Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darlings.   Today’s post is going to focus on the concept of having a deeper perspective on spirituality than simply a view based on love and light alone.   I will be examining duality and triads to show the depth of our spiritual beliefs.   Each will be examined through examples in separate sections.   Without further ado, let’s look at duality and triads!

DUALITY

Black & White Swans

~The Black Swan and the White Swan are found in the ballet Swan Lake.   However, the idea of Swan Maidens is found in fairytales and legends from all around the world.   Having two Swans that are mirrors of one another, one good and one evil is the crux of this particular duality.    This concept of embodying both the Black Swan and the White Swan in a single individual is explored well in the film Black Swan.   In reality, this is about accepting all aspects of the self and gaining knowledge of our personal Shadow.   To me, the Swans are a perfect representation of performing Shadow Work to confront Shadow aspects and bring them into the Light, providing integration!

Doppelgängers 

~Another aspect of having lookalikes is the concept of Doppelgängers, as the word literally translates to ‘dark double’.   This is often an Evil Twin that someone meets accidentally, just finding that this other person is a literal physical clone of themselves.   We can see this explored in Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s painting ‘How They Met Themselves’ which was painted on his honeymoon with Lizzie Siddal.  However, what is possibly the most famous pop culture example of the Doppelgänger concept, even using the actual word, is the television show The Vampire Diaries!   This takes the Evil Twin and Dark Double approach quite literally, painting Katherine as the wicked vixen to Elena’s good girl.   Another great example is the Hammer Horror film, and the last of the Karnstein trilogy, Twins of Evil.   In that case, the characters were literally twins, with one representing giving into temptation and the other representing piety.   

Shadow & Illumination

~An obvious example of duality is the difference between being in the darkness, unable to see, or in the light of illumination.   This can also be called simply Dark and Light, but I prefer this terminology, as it relates once again to doing Shadow Work in order to hopefully find integration! 

Morgana as Evil Sorceress & Morgana as Healer

~My Matron Goddess, whom I am proud to be a Priestess for is very often portrayed as the great Baddie of the Arthurian legends, forever plotting the downfall of Camelot.   Yet, she is also the great Healer, who ferried a wounded and dying Arthur to Avalon in order to heal him.   She is not just Shadow or Light, she is multi-layered and vastly complex, far more so than simply duality (or triplicity) could ever describe, but I wanted to highlight the essential core of her interpretations.

Blodeuwedd as Owl & Blodeuwedd as Flower Bride

~The other Goddess I am proud to be a Priestess for is known very well for her nature as both a keen-eyed Owl and a sweet-smelling Flower Goddess.   Blodeuwedd only became an Owl because she chose to make an attempt on the life of her husband with the aid of her lover in order to gain some personal sovereignty.    Yet, that does not change the fact that she is seen as equal parts sweetly demure and dangerously fierce!   In many ways, her transformation into an Owl can be seen as leading to integration through Sovereignty.

TRIADS

Life, Death, Rebirth

~The core triad is that of the cycle of life itself.   Life is not a straight line from birth to death, especially if you prescribe to the concept of reincarnation.   I personally believe deeply in reincarnation and see the life cycle as having three parts of Life, Death, and Rebirth!   We also go through this cycle, on a smaller scale many times in each incarnation.   Whenever transformation and growth need to occur, we have things dying away so that new ones can flourish.   This cycle is even mirrored in the seasonal shifts where the plants die, animals hibernate, and the Earth slumbers until the dawning of Spring brings renewal and rebirth!

Sun, Moon, Stars

~The triad of the celestial realms is one of great beauty.   It is the triad of the Sun, Moon, and Stars.   The Sun and Moon share the sky, each appearing in turn, with the Stars surrounding them (even though the Sun is technically a star also).   It is the celestial blanket of cosmology that is made up of this lovely triad!

Dark, Light, Twilight

~When we take a deeper look at the concept of Shadow versus Illumination, there is a third facet that comes into play.   That is the third prong of Twilight, or half-light, creating a trinity of states of illumination.   Each hour of the day, we are in one of these three phases, light in the morning and day, twilight at dusk and dawn, and darkness at night.   We literally live within this triad each day!

Maiden, Mother, Crone

~The triad of a woman’s life cycle is seen through this common term of Maiden, Mother, and Crone.    This is a new Neo-pagan term often applied to Goddesses, but I prefer to use it simply as a way to look at the life phases of womanhood.   However, I have to state that I often prefer to add a fourth term to this triad, that of Lover.   Lover can either go in between Maiden and Mother or be used instead of Mother if you want to keep it as a true triad.   Lover works well in place of Mother in the triad, especially as not every woman will become a Mother, so having the alternate term helps to better describe life phases.    I also want to finish by noting that Crone need not be a negative term, for it truly means one who is wise and a leader amongst women in her care!  

Three Guineveres 

~The final triad I want to briefly discuss is the Three Guineveres.   This is part of the Celtic Triads and a key concept of Arthurian lore.   In older versions of the Arthurian legends it was stated that Arthur had three Queens, sometimes at the same time and other times one right after another, each named Guinevere.    This concept would be adapted in later Arthurian cycles to just two Guineveres, twins of sorts, one good and one evil.   So, it is an interesting example of a triad that evolved within its lore into a case of Doppelgängers!

~I hope you have enjoyed this post looking at duality and triads in spirituality.   Do you have a favorite aspect of duality or triads?   Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is a lovely triquetra image I found online and chosen in honor of triads.   I found the image on https://fineartamerica.com/featured/celtic-triquetra-or-trinity-knot-symbol-3-joan-stratton.html.

Tarot Note: I have a page offering tarot and oracle readings for those interested in these services!    I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon!  Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/

Further Reading/Watching

• The Vulgate Cycle
• Once and Future Queen by Nicole Evelina
• Vita Merlini by Geoffrey of Monmouth
• Le Morte D’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory
• Black Swan (2010)
• The Vampire Diaries (2009)
• Twins of Evil (1971)