Since the dawn of time, ranging back to the edge of all mortal ken, humanity has recognized the fact that we have a special relationship with the number three. Around the fourth century BCE, the Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote the book, Rhetoric, in which he proposed the term "Omne trium perfectum."
This phrase has since become known as the rule of threes. In essence, it states that people are more likely to take note of things stated or occurring in sets of three. You'll see this in a range of modern advertising campaigns, ancient cultural beliefs, and even artwork or literature.
Threes in Religion and Culture
Let's consider a few examples. In Neopaganism, we see the representation of the triple goddess in her three forms as maiden, mother, and crone. At the same time, these forms are inextricably linked to the three phases of the moon: waxing, full, and waning.
In Norse tradition, we see the example of the three Norns, or spinners, who sit at the foot of the tree of life and spin the tapestries that are the lives of humans. When they cut the thread, your time on Earth is done.
In Greek beliets, we see the Moirai, three sisters named Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos who represent destiny and preordination. The Romans had a similar belief, but their version was called the Parcae.
Even in Christian belief systems, we see the presence of the triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each part is powerful in its own right, but essentially incomplete without the presence of the other two.
Threes in Art and Design
But what does all this mean? Why is humankind fascinated with the concept of threes? Why do we see this pattern in everything around us? Is it something appealing about the symmetry, or lack thereof, that thirds produce?
I'd like to mention one final example, then delve deeper into my thoughts about the rule of threes. If you're an art lover (which you probably are if you're reading this magazine), then you'll be familiar with the golden ratio, the rule of thirds, or the Fibonacci sequence.
Many architectural structures take their form thanks to the Fibonacci Sequence.
The golden ratio (1.618333...) describes the perfect ratio that is appealing to the mind's eye.
The rule of thirds is an almost equivalent form of composition and spacing, but is slightly less exact than the golden ratio and therefore easier to implement. The Fibonacci sequence is when the golden ratio is continuously repeated within a pattern-a famous example being the shell of a nautilus.
Da Vinci's Mona Lisa fits perfectly within the golden ratio, through either the use of spirals or rectangles.
Why are Threes so Attractive?
But now back to the why. Why are we, as humans, so attracted to the number three, and patterns thereof?
It is my firm belief that, in our subconscious minds, humans recognize the fact that there is no completion in either the singular or the plural form. Until the last few centuries, few cultures required people to set such a rigid standard for who and what they were that they felt constricted to be only those things.
If you look at any of the examples mentioned above, you will find that there is completeness only in the union of the three elements.
Whether it's mind, spirit, and body, subconscious, conscious, and superconscious thought, or the perfect blend of three colors, it is only in the amalgamation of all these parts that completion is found.
In Neopaganism, we see three phases of the goddess, three moon phases that are also linked to the tides of the ocean, with differing phases and seasons in our lives. In Christianity, we see that, "A three-strand cord is not easily broken." We also see that the Godhead consists of a Father, a Savior, and a Comforter.
No matter which belief system, culture, or artform you look at, the rule of threes is so deeply ingrained that it is inextricable from many of the other beliefs. When we open our ears to hear, we can hear the echoes of our forebears, and their forebears, even of cultures long lost to us, ringing out the importance of threes.
What if the one warning they've been ringing out is the only one we're not hearing. Today, we live in a society that tries to define us rigidly as one thing. All the time we hear, "I am a poet," or
"I am a businesswoman," or "'m not much, just a mom."
When did we lose the sense of fully being what we are? Today, I give you permission. Whether it takes three things to fulfill you, or three sets of three, go be who you are. Whether that's a writer, a businesswoman and a wife, or an artist, an entrepreneur, and a father, you were not born to be one single thing.
The threes are everywhere, and they are in you, too. Don't be afraid to let them out.
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