So I fudged a little with X. I had this idea for using the cute
version of crossroads, although I did look up other words that start
with X (and next week will have proper X words). But I really kinda
wanted to talk about X-roads, intersections and those inbetween
places.
When I started, there was a pretty big emphasis on harnessing the
power of the inbetween. Whether it was a time, a location or some
other blending of forces, these things were felt to be important. It
is why a lot of things were done at midnight. Not only is it a time
where not many people are up and about (and so if you don't want to
be seen doing something, it is a pretty good time for it), but it is
also the inbetween time of days (with sunrise and sunset being
similar times).
There is a lot of magic that involves X-roads...the actual
intersections of roads. X-roads are places of change and
possibility. At a proper X-road you have three options of which way
to go (four technically, if you want to count the possibility of
turning around and going back the way you came). So if you are doing
a working that is trying to open a new path and you aren't exactly
sure where you want to go, working with a X-road is a good way to go.
Not only will it give you a path, but options on which path to take.
X-roads also are great for dealing with people who are looking for
you or chasing you in some way....and whom you don't want to catch or
find you. When you reach the X-road, you are reaching a place where
your pursuer is not sure which way you took. You can tap into this
confusion to help take them off your trail. This is why a lot of
things for banishing are buried or left at a X-road. When you leave
it behind, it is less likely to be able to follow you back to your
home. Many such workings caution to not look behind you, and I would
say this is sound advice. Looking behind you draws your attention
back to the thing you are leaving, creating a new connection that you
just worked to sever. Once you place the item, turn and walk away
and don't give it another thought.
X-roads can be even more symbolic. If you take two ribbons and lay
one over the other, you have created a X-road. I was just reading a
book on hoodoo that suggested this (or using sticks or really any
other item that can be used to form an X) as a substitution for a
X-road if you don't have one you can work with. But going back to
the ribbons, if you want to not only draw upon but blend together two
very different energies, you can use this X to do so. Lay a
representation of your target (a picture, charm, statue or even a
paper with a name written on it) directly over the X and then wind
both ribbons around the object, tying them in a secure knot when you
are done. You can use color or material type to represent the
energies you are working with, or write down the type of energy on
the ribbon itself.
To take this a step further, if you are wanting to change one type of
energy into another (for example, if you have been planning a project
for a long time and want to turn all those plans into action), you
can wrap the ribbons separately, one over the other, to represent the
one energy being transmuted into the other type. So you would take
the item representing your project, and wrap it with the ribbon
representing all your plans and ideas. As you wrap, think over the
plans you have made, and the ideas that you like the most or find the
most appealing. Then tie off the first ribbon. Slip the second
ribbon, representing the energy of action, under the first one, and
then wrap it around the object, in the opposite direction (so that it
forms an X). As you wrap, think about the steps you need to take to
act upon your plans. Tie off the second ribbon. Then place the item
somewhere that you will see it to remind you that it is time to act.
Another interesting X-road to consider is the doorway to your house.
One line is formed by the wall, and the other by the path in and out.
So one energy is that of protection and safety, while the other is
of travel and hospitality. Both are things you want to encourage in
your life and home, and you want them to work together. Most people
don't want their house to be a prison or to make other people
uncomfortable, nor do they want their house to be open to malicious
strangers or to not feel safe leaving their house. So blessing the
door, to encourage those energies to work together, helps build
balance in these areas. A lot of times, the X symbol is used
together with a O, so you could bless a wreath to encourage these
energies to blend in harmony and hang that on your door.
A very common place to see the X and O together is on rolls (think
hot cross buns: the X is marked on the bun which forms the circle).
In many cultures, bread (and the grains it is made from) is
considered a staple, and represents having the things we need to
survive in life. If you bake your rolls with honey, you are adding
sweetness and luxury: the things we want that make life that much
better because they aren't needed. Again, the X and the O work
together to bring things things into your life.
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