“This is the ‘Law of Three’ or the law of the three principles or the three forces. It consists of the fact that every phenomenon, on whatever scale and in whatever world it may take place, from molecular to cosmic phenomena, is the result of the combination or the meeting of three different and opposing forces. Contemporary thought realizes the existence of two forces and the necessity of these two forces for the production of a phenomenon: force and resistance, positive and negative magnetism, positive and negative electricity, male and female cells, and so on. But it does not observe even these two forces always and everywhere. No question has ever been raised as to the third, or if it has been raised it has scarcely been heard. Fragments: Four

“In this way the ray of creation helps us to determine and to realize our place in the world. But, as you see, we have not yet come to questions about influences. In order to understand the difference between the influences of various worlds we must better understand the LAW OF THREE and then, further, still another fundamental law — the Law of Seven, or the law of octaves.” Fragments: Four

“Returning to the LAW OF THREE, one must learn to find the manifestations of this law in everything we do and in everything we study. The application of this law in any sphere at once reveals much that is new, much that we did not see before. Take chemistry, for instance. Ordinary science does not know of the LAW OF THREE and it studies matter without taking into consideration its cosmic properties. But besides ordinary chemistry there exists another, a special chemistry, or alchemy if you like, which studies matter taking into consideration its cosmic properties. As has been said before, the cosmic properties of each substance are determined first by its place, and secondly by the force which is acting through it at the given moment. Even in the same place the nature of a given substance undergoes a great change dependent upon the force which is being manifested through it. Each substance can be the conductor of any one of the three forces and, in accordance with this, it can be active, passive, or neutralizing. And it can be neither the first, nor the second, nor the third, if no force is manifesting through it at the given moment or if it is taken without relation to the manifestation of forces. In this way every substance appears, as it were, in four different aspects or states. In this connection it must be noted that when we speak of matter we do not speak of chemical elements. The special chemistry of which I speak looks upon every substance having a separate function, even the most complex, as an element. In this way only is it possible to study the cosmic properties of matter, because all complex compounds have their own cosmic purpose and significance. From this point of view an atom of a given substance is the smallest amount of the given substance which retains all its chemical, physical, and cosmic properties. Consequently the size of the ‘atom’ of different substances is not the same. And in some cases an ‘atom’ may be a particle even visible to the naked eye. Fragments: Five

What I heard interested me very much for it connected G.’s system with the system of the Tarot, which had seemed to me at one time to be a possible key to hidden knowledge. Moreover it showed me a relation of three to four which was new to me and which I had not been able to understand from the Tarot. The Tarot is definitely constructed upon the law of four principles. Until now G. had spoken only of the LAW OF THREE principles. But now I saw how three passed into four and understood the necessity for this division so long as the division of force and matter exists for our immediate observation. “Three” referred to force and “four” referred to matter. Of course, the further meaning of this was still obscure for me, but even the little that G. said promised a great deal for the future. Fragments: Five

“The first fundamental law of the universe is the LAW OF THREE forces, or three principles, or, as it is often called, the LAW OF THREE. According to this law every action, every phenomenon in all worlds without exception, is the result of a simultaneous action of three forces — the positive, the negative, and the neutralizing. Of this we have already spoken, and in future we will return to this law with every new line of study. Fragments: Seven

“How a school is created on the principles of the law of octaves will be explained in due course. And this in its turn will explain to you one aspect of the union of the law of seven with the LAW OF THREE. In the meantime it can be said only that in school teaching, a man is given examples of both descending (creative) and ascending (or evolutionary) cosmic octaves. Western thought, knowing neither about octaves nor about the LAW OF THREE, confuses the ascending and the descending lines and does not understand that the line of evolution is opposed to the line’ of creation, that is to say, it goes against it as though against the stream. Fragments: Seven

“If we now examine the first of these three octaves of radiations, that is, the octave Absolute-Sun, from the point of view of the LAW OF THREE, we shall see that the note do will be the conductor of the active force, designated by the number 1, while the matter in which this force acts will be ‘carbon’ (C). The ‘active’ force which creates the note do in the Absolute represents the maximum frequency of vibrations or the greatest density of vibrations. Fragments: Nine

“The symbol which takes the form of a circle divided into nine parts with lines connecting them together expresses the law of seven in its union with the LAW OF THREE. Fragments: Fourteen

“The triangle 9-3-6, which unites into one whole the three points on the circumference not included in the period, connects together the law of seven and the LAW OF THREE. The numbers 3-6-9 are not included in the period; two of them, 3 and 6, correspond to the two “intervals’ in the octave, the third is, so to speak, superfluous and at the same time it replaces the fundamental note which does not enter the period. Moreover, any phenomenon which is able to act reciprocally with a phenomenon similar to it sounds as the note do in a corresponding octave. Therefore do can emerge from its circle and enter into orderly correlation with another circle, that is, play that role in another cycle which, in the cycle under consideration, is played by the ‘shocks* filling the ‘intervals’ in the octave. Therefore, here also, by having this possibility do is connected by the triangle 3-6-9 with those places in the octave where the shocks from outside sources occur, where the octave can be penetrated to make connection with what exists outside it. The LAW OF THREE stands out, so to speak, from the law of seven, the triangle penetrates through the period and these two figures in combination give the inner structure of the octave and its notes. Fragments: Fourteen

“The cosmic octave ‘Absolute-moon’ has, according to the LAW OF THREE, been broken into three subordinate octaves. In these three octaves the cosmos is like man; the same ‘three stories,’ the same three shocks. Fragments: Fourteen

“As we see from this the following notes la, sol, fa serve as food for the machine. In the order of their succession, according to the LAW OF THREE, la will be the active element, sol the neutralizing, and fa the passive. The active principle reacting with the passive (that is, becoming connected with it by the help of the neutralizing principle) gives a certain definite result. This is represented symbolically thus: Fragments: Fourteen