Three is always fighting for status. Zero, one and two have establishe dthemselves as essential entities in the universe as we understand it. Zero – a start, an absence, a destination, a center. One. A point of identity. The oneness of the universe is one of the two major philosophies. The twoness being the other, binary logic dominating our thought, our language, or understanding of the world. The tension between one and two drives the artistic and spritual development of the world at large. The tension between one and zero drives survival and progress, the technological and scientific development. But a three. It wants to be in the club so badly, and perhaps the other numbers would even consider it a full member, but it is a place it can never feel secure. And so it inherently posesses a tentativeness, and a restlessness, always poised for the next step, sometimes in retreat, sometimes in advancement. It coopted christianity as a vehicle for ascendence, and has done a pretty great job of it. It has captured the imagination of the mystical domain, offering a myriad of appearances, coincidences, and other highlights of an unstable configuration (joined by 7 and 13). Thus, even as it presents a shaky point for relationship, it also can provide the extra tension to make a group interaction more unique.

A weekend of three (with excellent family cameos) proves to be as spectacular as expected. I get to see the birthplaces of and spend time with the families of two of my favorite people in the world. I get three awesome sets of phish. And the first appearance of a group dynamic destined for greatness, a group long anticipated, and finally logistically feasible. Having had my full share of the tenuousness of three, I am inclined to mistrust it a little, but when I think about it I realize that it just requires you to understand better, and adjust continuously, so that the inherent imbalance is permeated to reveal a valuable relation. Three lends itself to music as the place where individual ideas are easy to bring forth, but there is enough variation within the group to develop an idea really far. I am excited to see if music can actually make three into a balanced form.