The Crossroads Spirit
In African American conjure tradition, the crossroads is the most spiritually charged place—the intersection where the physical world meets the spirit world. The story tells of a young man who went to a crossroads at midnight seeking power. He was instructed by a rootworker to bring a black chicken, a bottle of whiskey, and nine silver dimes. At the crossroads, he was to draw an X on the ground, light a black candle, and wait. The spirits would test him with terrors, but he must not run. According to some accounts, a figure would appear—sometimes the Devil, sometimes an old man, sometimes a fa