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8/10/2019 Sufi Enneagram http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/sufi-enneagram 1/39 Sufi Enneagram: Overcoming the Knowledge Paradox with the Enneagram By LUIZ !"LOS "O#! People who seek radical change and growth have necessarily to be aware of the need for something more than merely learning new skills or habits to help them in the process. This applies to the corporate and personal worlds and the spiritual universe. Acquiring new skills without self-awareness leads to a partial change or reform that does not touch the core of the old and fixed patterns of perceptions and behaviours. - Dont put new wine in old bottle- says the !ible. "ow does one really change oneself# Those who have actually tried to change their attitudes know how hard it is to be free from old patterns of behaviour. $f the only tool you use is a hammer you will only see things as nails. $n order to widen your perspective it is imperative that you cultivate greater awareness. $t is now two decades since $ started the struggle with this wonderful and painful search for real change. The first challenge in this process was to realise that $ did not know myself. %o how is it possible to change something that we do not know# $f we want to change anything we need to know how and what to change. The &nneagram is a good system of self-assessment because it provides insight into our main unconscious thinking and acting strategies. The word &nneagram literally means nine points. $t is a cosmological and psychological system represented by a nine-edged star-like picture that touches a circle at nine equidistant points. &ach of these nine points represents nine types of human beings. This system was used by groups of initiates of ancient 'reek and %ufi cultures. The &nneagram system was kept secret for thousands of years. $t was revealed to the public in the last century through 'urd(ieffs work. %ince then it has been unfolded and ad(usted to modern times by many researchers. Today the &nneagram is gaining popularity. Due to its sharpness simplicity and fast results this psychological assessment tool for transformation is being used by counsellors seekers of self and spiritual development couples seeking improvement in their relationship managers seeking to improve their performance and many others who seek to resolve differences and reach higher levels of evolution. The &nneagram system is based on two basic principles) *irst everyone is born with an intrinsic talent and motivation to do things in a certain way. The second principle paradoxically is that our main talents are the source of our main defects. The &nneagram shows how we unconsciously get trapped in what we know how to do well and start using in a fixed way only this particular thinking strategy. +nce we

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Sufi Enneagram: Overcoming the Knowledge

Paradox with the Enneagram

By LUIZ !"LOS "O#!

People who seek radical change and growth have necessarily to be aware of the need forsomething more than merely learning new skills or habits to help them in the process.This applies to the corporate and personal worlds and the spiritual universe.

Acquiring new skills without self-awareness leads to a partial change or reform that doesnot touch the core of the old and fixed patterns of perceptions and behaviours. - Dont putnew wine in old bottle- says the !ible. "ow does one really change oneself# Those whohave actually tried to change their attitudes know how hard it is to be free from oldpatterns of behaviour. $f the only tool you use is a hammer you will only see things asnails. $n order to widen your perspective it is imperative that you cultivate greater

awareness.

$t is now two decades since $ started the struggle with this wonderful and painful searchfor real change. The first challenge in this process was to realise that $ did not knowmyself. %o how is it possible to change something that we do not know# $f we want tochange anything we need to know how and what to change.

The &nneagram is a good system of self -assessment because it provides insight into ourmain unconscious thinking and acting strategies. The word &nneagram literally meansnine points. $t is a cosmological and psychological system represented by a nine-edgedstar-like picture that touches a circle at nine equidistant points. &ach of these nine points

represents nine types of human beings. This system was used by groups of initiates ofancient 'reek and %ufi cultures.

The &nneagram system was kept secret for thousands of years. $t was revealed to thepublic in the last century through 'urd(ieffs work. %ince then it has been unfolded andad(usted to modern times by many researchers.

Today the &nneagram is gaining popularity. Due to its sharpness simplicity and fastresults this psychological assessment tool for transformation is being used by counsellorsseekers of self  and spiritual development couples seeking improvement in theirrelationship managers seeking to improve their performance and many others who seekto resolve differences and reach higher levels of evolution.

