Road Opening Spell

Road Opening

I feel that I should explain what road opening is, even though it is a concept thrown around a lot after the rise of urban hoodoo. Road Opening is a concept that draws on the imagery of life being a road that one walks. Fallen trees, ditches, rocky terrain etc. are the obstacles we find in life that lessen our enjoyment or bring it to a halt altogether. A thick shrub one must hack away or a mountain one must demolish. Road opening is a category of working that serves to remove more "minor" types of obstacles ( block busting is for demolishing that mountain) in the way of success. This type of working can be applied to almost ANY situation. It is helpful before love/money drawings and after emerging from the burden of a curse, to smooth and sweeten the path of life as you tread it.

In the realm of road opening, some of the most powerful entities for working this are crossroad spirits. These may be genii loci (local spirits attached intimately to a particular road, mountain, river, tree etc.), saints, demons, and even gods. These types of entities exist in almost every culture and place, so you won't have to go around appropriating orishas and exus from religions you don't practice and end up crossing your roads even more! There are plenty of non crossroad spirits that can do this kind of work as well, so don't limit yourself either.

Road Opening Vigil Light

This is a spell taken from Starr Casas' The Conjure Workbook: Working the Root. I have altered the spell in my own practices and post it here as I perform it.

What you'll Need:

A Jar or Bowl
A small hand trowel (the kind used for gardening)
Sugar
Five coins (of any denomination)
A magnet or lodestone
Whiskey or Rum
White Vigil Candle
5th Pentacle of Solomon

Performing the Spell

First, you're going to go out and collect some dirt. I'll probably make a more indepth post on this at a latter date, specifying what dirts are good for what, methods, etc. But for now, it's sufficient to say you will go to your front door and gather some earth into the jar with your trowel. Pour a little whiskey or rum where your have taken your dirt saying;

"Spirits of my property, accept this offering of liquor as payment for the dirt you have allowed to take. Thank you for your help."

Then you will go to the nearest crossroads and follow the same procedure, giving thanks to the spirits of the crossroad.

Coming home to your altar, shake the jar a little to even out the dirt. Take the lodestone or magnet and give a generous dressing of whiskey in the sign of the cross (the crossroads itself). Ask the lodestone to help you in this road opening rite. Put this in the center of the dirt of the jar or bowl. On top, place the five coins in the shape of a cross. Cover this all with a good amount of sugar. Place the jar on the 5th Pentacle of Mercury from the Key of Solomon. Take the vigil candle and purify it with holy water. Dress it with some whiskey, rum, Siete Machos, road opener oil etc etc etc. State your petition into the candle's opening and place it on top of the sugar. Make sure before hand that the candle will fit into the jar!
Light the candle and pray your petition, followed or preceded by psalms 23, 24, and 25.
Pray your petition and psalms over this candle for as many days as it burns. When it has finished, dispose of the candle at the crossroads and bury the dirt/sugar in your front yard.

Road Opening Bath

This bath can accompany your vigil light or be taken as a rite in and of itself. The recipe is my own.

What you'll need:

Syrup
Sugar
Cinnamon
Rosemary
Rue
Basil
Mint
Jar of cold water
Holy Water
5 tealights
Mortar and Pestle

Making the Bath

Mix holy water into the jar of regular cold water. Pray to God or another attending spirit for the water to be filled with their grace.
Grind each herb and material (except the syrup) in the mortar and pestle, repeating your petition of road opening. You should always grind clockwise in a operation such as this.
Add each grinded material to the bath one by one, praying as you go. Once all the dry ingredients have been added, add just a drop of syrup.
Close the jar tightly and shake it up well.
Set the five tealights around in the shape of a cross, the fifth one right on top of its lid. Light each one and recite psalms 23, 24, and 25 over it and then your petition. When the tealights have burned out, pour out the bath water over your body. Take this in increments of 4, 7, or 9 days.

Psalms

23rd

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
² He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
³ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

24th

The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
² For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.
³ Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?
⁴ He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
⁵ He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
⁶ This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.
⁷ Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
⁸ Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.
⁹ Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
¹⁰ Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

25th

Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
² O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
³ Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.
⁴ Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.
⁵ Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
⁶ Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.
⁷ Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O Lord.
⁸ Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
⁹ The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
¹⁰ All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
¹¹ For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.
¹² What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
¹³ His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.
¹⁴ The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.
¹⁵ Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.
¹⁶ Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.
¹⁷ The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses.
¹⁸ Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.
¹⁹ Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.
²⁰ O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.
²¹ Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.
²² Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.

Spirits that Road Open

Here's a short list of entities that rule crossroads and/or can do road opening work. I'll add a + next to all the crossroad spirits. I'll also add any useful notes that I know.

St Peter (San Pedro) +
A very popular crossroad saint. In fact, Starr Casas' original spell calls on St Peter. He is a double headed saint or "left right" saint. This means he works spells for both good and ill. He can open roads as well as close them. He works alone and prefers his own altar space.

St Death (Santa Muerte)
She is not a crossroad saint, but still effective at removing blackages in a devotee's path. In particular, St Death the Red (Santa Muerte La Roja) is effective at road openings. She is fiery and strong, moving quick and agile.

St Anthony of Padua (San Antonio de Padua)
He is a wonderful and compassionate saint who listens to all problems and helps to resolve them. He is particularly good at resolving matters by turning the whole situation to one's favor. St Anthony is also great for sweetening roads, situations, and people. He is, however, famed for working like slow honey and being lethargic at times. To speed up his work, you can pair him with St Death the Red to invoke her fires.

St Jude Thaddeus
A popular saint of Impossible Cases. He can also open opportunities in situations of money and healing.

St Cyprian of Antioch
A famed saint of sorcery, he too can work the spirits of the crossroads to open doorways.

Hermes +
A Greek god of traveling, messages, the crossroads, and guide to the underworld.

Hecate +
A Greek witch mother who is also the goddess of three way crossroads.

Lucifer/Satan +
The witch father in his aspect as Devil of the Crossroads, the Horned Devil can open and close roads in a similar manner to St Peter. He also prefers to work alone or with the witch mother.

Crossroad Genius/Genii
This is the spirit or spirits that are attached to a particular crossroad. You can work with and petition them directly. They can close or open roads. If you work one crossroad for opening roads, keep it to that side of workings. Work road blocking spells in another crossroad.

Road Opening Correspondences

Herbs

Common Ivy (Hedera Helix)
Cinnamon
Rue
Basil
Rosemary
Mint
Abre Camino

Colors

White
Orange (color of Mercury)

Numbers

Four (4 roads of the crossroads)
Five (The four roads plus the center)
Three (For T junctions or Y crossroads)