Three things...

Three things eh?  I typed that last line and thought about it. Three. Not one, not two, not four, not seven.  Three. Tree. Trois. Tre. Tres. Trzy. Tri. Tris. Drei and so on and so third.  Okay, so there are variations on Kolm too but hey…

Three is the first – first odd prime, first Fermat prime, first Mersenne prime (what’s a Mersenne prime?). It’s the first lucky prime. It’s a triangle. It’s the fifth Fibonacci number and the third that is unique.

In gematria the number three is represented by the Hebrew letter gimel symbolising a person in motion; the running of the rich to the poor, the full to the empty. Gimel derives from gemul, the giving of reward as well as punishment. Freedom of choice. The run and return of the soul between its divine source and its physical abode. The expansion and contraction of Infinite Light in the process of Creation. A camel, a bridge, benevolence. Weaning – becoming independent.

And I pondered and wandered further looking at three in anatomy, in chemistry, in biology, in physics, in anthropology, in music, in art, in astronomy. Three spatial dimensions (or so they say we perceive).  Religion, of course. The trinity triangulating through so many faiths. Dante’s Divine Comedy in homage – three parts, thirty-three cantos, written in terza rima (a combination of tercets).  Damnit, I learned (modern) Italian in order to be able to read this in its original (medieval) Italian. And I never got to Paradiso. L

But, hey, the third time’s the charm.  If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again. The Power of Three. But then again, ‘The third light’ (three lights from one match and *bang*, you’re dead. Bad luck comes in threes. 

Ah, whatever. On the count of three…

Three colours. Three evils. The Three Stooges. Three of a kind. Where three dreams cross.  Three blind mice. Three little pigs. Three witches. Three wishes.

And at that point I got dizzy with words and looked for images. Put in three things to Google and, my, so many threes…

And it seems like everyone thinks three different things are important:

Sincerity. Hard work. Compassion. Or, slight variation: Sincerity. Hard work. Commitment.

Hope. Peace. Honesty.

Love. Family & friends. Kindness.

Time. Words. Opportunity.

Love. Friends. Self-confidence.

Success. Dreams. Fortune.

Chalk. Hairspray. Athletic type.  Huh??

What do you think? If you had three words by which to live your life, what would they be?

I rather liked this quote that popped up as I wandered. ‘There are only three things you need to let go of: judging, controlling, and being right.’ Hugh Prather.

And I wondered about my three words. What would they be?

And I came back again to the bible quote from Corinthians (1; 13:13) – yeah, those threes again, huh?

“For there are these three things that endure: Faith, Hope and Love. But the greatest of these is Love.”

By the way, historians reckon that, in many early societies, they just gave up counting after two. They went, ‘One, two…er, lots, many’.  So..who knows? Maybe not just three things. J

And, while I was writing this, three songs (of course) on my iPod (and, b the way, I never cheat...not with this, not with most things.)  Except...damnit...they're not on YouTube...apart from this one.  So just the one then.

The locked door...

You know how you can try, try, try so so so hard? But that everything you touch falls to dust?  And then you just brush yourself down and shake off the negativity and think, hey, okay, so let’s try something else?  And then - oh joy!  - it seems like maybe things will swing your way, maybe just once…but then…they don’t.  Well, that really.  On all kind of levels.  But then it’s a tough time for a lot of people right now.  Testing times maybe. Whole load of shit going down for so many people I know. So who am I to moan?  I just take it on the chin. Or, at least, I try. 

This last year (hmm, longer now, isn’t it?) I’ve been trusting. Just figuring that there may be a reason for all this…turmoil… For all this destruction. For all this failure. For the brick walls I crash into, time and time again. For all the faces turned away. For all the doors slammed in my face. When I met Nicki in Taunton I said to her, ‘It’s not that I don’t try. I don’t think you can just sit back and expect the universe to bring you everything on a plate. You have to make an effort, to buy the lottery ticket, if you like.  And so I have to figure the universe has a plan for me.’

Well, that was what I said, but did I/do I really believe it?  Cos there does come a point when you think the universe (or whatever else you like to call it – God, your higher consciousness, Fate, pure bad luck?) is just being bloody-minded. We like to think it’s got a higher plan for us but maybe we really are just lab rats or maybe it’s just all just totally random. And if there is a plan maybe it's a scary plan? 

Anyhow, when I can’t go out into the world, I shrug my shoulders and go within; I wander through other planes, into other dimensions. As you do. 

Except… Lately I haven’t been able to do even that.  It’s like the doors to the other realms have been shut firmly, decisively, in my face.  Yup, I’ll confess it – right now I can’t meditate to stillness; can’t journey on the drum, on the heartbeat; can’t chant and lose my mind in Om; can’t barely even breathe (consciously) sometimes.  Crap huh?  The river turned its back on me. The oak tree bent aside. The moon mocked. The sun hid behind shadows. iPod oracle just played the same songs, over and over – laughing at me. Even the pseudo Beagle went silent on me. 

Lost.  So lost. 

And then I was sent. Three things.