The Law of Three

The word Law, in the title of this post, is used in an absolute sense...universal, if you will.

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By universal is meant: 'through-the-lense-of-unity', or, is in everything. The same can be said of all numbers.

This Threeness can be viewed as +, -, and =...or active, passive, and reconciling. A motive force, a resisting force, and a blending force. Understand the implication -- each individual part of the Threeness has a three fold 'inner-structure' as well...and so on and so forth.

As I am first and foremost a musician, it seems most appropriate that the platform off of which I dive 'into the deep end of the pool' is music. Or, to be more exact, the fundament of music ---- sound.

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Sound is the result of a source of 'active/motive(ating)' energy fixed upon a source of 'resisting' energy, and the 'blending' of the two. The result is a vibration of the passive source. The higher blending with the lower to actualize the middle. This vibration then acts as an active source to the passive source of air, the blending of which results in sound waves/vibration of air. These then are the active source to the passive source of the organs of perception-hearing. Etc.

In the case of modern classical music: The Families of Instruments.

Strings

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The active force is the bow. The resisting force is the string. The blending force combines the two. This results in vibration of the string....which functions as the active source to the passive bridge, the blending of which results in a vibrating bridge. Etc..

Woodwinds

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The active force is the breath/wind. The resisting force is the reed--reed/reed--mouthpiece, or, in the case of flute, the hole in the mouthpiece. Again, the blending force combines the two. Etc..

Brass

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Just like with woodwinds, so with brass. The breath is the active. The lips are the resisting. The the blending is the vibration. Then into mouthpiece. Etc..

Percussion

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The active is the mallet or stick --- an object with which to strike another object/resisting. Etc, etc..
_{this example - of striking - does not apply to all percussion instruments, whose function is, in general, temporal/rhythmic.}

The Human Voice

Rather than go into the relative minutia as I did with the instruments, the human voice serves as a good example for a larger context - the sound of the instrument/voice. There is breath, vocal chords, and resonating-form / skull-head. In the case of the instruments, the resonating form is the instrument itself. The form gives the 'shape' of the sound that the ears 'see'. It is the specific color/timbre.

Sliced Bread

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I am sure most of you have heard the expression "[fill-in-the-blank] is the best thing since sliced bread!"

There is more in this 'expression-of-wisdom' than 'meets-the-eye'. Imagine that there is a loaf of bread which you wish to slice...

_{A slight digression. Intimately connected with the previously mentioned idea of the higher blending with the lower is the concept of scale-of-intelligence --- in the sense of a musical scale.}

... The higher(intelligence) - you(your hand) - blends with the knife(lower-'note'-of-intelligence), the 'resonance' of which is the slicing motion. {Law of Three} The higher(intelligence) - slicing motion - blends with the loaf of bread(lower-intelligence), the 'resonance' of which is the cutting of the loaf. {Law of Three}

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The point is that trinities are (part of) the 'stuff' of reality...as codified in the Christian bible: the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit...

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or in Hinduism: Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva...

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or as symbolized in the Triskelion of the Druids...

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or etc.. This extends upwards/outwards into the Macro and downwards/inwards into the Micro. As above, so below.

In my opinion, most people are trapped in 'seeing' things dualistically, or, if you prefer, in black and white. This is connected with a previous article I wrote, Divide and Conquer.

In Conclusion

I suggest everyone undertake the following experiment: replace the "Lens-of-Two" in your 'reality-viewing-specs' with the aforementioned "Lens-of-Three".

The simplest, and at the same time, the most difficult thing to do is count to ten.

---Homalinadir

edit: clarity