a great fungicide), and to form the atmosphere of Io, but if you fumigate a closed space with it, get everything alive out of there first.  It is an irritant to mucus membranes. Do NOT use this substance to treat Valley Fever; it won't work and could seriously harm you. I have Flowers of Sulfur, which is a lab grade fine powder produced by sublimation. If you don't want to deal with sulfur or are allergic to it, try using garlic instead. Garlic contains various sulfurous elements and has similar magical purposes.  

Salt and It's Uses!

Protection Against Psychic Phenomena
Salt has always been used as protection against psychic attacks, and to disable unwanted psychic phenomena.
Ordinary salt may be sprinkled across thresholds and around the perimeter of dwellings, inside and out;
Salt mixed with sand is used for forming magic circles;
Rock salt crystals can be added to "medicine pouches", carried in pockets or worn in a small bag about the neck.
Sprinkling salt around someone's bed protects from unwanted night time visitors and reduces the likelihood of unwanted spontaneous OBEs.
Please note: Salt dampens/draws ALL psychic energy forms - it doesn't distinguish between "good" or "bad" psychic energies. For active magicians and priests, it is therefore to be handled with care so that it doesn't inadvertently dampen their abilities and disturb their magical works. On the other hand, salt can be very successfully used to counteract overactive psychic emissions, such as in very young gifted children who are experiencing unwanted psychic phenomena, teenagers and women in menopause *temporarily*.

Salt For Purification

With salt's extreme ability to draw away remnants of psychic energy, including "ghost manifestations" of many different kinds, salt has always been used for psychic clearing and for purification.
Magicians and priests routinely prepare for ceremonies by taking a bath which contains salt as one of the main ingredients;
Magical objects and crystals are cleansed by immersing them in salt water;
Bowls of salt may be placed into a room to absorb negative energy or psychic energy disturbances;
Food and objects can be purified by adding a small amount of salt, or placing a small amount of salt nearby;
Throwing salt is generally regarded as a device to clear the aura of a person or an environment of leftover psychic energy.
A box containing salt can be used to purify anything that is placed upon it;
Crystals placed on a bed of salt or on a salt box require less, or no clearing at all.

Salt, Water & Fire Spells

As salt absorbs psychic energy, it can be used to transfer or transmute a wish or spell to the higher powers by first making the spell, then throwing the salt into the fire where it burns up and in doing so, releases the psychic charge into the higher dimensions.
The most basic form of this type of spell is to hold a little salt in the hand, make a wish, and then throw the salt into the fire.
In the same vein, salt can be thrown into water - a well, a river and into the sea and can be used to carry wishes, or take away burdens, clear attachments from the aura. It is an immensely flexible system with a hundred and one uses.

Salt & Healing

Just a small amount of salt added to healing brews, potions and lotions of any kind will serve to "take care of the other realms" and extend the effectiveness of said brew, potion or lotion into the psychic dimensions - something that modern medicine and medications lack altogether.
Salt is of course a major practical part of our bodies and our health; too much salt however can reduce psychic activity and make it harder to perform psychic tasks. This is one of the reasons why in the olden days, magicians and priests used to fast and drink only pure water prior to major ceremonies. It is interesting to note that having a good flow of salt in and out of the body is extremely important to the full functioning of a magician or priest, both on the physical levels as well as on the metaphysical levels.
Regular bathing in salt water is a first class prophylactic to all manner of psychic disturbances as well as being good for the physical body; in this way, salt is a simple introduction and a bridge between the physical and metaphysical realms for beginners.

A Simple Example Of A Salt Spell - Spiritual House Clearing

This simple magic ritual demonstrates some of the main points of using salt. It is easy to do for anyone, and makes a big difference to a home, and its occupants, but most of all to the magician who performs this spell.
1. Find a beautiful glass bowl of any size. In psychic workings, the physical size of an object really does not matter - a huge bowl won't do any more than a small one. Psychic energy absorption is not like filling a suitcase!
2. Fill the glass bowl with salt - simple cooking salt or pretty rock salt, it matters not.
3. Place the bowl with the salt near the hearth of the home - the center of the home. In some houses, that is in the kitchen; in other homes, it can be the sitting room, or perhaps a den where everyone gathers. You know where your hearth is.
4. Leave it there for three days.
5. On the third day, take the bowl and the salt somewhere where you can release both the physical salt as well as the psychic attachments it has absorbed. You can throw this salt into a river, or a fire, or simply into a sink with the tap running. As you empty the bowl (you can do this a handful at a time), tell the salt about your worries and troubles and your fears, your negative thoughts. It will take those as well and while you're there.
6. Re-fill the bowl and replace it near the hearth.
7. From now on, empty the salt bowl once a week to keep your home free of harmful energy under normal circumstances; or more often if there is extra stress, as you feel is right.
You will notice a distinct improvement in the atmosphere of your home within a few days.

Voodoo

Many superstitions also related to the practice of Hoodoo developed within the Voodoo tradition in Louisiana. While these superstitions are not central to the Voodoo faith, their appearance is partly a result of Voodoo tradition in New Orleans and have since influenced it significantly.

