One of the most important Kabbalistic principles concerning the nature of the universe is the Law of Three. Reality is founded upon three forces - The Right, Left, and Central Columns.

Here is a brief recap of this principle:

• Right Column energy corresponds to the sharing aspect of the Light.
• Left Column energy relates to the desire to receive of the Vessel.
• Central Column energy pertains to the act of resisting the Light by the Vessel, which produced the Big Bang origins of our universe.

In the subatomic world:

• Right Column denotes the proton.
• Left Column signifies the electron.
• Central Column equates to the neutron.

In a light bulb:

• Right Column = the positive pole
• Left Column = the negative pole
• Central Column = the filament, the resistor

It is the resisting function of the filament that keeps the light aglow in a bulb.

In biblical terms:

• Right Column = Abraham
• Left Column = Isaac
• Central Column = Jacob

In human terms:

• Right Column refers to our soul and the desire to share
• Left Column corresponds to our selfish desire to receive for self alone
• Central Column pertains to our Free Will to resist the desire to receive for the self alone, and to transform it into a desire to receive for the sake of sharing.

These are the Three Columns of Energy as expressed in the physical, metaphysical, subatomic, and macrocosmic worlds.

THE THREE ARE EVERYWHERE

According to the ancient Kabbalists, these Three Columns must be present whenever we want to create a complete circuit of energy - whether physical energy in the form of light from a bulb, or spiritual energy in the form of Light from the Creator.

According to Abraham, the Biblical author of the Book of Formation, and the first Kabbalist, these Three Columns are the pillars of all spiritual wisdom. You will always find one, two, or all three Columns present in any spiritual system.

KABBALISTIC HEALING - THREE COLUMN SYSTEM

The Tree of Life image in Kabbalah, also known as the Ten Sfirot, can be understood as the healing symbol of Kabbalah. Moreover, it embodies the Three Column System.

The ten dimensions of our reality, as displayed on the Tree of Life diagram, are structured along three distinct columns, signifying the need for three forces in order to create a circuit of spiritual energy.

Let's now explore how these Three Columns appear in the more common healing disciplines.
 

WESTERN MEDICINE - ONE COLUMN SYSTEM

The medical symbol of the Western Medicine is the Aesculapius Staff.

Kabbalistically, the serpent crawling up the staff symbolizes the Left Column energy force of a desire to receive. In the biblical story of creation, it is the serpent who tempts Adam and Eve (the Vessel) to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, thereby introducing the concept of death into the world.

According to the ancient Zohar, the serpent symbolizes Adam's Left Column, or the desire to receive for the self alone.

The serpent also signifies separation, fragmentation, mortality, and the entire material world of immediate gratification and instant results. Perhaps the single-tablet pain reliever, which offers immediate but temporary relief, is an appropriate expression of the serpent's essence.

CHINESE MEDICINE - TWO COLUMN SYSTEM

The image of the T'ai Chi is the symbol for Chinese Medicine.

The circle, divided into black and white, represents the forces of Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang represent Two Columns of energy - Right and Left, male and female polarities.

Chinese medicine holds that all things are governed by these two forces.

But Kabbalah teaches that in the absence of the essential Third Column force of resistance, a complete and constant circuit of spiritual energy is unattainable.

The two columns evoke "Sparks of Light" and healing energy, just as contact between a positive and a negative wire generates electrical sparks. But to awaken and maintain the full force of the Light, a third force of resistance is required.

ENERGY & THE CELL

The human body requires a source of energy to maintain all of its complex functions. Very often we complain that we are running out of energy. Other times, we feel totally "charged," eager to meet the challenges of life head-on.

Electrical energy is actually a vital form energy that ensures the proper biological function. Let’s examine how this electrical energy is produced within the cells of the body.

The Kabbalistic principle of Three Columns is fundamental to this process: On the cellular level, for example, the cell membrane is composed of three layers. This middle layer of a cell separates the outer and inner layer. It is the expression of the Third Column force. Without the separation created by the middle layer of the cell, the transport of oxygen and nutrients could not occur, because the necessary electrical gradient could not be generated.

The key components for creating electrical energy are structures called ions. The cells in our body create electrical energy when ions move from inside to outside the cell. Voltage results from the separation of charges across the membrane, which provides resistance.

HEART

The action of the heart epitomizes the Three Column System of Receiving for the Sake of Sharing, which is a core principle of Kabbalah.

The right side of the heart receives and collects oxygen-poor blood from the body.

It then pumps it to the lungs where the blood is replenished and stocked with a fresh supply of oxygen.

The left side of the heart - the Left Column principle of receiving - then sucks the oxygen-rich blood from the lungs, and the heart's right side subsequently pumps it to the rest of the body. Thus, the right side expresses the Right Column principle of sharing.

The right and left chambers of the heart are separated by a muscle wall known as the septum. The septum is the physical manifestation of the Central Column force of resistance.

Here's what it does:

The pressure in the left side of the heart is about 5 times as high as the right side. When blood enters the left side of the heart, the septum prevents any blood from leaking back into the right side.

Without the resistance of the septum, blood would leak back into the right chamber, causing insufficient blood flow to the rest of the body and an enlarged heart chamber.

Once again, resistance - the Third Column Force - is key to a healthy, functioning heart.

GENERATING HEARTBEATS

Specialized cells in the heart function as pacemaker cells. These are located in the top of the heart's right chamber. They produce electrical impulses that cause the heart to beat. A chamber of the heart contracts when an electrical impulse or signal moves across it.

On a cellular level, the initial cellular charge is negative. In order to create continuity, negative energy has to be converted into positive energy. Otherwise, there is no cardiac electrical current to get the heart to contract and beat.

Transforming the negative pacemaker cells into a positive charge generates an electrical current. This in turn excites other heart cells to change their negative charge to positive - and a heart beat is generated.

Ancient war galleys propelled by banks of oarsmen provide a simple analogy. A drummer would help set the rowing rhythm so that all the oarsmen would row in unison. The drummer pounded the drum, the oarsmen would respond in stroke, and the ship moved forward.

The pacemaker cells work the same way. But their signal occurs as a direct result of negative-to-positive transformation.

This transformation of the cell from a negative charge - the desire to receive - into the positive charge - desire to share - is automatic. It is a reflection of the spiritual objective of transforming the human desire to receive into the desire to receive for the sake of sharing.

AUTOMATIC RESISTANCE

Whereas this process is automatic in many of the body's functions, it is not automatic at the level of human nature and conduct. Rather, it is our free will that allows us to effect a transformation in our life.

Kabbalistically, most diseases and ailments begin with an imbalance of the Three Column System as it pertains to our behavior and mode of living.

The more a person pursues spiritual transformation and character change, the greater the amount of healing Light that they arouse in their life.