Pacts at the Crossroads

[David19]

After reading the other thread, by Lajmar, called 'Dirty work at the Crossroads' (http://mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=194121), I'm interested in something else, related to the magic at the Crossroads (BTW, I wasn't sure if this would fit in Lajmar's thread, but if you want to merge them, please feel free :)). Does anyone know anything about Pacts at the Crossroads, I only know some very limited info about them, and I'm not sure if it's right, like, I know, some people have been said to make pacts with the Devil, or demons, or other supernatural beings/spirits, etc, in order to get something, like material wealth, love, a talent, fame, etc. Like, apparantly, the Jazz musician Robert Johnson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Johnson_(musician)) made a deal, to get his musical talent or something (anyone know any different?, there seems to be a lot of info on the internet about it (http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=Robert+Johnson+and+deal+with+the+Devil&btnG=Search&meta=),here (http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=Jazz+musicians+and+Deal+with+the+Devil&meta=), and I think this article says something about it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deal_with_the_Devil)).

One book I really want to get soon is 'Pacts With the Devil: A Chronicle of Sex, Blasphemy and Liberation' by S. Jason Black and Christopher S Hyatt (http://www.amazon.com/Pacts-Devil-Chronicle-Blasphemy-Liberation/dp/1561840580) (Christopher Hyatt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Hyatt), unfortunely, died recently in February 2008, here's his official site (http://www.technoccult.com/archives/2004/05/10/the-official-site-of-dr-christopher-s-hyatt-phd/) and here's a link with other articles, books by him and others, and other things, etc (http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=Christopher+S.+Hyatt+&meta=)). Hopefully, I might be able to get it soon, along with a few other books I want, so, if you've read it, what did you think (and would you recommend it?).

Anyway, I'd really like to learn more about Pacts at the Crossroads, and, it would be great if you wouldn't mind sharing any experiences you've had with them (but only if you're comfortable with sharing).

Thanks, again, for any help you can give me :).

[Godgifu]

http://www.luckymojo.com/crossroads.html has some more info on what you are after. Short version is, it's not Satan who comes, and there are no pacts made, and it was Tommy Johnson not Robert :) The spirit that comes will teach you anything you want to know, often in exchange for nothing more than coming to ask.

I know several people who have tried the crossroads trick; only one person ever claims to have actually seen the "devil" -- and that man says he sees spirits all the time. For myself, I have done the trick a few times, usually with an offering of food or drink for the spirit. I find that I tend to become markedly better at whatever I wanted to learn (opera singing and I Ching readings so far) pretty rapidly in the coming weeks after waiting there. In the case of the singing, I'd been doing it for years without much progress up to that point.

Also -- and the "dirty work at the crossroads" thread mentioned this a bit -- some crossroads seem to work better than others. There's one from which I never get any results, and another that works a lot better.

[LithiumViolets]

http://www.luckymojo.com/crossroads.html has some more info on what you are after. Short version is, it's not Satan who comes, and there are no pacts made, and it was Tommy Johnson not Robert :) The spirit that comes will teach you anything you want to know, often in exchange for nothing more than coming to ask.

I know several people who have tried the crossroads trick; only one person ever claims to have actually seen the "devil" -- and that man says he sees spirits all the time. For myself, I have done the trick a few times, usually with an offering of food or drink for the spirit. I find that I tend to become markedly better at whatever I wanted to learn (opera singing and I Ching readings so far) pretty rapidly in the coming weeks after waiting there. In the case of the singing, I'd been doing it for years without much progress up to that point.

Also -- and the "dirty work at the crossroads" thread mentioned this a bit -- some crossroads seem to work better than others. There's one from which I never get any results, and another that works a lot better.

Well it seems to have worked for you, then, though maybe not in a flashy, overt way like "OMG I woke up one morning knowing how to play Beethoven, never having seen a piano in my life!"

That said, what time(s) did you go to the crossroads and what offerings did you bring? Was it on consecutive nights and how long did you wait? How did you even ask, since it seems no one knows "for sure" who the crossroads figure is (besides maybe Legba) so how did you address your issue and who to?

[Godgifu]

Well, as I was taught, you stand there practicing whatever it is you want to learn, theoretically until the man comes and demonstrates it for you, but most people never really get that far. So, with the singing I stood around and sang, with the I Ching I sat there tossing coins and making hexagrams. I showed up a bit before midnight and did this for about 10 minutes or so, then went home. I live in a city and I don't drive, so maybe he actually appears in the flesh if you're in a more isolated area where there aren't cars running by about every minute.

I technically did the opera multiple times, but that was mostly because I started out using a poorer-quality crossroads (there are ones on either side of my house, I began with the one on my right, but eventually realized that the one to the left was like 10 steps closer so I started using that one, with better results.)

I remember bringing cake several times, but seeing no results I withheld it. I think I didn't bring anything when I finally got the singing to work. With the I Ching I decided to try it a little differently, and brought a bottle of wine cooler and poured it out into the road when I first arrived (figuring maybe I'd work to bribe and attract him instead of pay him for service rendered.)

The fellow who actually saw the spirit, as I remember his story, said he went there to learn tarot cards. He sat down and began shuffling and laying cards, then he saw like a black shadow in the shape of a man come towards him, and he thought he heard a voice ask what he was doing there. Then, on this otherwise calm and windless night, a breeze suddenly kicked up and blew his cards away. He gathered them up again, and I assume from then on could read cards quite well (he's become a professional reader and spellcaster.)

[LithiumViolets]

Does it matter if it's a four- or three-way crossroads? I ask because, near my house, there's a four-way crossing to my right but there's alot of traffic at all times and there are stores near there but to my left there's a three-way crossing that's pretty secluded that I'd feel more comfortable standing at without worrying of people passing, walking or driving, and without all those lights from various stores and such...

[Godgifu]

Hard to say. Why don't you try them out?