Religion, Mythology, Metaphysics
(The Study of Threes)
http://threesology.org
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| In The Beginning page 1 |
In The Beginning page 2 |
In The Beginning page 3 |
In The Beginning page 4 |
In The Beginning page 5 |
In The Beginning page 6 |
In The Beginning page 7 |
Tripartite model of Reason and Faith discussions:
--- Reason and Faith---
Since different readers may come to one of the pages in this series other than the first page, it is necessary that the following paragraph be placed on all of the pages:
In The Beginning... that is, after the development of biology and the semblance of culture after the early hominids and initial emergence of what we of today denote as modern man designated by Cro-Magnons. And yet, "the beginning" is not limited solely to western perspectives of early religious thought and later ideological correlations. And though we of today describe many of the early ideas as myth and legend, those in the past may well have viewed such ideas as being factual. Yet, the point to be made in the present series of "threes" examples is that there was and is a current of thought processing which regularly used patterns-of-three to organize information... or at least we of today use patterns-of-three even if peoples in the past had no particular affection for one or another numerological pattern before or after Pythagoras' formula of "numerology"... and is a word conjuring up the ideas of magic, mystery and mysticism... which is closely related to many religious preoccupations involving "non-rational" (or mere philosophical) themes...
Portal; an opening, entrance, door, gateway, light. The light is not visible to the human eye, except in death. The light is the focal point of entry to a new beginning. This light is the third light that we (Other-plane), speak of when communicating with entity's prior to their release. When someone die, they will either see or not see a bright light. If they can see the light, it means that a portal has opened for them to enter into heaven. The portal will automatically close behind them. A portal may open anywhere and is not confined to a specific location.
We (of Other-plane), have been given the "gift" to release entities. Just before we release an entity, we ask, "How many lights do you see?" an entity will always say "Two." The two lights the entity is talking about refers to the lights that we (Other-plane) emanate.
See:
--- The Light ---
We then open the portal and ask again, "Now how many lights do you see?" The reply is always, "Three." We then bid the entity farewell, then release them and close the portal behind them. A portal may be opened anywhere and at anytime.
When we summon an entity from heaven or when an entity choose to visit someone who is alive, a portal does not open for them to pass through. The reason is that they have already entered heaven and they no longer need a portal. The light and portal is the granting of acceptance into heaven and once there, acceptance/permission for exiting or entering heaven, is not an issue.
What happens when a portal is left opened by us or someone else (who has the ability to open a portal)? If the portal is not closed, entities who have not been released yet or are not --- releasable, --- will sense something is there but will not be able to see the light. The entities may choose to remain at that location thus invoking the sensation of the location being haunted.
3 Buddhist terms indicating the root causes inside the mind which compel humans to act in ways that are recognized as loss of peace are:
- Ta.nhaa (desire)
- Maana (self-aggrandizement)
- Di.t.thi (belief, attachment to one's viewpoint).
Tripartite view of Sulak Sivaraksa (Thai/Siam intellectual):
- Political ruler
- The people
- Sangha Community
...That is, the supreme goal of Theravaada Buddhism, attainment of the state of extinguishment of all defilements or nibbaana (Sanskrit, nirvaa.na), is not possible if the Buddhist cuts himself or herself out of his or her involvement with the social and the political, according to Sulak. Since Buddhism teaches that existence of a self is an illusion, to try to proceed to nibbaana by getting "this individual self of mine" to arrive at salvation is thus a contradiction. Rather one must be aware that one's own self is indistinguishable from that of all others, and in fact that there is no underlying self behind the momentary consciousnesses which are constantly in flux. This means for Sulak that an individual must relate to others, and any attempt to cut oneself off from such relation is a presupposition of an individual self in the first place...