The &nneagram system is based on two basic principles) *irst everyone is born with anintrinsic talent and motivation to do things in a certain way.

The second principle paradoxically is that our main talents are the source of our maindefects. The &nneagram shows how we unconsciously get trapped in what we know howto do well and start using in a fixed way only this particular thinking strategy. +nce we

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realise our &nneagram type we start understanding why we have been thinking feeling and doing things the way we do.

The &nneagram not only reveals why we are the way we are it also shows us what weare not what we are missing due to our fixations and it provides a tailored road map forchange for each individual. Perfectionists for example usually realise that being moretolerant relaxed and flexible are essential for growth.

,ou must have heard the tale of the group of blind men and the elephant. hen each ofthe nine &nneagram types touch the same elephant at different points they gain adifferent understanding of it. %imilarly the &nneagram helps each one of the nine to seethe whole of the &lephant.

 

Enneagram: $he Sufi under%tanding of the

Enneagram

&nneagram) The %ufi &nneagram explored as a way of becoming aware of howthe pains of the heart can blurr out the reality of our essence and how our

disorders themselves are the raw material of our recovery.

Names of God  as remedies, Claudio Naranjo, Ibn Arabi, Facts, Sheykh Amanoullah , Philippe de Vos , nnea!ram ,"uslim Sufis , Fact, Gurdjieff  , #planation , soufi  masters , nnea!ramme , Indian Sufis , Crescent, chamsdin $abib

 Allah, %hat, About, Sufism , &ur disorders themsel'es are the ra( material of our reco'ery, na)chabandi sufi (ay  ,carto!raphy of the e!o , *efinition

Sufi%m: $he Sufi under%tanding of the Enneagram

By Shey&h !manoullah' Phili((e de )o%

Author) %heykh Amanoullah Philippe de os

The word &nneagram refers to a nine component geometricalfigure but this symbol is above all the base to teach aknowledge which can be apprehended through different

typologies of nine essential types of wisdom corrupted by thesame number of heart defects or egotic tendencies.

Due to its symbolic power as well as its universal dimensionthis / archetype/ figure has been taken up used developpedlaunched and adapted in a great number of school doctrineswhose followers have found out there what they could see orpro(ect from their ideas.

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0evertheless no one can claim the possesion or the exclusiveunderstanding of it. These great symbols like the "oly 1rossthe six or five branch stars the 1rescent the triangle even ifthey had been associated with some religions or doctrinesremain free within the heritage of the human conscience.

The &nneagramme bear a free and universal revelation in itscore. $t is the base of a way to happiness and freedom.

This understanding which used to be very secret has recentlystarted a new career although it is under the different andreduced shape of an equation made by 1laudio 0aran(o thechilian psychiatrist of the &salem $nstitute 1alifornia.

$nfact a surprising convergence helped to consider that thecartography of the ego as explained by the sufis and the

 2fathers of the desert/ corresponded to the modernassumptions of psychology.

3ater on a certain number of people are going to adapt thisconcept of the &nneagram to their own research and teachingof the development of the personality and the neuro linguisticprogram 403P5.This tendency will spread through &urope too.

$t is interesting to keep in mind this global vision of what the&nneagram has brought to light with no exclusion.

At the biginning of the century the &nneagram was taught bythe 2seeker after truth/ 6r. 'urd(ieff  but he deliberately gavea vague and incomplete explanation of the &nneagram leavingat the same time some clues for those who already had a fewanswers through the naqchabandi sufi way.

The sufi teaching of the &nneagram which developped in theconfraternities was delivered from heart to heart since itprecisely represented one of the figure of the heart itself andits evolution like the rose.

$t is reported that among the $ndian %ufis in 789: chamsdin"abib Allah a boy of nine years old had a vision of thePatriarch Prophet Abraham who passed his spiritual powers onto him.

 2"is cheikh 0ur 6ohammad opened the eyes of his heart andled him to such spiritual heights he would return ama;ed of.

