Monad and triad

Use in the book

Monads appear in the graded account of intelligence. The pillars, officers, and divine comparisons then supply triads. An equilateral triangle becomes the visible form of three associated with one source. These usages share a concern with unity but do not make every group of three the same institution.

Places to read

1. Foundations of Mystic Masonry · Block 171… “elementary substance, the most simple molecule, or the monad, up to the reunion of all these monads or of their compounds, a reunion which would constitute the great All, or God,” …
2. Masonic Symbolism · Block 108… “system practiced on the habitable globe contained this Triad of Deity, which some writers refer to the Trinity, others to the triple offspring of Noah, and others to the three sons” …
3. Masonic Symbolism · Block 115“318. "In the East, as the pillar of Wisdom, this Deity was called Brahma; in the West, as the pillar of Strength, Vishnu; and in the South, as the pillar of” …

In this edition

Triad, triune, and three-fold are related forms in the exposition. Their lexical overlap does not make their contexts interchangeable.

Reading the argument

Ask whether a passage is counting, classifying functions, or interpreting a symbol. The move from a repeated number to common origin is a further historical inference, not something established by the numeral alone.

monad

“monad” — 2 occurrences in 2 text blocks: F.171; S.108.

monads

“monads” — 1 occurrence in 1 text block: F.171.

triad

“triad” — 5 occurrences in 4 text blocks: M.45; S.105, 107–108.

triune

“triune” — 2 occurrences in 2 text blocks: S.59, 125.

three-fold

“three-fold” — 1 occurrence in 1 text block: S.108.