Journal of Buddhist Ethics
Online Conference on Buddhism and Human Rights
1-14 October 1995
Buddhism and Human Rights in the thoughts of Sulak Sivaraksa and Phra Dhammapidok (Prayudh Prayutto)
Soraj Hongladarom
Department of Philosophy
Faculty of Arts
Chulalongkorn University
Bangkok 10330, THAILAND
Some people consider the very fact that there exists a notion about the "self" in Buddhist teachings indicates that even Buddhist monks practice personalized meditations on this topic, and that such individualized considerations are themselves activities of a "self." No less, for Buddhists to make a distinction between a person who is a monk and who is not a monk, or who is a woman and who is not a woman, or who is a child and who is not a child, are all examples of wide-spread views which apply personal attributes defining a person as a "self." Additionally, to not acknowledge the "self" in any sense would mean that individual amino acids could not be recognized, the day from the night could not be recognized, the sour from the sweet could not be recognized, the tall from the short, protons from neutrons, fat from skinny, mother from father, Thai from Chinese, etc...could not be distinguished. The concerns with the topic of the "self" are based on an unspoken (but not verified) acceptance that human existence is of lasting importance, and is not itself just another type of organic vehicle which helps to transport genetic material, molecules, and atoms from place to place...H.O.B.
Three-patterned references in Taoist (Daoist) philosophy/ religion: (Three Pure Ones (San Qing [San-ch'ing])
- Jade Pure (Yu Qing [Yu-ch'ing])
- Upper Pure (Shang Qing [Shang-ch'ing])
- Great Pure (Tai Qing [T'ai-ch'ing])
They are believed to be different manifestations of Lao Tzu. They are not rulers, but rather seek to save mankind by teaching and benevolence.
In a place with Yu-ch'ing lives Yuan-shih T'ien-tsun and the Holy Men (sheng-jen). With Shang-ch'ing lives Ling-pao T'ien-tsun (Spiritual Treasure Honoured by Heaven) and the Heroes. T'ai-ch'ing is the direct manifestation of Lao Tzu. He holds a fan, symbol of his powers, on which are written the yin-yang symbol and the Big Dipper.
Three Officials (San Guan [San-kuan])
- Ruler of Heaven (Tian Guan [T'ien-kuan]): Grants happiness
- Ruler of Earth (Di Guan [Ti-kuan]): Grants remissions of sins
- Ruler of Water (Shui Guan [Shui-kuan]): Averts all evil
The San-kuan rule over all things in the three regions of the universe, keep a register of good and evil deeds and award good or bad fortune accordingly. T'ien-kuan, the Ruler of Heaven, grants happiness. Ti-kuan, Ruler of Earth, grants remissions of sins, and Shui-kuan, Ruler of Water, averts all evil. Their compassion for all people is unbounded. The San-kuan originated in a rite from the time of the Yellow-Turban Taoists.
Three Epochs/Principles (San Yuan [San-yuan])
- Shang Yuan [Shang-yuan] : Ruled first six moons (winter and spring)
- Xia Yuan [Hsia-yuan] : Ruled 7th and 8th moons (summer)
- Zhong Yuan [Chung-yuan] : Ruled 9th thru 11th moons (fall)
--- The Taoist Deities ---
3 Mao Brothers: Mao Ying, Mao Gu, and Mao Zhong were brothers born at Jun Qu Mountain in Jiangsu Province 150-141 BCE. When Mao Ying was 18, he ran away to Heng Mountain in Shanxi Province in order to practice Taoist cultivation. After 31 years he returned to Jun Qu Mountain with miraculous healing powers. Mao Ying's brothers, who were government officials at the time, saw Mao Ying's level of cultivation and decided to dedicate themselves to Taoism. The three became very famous as mystics and healers, and are each believed to have ascended to Immortality. After their physical deaths Jun Qu Mountain was renamed Mao Mountain in their honor.
Trinity of persons at the head of the Taoist Pantheon:
- Yuen-shi-t'ien-tsun, "the honoured one of heaven, first in time", residing in "the jade-stone region", who created the three worlds.
- Ling-pan-t'ien-tsun, "the honored one of heaven who is valued and powerful", residing in the "upper pure region", collector of the sacred books, calculator of the succession of time, and the regulator of the two principles yin and yang.
- Lao-tze, who exposed to mankind the doctrines uttered by the first person in the trinity and collected in the form of books by the second.
