By Katrina Rasbold

When we think of a “crossroads,” our minds often race to the dramatic imagery of folklore: a dusty four-way stop at midnight, a pact made in whispers, or the sudden, life-altering choice that changes everything in a heartbeat. We focus on the intersection—the X marks the spot where the magic happens.

But as a Witch who has spent decades standing in these liminal spaces, I’ve come to realize that the most potent magic doesn’t always happen at the meeting point. It happens on the threshold—that thin, vibrating line between where you were and where you are going. Lately, the idea of the “threshold” has been on my mind a great deal as numerology tells us that we have just entered a “10” year, which heralds endings and new beginnings.

In the Craft, we talk a lot about “liminality.” We cast our circles “between the worlds,” in a space that is neither in time nor out of it. We celebrate the Solstices and Equinoxes, those brief moments where the seasons hold their breath before tipping over into the next. Yet, in our daily lives, we tend to rush through our thresholds. We hurry to get through the door, to finish the project, to heal the wound, or to reach the “other side” of a difficult transition.

We treat the threshold like a hallway—a place to pass through as quickly as possible—when we should be treating it like an altar.

Think about the physical thresholds in your life. There is a reason ancient cultures placed protective deities at their doorways or buried “shoe magic” beneath the floorboards. The threshold is the energetic “skin” of your home. It is where the public world meets the private sanctum. When you cross it, you are performing a mini-ritual of transformation. The threshold of our home is, indeed, the sacred delineation between the outside world and our most private inner sanctuary. It is itself an ending and a beginning.

If you are feeling stuck or “un-magical” lately, I invite you to look at how you are treating your thresholds. Are you slamming through them? Or are you pausing to acknowledge the shift, the transition between worlds?

Here is a simple practice for the Crossroads Witch:

The Three Breath Threshold

The next time you stand before a literal door—whether it’s your front door, your office door, or even the door to your car—stop. Just for a second.

1. Breath One: Release the energy of the space you just left. Let the stress of the grocery store or the frustration of the commute drop to the floor.

2. Breath Two: Ground yourself in the present. Feel your feet on the floor. Acknowledge that you are currently in a “non-space,” a transition.

3. Breath Three: Set your intention for the space you are about to enter. What version of yourself is walking through that door? Is it the loving parent? The focused professional? The dedicated student of the Craft?

Another suggestion is to leave a symbol of release outside your home. For many years, I had a “worry basket” outside my front door. It was a large wicker basket with a lid. I encouraged other, as well as doing so myself, to leave their worries and concerns of the outside world in the worry basket before they entered the home. I assured them the worries would be there when the left the home again if they chose to take the worries with them. Any worries left for more than a day after their exit would be grounded into the earth.

When we honor the threshold, we reclaim the power of the “in-between.” We stop being victims of our circumstances and start being the architects of our own energy.

The crossroads isn’t just a place where you choose a path; it is the place where you decide how you will walk it. Don’t be so eager to reach the destination that you forget to bless the doorway.

After all, the most profound magic isn’t found in the “Ta-da!” of the finished spell. It’s found in the quiet, electric moment right before the spark catches the tinder.

Stay magical, travelers. I’ll see you at the crossroads.