Power of Three: The Model Perspective

Dr. Sharon L. Bender

May, 2007

Power of Three

There are a great many thoughts on the Power of Three (POT), which is considered to be a powerful magical force. According to Angelic Inspiration (1962), "Using the Power of Three is a connection to the highest level of spiritual advancement and acceptance that we all need to achieve, but it can only be done by actual living and walking the path, not in words, but in action and deeds."

I have been interested in this power in the form of triangulation, a means I use to develop concepts that are a simplification of more complex constructs through adaptation, to create new devices that are needed but non-existent, and to organize thinking in terms of groups of three. Those of my models that are adapted from more complex models is a very common means to create new and improved devices as evidenced by doing an Internet search using google.com for instance to search the keywords as follows:

Results 1 - 10 of about 7,690,000 for "adapted from."  

Over seven million times there has been the use of the term "adapted from," many in relation to expressing how a particular device was created, adapted from some other pre-existing trustworthy device. I often produce adaptations from tested (tried and true) devices. I also use the SCaT elements and "thinking" elements, such as pattern thinking, triangulation thinking, and interpretive thinking to create may tools for planning, problem-solving, and decision-making. I have been doing this since the early 1980s and perhaps earlier unwittingly. But from the time I began participating in training programs I began exploring how my understanding of the material could be represented in the form of three simplified elements.

This indicates the great many instances in which individuals have used this terminology, exploring the tenets of this powerful concept. Not many address its mystical powers, however.

In my POT model depicted in Figure 1 the sections where the circle overlaps the triangles in Venn diagram fashion are areas in which meaning placed on the circle is perhaps an interpretive thinking element. It may be construed that there is an interpretation thinking element at the base of triangulation thinking. Meaning and value placed upon the square element may formulate the framework upon which the Power of Three is construed. As each triangle spans beyond the square we can consider that we are able to "think outside the box" when we explore the six question words. This POT model enables us to have "thinking" that would ordinarily be blocked or disabled. Just as construction requires tools, constructing meaning requires decision making models. Note that the left and right triangles in Figure 1 extend further out than the others in this thinking model. Consider the complication of polarization within the constructs of this model. All forms of thinking contain this complication. Not everyone will agree with a particular proposal and the more you argue your own point, the more polarized individuals can become. The POT model depicted in Figure 1 reminds us to make this correlation when working through the problem solving process.

 

Figure 3: Triquetra		The combined powers of three entities not only increase their power by three, but even greater. The power of three can become exponential in other words.   The Power of Three is typically symbolized by a triquetra, a Celtic pattern that shows the center of three connected circles as depicted in Figure 3.
Figure 4a: Adapted Triquetra Figure 4b: Adapted Triquetra		Figure 4a depicts an adapted triquetra that represents another POT model. In this instance we are able to formulate yet another perception of the Power of Three. In this triangulated version of the triquetra, many more assumptions and applications are possible. In this instance we are able to understand the Power of Three as a set of three triangles with a center triangle that may serve as a void space or one that may become a shared element.   This model as depicted in Figure 4a is another representation of my triangulation thinking approach. Triangulation thinking and the Power of Three are very much interrelated. This model may result in an array of new models for decision making.   Consider that the three triangles represent the heart, mind, and soul of our decision making process. Figure 4b depicts a POT model that features these elements, developing a new POT model called HMS.

 

The Journey

 

It is difficult to tell when my journey in exploring the "power of three" concept began. It seems to me I've been using this paradigm all my life. Here are some excerpts from e-mail exchanges in which I have discussed the "power of three" concept:

 

30 Jun 2001 09:29:32 EDT Exchange with TP.		Now that I have my doctorate accomplished, I want to get going on writing. I’d like to do something with education and spirituality. I’d like to incorporate the idea of the “power of three.”  I kind of used this in my dissertation. I used triangulation anyway. Very cool to have finally used this idea in a research undertaking.
Sun, 7 Dec 2003 13:07:10-0800 (PST) Exchange with MS.		Triangulation should be considered for what it is, the power of three, but only as it makes sense in a corroborating of the parts in an effort to meet the objective, to add strength to something. You can find three things if you try hard enough and sometimes you will work so hard at it that the final outcome seems to be “it,” mostly because you want it to be so. You begin to devise combinations or things that make sense to you, but to you alone. Ergo the problem.

 

Sources

 

Angelic Inspirations (1962). Power of three.