Links page for additional resources of the Tao:
The name of God used in Genesis 1 is Elohim, a uniplural noun:
- "El" is singular,
- "Eloah" is dual,
- whereas "Elohim" apparently implies three or more persons.
Three types of masks used in Balinese dramas: Humans, Animals, and Demons:
3 types of Satanism: (Religious, Gothic, Dabbling)
Religious Satanism: This religion recognizes Satan, either as a deity or (more likely) as a life principle. Followers are usually serious adults, although a few are mature teenagers. Three main traditions exist:
- The --- Church of Satan ---
- The Temple of Set
- The Church of Satanic Liberation.
Other short-lived Satanic groups currently exist and have existed in the recent past. According to Statistic Canada, the 1991 census found only 335 Canadians who identified themselves as Satanists. This would imply that there are about 3,500 Satanists in the U.S. The actual number is probably significantly larger. A US Department of the Army pamphlet #165-13 estimated that there were 10 to 20 thousand members of the Church of Satan in the US during the late 1970's.
Gothic Satanism:
It is an imaginary, profoundly evil religion that was invented during the late Middle Ages by the Christian church. These Satanists were said to ritually kill children, boil down their bodies to make magical implements, sell their soul to the devil, break crucifixes, conduct black masses, bring hail storms to damage crops, cause disease in farm animals and humans, etc.,. They were said to totally dedicate their life to harming others.
The church's creation of Gothic Satanism legitimized the "--- burning times --- in which tens of thousands of religious heretics, mentally ill people, and supremely unlucky individuals were burned at the stake (in Roman Catholic countries) or hung (in Protestant countries). Gothic Satanism has never existed in the past as an organization, and does not exist today, except in the imagination of the public, and in horror movies. Belief in the reality of Satan-worshiping witches remains widespread in North America today, particularly among conservative Protestants.
Satanic Dabbling: This is a syncretistic religion which blends elements taken from Religious Satanism, ceremonial Magic, --- Wicca --- and any other useful source of ritual that the followers can find. Frequently, writings about Gothic Satanism by Evangelical or Fundamentalist Christian authors are added to the mix. It is typically practiced by rebellious teenagers or young adults -- generally for a short time. They probably number in the tens or hundreds of thousands at any one instant in North America. An exact estimate is impossible to obtain, since they are totally devoid of any central organization.
3 to 1 ratio of quasi-Satanism:
- 1 of 3. Serial murderers
- 2 of 3. Psychotic murderers
- 3 of 3. Child molesters
- 1 of 1. Heavy metal rock bands- (Some musicians pretend to be associated with Satanism. Their main motivation is to gain notoriety and capture free publicity.)
3 types of ceremony incorporated in the practice of Satanic magic. (Each of these correspond to a basic human emotion.):
- The sex ritual- A sex ritual is what is commonly known as a love charm or spell. The purpose in performing such a ritual is to create desire on the part of the person whom you desire, or to summon a sex partner to fulfill your desires. If you have no specific person or type of person in mind strong enough to cause direct sexual feeling culminating in orgasm, you will not succeed in performing a successful working. The reason for this is that even if the ritual was successful, by accident, what good would it serve if you could not take advantage of your eventual opportunity because of lack of stimulation or desire? It is easy to confuse enchantment for your ulterior motives, with spell-casting to satisfy your sexual desires.
- The compassionate nature ritual- The compassion, or sentiment, ritual is performed for the purpose of helping others, or helping oneself. Health, domestic happiness, business activities, material success, and scholastic prowess are but a few of the situations covered in a compassion ritual. It might be said that this form of ceremony could fall into the realm of genuine charity, bearing in mind that "charity begins at home."
- The destruction ritual- This is a ceremony used for anger, annoyance, disdain, contempt, or just plain hate. It is known as a hex, curse, or destroying agent.
Three references to the meaning of a Sect:
- A religious denomination.
- A dissenting religious group, formed as the result of schism (division; separation). In this case, the term also borrows from the Latin sectus, which means "cut" or "divide."
- A group adhering to a distinctive doctrine or leader.
