Crossroad

From Traditional Witchcraft Wiki Project

A Crossroad is a place where two or more roads or paths intersect. The crossroads are a sacred and magical place where magic is worked, divination is carried out and invocations are uttered. As a place where roads intersect, it is considered a meeting place and a magical one at that, being credited with powers of protection and healing, and favored places for magical spells and love auguries. As a result of it belonging to neither one road or another, and thus ambiguous in nature, it is considered by some as a meeting place between the worlds. The Crossroads is considered to be sacred to such gods as Hecate & Mercury, hence the placing of Hermes Stones at some crossroads.

Crossroads were also dangerous places - penal courts often met there, the pillory or stocks and, traditionally, the gallows were so sited. Suicides, gypsies, witches, outlaws and other reprobates were buried there - as innumerable laborers repairing roads have discovered.

>==Crossroads & Witchcraft== Throughout time a crossroads is seen as a magical place, some taking the four roads leading out from the centre as aligned to the compass points & so representative of the four airts, winds and/or ghost roads. It is found by many witches that because of its liminal nature it is easier to contact the otherwolds and for magic to be done. An image by Thomas Parkes in the book ritual and magic by 'Marvels and Mysteries' shows a male witch at the crossroads summoning up spirits and phantasms by the aid of necromancy. Even a photo of the traditional witch, Sybil Leek is pictured in the book 'The Illustrated Guide to Witchcraft' by Graham Wyley, where she is seen standing at a crossroads, with a piece of fern in her right hand and calling out to some powerful force. Talismans and amulets were also hung or buried there, as were get-lost boxes, wart healing charms and other things that were wanted rid of.

Crossroads & Hecate

Small statues or symbolical representations of Hecate (hekataia) were very numerous, especially at Athens, where they stood before or in houses, and on spots where two roads crossed each other; and it would seem that people consulted such Hecataea as oracles. At the close of every month dishes with food were set out for her and other averters of evil at the points where two roads crossed each other; and this food was consumed by poor people.

The sacrifices offered to her consisted of dogs, honey, and black female lambs. [1]

A few of the Goddess Hecate's Greek titles were: Trioditis and Enodia, which means by the wayside, or of the crossroads, also Ennodia (Thessalian sp.)

The Romans named Hekate Trivia, the Latin equivalent of the Greek title Trioditis.

Crossroads & The Devil

Source

• Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology