Crossroads Magic And The Ritual Of Selling The Soul To The Devil

Crossroad magic is a surviving remnant of Kongo and Mbundu influences, created anew by enslaved Africans in the United States. Crossroads, intersections, or the 'forks of the road' are where two roads meet and cross at right angles. Most Hoodoo practitioners consider the place the center of passage and communication between the physical and spiritual worlds, the main conduit for the flow of spirituality and magic, where they perform rituals, lay offerings, or dispose of their finished works. Whenever they go to crossroads, they are filled with awe of spirits and appreciation for the genius of magic.

Kongo tradition teaches that all creation began in cross-cosmogram, also called "yowa," as this symbol is believed to be the structure of the universe and eternal sources of moral sanctions. The horizontal line divides the land of the living from its mirrored counterpart in the realm of the dead. The land of the living is described as earth ("ntoto"), while the realm of the dead is called white clay ("mpemba"), also referred to as "kalunga." The circle at the center represents the sun while the emblematic four disks at the points of the cross stand for the four moments of the sun - dawn (birth), noon (life at its fullest), sunset (death), and, finally, second dawn (rebirth), and the circumference of the cross refers to the continuity and inevitability of life: for Kongo people who lead righteous lives will never be destroyed but will be reborn.

The symbol of yowa was traditionally used by "banganga nkondi" and "nsibi" (Kongo ritualists), in which they traced it on the ground and stood upon it to take an oath or vow to the name of God or their ancestors; to signify that they understand the meaning of life and death as a process shared with the dead below the river or the sea; or to secure the power of their charms.

They also used this cross 'sign' when they were sending messages to the dead by cutting the signs ("bidimbu") into the shell or skin of the animals (reptiles, birds, fishes) to communicate with ancestors and ask for spiritual sustenance. This is where Hoodoo practitioners took the custom of making a five-spot or quincunx pattern when they are dressing a tool or any object.

When the Portuguese introduced Catholicism to the Kongo people during colonization, the cross was superimposed on older traditions, and some Christian symbols were added to the "minkisi" tradition. Therefore, some Kongo people transported to America would most likely have had some contact with Christianity by that time.

This symbol was eventually brought to the New World through traditional earth drawings, gestures, forked sticks, and actual crossroads. As I previously pointed out, even before some enslaved Kongo people started joining Christian congregations, they were already using crosses made of branches and sticks as mediatory emblems when they were compounding leaves and roots for medicines. Nevertheless, as African-Americans embraced the Christian religion, the symbol - four moments of the sun was referred to as four corners of the world or four winds of heaven, descriptions found in Revelation 7:1. The five-spot or quincunx pattern also became known as the 'sign of the cross.'

Our altar to Marie Laveau with a wooden cross sign above the herbal, mineral, and zoological curios.

In the book of Folklorist Harry Middleton Hyatt, a man from Waycross, Georgia, shared his method on how to subdue a person magically, employing a formula that included the sign of the four corners of the world:

"Take a clean sheet of paper, and you draw you a circle on that clean sheet of paper and put a cross in there just like that, you understand. That's the four corners of the earth... you put that seal on the ground. You put envelope, graveyard dirt, and photograph in there - you put that down on top of that seal... you put your right foot on it, and you turn your face on the west, you see, which is the sun going down, you see. Well, you take, well, you can speak the words if you ain't got it wrote out, you say O.L. Youngs, L.L. Youngs, you come to me and do as I say to you..."

Newbell Niles Puckett, an African-American scholar, shared some stories from folks in the American South, such as one North Carolina Black sacrificed a chicken at the forks of the road, asking for deliverance from an epidemic that had killed off the animals of his region. 

According to a legend, an African-American blues musician from Mississippi, Robert Johnson, sold his soul to the Black Man or 'Devil' at a local crossroad near Dockery Plantation at midnight to achieve musical success. The myth goes on that he met a large black man who took his guitar and tuned it. The devil played a few songs and then returned the guitar to Johnson, giving him mastery of the instrument. In exchange for his request, the devil required him to provide him with his soul. No one really knows where this myth came from. Still, people most likely created the story for several reasons, such as the hoodoo themes he usually incorporated in his Delta blues songs, his sudden and year-long disappearance and reemergence, his astonishingly rapid guitar mastery and the absurd religious belief that time that blues music were Devil's music. This fallacy had been driven due to the disapproval of conservative Christian preachers to the perceived immorality some blues songs had in their lyrics. One of Johnson's icons and mentors, Son House, once told this story to music historian and archivist Pete Welding. But in reality, the blues singer who publicly made this claim was not Robert but his friend Tommy Johnson, who was not related to Robert Johnson:

"If you want to learn how to make songs yourself, you take your guitar, and you go to where the road crosses that way, where a crossroads is. Get there, be sure to get there just a little 'fore 12 that night so you know you'll be there. You have your guitar and be playing a piece there by yourself...A big black man will walk up there and take your guitar and he'll tune it. And then he'll play a piece and hand it back to you. That's the way I learned to play anything I want."

