Soul of the Rose - cross-stitch

 I've started doing cross-stitch again, after many years away from it.  Really enjoying it too.  I know what you're thinking - 'why is she posting about cross-stitch in a Tarot blog?'  The answer is that i find cross-stitch to be deeply spiritual.  When I'm working away with the needle, my mind goes into that special place that is receptive to new things, ideas, and is open.  It's relaxing and mediative.

I'm currently working on a piece which is suitable for my user-name - it's a version of Waterhouse's 'Soul of the Rose':

So far I've done the top of her shoulder.  It's quite a complex pattern, though not overly so - I've followed more difficult ones.  There's quite a lot of half cross-stitches, so that should speed the process up a bit, and there's only a little backstitching on the lady herself and on the roses.  There's a few combined colours, but no-where near as bad as some I've done.  I don;t mind the odd combined colour, but when every single colour is combined, it gets very annoying.  There's only a couple of places where the canvas is allowed to show through, so virtually the whole canvas will be stitched (quite rare for me, I'm used to designs where most of the background is the canvas!)

A few new challenges, but enjoyable!  I started this piece on the 18th June.  I've just bought myself a new small thread-holder, so I'm busy wrapping all the threads up to keep them safe in there (a bit different from the usual tangled threads in the bottom of a bag!)  One of the girls at work who I've become friendly with has also given me some BEAUTIFUL charts for free - a couple of medieval style ones, an Arthurian sampler, and a Faery one.  The medieval triptych of a maiden, a castle and knight looks the most complex, but WOW, it's stunning.  The other medieval one is a knight and maiden, called a 'Chance Encounter'.  

I've had a quick look online, and found images of some of them, if anyone's interested:

 - this one's in black and white on the preview, but the actual stitches are in colour.  I have NO colour reference for it, so it'll be VERY interesting to see how it turns out!

No image for Chance Encounter, one of the medieval ones.

The Camelot sampler.  I LOVE the shape of this.  Some tough stitches in there though - wrapped backstitch, four-sided, herringbone, laisy daisy etc.  Still, I can't wait to have this hanging like a banner in my room.  The text, since it's quite a small image, is the text written on the sword in the stone - 'Whosoever pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil is the true-born King of England'.  Remember, the Sword in the Stone is NOT Excalibur!

The other medieval-based one, the Triptych:

Numerology Reading

I'm not great with Numerology, so it was interesting to see what this reader came up with.  To be honest, I've had more accurate readings (see previous posts), and this seemed to be rather generic, but it was still interesting, nevertheless.

Here's what he said:

Averil, you have a very interesting numerology chart!

Based on your date of birth (June 24, 1985), along with your name as given at birth (Averil Elizabeth White), your numerology chart tells you that: - Your 'Life Path' is *8* - Your 'Expression' is *4* - Your 'Soul Urge' is *4* This is indeed a very unique combination of numbers!

Let's jump right in by starting to analyze your numerology chart ...

The best place to start is with one of the most basic calculations ... your "life path" -- based on your birth date of June 24, 1985 -- is 8.