<ust a single look from his cheikh was enough to open the wayto the nine points which are the key of naqchabandi secrets.*rom these nine points he discovered the five points until hischeikh allowed him to use them all at any time./ 4Philippe de os 3a 'en=se de la sagesse Dervy page 77>5

To reali;e this opening in such dimension can mould his ownheart as 'od? s holy throne with the ability of understandingand loving all the creatures of this world.

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The true model of the opening of the nine points leading to aholiness beyong all religions is <esus whose coming back isexpected by both the 6uslims and the christians.

According to the great sufi $bn Arabi 6ary who is the symbol

of the universal %oul receives <esus as the 3ogos source of allwords and their unique essence. Through 6ary they increasein numbers. $n his book 2des ch@tons de la sagesse/ 4 Thesetting of wisdom B5 he introduces the >8 wordscorresponding to >8 prophets. The prophets guide you on to aspiritual way according to these >8 sorts of wisdom inconnection to spiritual typologies that afterwards some peopleteaching the &nneagramme will assume to have discovered inintroducing them differently.4: psychological types with each C sub-types equaling to >8categories.5

According to a more traditional reading of the 6uslim %ufis this universal 3+'+% 4source of the words5 is the originalprophetic light the womb of all prophets whose latest earthyevidence is 6ohammad.

All these approaches give us a precise idea of all the possibledirections which can be taken in the study of th &nneagram from psychiatry to holiness.

$n any case its a light for the soul like this star leading theshepherds to the "oly $nfant in the cave because they hadbeen able to see it with the eye of the heart and to follow itup there.

 2And men follow the guining stars/ 1oran 7EF7E

The tuition

*irst step)The first thing to do is helping the audience to diagnosedifferent egotic tendencies which hurt or obbiterate the heartthus preventing the eye of the heart to see properly.

These tendencies can be represented on a vertical line goingfrom the infernal psychiatric compulsion to the blessing of thespiritual service. People are generally in the half way on theline on the way of delivrance. Then : different compulsionscan be recogni;ed thy are both typologies or tendencies but

at the same time the sign of a propensity to a spiritual activity.

!ut once this has been estabbished what remedies are to begiven#People would probably found themselves frustrated todiscover their faults without anyother help but some pieces ofadvice or selfawareness exercises as psychologists would urgethem to do.

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%econd step

- *irst stagehat the sufi doctrine suggests is to discover that ourdisorders themselves are the raw material of our recovery. *ar

from re(ecting our egotic tendencies out of arrogance we mustface them and in so doing become aware of them in order toreach this type of repentance which must be understood as aretun to the centre to our essence.

$ndeed all our disorders and fixed ideas drive us away fromthis glorious essence which is the presence of 'od within usand make it forgotten fall into oblivion. The awareness of thisfact is the first step to take.

- %econd stage0ow we need to identify the names of 'od as remedies asthey are the appropriate ways to make these negativetendencies positive. *inally we need to exercise them bysinging meditating and invoking the name of 'od. $n workingout on our breathing and meditation they are the keys to thecoming down of the "oly %pirit in our heart.

e have been taught these precepts by autori;ed soufimasters for thirty years. This work follows the 2authori;ed/line of the tuition which is not useless considering all thedisorders and damages of our time.

e wish this way should be the answer to a large demand ofall those who through an authentic guidance want the eye ofthe heart to open since it is this heart which receives the lightof our essence.

"ere are some more great articles on this topic)

• %ufism - 'ods annihilating the individuals ego

$he Sufi Enneagram: Balancing the Self 

(re%ented *y Laleh Ba&htiar

Notes by David BartonThose interested in this particular approach to %ufism and the enneagram should consultthe many works of 3aleh !akhtiar. $ emphasi;e that these are my personal notes and nosubstitute for the works of the presenter. This session was tapedF see the main page formore information.