• A lock of a girls hair brings good luck.
• If you lay a broom across the doorway at night, a witch can't come in and hurt you.
• Having a woman visit you the first thing on Monday mornings is bad luck for the rest of the week.
• Don't borrow or lend salt because that is bad luck.
• If you sweep trash out of the house after dark you will sweep away your luck.
• Don't shake a tablecloth outside after dark or someone in your family will die.
• To stop a Voodoo spell being placed upon you, acquire some bristles from a pig cooked at a Voodoo ritual, tie the bristles into a bundle and carry them on you at all times.
• If a woman sprinkles some salt from her house to yours, it will give you bad luck until you clean the salt away and put pepper over your door sill.
• If a woman wants her husband to stay away from other woman, she can do so by putting a little of her blood in his coffee, and he will never quit her.
• If a woman's husband dies and you don't want her to marry again, cut all of her husband's shoes all in little pieces, just as soon as he is dead, and she will never marry again.
• You can give someone a headache by taking and turning their picture upside down.
• You can harm a person in whatever way you want to by getting a lock of his hair and burning some and throwing the rest away.
• You can make a farmer's well go dry by putting some soda in the well for one week, each day; then drawing a bucket of water out and throwing it in the river to make the well go dry.

In Voodoo spells, the "cure-all" was very popular among followers. The cure-all was a Voodoo spell that could solve all problems. There were different recipes in Voodoo spells for cure-all; one recipe was to mix jimson weed (Warning: due to the toxicity of Jimson Weed, it is not advised for unskilled practitioners to create) with sulphur and honey. The mixture was placed in a glass, which was rubbed against a black cat, and then the mixture was slowly sipped.
The Voodoo doll is a form of gris-gris, and an example of sympathetic magic. Contrary to popular belief, Voodoo dolls are usually used to bless instead of curse. The purpose of sticking pins in the doll is not to cause pain in the person the doll is associated with, but rather to pin a picture of a person or a name to the doll, which traditionally represents a spirit. The gris-gris is then performed from one of four categories: love; power and domination; luck and finance; and uncrossing.

How To Create A Spell - Part 1

1. What is your intention behind casting the spell?
Are you looking for love, or do you want a new job? Do you want to heal a sickness of yours? Decide what you want and get as specific as possible. For example, if you want to get over a cold, focus on what good health looks and feels like. It's more powerful to say, "I want to have clear sinuses, and lots of energy!" than to say, "I want to feel better."

2. What "tools" do you need?

"Tools" refers to "props" and symbols of your desires. You can use various essential oils (they are powerful tools - they help our unconscious minds focus and center, and some people believe they help invoke spirits and energies), gemstones, colour therapy, Goddess invocation, Runes, Tarot Cards, herbs... again, the possibilities are endless.

You can also use little models or items that represent your desires. For instance, if you are casting a spell for more money, have some change there with you.

3. Decide when and where you'll cast your spell

It is recommended that you keep you spells private. This keeps your energy focused on your task, and also keeps unwanted energies from coming in and disturbing your spell. Think about it: if you are in a public park casting a spell, people will naturally be curious. They will look at you and wonder and think about what you are doing. It may even cause some people to be afraid. Do you need that kind of energy around something so personal and important to you?
Many spell-casters like to perform their spells in nature. This may not be possible, so just be sure to make your spell-casting environment safe, secure and inviting to yourself. Maybe you have a special room, or space in your home. Find a calm, quite space and you'll do fine.
Some people like to cast spells during the full moon, because they believe there is more healing energy available to them. Sometimes we just can't do things at exactly the right cosmic time and that's OK. The important piece here is intention. You can choose to cast your spell any time - whatever works best for you.

4. But what do you say and what do you do?

First of all, mentally cast a bubble around you and the space you're in. This is a protective bubble that will keep only good energy moving in and out. Say that - that the bubble is a protective one. Light a candle.
Secondly, ask that your guides/angels/animal spirits/you-fill-in-the-blank be with you. Thank them for joining you, for protecting you, and for adding their energy to your spell.
Thirdly, (and hopefully you've written this ahead of time, or at least made notes about what to say), ask the Universe/God/Goddess/You-fill-in-the-blank to hear you and to take your words and desires and manifest them physically. Describe in detail your desires.
Lastly, thank the Universe/God/etc. and your guide/angel/etc. for hearing you. Offer a token of thanks and blow out your candle, thus closing the circle and ending the spell-casting.
And that's it! Easy! But again, you can create long or short spells, or ones that you do with someone else. Have fun with this process!

Behind The Blog

Name: Haley Mariah Thornbrue a.k.a Vesperella Abijail Delano Dunkan (or Ruby Jo') :)

Birthday: August 29, 1995

Half-Sister: Tayler Marie Thornbrue (Delaine Dunkan) or (Anna Amelia)

half-Brother: Douglas Wayne Thornbrue

Step-brother: Quinton Chandler Churning.

Best fran: Victoria Ann Whaley (well...) or (Lilith Bela)

Song: SpaceBound. S&M!

Religion: Christo-wicca!

Belief: All things are possible if you just believe :)

I believe in mermaids and werewolves and all things magic.

I'll be sixteen in two months, :)

Woot woot! <3

Ask questions I'll answer them.