Your month of birth is June, which is the 6th month. As 6 is a single digit, there's nothing to add here. Your day of birth is the 24th. Adding 2 + 4 gives us 6 Your year of birth is 1985. Adding 1 + 9 + 8 + 5 gives us 23. Adding 2 + 3 gives us 5 The totals, then, are 6, 6, and 5. To get our final answer, we add these three numbers together to give us 17: Adding 1 + 7 gives us 8 Here's how it looks in the Life Path Calculation Chart Read the each line from left to right, it shows the life path calculation for your month, day, year and how they are reduced together to arrive at your life path number. You are a natural born winner who is destined to make a lot of money. You are confident, charismatic and most comfortable in dealing with practical, down-to-earth affairs. You are blessed with an extraordinary drive and ambition as well as a fierce competitive spirit that gives you a definite edge in career and business. You thrive best in a job that has a predictable routine and a tall social ladder to climb. You take great pride in your physical appearance (er....not really.)and often appear very attractive to the opposite sex (yeeeah..... so why am I still single??), which is only a hazard if the romance happens on the job (unlikely!). You have excellent taste in clothes and know how to gain the focus of an entire room of strangers. (Nope.  I'm the one hiding in the corner.) You don't have much patience with people who are dreamy or mystical in nature and are a rationalist at heart. (Really, no.  I'm mystical and dreamy in nature myself.) You believe that an effect follows a definite cause and that logic and efficiency is what produces results in life. You are ruled by head and not your heart, (Nope.  I'm ruled by my heart, totally) especially in matters of business. Sometimes this gives you a bit of a reputation for being cut throat. Sometimes you are not so much respected as feared by those that you lead. (No - again, I don't have the heart for that - I'm too emotional) You are also the most status conscious of all of the numbers and aspire to be a pillar of the community. (I try to help people, but that's all. I don;t aspire to lead.) However, one of your life challenges might be to learn how to share your wealth in a truly philanthropic way rather than try to appear charitable for appearance's sake. (Again, no - I truly want to help people, that is my raison d'être in life.) Your will and determination to succeed is unrivalled by any other number. (Now there is a slight truth to that - I am resilient and stubborn!) Once you conceive of an idea you have absolutely no problem sticking with it and seeing it through to completion even if it takes a number of years. Often you win at the game of life because you had the tenacity to be the last man standing. (True there.) You tend to be connected more to material wealth than spiritual wealth and to lust more than sex. (Er.... no.  I'm more spiritualistic than materialistic, and I believe fully in true love.) Many of you marry for social reasons or because the individual seems right for the position of spouse. (I don;t even hold with that idea.  Marriage is for showing your love and commitment to the other person, not for social reasons or to advance your position!  What a medieval idea!) Your family unit often conceals a lot of secrets as when these relationships do not work out, you cannot bear the humiliation of separation or divorce. Although you have a lot of courage in other areas of your life you often don't have the courage to end a bad relationships for fear of what others might think. (Again, seriously wrong.  Everyone I know knows that I don't give two hoots what others think of what I do.) Often the strength of your personality is overwhelming for those who come into contact with you. This strong personality is fantastic when it comes to career but it can damage your relationships with family and friends. Many 8's do not have real friends but rather a collection of individuals who admire their power. Likewise there is a tendency for your family or children to feel neglected as your career takes precedence over their emotional demands. One of your life challenges is to avoid dedicating your entire life to material success and allowing for spontaneity and love in your life.  (I do have a strong personality, that's true, but I don't overpower people.) You are also very athletic and likely to be good at sports. As you like to play as hard as you work you enjoy any past time that is competitive including golf, chess, equestrian pursuits.  (pffff!  Athlectic, me??  I like fencing and swimming, but that's it.) Your Expression - which describes your potential natural talents and abilities - works out to be a 4.   The height of self-expression for you is when you are caught up on all of your work, the house is clean, the bills are paid and everything is in perfect order. You are the number that covets civilization and all of its contents the most. If life could be defined as a machine you are the nuts and bolts that holds everything together.  (No.  I'm most content and feel the height of self-expression for me is when I'm being creative!) You believe that action speaks volumes more than words and express your respect and love for others by using a practical down-to-earth approach. You believe the greatest path to your own personal truth is to live by your personal convictions. For this reason, you are often very concerned with taking care of yourself, maintaining your belongings and property and making sure that your family and children are well cared for.  (I am very caring when it comes to others.) You are a diligent, hard worker who is always willing to lend a helping hand but only if it is for the good of all concerned. You don't have much patience with arrogant people and you openly express your dislike of people you consider to be controlling or pushy. (True!!) Sometimes this resistance expresses itself as an outright defiance of authority. You are very courageous and almost always right but often your willingness to fall on your own sword for the sake of principle also makes you "dead right."  (Again, true!) You love nature and especially gardening and landscaping. You may express your love for the earth by participating in ecological and animal preservation causes. Number 4's often also own many pets and many relate to their pets better than they relate to people.  (Ah, finally - something that truly relates to me!) As you can be quite rigid in your opinions, you often end up in many arguments. One of your challenges may be to learn to express yourself in a way that does not seem autocratic or bossy to others. (I did used to, but I've learned to be flexible.) You also have very strong likes and dislikes that can seem prejudiced or overly biased to others. (Not really.  I'm very openminded.) This can hold you back both professionally and personally. When it comes to love you is a very attentive and loyal partner. Sometimes to get attention you may play with a lover's insecurities. Among your negative tendencies is creating jealousy or suspicion on purpose or being obsessive or possessive. (Fair enough!) Your role in society is to create structures that bring fulfillment to the highest of human aspirations. You are a wonderful planner and administrator (administrator is true enough - I've been described as the best clerk in the office!!) and you know how to facilitate organizations and services that meet people's needs. Many fours are skilled at carpentry, sewing, horticulture, and interior decoration. Many of you are good with your hands, which make you excellent sculptors and surgeons. (I am good with my hands - I do a lot of creative things) You are creative, intelligent and have an attentiveness to detail that can border on obsession. Your self-discipline and willingness to practice until something is perfect also leads fours to careers in performance, especially athletics and music. Your personal style is casual yet tasteful. Your budget often also determines what you wear, as you don't believe in spending money foolishly. You judge people by their inner beauty and not their outer appearance. The people you judge most favorably, however are those that agree with your opinions. Your insistence on financial security, charity and the stewardship of the young often makes you a pillar of the community at a very young age. The passing down of wisdom is often how a number four can best express their love of their community. (I agree with all of that.) Soul Urge We have already done all the mathematics necessary to work out this number. It is simply the total of the top row (the vowels) of your full birth name. In your case Averil, this totals 4. Your soul craves stability, beauty and order. You are continually distressed by the natural chaos that often describes life and your own life may be entirely devoted to restoring things to balance. This often leaves dutiful and responsible number fours to a long life of service or slaving away for individuals who don't seem to appreciate all that you do for them.  (VERY true.) You are decisive, thorough and intolerant by nature and nothing disturbs you more than a messy room, undone dishes or unclipped grass. Your spirit often moves you to accomplish ten times as much as most people would in a day as you set about combating decay and dirt.  (God no.  Totally the opposite!) Your motivation for being obsessed with the appearance of things is that you truly do believe that "cleanliness is next to Godliness." You don't believe that love can thrive in a disorderly house. You are a natural Feng Shui practitioner when it comes to decluttering and arranging furniture because you intuitively realize that not paying attention to these things can create energy blocks to prosperity and love.  (OK... *looks at her tip of a room and laughs* No way!!) The problem is that often others find your perfectionist nature very hard to live with. (I'm nothing LIKE a perfectionist!!) Your insistence on order often results in disorder as others rebel against what they see as an attempt to control them or tell them how to live. Fours often have difficulty with teenagers and children as they don't always appreciate a child's need to let loose and create.  (Totally wrong - I feel most comfortable with children and animals - I'm a loose creative person myself.) Controlling your immediate surroundings is very important for you both at home and at work. Life often has you feeling powerless so controlling the little details makes you feel more emotionally secure. Unfortunately this tendency can extend to trying to control the behavior of your family, friends and coworkers. This earns you a reputation for being stern, pushy and stubborn.  (I am stubborn, but that's it!  Mum always says I'm so liad back, I'm horizontal!!) You secretly resent people who seem to be unconventional or free thinkers as you consider yourself to be among the ones that work very hard to keep the fabric of society stitched together. (God no!) As your own self-esteem is gauged by how hard you work you have absolutely zero tolerance for those who seem intent on questioning or destroying the values that you have slaved so hard to maintain. (No...I'm one of the ones questioning everything!) Often when you are feeling insecure your sense of humor completely disappears.  (true) You sometimes forget your own strength when it comes to influencing other people. You are very powerful astrally foul moods are like a dark cloud whose stench paralyzes and demoralizes all that come into contact with it. You can do more damage to someone's psyche with a single sour look. You need to remember that you have the capability to traumatize a person for life. This is a valuable skill when it comes to protecting your territory or setting boundaries but it is not healthy for your children or your spouse. (That is true, I think.  I've had someone mention my eyes and 'looking thunderclouds' as she put it, before.) However when you are in a sunny mood there is nobody more delightful to be with you. Love radiates from you like the light of the sun and your life is full of love and laughter. You are a respected member of the community and others seek out your approval and advice. (True, also, I think.  I do tend to get most people coming to me to pour out their troubles to.  I'm a good listener.) In order to make yourself and others the happiest, you need to learn not to be so rigid in your thinking or so dogmatic in your actions. Although you get a kind of Zen high from repetitive chores others are often bored to tears. (No, I get bored too!  But like I also said above, I'm very openminded too. ) Tolerance and forgiveness of those who are not able to meet your high personal expectations will go a long way towards creating a happy household and peaceful work place for you.