Fan Theory: Power of Three

[cyma]

Found an interesting post on Pat Shand's tumblr:

QUESTION - Hey there Pat! Have a fan discussion type of question (not so sure it’s a questions as opposed to a statement) would like your opinion though. What is the actual “Power of three.” Its clearly NOT just having the three essential powers (TK, Freeze time, and prem) cause in s6 phoebe got her active power taken away and the sisters still had the po3 and in s8 the evil charmed ones copied the sisters active powers but still didnt get the po3 initially. So its not just having the three powers.

Based off context clues throughout s1-9 I think it has to do with the all. As we know the all is the basis of everything, and the all is what makes someone a witch therefore perhaps “The Charmed Ones” are the most powerful witches because they inherited a greater chunk of the all than anyone else currently and when used together that creates the power of three- and since it is a spiritual energy, thats how the evil charmed ones in s8 were able to channel it (cause they copied the active powers)

I think thats because the dr. didnt have the all just the active power- you can’t have one without the other- thus that means the all and powers are separate - the all is what makes you a witch and allows you to “handle” and active power. The elders grant the powers to those that are born with the all and the two things work in unison- when the all switched in s9 to mortals it took the active powers with it id presume and the rest is charmed history- what do you think of that fangirl theory


Oh and to add one more thing, that would also explain Paige because if we were to assume that the all and active powers are the same thing, it’s a little contrived to say that paige just so happened to be born with TK powers or an all that channels into TK however if she was born with enough of the all to constitute her as a “charmed one” she then could have been given the third power needed to complete the charmed circle (if we are going with the elders grant powers theory)

and maybe whichever power you are given, shapes your spiritual energy or forms it like unfolded clay and those three types of spiritual energies working together (tk freeze and pre) make up the power of three

I hope you can appreciate my theory seeing as you were a fanboy of buffy and im sure you’ve done the same sorry for the multiple questions tumble only has a certain number of characters at a time



ANSWER -



I definitely appreciate that theory! I really like the idea about the power being based in the All – a lot of this season is about the All and what the concept really means, so I’m glad readers like you are questioning that and theorizing about it!

I also definitely agree that the Power of Three is something bigger than the sum of their individual powers. I mean, I know Piper/Paige/Phoebe are exceptionally good at their active powers, but I can’t believe that they’re the only three witches on the planet who have those powers. And I also believe that if three witches with similar powers came together, they certainly wouldn’t inherit the Power of Three or even be particularly more powerful than they were alone. I think it’s uniquely about these three women, and their bond.

Thanks for the thoughts!

patrickshand.tumblr.com/post/116123769853/hey-there-pat-have-a-fan-discussion-type-of

[Esmeralda]

Personally I've always thought the Power of Three was much more due to being women descended from Melinda Warren, with the power in the family growing stronger over each generation, just like Melinda Warren predicted. The three powers were just an indication that these three (Prue, Piper and Phoebe) indeed were the prophesied Charmed Ones. I've also always believed that it had to do with the Book of Shadows, the book Melinda Warren started and that each generation added to, and that sits in the nexus of both the wiccan and spiritual pentagrams. It's why I hated it becoming so unimportant in S6-8, the same way Phoebe's premonitions did, the Book replaced by Magic School; Phoebe's premonitions replaced by Paige's orbing and the need to fight demons rather than protect innocents.

It having to do with the All is interesting, but since it was never mentioned before the comics, I wouldn't count it as canon, so I wouldn't count it as anything but a theory. Within the comics, this theory makes plenty of sense. But without Season 9 (the comics), it wouldn't.

[cyma]

Besides all the technical and magical stuff aside, I think this paragraph also describes Power of Three perfectly:

"For the first time in a long time, Paige feels like the Power of Three isn't about powers and demons and fighting; no. For the first time in a long time, she feels like it's about sisters, about being strong for one another, and about holding each other up no matter what is going on."

m.fanfiction.net/s/4004973/1/Thinking-of-the-Sea#top

[Deleted]

I think The Power of Three first and foremost is a metaphor for the power of sisterhood. Hence the sisters losing their magic, the triquetra and the book if they break apart.

Even beings who have successfully stolen the power of three (The Stillman sisters, or those three from season 8 for example) have been sisters... which to me implies that The Power of Three has more to do with being sisters than it even has to do with being witches. With the Stillman's the same need for sisterly bonds applied, hence losing their powers by fighting each other.

So although the powers are part of it, I never considered them the defining part, but they are representative of Melinda who started it all.

[Esmeralda]

It really is pretty amazing how that idea of sisterhood still managed to be important throughout the whole series despite the Charmed Sons and the Power of One (Piper). And had there been three Jenkinses rather that just two, that would've been even more the case.