!akhtiar began with a diagram that lined up the enneagram with a the ;odiac. Thissurprised me a great dealF $ was not aware that the ;odiac was any part of %ufism or$slam. This included a lot of references to the Guran and the properties of the variousenneagram types and ;odiacal signs.

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!akhtiar then put up a diagram that described the division of the self into three parts)cognition affect and behavior. The movement is from two to three and therefore theline between affect and behavior was dotted at first. The division into two began with thedivision between $mmortal and mortal or divine spirit and animal spirit. *rom the animalspirit comes affect and behavior. !y body the three are brain 4divine5 lung 4breath5 andheart. This division was made in a lot of other terms. Heason concubiscence 4lust5 andirrascible 4anger avoidance of pain5 is another. Again 1onsciousness unconsciousnessand preconsciousness. $ will not record others.

The next diagram showed the pattern of the enneagram and how it moved through thedifferent centers. The one after that made the point that the numbers are not importantFoverbalance in any area is the point at issue.

The next diagram divided them into various responses giving names to each of the ninestyles. e are constantly moving between the types. The next diagram showed the %ufienneagram in its completion. This included the four virtues and !akhtiar went througheach of the subcategories of these virtues 4naming them only very quickly5. 0ote thatthe %ufi enneagram assigns the number ;ero to egolessness. This occurs at the center ofthe diagram.

%he then named the four levels of intervention or healing as)

• Diet• Medication

• Poison, or antidote.

• Surgery.

This represents the level of advancement and the kind of intervention that is necessary.%ometimes this means doing outwardly strange thingsF for example replacing hypocrisywith lust for the world This needs to be monitored carefully.

The final surgical intervention consists of various practicesF fasting for example.

&ach of the Arabic letters 4>I of them5 has a different property) hot cold wet and dry.Thus there is a connection from the %ufi enneagram into the Arabic alphabet.

%he then quoted Humi. 6any of these are inspiring. "owever he gives two cautions. Thefirst is that we must not anticipate levelsF we must pass through the levels in turn. ithinthis we need to (udge a persons level and advance according to their condition 4echos of 3ewis here5.

The second is that we must learn to look beyond form into meaning.

%he then introduced the American sheik of the 0aqshbandi order %heik Jabbani. %heintroduced him as egolessF this he denied. "e then chanted the name of Allah which wastaken up by a lot of this students# disciples# in the room. "e regretted that !akhtiarrushed to give him time to speak.

To be true students of '(urdieff and of the +ne we must be careful in our dealings witheach other.

"e feels an energy flowing through the people in the conference either receiving orreflecting. $f we are not egoless we cannot hear see or feelF however we might sensesomething.

hat is the enneagram# $t is ennea 4needle in Turkish5 and !ram 43ove longing forsomething5. Thus the enneagram is the point of the needle and the love of that point. Tobe an atom the point of the needle is nothingF therefore it is everything. Kero iseverything when it is (oined with the +ne. +ne without ;ero is still +neF Kero without+ne is nothing.

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"e likened the need of a computer for software as the same need of the brain forsoftware. 'urd(ieff was looking for this software. "e went to 1entral Asia where he foundthe 0aqshbandi %ufis using a system of nine points 4the enneagram5. These nine pointsare in every human being. "e likened these to numeric codes necessary to enter abuildingF without the key you will not get into the human being.

Points on the circumference are ;ero as wellF thus there are two ;eros the outside ;ero

and the inward ;ero. $f they can be connected then the diagram works. '(urdieff waslooking for this mechanism.

e must live this explanation not (ust relate it or draw it in diagrams. Thus it must beexperienced. As with doctors we must undergo our LresidencyL.

The %heik believes that since the time of 'urd(ieff has developed a great deal into thefollowing nine points)

1. Imprisoning the ego.

2. Reciting the remembrance of God Liturgy Dhi!r".

#. $ngra%ing God&s names on one&s heart.'. (no)ing the meaning of )hat is engra%ed.

*. Impressing the engra%ing )ith the remembrance of God.

