Why 3?
The number 3 holds deep significance to our collective human experience. It holds rhythm of our existence and the pulse behind our life transformations.
Marks the flow of time and transformation:
Past → Present → Future
Birth → Life → Death
Represents unity:
In Christianity, Divinity manifests in 3 (Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
In Buddhist practice, the alignment of the Mind, Body, and Spirit is the path to harmony. The union of the leads to our highest selves, awakened and liberated from suffering.
In numerology, 3 is the number of joy, creativity, self-expression, and communication.
In my personal life, the number 3 has manifested like a pattern.
I received treatment from three different hospitals and underwent three major therapies (chemotherapy, radiation, and a bone marrow transplant) — each one a chapter in the story that gave the life I live now. I
In the past three years, I’ve lived in three different cities, each shaping a new aspect of my identity.
Even the history that lives in my body carries this triad. Spain colonized my homeland, the Philippines, for 333 years — a period in time that carved deep layers into my psyche and left behind a complex story, one that continues to unfold in my daily life.
Three, in all of its forms, keeps returning to me. A mirror, a milestone, and a map.
About Don Cleo
My name is Ralph Cleo and I am a 28 year old artist, writer, musician, and 2x Leukemia survivor. Born and briefly raised in the Philippine Islands, I’ve always seen the world through a spiritual and naturalistic lens. On my 7th birthday, my mother gifted me a journal and in it, I discovered the power of my internal world. Since that pivotal moment, I answered the calling to be a teller of personal stories, one rooted in authenticity, vulnerability, and identity. With 333 Years Old, I hope to share the wisdom I’ve gathered in my 28 years of life - years that, on some days, feel like 333 - shaped by trials, transformation, and the quiet teachings of my loving ancestors.
May you find comfort, healing, and a sense of home in between the lines.
Warmth,
Don Cleo