This ritual of selling the soul to the devil or dealing with the devil, which Johnson performed to gain musical skills, was derived from European folklore, best exemplified by the legend of Faust and the figure of Mephistopheles, as well as being essential to many Folk Judeo-Christian traditions. This lore eventually had been assimilated into the Black practice as, according to the Western myth, the venerated location of the African - crossroad could also be used to summon the devil to make a deal or pact.

It is to be understood that the devil in Hoodoo tradition does not refer to the Christian figure of Satan but to the African trickster gods, Legba of Fon people, and Eleggua or Esu of Yoruba associated with crossroads. Hyatt wrote that, during his research in the American South from 1935 to 1939, when African-Americans born in the 19th or early 20th century said they or anyone else had "sold their soul to the big black man or devil at the crossroads," they had a different meaning in mind. This Hoodoo folklore and tradition of selling the soul indicates Kongo religious retentions surrounding crossroads, the survival of various African tricksters and crossroads spirits, and the Faustian legend of making a deal.

The Black Man, also called 'the rider,'  or the 'li'l ol' funny boy' is not worshipped, but he is highly respected among conjure workers. In Hoodoo lore, if the proper ritual is carried out, he can magically bestow a skill or knowledge unto the practitioner.

Crossroad Ritual

Accounts on this ritual vary a bit, but I will share my personal technique with you.

Believe it or not, no one ever taught me how to do this. I performed this ritual by accident and acquired a particular skill in conjure by accident as well. At that time, what I had in mind was just to weave a spell. I did not realize that I would meet the Black Man there. So I began the ritual by preparing the materials I was going to use in my spell: a tea-light candle, a bowl, herbs, minerals, and whiskey and took them with me, arriving at the crossroad precisely at midnight. Next, I sat on the corner of the street and performed the spell discreetly. About half an hour past midnight, I noticed two black dogs approaching me. I ignored them and just continued doing what I was doing. When I was about to close the ritual by pouring the whiskey into the bowl, I closed my eyes to pray first and extended my hands over the tiny flame of the tea-light candle, drawing them inwards three times in a circular motion. Then slowly, I opened my eyes and gazed at the candle flames. While staring, a man wearing a black suit and top hat approached me, took the bottle of whiskey from my hand, and poured the liquid into the bowl. I glared at him, and he smiled at me, turned his back, and walked away with the liquor. After that swift interaction, still questioning who that man was, thunder and lightning disturbed my concentration, so I immediately grabbed all of the materials (except the whiskey, I did not notice it anymore) and ran as fast as I could, not finishing the spell. I knew that the spell would be a failure at that time since I did not consummate the ritual but little did I know that the Black Man at the Crossroad finished it for me and granted my request.

It is weird, though, that the Black Man, in my experience, arrived so soon. Hoodoo tradition usually performs this ritual on 3 or 9 consecutive nights, and the Black Man would only appear on the last night.

Through this ritual, people could also acquire any other skill, not just magical, like playing musical instruments, gambling, painting, etc. One can bring an object that symbolizes the ability one wishes to excel or master, like a guitar for music, playing cards for gambling, watercolor, paints, and paper for art.

This practice actually turns up in the blues:

SOLD IT TO THE DEVIL

by Black Spider Dumpling

I sold my soul, sold it to the Devil and my heart done turned to stone
I sold my soul, sold it to the Devil, he won't let me alone
    Said I'm hateful and i'm evil, I carries a Gatling gun
    I drink carbolic acid, be darned if i will run
But I sold it, I sold it
Sold it to the Devil and my heart done turned to stone.

I done sold my soul, sold it to the Devil, but he won't let me alone
    I got a little baker shop right downtown
    Everything i bake, it is nice and brown
But I sold it, I sold it
Sold it to the Devil, and my heart done turned to stone.

I sold it, I sold it, sold it to the Devil, but he won't let me be 'lone
    My life it is unhapy, it won't last me long
    Everything i do, seem like i do's it wrong
But I sold it, I sold it
Sold it to the Devil, and my heart done turned to stone.

I sold my soul, sold it to the Devil, but he won't let me be 'lone
    I eat black spider dumplings for my dessert
    Go to the blacksmith, let him make my shirt
But I sold it, I sold it
Sold it to the Devil, and my heart done turned to stone.

I sold my soul, sold it to the Devil, but he won't let me be 'lone
    I live down in the valley, five hundred steps
    Where the bears and the tigers, they come to take their rest
But I sold it, sold it
Sold it to the Devil, and my heart done turned to stone.

I done sold my soul, sold it to the Devil, but he won't let me be 'lone
    I went to a place that I knew so well
    I shot that Devil right in Hell
But I sold it, sold it
Sold it to the Devil, and my heart done turned to ... eee-eee-vohl, eee-vohl [evil]

How do conjure doctors work with clients at crossroads?

A crossroad can serve as an altar, a place to perform magical spells. Rootworkers and conjure doctors believe that even after the African's capture, enslavement, and settlement in a foreign land, the divine and ancestral presence have never left this core symbol of African culture and that the power will never be destroyed. Crossroads are endowed with everlasting sanctity. Native African religions were damaged, but through it all, one symbol remained intact: the Cross.

Conjure doctors accompany their clients to go to the crossroads when performing uncrossing and road opener works. Some folks cast their break-up, banishing, and hot foot spells to set ex-lovers, bad neighbors, hostile co-workers, enemies, and troublemakers roaming, making them wander out through the crossroads and into the world.

I have met a Black American conjure worker online who claimed that all Hoodoo rituals and prayers from around the world ascend to this spot, from where they ascend to heaven or to the land of the dead. So he said that if someone is doing his spells outside the crossroad, he should direct his heart toward the nearest crossroad in his house.

An 1895 black and white relief line-block print of a sketch, "The Hoodoo Dance," by Edward W. Kemble, shows a portable crossroads or five-spot at its center.

Not all rituals that use the crossroads need to take place at the actual crossroads. When laying tricks or casting spells, some Hoodoo practitioners use what is known as a 'portable crossroad' or a circle with a cross inside, also called 'X' or 'cross mark.' These portable crossroads or cross-marks can be drawn on the ground using white chalk or on an altar with sachet powders or laid out on a cloth.

Hot-foot spell utilizing the crossroad emblem.

Traditionally, folk magic practitioners dispose of the remnants of their works, such as left-over candle wax, incense ashes, ritual bath water, etc., at the crossroads by throwing them into the intersection, turning away, and walking home without looking back.

A powerful ritual in which we utilized 7 protection herbs such as boneset, sage, feverfew, lemongrass, etc., laid out in a cross symbol or quincunx pattern to attract good spirits who will fight evil on our client's behalf, set up cross-me-not barriers, and send away troublemakers and people with questionable motives and intentions.

Road Opener ritual performed on a portable crossroad.  

Legends and rituals of The Black Man at the Crossroads (as recorded by Harry Middleton Hyatt):

