Challenge #137
Anything Goes POSITIVE with the Opt. Twist of
Crafting by the Numbers—
First Time: Create a NEW Project
As
we step into a brand-new year of creativity, we’re also celebrating a
meaningful milestone here at The Path of Positivity—we are officially
entering our 13th year!
The number 13 has long carried a
reputation for being “unlucky,” especially in Western cultures. This bad
reputation stems from a combination of historical, religious,
mythological, and superstitious origins. For ex., the ancient Romans
were of the believe that the number 13 was a bad omen, predicting
ill-fortune and death. In Norse mythology, Loki crashed a party in
Valhalla. He was the
uninvited 13th guest disrupting the balance of the 12 gods already in
attendance. His arrival caused chaos and tragedy. This was the reason
why the ancient Vikings hated the number 13. In Christianity, Judas was
the 13th person to arrive at the Last Supper and he later betrayed
Jesus. There are also the ancient Pythagoreans who believed that the
number 12
was considered a number of completeness and perfection (we'll touch more
on this in December). For those that believed in the wholeness of the
number 12, 13 was seen as exceeding its perfection, transcending
completeness, and as such it was viewed as troublesome, erratic, or
unlucky. Finally, there is a viewpoint that the ancient Mayans were of
the belief that the 13th 'baktun'--a period
of time commensurate to approximately 400 years--would spell the end of
the world. Their teachings foretold that the world would cease to exist
on Dec. 21,
2012. Thankfully, this prophecy didn't come to fruition. Though this is
just one analysis. There are others who believe that this particular
interpretation of the prophecy was incorrect and that the end of the
Mayan calendar simply marked the end to a long cycle. In an interesting
twist (and ironically since it wasn't planned), I am writing this
paragraph on Dec. 21, 2025—exactly 13 years from the date of this
prediction! How is that for numerical synchronicity!
There
is also significant dissonance surrounding the combination of the
number thirteen and Fridays. Biblical stories have contributed to the
belief that Fridays are associated with bad luck: it is said that Adam
and Eve ate from the forbidden tree on a Friday, that Cain killed his
brother Abel on a Friday, that the Temple of Solomon was destroyed on a
Friday, that the Great Flood began on a Friday, and—most notably—that
Jesus was executed on a Friday. So, for those who already believe that
13 is unlucky due to its association with Judas, when paired with Jesus'
execution on a Friday, it becomes an ominous date for many
Christians. Additionally, on Friday, October 13th, 1307, the majority of
the Knights
Templar were arrested. The mass arrests, torture, and execution of
these dynamic figures marked a startling fall and betrayal, intertwining
the day and number with misfortune in popular lore. While
the events of 1307 happened centuries earlier, Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, further cemented this association in the public mind in the early 2000s.
Apart from religious interpretations, there are some cultural references to how Friday the 13th became unlucky as well. It was actually in the early part of the 20th century that
the specific fear related to "Friday the 13th" became a widespread
superstition in the States. It became popular as the result of the 1907 novel by Thomas W. Lawson entitled, Friday, the Thirteenth. Lawson wrote
a financial thriller about ambition, greed, and revenge on Wall Street,
famously detailing a stock market panic on that specific date. The book
became widely popular selling over 60,000 copies in its first month. In
fact, apparently after the novel's success, many stock brokers refused
to trade on Friday the 13th. This book then went on to influence the
spate of Movies in the 80s, also entitled Friday the 13th. There are many more examples as to how the number 13 became associated with bad luck but these are some of the biggest.
These
associations prevail even today. In architecture, many buildings don't
have a '13th' floor. In terms of design, there are some airlines that
don't have a 13th row of seating. The number 13 is sometimes also
excluded from seating arrangements in places like theatres, stadiums, or
other types of event venues. A great number of hotels, hospitals and
airports avoid using the number for rooms and gates as well. Several
eminent streets in London, England, lack a number 13 along the
route. Some people avoid holding important meetings, signing contracts,
or
getting married on the 13th of a month, especially if it's a
Friday. Certain companies may avoid labelling their products, models, or
versions with the number 13 to prevent unfavourable consumer
reactions.