3 formulations of the anthropic principle by Walter James ReMine (a creationist perspective):
- Tautology: the universe has the (observable) properties for life because we live (and observe). ReMine says (p. 174) that ‘a tautology is a definition masquerading as an explanation’.
- Metaphysical: there are an infinite number of universes unlike our own. We are in one of the ones suitable for life (this is untestable — how could you test whether there are other ‘universes’?)
- Lame: the constants take on the values restricted by the requirement that there are sites where carbon-based life can evolve and by the requirement that the universe be old enough for it to have already done so (after Barrow and Tipler1). This statement explains nothing and is therefore lame.
The Law of Threes or the Law of Return is believed by many witches, which states that every energy the Witch sends forth returns to her/him threefold. Therefore, treat others with love, generosity, and respect, and receive these things back threefold. Witches generally view the world holistically, seeing all parts of existence, whether spiritual, intellectual, or sensual, as interconnected. One of the most common teachings in the Craft is to love and respect life in all its forms.
3 to 1 ratio "snow angel" configuration:
3 triangles to 1 sphere. This configuration is the result of someone lying on snow (or sand) and using their body as three different "sculpting tools":
- Their head is kept relatively motionless.
- Both arms are (typically) moved up and down (towards head and feet) in a simultaneous manner several times.
- Both legs are (typically) moved in and out (together and apart) several times.
Tripartite social divisions amongst the Druid culture:
- The Druids- were equivalent to the clergy class.
- Sacrificers- the name being somewhat of a misnomer- who were of a warrior-type class.
- The Bards- the equivalent of an artist or trade class, and new initiates or followers, who were like serfs and assisted
with the menial or mundane duties of the order.
The Druids are responsible for many occult systems and religious symbolisms used today by practitioners of many beliefs and traditions- among them Christianity, Judaism, and Wicca. Among them are the uses of the number three, and of tripods or Trinities as evidenced by one of the Druids' chief symbols, The Triscale, a swirling image of three lines coming together to a circle in balance. Also the use of the trees and their different energies and properties in folk magic practices that survive even to this day, as well as countless other ideologies on polarity, balance, meditation, and macro/microcosmic cycles within life. They have contributed immensely to the foundation of society in Europe, and the world over.
The number "3" also is an expression of the social order in its fullness and particularly the threefold structure of Indo-European society. According to Georges Dumezil, if all social structures are analyzed, it will be found that this threefold division only evolved into an all embracing world-view and value structure among particular peoples. Although its origins are unknown, this threefold division of duties or orders is perfectly clear. It is given expression in various triads which easily embrace religion, warfare and work; kingship, martial strength and fecundity; the priesthood, power and productivity; priests, warriors and producers (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva); Brahmans, Kshatriyas (warriors) and Vaishyas (farmers and merchants), Shudras or slaves being as it were outcasts (another 3 to 1 ratio, with "outcasts" relegated to some unessential, not-to-be-counted, of a lesser value position by typical Dumezilian theory....H.O.B.); Jupiter, Mars and Quirinus; Executive, Judicial, and Legislative branches; the senatorial, equestrian and plebeian orders. Interaction takes place between the socio-political and the mythological organizations, each structure being reflected in the other, but they do not always develop at the same pace. Myth changes more slowly than reality, although sometimes it may anticipate it. |
The Indo-Europeans are the third-born group of humans with respect to the Out-of-Africa hypothesis, which concerns the emergence of hominid development. The Africans were first-born, and the Asians were second-born. We can even refer to Indo-Europeans as the 3rd-born group of Africans. It is interesting to note that it is the 3rd-born group which exhibits a predominant preference for a three-patterned world. Is it that we are somehow programmed to see the triplicity? Or is there really a tripartite structure to the cosmos?
