Three Spheres of Being

Although the world is born from the Biner, from duality, in itself it is triadic.

The cause of this Triunity is that the interaction of the poles of duality gives rise to a “third sphere,” the place of their mutual interpenetration and neutralization. This neutralization is understood not as a return to the original unity, but as a new, actual property of the system.

In fact, it is precisely this third component that is the field in which life unfolds. The poles of the biner function more as categories of cognition than as real agents, while all activity is concentrated in their interaction – the “Neutral” element.

It is well known that many peoples, for example the Ancient Celts, divided being into three spheres – Gwynvyd, Abred, and Annwn.

In Gwynvyd “life prevails over death,” and in Annwn “death prevails over life.” Abred is often associated with the manifest, “our” world.

The depths of Annwn and the heights of Gwynvyd surround Abred, forming with it a triune system of the cosmos.

Nevertheless, the “middle” world is not simply the “sum,” the result of the interaction of the “upper” and the “lower.”

Let us recall once more the Scandinavian Yggdrasil.

According to the “Elder Edda”:

“Three roots grow
in three directions
from the ash Yggdrasil:
Hel beneath one,
beneath another the giants,
and men beneath the third.”

Or, according to the “Younger Edda,” the three roots of Yggdrasil lead to the Aesir, to the rime giants (hrimthursar), and to Niflheim.

In any case, actual consciousness (the Elder Edda considers humans the most conscious beings, whereas in the Younger this role is already assigned to the Aesir) stands between two components more powerful than itself – unmanifest power (Hel or Niflheim) and manifest power (Jotuns, the Forefathers).

 

Thus we have three sources of existence: Upper, Lower and… Neutral? Middle?

What does this mean for us? It means a conclusion of decisive importance, both theoretically and practically: neutrality does not mean the simple balancing of the poles. It is an independent, distinct Principle.

From the point of view of Myth, the principle of neutrality is not merely the field in which the interests of the Heights and the Depths clash, not merely a “buffer zone” between them, but an independent unit, capable not only of receiving the influences of the bordering principles, but of actively influencing them in turn. We are not merely the result of creation; we are also a creative power. We are not only children of the Universe, but also its makers. This stance is fundamentally different from the consumerist attitude characteristic of modernity. According to the pagan Myth, we are responsible for the world in which we live, and this world is our offspring no less than it is the creation of the gods or of primordial chaos.

Alchemical doctrine states that although “sulphur” and “mercury” are contained in every object, the object itself is “salt,” and that the extraction, purification, and harmonization of the interaction of these primary principles form the very basis of the Work.

The notion of the threefold nature of manifest being is of extreme practical importance. One of the ways to develop and harmonize consciousness is to harmonize its bearers – the body, matter. To act upon matter, to work on the body and on its environment, is to transform “salt” through the harmonization of the interaction of “sulphur” and “mercury.” Understanding the nature of their relations is crucial for the Mage, since the ordering of one’s own being is one of his paramount tasks.