3

Three is the first odd number, the first complete number in the Pythagorean system, and the value of the Sephirah Binah on the Tree of Life. Etymologically, the word derives from the Old English þrīe, fundamentally related to the Sanskrit trayas and the Latin tres, all pointing to a universal root indicating a trinity. In Qabalah, the number 3 is not merely a quantity but a principle of synthesis, the product of the dynamic opposition of Kether (1) and Chokmah (2) brought into equilibrium.

Position on the Tree of Life

Three is the number of the third Sephirah, Binah (Understanding), the first point of form and limitation, the Supernal Mother who receives the force of Chokmah. It is the highest number belonging to the purely supernal triad, situating itself above the Abyss.

Historical Context

The significance of the number 3 permeates all esoteric traditions. In Pythagorean numerology, 3 (the trias) is the first true number because it has a beginning, middle, and end, making it a whole line, a surface (the triangle), and a harmonic progression. It was consecrated to the goddess Hekate and considered the number of the Supreme Deity because it contains the principles of power, wisdom, and knowledge. In the Golden Verses of Pythagoras, the threefold division of the soul is invoked. Qabalistically, the Sefer Yetzirah teaches that with three letters (the Mother letters Aleph, Mem, Shin) God sealed the universe, representing the tripartite division into the universe, the year, and man. The Zohar describes the three primordial lights emanating from the concealed Ein Sof. More specifically, within the Mystic Numbers of the Sephiroth system as given in Liddell’s work and systematized by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the number of each Sephirah is associated with its ‘Mystic Number’—a triangular sum derived from the integer of the Sephirah itself. The formula used is the triangular number T(n) = n(n+1)/2. For the number 3, this sum is 6. This pairing (3 connecting to the Mystic Number 6) signifies that Binah (3) is inherently linked to Tiphereth (6) through a process of summation, revealing that understanding (3) must pass through the heart (6) for its full expression in the microcosm.

In the table of Liber 777, the row for the row of Mystic Numbers of the Sephiroth at the step of Chokmah (2) is assigned the value 3. This is the final step of the initial triad’s expansion: the dynamic force of Chokmah (2) is stabilized into the conceptual form of Binah (3). The Mystic Number 6 that corresponds to 3 is the number of Tiphereth, indicating that the form generated by Binah finds its perfect center and beauty in the sixth Sephirah, the Sun of the Microprosopus.