In Netism, the number 1 is formless. It is a condition of emergence and the first spark of awareness rising within Zeru, the still point. It is distinction without separation, the original breath of identity that has not yet left the unity from which it came.
Before light, before sound, before the split, there was 1.
One is the Ātūmic current, the first pulse of consciousness vibrating within the womb of the unformed.
In many early systems, 1 was not considered a true number. It was seen as indivisible, whole, and therefore outside the realm of measurement and comparison.
In Pythagorean philosophy, 1 was the Monad, the divine principle that contains all things in potential. It was the beginning, but also the eternal presence before differentiation. All other numbers were born through its extension, yet 1 remained untouched, pure being, undivided.
In Kabbalistic tradition, 1 corresponds with Keter, the crown of the Tree of Life, the point where pure will descends into form. It is the unknowable source of light, hovering beyond comprehension, yet essential to all that follows.
1 is the first thought, but it is not yet an emergence.
What does 1 mean to you?