The numbers 3, 6, and 9 are closely tied to the life of the genius Nikola Tesla, as he believed they hold the key to unlocking the secrets of the universe.
Nikola Tesla (July 10, 1856 – January 7, 1943) was an inventor, electrical engineer, and mechanical engineer of Serbian descent who became a naturalized American citizen. A proponent of futurism, he is regarded as one of the most creative and eccentric scientists in history. All of his designs—approximately 300 of which were patented—were forward-thinking, earning him the title of “the inventor of the 20th century.”
In his work, Tesla consistently sought to explore and harness the mysteries of the world. He accomplished this with electricity—through inventions that still exist today, such as alternating current (AC) and induction motors—and believed he could do the same with the numbers 3, 6, and 9.
“If you only knew the magnificence of the numbers 3, 6, and 9, you would have the key to the universe,” Tesla emphasized. No one can definitively state whether this theory is right or wrong, but one thing is clear: he was truly obsessed with these numbers. So, what do 3, 6, and 9 mean, and why did Tesla consider them so important?
Portrait of Nikola Tesla at 40 years old. (Image: Wikipedia)
According to All That’s Interesting, these three numbers are linked to a mathematical pattern and the history of humanity.
For instance, let’s start with the number 1, double it to get 2, double 2 to get 4, double 4 to get 8, double 8 to get 16 (where 1 + 6 = 7), and then double 16 to get 32 (3 + 2 = 5), and double 32 to get 64 (6 + 4 = 10; and 10 leads to a total of 1). Continuing this way, the sequence you can generate will be: 1, 2, 4, 8, 7, 5, 1, 2,… You can see that in this sequence, there is no mention of 3, 6, and 9! It’s as if they have been excluded from this pattern, but don’t rush to conclusions.
What happens if you start doubling the numbers 3, 6, and 9? Doubling 3 gives you 6, doubling 6 gives you 12 (1 + 2 = 3), doubling 12 gives you 24 (2 + 4 = 6), and doubling 24 gives you 48 (4 + 8 = 12; 1 + 2 = 3)… the results will consistently yield 3, 6, 3, 6,… and there is still no 9 in this sequence. However, if you start doubling the number 9, it will always lead to 9: 18, 36, 72, 144, 288, 576…
Now let’s return to the sequence 1, 2, 4, 8, 7, 5. Suppose they represent two opposing sides, like electricity and the universe, they can be divided into two poles. One side consists of 1, 2, and 4; the other side consists of 8, 7, and 5. At this point, you might notice that the essence of these two sides is 3, 6, and 6, 3 (1 + 2 = 3, 2 + 4 = 6, 4 + 8 = 12 which gives a result of 3; 8 + 7 = 15 which gives a result of 6; 7 + 5 = 12 which gives a result of 3; 5 + 1 = 6; 1 + 2 = 3…) and at this moment, we realize that 3 + 6 = 6 + 3 = 9, thus all results ultimately lead back to the number 9.
These three numbers, especially 3, frequently appear throughout human history, from pyramids with triangular faces to the Holy Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) in Christianity.
Tesla himself believed that vibration, energy, and frequency correspond to 3, 6, and 9! “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration.” – Nikola Tesla.
Nikola Tesla harnessed the power of electricity to provide wireless energy to light bulbs, an impressive achievement of his time.
Scientist Marko Rodin believes that 3, 6, and 9 represent “the flux field” or a vector from the third to the fourth dimension. Among these, the number 3 is particularly significant as it frequently appears in human history, from the triangle with three sides to the trinity in various religions. Tesla himself believed that the trio of “energy, frequency, and vibration” contains “the secrets of the universe.”
In his daily life, Tesla also expressed his obsession in various ways. He often walked around a building three times before entering, washed dishes with 18 towels (as 18 is divisible by 3, 6, and 9), and only stayed in hotel rooms with numbers divisible by 3. His life ended in room 3327.
Tesla’s 3, 6, 9 theory remains vibrant to this day. For example, on the social media platform TikTok, some users attempt to achieve their dreams by writing down what they want three times in the morning, six times in the afternoon, and nine times in the evening. This may be far from what Tesla envisioned regarding the significance of these three numbers, but it is proof that his ideas have not faded over time.