It is the 3rd-born group of humans that exhibits, according to the scholar Georges Dumezil, a tripartite socio-religious structure commonly labeled with the three divisions ("functions") of Priests~ Warriors~ Artisans/cultivators. The American usage of Executive~ Legislative~ Judicial branches is said to have a type of correlation aspect. The tripartite structure as formulated by Dumezil and his followers is said to be a unique formula characteristic of Indo-Europeans and of no other group of peoples. However, there are some, such as Dr. Colin Renfrew, who suggest that the tripartite social structure exhibited by the Buryat Mongols is an example of a faulty design in Dumezilian analysis. Also, others suggest that the three-patterned views exhibited by the Japanese (or other Asian peoples) is another refutation of Dumezilian ideas... whereas, the Dumezilian idea is but another example of a larger body of "threeness" orientation throughout the world and this realization means that there is another explanation which needs to be consider in order to understand how the "three" continues to crop up from generation to generation is different subject areas.
Yet, no one (to my knowledge) has written of the consideration that these two examples, when examined closely, represent a link towards understanding the development of triadic thinking in terms of transitional stages in hominid development, and Indo-European influence. The Japanese cultural usage of "threes" obscures from viewing such a usage as representing the Japanese as a later-born Asian group, and that the Japanese were greatly influenced by the presence of Americans (Indo-Europeans) during the reparation stages following the atomic bomb droppings in World War Two. The Buryat Mongols' usage of a tripartite social structure is no doubt evidence for developmental overlappings occurring with hominid groups, as well as indicating there may have been cultural ideological exchanges in the distant past.
If the usage of a tripartite perspective of the world is linked to an underlying cognitive template due to a three-patterned biological substrate, there would no doubt have to be instances of developmental overlap. In some cases, the existence of one example may be all that is left due to decay or misinterpretation by researchers who are not aware of the existence of a 1~ 2~ 3 maturational development sequence that may have been initially influenced by some environmental event(s). Yet, if this is so, then even those cultures which appear to make usage of some other enumerated patterned as a cultural orientation, also utilize the same pattern in other ways. (A dominant culturally-enmeshed orientation may conceal the presence of one or more other "dominant" patterns because of linguistic practices supported by cultural ceremonies.) Other cultural variations may be buried in undiscovered artifacts or artifacts that have been uncovered but are misidentified, and perhaps even (intentionally?) placed in some forgotten museum drawer.
Three Schools of Biblical Interpretation:
- Thus the use of allegory as a method of interpretation became firmly established within Christianity, and was highly favored among the Greeks. Keep in mind that Greeks emphasized Logos which is abstract thought, idea. Greek Christians liked to play around with theological ideas and concepts and were always striving to find hidden mysteries. The School of Alexandria was famous for its allegorical exegesis. Exegesis is a Greek word for "interpretation" and it literally means "to lead out, draw forth." (Exegesis applies to all types of interpretation.)
- Eventually, Syriac Christians in the School of Antioch reacted to what they perceived as fanciful and even far-fetched Alexandrian allegories. Instead, the Syriac Christian stressing Dabar, concrete word and deed, preferred to interpret the Bible in a more historical and literal fashion. The Scriptures were written records of God's deeds and were simply to be believed and understood on a face-value level, not "twisted" into deeper hidden meanings. Syriac believers also favored a literary method of analysis, understanding the Bible as poetry, prose etc.
- The Latin Christians, on the other hand, were fond of yet another method of interpretation: figurative, also known as typological. Latins who focused on Verbum, an accurate word, were concerned about Law and Order. The Scriptures were to be interpreted figuratively to establish moral meanings. The figurative level of interpretation is deeper than a literal view (you need to use your head and figure out what it means); yet this level is not as deep and imaginative as the allegorical. The Scriptures are Codes of moral behavior, highly stressed by the Roman tradition (see the Shepherd of Hermas).
The above analysis, however, in no way means that Greeks didn't use historical/literary methods and weren't concerned with moral values. And the same applies respectively for Syrians and Latins vice versa. Nevertheless, in the broad scheme of things, each culture by and large tended to accentuate a certain method of interpretation over another. Individual authors, however, might have advocated a more inclusive and balanced point of view.
by Dr. Daniel F. Stramara, Jr. - Rockhurst University
For a small Time-Line list of encounters with various unusual phenomena:
Initial Posting (approx.): 26th March 2012... 10:07 AM
Updated Posting: 11th June 2018... 11:25 AM
Herb O. Buckland
herbobuckland@hotmail.com