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The Enneagram
The Enneagram is a system of nine personality types that combines traditional wisdom with modern psychology. It is a powerful tool for personal and professional growth, successful relationships, effective communication and spiritual development. One idea underlying the Enneagram is that people have two important aspects-essence and personality. Each person has a unique ‘essential self’ that can’t be reduced to a category or number. However, the Enneagram describes nine patterns or themes by which people form a personality, and a social persona, to meet the challenges of life. Ideally, personality is an effective way to express ourselves in the world, But problems arise when personality covers up the inner self, or our point of view becomes stuck or rigid.
Working with the Enneagram can help us create understanding and compassion, for others and ourselves. By identifying our own type, with it’s accompanying patterns and defense mechanisms, the Enneagram creates opportunities for profound healing and personal growth
The Enneagram describes three centers of intelligence and perception; head, heart and body. While all of us have all three centers, our personality type has a particular strength and ‘home base’ in one of them.
The intellectual center– Thinking based types lead with ideas, perception and rational thinking. They emphasize gathering information and figuring things out before acting, with a focuss on creating certainty and safety, or finding multiple options. 5- The Observer, 6- The Loyal Skeptic,7- The Epicure
The emotional center– Feeling-based types emphasize the heart for positive and negative feelings, empathy, and concern for others, romance and devotion. Their focus id on success and relationship, performing up to expectations of the job or other people. 2– The Giver, 3– The Performer,4– The Romantic
The Instinctual Center– Body-based types lead with the body for movement, sensate awareness, gut-level feelings, personal security and social belonging. Their focus is on being in control of themselves and their environment, and taking action in practical ways. 8– The Protector 9– The Mediator1– The Perfectionist
The Enneagram can help us work with the three centers. By understanding them better we can find our 'blind spots' and learn to expand our awareness. We can find our own unique path towards our essential selves.