Vol.2, pp.1357-58

Well, now, at de fo'k of a road, if it's somethin' tedious dat yo' want a undertake tuh do an' yo' jes' feel dat chew cain't accomplish it or somekind, yo' read de Psalms in de Bible dat yo' reads. Yo' read de 91 Psalms. Yo' read dat 91 Psalm but chew have tuh read it fo' nine days. Yo' read de 91 Psalms fo' nine days an' at de same hour of de day. An' now, goin' to de fo'k of dis road, yo' have tuh be at de fo'k of dis road at twelve a'clock in de night. Dat is, it no partic'lar rule, butjes' anywhere where a fo'k is, yo' see. An' yo' read dis 91 Psalms an' yo' have tuh pray an' yo' have tuh axe God tuh send dis spirit dere tuh meet chew dere, tuh meet chew dere at de fo'kof dis road. Now, when yo' git to de fo'k of dis road, yo' gonna see all kindathing. Yo' may git frightened. Yo' read dis Psalms. (You read that for nine days but you don't go out to the fork of the road?)No, yo' don't go dere, yo' readin' dis Psalms an' yo' preparin' yo'self tuh go dere - yo' preparing tuh go dere. Now, yo' read dis fo' nine days now. Today is de ninth day, see. Now, yo' goin' dere tonight. Yo' goin' dere at twelve a'clock tonight. See. Now yo' readin' dis Psalm, preparin' yo'self tuh go dere tuh meet deone dat chure gonna meet dere. Now, yo' ain't gotta go tuh bed, yo' gotta setup. Now, nine a'clock tuhnight dere gotta be somebody gonna come there an'tell yo' somethin' - dey gonna tell yo' lotsa things. It's gonna be somebody goin' tuh come dere an' dey gonna talk to yo' jes' lak ah'm talkin' to yo',an' now dey gonna tell yo', "Yo' git a pencil an' papah," or "Yo' git a type[writer] an' yo' take whut ah'm tellin' yo', whut ah'm givin' yo' - [here'sanother person interested in my machine] - yo' take whut ah'm givin' yo' an'yo' meet me at twelve a'clock." Yo' see. An' all yo' have tuh do, yo' jis' be big-hearted an' yo' do as dey sayan' dey'll work wit yo' wonderful. Den yo' take all whut dey give yo' an'tell yo' how tuh do an' whut tuh do an' now yo' meet 'em dere at twelvea'clock. (At the fork of the road?) Yessuh. [I don't want to read anything into the preceding rite - it's there.THIS WOMAN IS A MASTER CRAFTSMAN who knows every aspect of her work - the most important aspect of all, human nature, how far she can go. Instead of offering me her variant or variants of the devil meeting a person at the fork or crossroad, she throws a good-spirit atmosphere over everything, then tells me she and I are performing the fork-of-the-road rite!] ["Yo' git [[got]] a type [[writer - my Telediphone on which I pretendedto write]] an' yo' take [[are taking down]] what ah'm tellin' yo', whut ah'm givin' yo'...all yo' have tuh do, yo' jis' be big-hearted an'.....dey'll[[I'll]] work wit yo' wonderful."][My reply to her is quite ordinary. Or is it?][Without detracting from Nahnee's insight or subtracting any glamour from my big-heartedness, the reader should be informed that a person of her ability and reputation, despite the Great Depression and scarcity of money, rarely takes chances. Preceding her appearance a confederate of hers, man or woman, had made inquiries and had actually interviewed me. Neither my contact man nor I could ever identify these persons - we never tried, it was a waste of time, though occasionally we spotted a stool pigeon.] [Algiers, LA; Informant #1583 - Nahnee the "Boss of Algiers"; CylindersE94:2-E119:1 = 2927-2952.]

Make a wish:

333. "You go to the fork of the road on Sunday morning before day, go there for nine times in succession before the sun rise and make aspecial wish, a special desire, and whatever you want to do, if it's to be a conjure or to be a bad person, then the devil comes there. First comes a red rooster, then after that the devil sends something else in the shape of a bear and after that he comes himself and takes hold of your hands and tells you to go on in the world and do anything that chew want to do." [Elizabeth City, North Carolina,(182)]

To learn tricks:

340. "Jes' lak if yo' wanta learn some tricks, yo' know, yo' kin takea black chicken an' go dere fo' nine mawnin's, to de fo'k of de road. Have yo' a further road -- both of 'em public roads each way, not no blind roads, yo' know. Both of 'em have tuh be public roads, forkin'.Yo' take dis chicken an' go dere fo' nine mawnin's an' on de ninth mawnin' de devil will meet chew dere. An' he will learn {teach you} --well, anything yo' wanta learn."(Do you do anything with that chicken?)"De chicken, he have tuh be live. Yo' ketch him alive an' carry himto de fo'k of de road, an' yo' go fo' nine mawnin's, an' on de ninthmawnin' he'll meet chew dere."

349. "If you want to know how to play a banjo or a guitar or do magic tricks, you have to sell yourself to the devil. You have to go to the cemetery nine mornings and get some of the dirt and bring it back with you and put it in a little bottle, then go to some fork of the road and each morning sit there and try to play that guitar. Don't care what you see come there, don't get 'fraid and run away. Just stay there for nine mornings and on the ninth morning there will come some rider riding at lightning speed in the form of the devil. You stay there then still playing your guitar and when he has passed you can play any tune you want to play or do any magic trick you want to do because you have sold yourself to the devil." [Ocean City, Maryland, (14), Ed.]

356. "Now de fo'ks of de road -- now, in case dis is whut chew wanta do, if yo' wanta learn hoodooism. See, if you wanta learn hoodooism, you go to de fo'ks of de road. Go dere -- yo' leave home zactkly five minutes of twelve an' have yo' a fo'k. Git chew a bran'-new silver fo'k an' git to de fo'ks of de road an' git down on your knees an' stick dat fo'k in de groun'; see, an' anything on earth yuh wants tuh learn an' know, things will come 'fore yo' an' tell yo' what to do. See. But chew got'a be dere zactly twelve 'clock -- go dere de third day but it's got'a be in de night, twelve 'clock in de night" [Mobile, Alabama, (656),937:3).]

Crossroad - Road Opening Work (Photo Courtesy of candlesmokechapel).