Rather
than shying away from the number 13, we’re choosing to embrace it as a
symbol of growth, perseverance, and creative courage. After all, 13
years of inspiration, kindness, and community feels pretty lucky to us.
Since this year marks an important number for us, we've decided that NUMBERS should be the overall focus of our theme for 2026 (and look, divide 26 in half and we get 13)!
Numbers
are a universal language—they transcend cultures, borders, and beliefs.
We rely on them every day, often without thinking about their
importance: we use numbers to tell time, to measure out ingredients, to
track milestones, and to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. We even
use numbers to express emotions (for ex., "a million thanks", "on cloud
nine", "at sixes & sevens", etc.), and in everyday phrases (for ex.,
"behind the eight ball", "3 square meals a day", "it takes two to
tango"). Numbers shape our world in both practical and symbolic ways,
and they offer endless opportunities for creative interpretation.
Throughout
the year, our monthly card challenges will be inspired by specific
numbers. Sometimes we’ll explore their everyday meanings, and other
times we might delve into their symbolic or spiritual associations. You
might see references to balance, unity, or celebration, and biblical or
historical symbolism as well. Whichever approach we lead with, it will
always be with the goal of inspiring fun and creativity.
Whether
numbers speak to you mathematically, symbolically, spiritually, or
simply as a design prompt, we hope this theme invites you to think a
little differently, stretch your imagination, and—most of all—have
fun. Let’s make this a year where numbers truly count.
It is a
new year, and thus, time for a fresh start. Since it is our first
challenge of the year and we are starting during the first month of the
year, it is only fitting that our twist this month is the NUMBER ONE. Across cultures and traditions, the number one represents beginnings, unity, and the source from which all things start.
This makes it the perfect number to kick off our creative year. From a
cultural perspective, it is often tied to leadership and
independence. Symbolically, the number one conveys distinctiveness,
initiative, and standing alone. Many faith traditions view the number
one as a reminder of oneness. In the monotheistic religions of
Christianity, Judaism and Islam, the belief is in one God who is the
source of all things. The position that all of life is interconnected
also appears across science, philosophy, and many cultural traditions.
When analyzed conscientiously, it is abundantly clear that nothing can
exist in isolation—everything in this world both affects and is affected
by something else. One may be a single number but oneness is so very
much more!
The first step in our creative journey of crafting by the numbers is to challenge you to create a NEW project--one that you have never made before.
It is time to step outside your comfort zone, explore a new technique
or project, and embrace the excitement that comes with starting at one. If
you tend to only make cards, how about putting together a mixed media
canvas. If digital is normally your thing, complete something totally
handmade. Never made an ATC card before? Well, now is the perfect time
to try it. Whatever project you decide on, new beginnings start here! Be
sure to make it one to remember!!!
Keep in mind though that the twist is completely optional and you don't need to follow it in
order to win. However, in order to be considered eligible for this
month's goodies, remember that general types of projects/posts will not
qualify for the honours and prize UNLESS they are also positive, inspirational,
motivational or encouraging in some nature. Additionally, even if a project may qualify as positive, if your post
promotes negativity, hatred or anything of an abhorrent nature, your
project will be disqualified. Honours and Prize include:
- $6 worth of images from Scribbles Designs, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all qualifying entrants.
- A badge for the following honours: Top Pick, Most Inspirational, Random Winner, DT Delight
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Voice of America. 19 December 2012. Archeologist Says Mayans Did Not Predict Apocalypse [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t0wwbQoxAE.
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Wikipedia Editors. (Unknown). Software versioning. [Online].
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Please note that I used ChatGPT to polish up a few specific sentences throughout the explanation above.
Becca, you are also
entitled to a neat and unique personalized badge for your blog as the Random Winner for Challenge #136 which you can find below... 
