Two

The first number that has the potential for perception and interaction, two is the number of duality, possibility and the feminine principle. In duality, there is polar opposition, and two is symbolic of conflict, opposition and diversity – good vs evil, dark vs light, hot vs cold, and so on. Furthermore, by deviating from the perfection of one, two can come to symbolise error, sin, deviance and corruption. Note that in the Biblical accounts of the Great Flood, only the unclean animals went into Noah’s Ark in twos.

Two-phase by Mindfulness

This antagonism attached to the number two is not automatic of course, and two also represents stability, dependence, balance and reflection. As the blend of opposites, it is the Yin-Yang, the dance of life that gives birth to all things – and, indeed, the Chinese regard the number as lucky. “Good things come in pairs” is a well-known Chinese proverb. It is the number of pregnancy, and it opens up the potential for creation. Two also symbolises a straight path or linear direction, because the shortest distance between any two points is always a straight line. It is impossible to set a pattern with just two points of reference. Plato dismissed the number as meaningless, because he felt that its presence implied a relationship, which would automatically involve progressing to three.