House of Roots and Bones: Crossroads Department

VII. THE CROSSROADS — ROADS, THRESHOLDS & PLACES OF POWER
HORB CRS 401 — The Crossroads in Black American Hoodoo
Examines crossroads traditions within Black American Hoodoo and folklore. Students study roads as places of meeting, decision, disposal, transformation, movement, and spiritual encounter. Historical accounts are separated from later pop-culture versions, establishing the foundation for all advanced crossroads work.
HORB CRS 402 — Crossroads Lore & the Midnight Tradition
Studies Black American stories of crossroads encounters at midnight and other liminal times. Students examine folklore involving musicians, spirits, tests, bargains, and supernatural instruction. The course distinguishes historical folklore from modern mythology and prepares students for advanced crossroads theology.
HORB CRS 403 — Roads, Paths & Foot-Track Work
Examines roads, walking paths, tracks, and movement as spiritually meaningful locations. Students study foot-track work, road opening, stopping movement, and guiding movement. Practical, historical, and safety considerations are included to ensure responsible application of this work.
HORB CRS 404 — Doorways, Gates & Threshold Conjure
Examines doors, porches, gates, windows, steps, and property boundaries as spiritual thresholds. Students learn to invite, block, detect, redirect, or lay work at points of entry and exit. Protection, boundary work, and household practices are studied with attention to purpose, permission, and spiritual jurisdiction.
HORB CRS 405 — Railroads, Tracks & Movement Work
Studies railroads and tracks as historical symbols and agents of distance, departure, and migration. Students examine documented Hoodoo practices and their cultural context, including the Great Migration. Safe and lawful alternatives are taught when historical practices create modern hazards.
HORB CRS 406 — Rivers, Creeks & Running-Water Work
Examines running water as a spiritual medium for carrying away, crossing, cleansing, and releasing conditions. Students study rivers, creeks, streams, and bridges within Southern landscapes. Biblical water imagery is compared with folk practice, with emphasis on safety, accessibility, and environmental responsibility.
HORB CRS 407 — Trees, Stumps & Outdoor Working Places
Examines trees, stumps, woods, fence lines, fields, and outdoor locations used in Southern conjure. Students study natural features as markers, hiding places, anchors, and disposal points. Tree species, landscape history, and environmental awareness are considered alongside working purpose.
HORB CRS 408 — Churchyards & Sacred Ground
Examines churchyards, praise-house grounds, and other religiously significant locations in Black Southern communities. Students explore how prayer, burial, and community memory overlap without assuming all church property is available for conjure use. Spiritual jurisdiction, respect, and historical context are emphasized.
HORB CRS 409 — Graveyards & Working With Place
Integrates cemetery knowledge with the broader study of spiritually meaningful places. Students examine grave identity, cemetery history, approach, boundaries, placement, and departure. Case-based planning is required before entering burial grounds for practical work.
HORB CRS 410 — Reading the Spiritual Geography of a Place
Teaches students to read the relationships among roads, thresholds, water, burial places, trees, property lines, and human use. Students conduct field observations before determining how a location might function within a working. Emphasis is placed on distinguishing actual history and physical characteristics from projection or fantasy, preparing students for advanced place-based conjure.