Cultural Resources
Crossroads by Sue Carmicle. You can purchase this image as a poster.
The Crossroads
Many people ask us about our rather unusual name, Compass Rose Cultural Crossroads. They often want to know just what do we mean by a “cultural crossroads.”
A crossroads is literally an intersection where two or more roads meet. In its metaphorical sense, however, the term can refer to any sort of abstract place, location, event, or forum where people meet and share ideas. Because much of what we publish has to do with history, cultural understanding, and global awareness, we found the crossroads a fitting representation for our own exchange of ideas.
In addition, crossroads play a key role in the religion, folklore, and magic traditions of many cultures. A crossroads is seen as no-man’s land, not owned by anyone, and, as such, is a perfect place to conduct a ritual, cast a spell, or create a makeshift altar. The crossroads is a location “between the worlds,” a site where supernatural spirits can be contacted and paranormal events can take place. Symbolically, it can mean a locality where two realms touch and therefore represents liminality, a place literally “neither here nor there.”
We hope you find a little magic at this crossroads on the Internet, and that you enjoy this collection of myths, legends, and stories that show how crossroads have shaped the human psyche.
