Power of Threes in Modern Life

Have you ever noticed how often we come across groups of three things in everyday life? If you are a parent you can almost guarantee that when a teenager wants you to do something for them, act as a taxi service for example, they will give you three reasons as to why it is vital that you do as they request.

If you have younger children, and/or can remember tales from your own childhood, how many times did the characters in the story appear in groups of three? Three little pigs, Goldilocks and the three bears, three sisters or brothers, the list is endless. And usually, the character to be described last was the most important one for the purposes of the story.

The next time you listen to or read a speech from a prominent public figure, just make a mental note of how many times the speaker uses a list of three things to persuade you to their way of thinking.

 Ex-US President Barack Obama is an excellent example of the power of the rule of three. Not only was his campaign slogan made up of just three words “Yes We Can” but his speeches are littered with groups of three. Ideas, images, statements, all of these are made more memorable if they are communicated in threes. In his famous 2008 Presidential acceptance speech, Barack Obama used this technique at least 12 times. This is partly the reason that his speeches are so lyrical in quality. It also makes the whole thing a lot more memorable. It seems that the human brain is ideally suited to digesting information in groups of three.

Our brains seek patterns in everything, and we are constantly looking for connections and relationships in the world around us. We need to find these connections in order to give our world meaning and three is the smallest number we need to create a pattern. Three provides us with the perfect combination of brevity and rhythm. 

Using the Rule of Three to Benefit You

Anyone can use this technique to improve the quality and effectiveness of their communication in everyday life, at work, and at home.

• Repeat just one word three times. Tony Blair did this with his “Education, Education and Education” speech
• Use three different words. “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
• Three phrases, as in Abraham Lincoln’s “government of the people, by the people, for the people”
• Put the longest item last: “The inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”

Power of Threes in Spiritual Practice

You will find that this rule holds good for any manifestation or affirmation work you are doing. When you communicate your intentions to the Universe you may find that you naturally use threes to describe what you want to have, achieve or accomplish. Once you are aware of the power of this technique you can consciously create more effective statements of intent. These may be for the purposes of charging a crystal, creating a mantra, or offering up a prayer.

In Wiccan and Pagan lore, the rule of three, sometimes called the three-fold law, states that whatever energy you put out into the world will be returned to you threefold. The implications are clear! Focus on sending positive thoughts and ideas out and you will receive back positivity tripled in intensity. However, constantly using language that is negative, complaining, or bitter will ensure that you receive these undesirable qualities into your life in greater measure.

Using Objects and Artefacts

The most obvious shape to consider when talking about threes is the triangle. The symbol of the triangle is the most widely used of all in countless belief systems, rituals, and religious observances across all cultures and in all corners of the world. Symbols have meanings, and getting to know the power of the number three can help you to unlock its magic in your own life. The symbol of the triangle has long been used to explain how to manifest the things you want in your life.  The mental plane is our mind

The triangle represents the three planes of existence which we experience in our journey of consciousness; the physical plane is our body and the material world around us; the mental plane is our mind, the thoughts we have, the things we imagine, and the ideas we come up with; the astral plane is our spirit or soul.

The magic of the number three lies in its correspondence to thoughts, emotions, and actions. Your thoughts and emotions govern your actions. Your actions lead to outcomes and consequences and thus to the manifestation of an event or situation on the physical plane.

You can see how important it is to be aware of this if you take a concrete example and follow its course through to its inevitable end. Let us say that you become plagued by suspicions about your partner’s fidelity. These thoughts have an energy of their own and will lead to your feeling the emotion of jealousy, amongst other equally undesirable feelings. This feeling of jealousy will slowly begin to erode the trust you had in your partner until you take action. This action could well consist of a confrontation with your partner from which neither of you really recover. Thus, the thoughts you began with could easily lead to the destruction of your relationship.

Being aware of this interaction can give us the power to manifest a different outcome. Once you accept that your thoughts and emotions ultimately control your actions you can make a conscious choice to put only positive energies into them, knowing that they will determine the outcome you physically experience in life.

The Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone

This powerful archetype is almost as widely used in different traditions and cultures as the triangle. Although it obviously refers to females, the archetype is equally relevant to males. Think in terms of the three major stages of life and we get child, parent, and adult. All of us slip between these three constantly, sometimes without being aware of it. Any parent will recognize the scenario of the child taking charge whilst they themselves revert back to childlike behavior. This is neither right nor wrong, but being aware of it is often enough to bring about a positive solution or outcome to troubled relationships within families.

Past, Present, and Future 

We need to address the concept of time if we are to grow and develop spiritually and healthily. If we spend too much time in the past, perhaps regretting what has gone, mourning our losses, or hankering after an idealized version of ourselves we risk missing out on the happiness we could be having right now.

Likewise, if we are always looking into the future, and saying things like “Once this is over…” or “When I’ve earned enough…” we risk wishing our lives away and again missing out on the joy we could be experiencing in the present.

Mind, Body, and Spirit

By now you will probably be hyper-aware of how much we humans love the number three! The connection between the mind and the body is extremely well researched and documented and most of us realize that when we allow ourselves to be pushed to our emotional and mental limits we are more than likely going to end up with a serious case of burn out, or worse, as our physical bodies take charge and force us to stop.

If we accept that the body reacts to stress, anxiety, and other conditions that begin in the mind, we must also accept that our spirit will also be impacted by an imbalance between the three. If you are developing your spiritual side it can be very useful to keep a pyramid or triangle of some sort nearby to remind you that you also need to take good care of your physical health whilst you are nurturing your soul connections. 

Passing Over

We often notice how things happen in threes in our lives. More often than not, we tend to notice when three of our household appliances break down, or when three “bad” things happen, but we can easily miss the blessings and the good things that also occur in groups of three.

It is true that people in nursing homes and hospitals do seem to die in threes. Whilst this is, of course, distressing for their loved ones, we have to remember that death is simply another aspect of life; we will all die eventually and none of us want to linger in pain or misery when it is our time to go. Try to focus on the blessings of every situation and your own mental and emotional will benefit.

The next time you find yourself saying things like “That was lucky!” bring your awareness to your whole life situation and see if you can also identify other things that have brought you a positive result. 

Using a simple tool, such as a triangle or pyramid, to remind you of the significance of the rule of three can really help you to maintain your physical health. Do you remember the famous advertising slogan of a very well-known British chocolate bar? Apparently one a day would help you to “Work, Rest and Play”. The claim is a dubious one these days, but the sentiment still holds good. We need a balance of all three in our daily lives if we are to feel good and maintain a high level of fitness and well-being. This applies to all aspects of our existence, of course, Mind, Body, and Spirit.

Crystals and Threes

Crystals make excellent companions in any spiritual or metaphysical work and can be found in the most beautiful colors and designs in pyramid shapes. They are also small enough to have on your desk or nightstand or to carry with you.  If you prefer artwork as your inspiration the occurrence of threes in this field is also prolific. Creating your own patterns or artifacts incorporating three things that mean a lot to you is a wonderful way to soothe your spirit.

You can also combine three crystals in your spiritual practices. When working on your chakras, for example, try combining Clear Quartz and Jasper with any of the chakra stones. For example, using the energies of Clear Quartz and Jasper alongside Black Tourmaline when you want to feel more grounded through your Base chakra will bring healing vibrations to the practice. The Clear Quartz will speed up the process and will also amplify the energies of the other two stones. This combination is good for dispelling negative energies from your aura and bringing you well and truly into the present.

Amethyst also makes an ideal companion to crystals such as Sapphire and Lapis Lazuli if you need to improve your communication abilities. These crystals have a powerful effect on the Throat chakra, activating and opening it so that communication flows smoothly. The cleansing and supportive energies of Amethyst are also very useful if you need to work on the way you talk to yourself. Amethyst helps you to let go of self-criticism, self-denial, and any lies you may be telling yourself.

The combination of crystals in all metaphysical work is obviously a much larger topic than we have room for here, but a good place to start your own research is to find out which crystals combine well with others in your own collections. Once you start to learn about the properties of the multitude of crystals available you may well find yourself immersed in a whole new hobby or course of study!