Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

Many wise folk through the ages have contemplated the Mystery of Chickens and their Road-Crossing phenomena. In the 13th year following their founding, the Draconians had settled down enough from their path-building and occasional political bickering to set one of their sages to the momentous task of contemplating this aspect of the Dragon, (the Cosmic All). This then is the Mystery as seen through her pen. However we must remember that each priest/wysard needs to come to their own personal understanding of this road-crossing phenomena.

As all is the Dragon, the chicken is in essence crossing herself, for she is both herself and the road as well as the corn on the other side of the road or the kitchen witch chasing her and also the student sitting quietly under the tree and contemplating the essence of chickenness.

However, it is possible to analyze this chicken crossing on many levels and thereby gain understanding.

Water/Emotional/Etheric Plane:

Contemplate the emotional state of the chicken. Is she moving toward the corn on the other side, or away from the cleaver on this? (You may wish to meditate on the Hanged Man of the Tarot which deals with the lessons of learning through moving towards joy or away from fear.)

Or is she merely ambling along, content with the bugs in her belly and trusting her own chicken instinct. (The Fool card.)

Your own emotional state and your past personal interaction with chickens and roads will certainly color this process, and you should take note of your own emotional state while doing this exercise. If you feel particularly agitated regarding the chicken, the road, or the crossing itself, then this is likely a lesson you need to work with.

Air/Mental/Astral Plane:

Take note of the symbolism here. First, we have a chicken. Chickens are often associated with fertility and with solar energies. It was also a symbol of vigilance, and as such, roosters were often left to roam outside the coop during the night to ward off ghosts and evil spirits. Conversely, we have the epithet "chicken" which suggests cowardice, and appears to be derived from the way which these fowl scatter when approached.

The road suggests obstacles and the boundaries of limited thinking, while the mysterious "other side" can be seen as a metaphor for the shadow side of self and the journey into the unknown. Thus we can see this as a metaphor for bringing our Light through fear to face the depths of our shadow selves.

As a further exercise, we may wish to ask what time of day this road crossing occurred. Was the sun (and thus fire) in the east (midnight to noon) or in the west (noon to midnight)? And which direction was the chicken crossing towards? Was she moving from South (Air) to North (Earth) -- from knowledge and understanding to material manifestation of her goal, for instance?

Each of us has our own personal metaphors as well, and if you cogitate upon how the chicken relates to your personal mythos, you may learn lessons that are especially pertinent to your present stage of growth. Remember to write your musings and understandings down so that you can look at it in later years and take note of how growth has affected your outlook of this mystery.

Fire/Dynamic/Causal Plane:

To understand this dimension of the road crossing phenomena we must ask ourselves, "What are the effects of the chicken crossing the road? What does it DO?" We can see that the chicken is learning Herne's lesson, "Adapt or die." For whether she is crossing the road to escape being eaten or to feed upon corn, she is nevertheless adapting to the imperatives of her environment.

We must also look at how the world around the chicken is affected by this crossing of roads, for as chaos theory states, a chicken crossing the road in Montana may cause it to rain in New Zealand. On a more practical level, we may see that because the chicken crosses the road and thus creates chicken droppings on the other side, the field on the other side becomes more fertile and thus grows better pumpkins.

Earth/Manifestation/Material Plane:

The various components of chickens are highly useful in spellwork. Chicken feathers were often stuffed into mattresses to ensure fertility. Eggs can be used in spells where one wants to evoke rebirth and potentiality. The chicken itself is lovely when rubbed with garlic and fresh herbs and roasted to crispness. One might wish to take a stone from the road to help in our own process of change and transition. It is also possible that a feather from a road-crossing chicken might be useful as an amulet for safe travel during Mercury retrograde.

Spirit/the Dragon/Unity Plane:

Again we return to the space where I am the Chicken and you are the Chicken and All is That. This can only be reached through the process of inner alchemy and spiritual growth. Although some of us may come to this over many lifetimes, it is possible to attain Road-Crossing in this lifetime. It is the mystic's path to cross that road and then return so that they might help to guide others across.

Lionrhod 1999

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