+. ontro--ing one&s heart beat.. ounting the number of times it stops and starts./. Saying, 0Muhammad is the Messenger of God0 at e%ery stopping and starting.

. Returning to your ca%e Di%ine Presence".

hen things go back to ;ero they dissolve become energy and light.

hen '(urdieff was given the knowledge of the enneagram they asked him to not revealsome of the information. %ome of these were kept from his students.

There are five stages of the heart.

1. eart

2. Secret#. Secret of the secret

'. idden*. 3he most hidden.

0ote that these are the same as in %hah.

There are three stages of the presence of 'od)

1. Lo%e.

2. Presence.

#. 4nnihi-ation.

This together with the three points of)1. 5or!ing through God.2. 5or!ing through messengers.

#. 5or!ing through guides.

gives the nine points of the enneagram.

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This was part of the %econd $nternational &nneagram 1onference. Heturn to the top pagefor a description of each of the events that $ attended as well as personal comments andthe like.

Sufi Enneagram: Overcoming the KnowledgeParadox with the Enneagram

The &nneagram is a good system of self -assessment because it provides insight into ourmain unconscious thinking and acting strategies. The word &nneagram literally meansnine points. $t is a cosmological and psychological system represented by a nine-edged

star-like picture that touches a circle at nine equidistant points. &ach of these nine pointsrepresents nine types of human beings. This system was used by groups of initiates of 

ancient 'reek and %ufi cultures.

The &nneagram system was kept secret for thousands of years. $t was revealed to thepublic in the last century through 'urd(ieffs work. %ince then it has been unfolded and

ad(usted to modern times by many researchers.

+ody  , +ody  "ind  , nnea!ram , Soul  , Islam , Spiritual Practice , +ody and "ind  , Sacred Scriptures , Spiritual Gro(th ,Islamic  , +ody  "ind  Soul  , Spirit  , Spiritual Practices , "ind and +ody  , Spiritual eadin! , Sufi  , Spiritual Articles ,

Spirituality  , "uslim , Sacred  Scriptures , Sufism , "ind  , Sufi nnea!ram , Spiritual Article , +ody  "ind  Spirit 

Sufi Enneagram: Overcoming the

Knowledge Paradox with the

Enneagram

By LUIZ !"LOS "O#!

People who seek radical change and growth have necessarilyto be aware of the need for something more than merelylearning new skills or habits to help them in the process. Thisapplies to the corporate and personal worlds and the spiritual universe.

Acquiring new skills without self-awareness leads to a partialchange or reform that does not touch the core of the old andfixed patterns of perceptions and behaviours. - Dont put newwine in old bottle- says the !ible. "ow does one reallychange oneself# Those who have actually tried to change theirattitudes know how hard it is to be free from old patterns ofbehaviour. $f the only tool you use is a hammer you will onlysee things as nails. $n order to widen your perspective it is

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imperative that you cultivate greater awareness.

$t is now two decades since $ started the struggle with thiswonderful and painful search for real change. The firstchallenge in this process was to realise that $ did not know

myself. %o how is it possible to change something that we donot know# $f we want to change anything we need to knowhow and what to change.

The &nneagram is a good system of self -assessment becauseit provides insight into our main unconscious thinking andacting strategies. The word &nneagram literally means ninepoints. $t is a cosmological and psychological systemrepresented by a nine-edged star-like picture that touches acircle at nine equidistant points. &ach of these nine pointsrepresents nine types of human beings. This system was usedby groups of initiates of ancient 'reek and %ufi cultures.

The &nneagram system was kept secret for thousands ofyears. $t was revealed to the public in the last centurythrough 'urd(ieffs work. %ince then it has been unfolded andad(usted to modern times by many researchers.

Today the &nneagram is gaining popularity. Due to itssharpness simplicity and fast results this psychological assessment tool for transformation is being used bycounsellors seekers of self  and spiritual development couplesseeking improvement in their relationship managers seekingto improve their performance and many others who seek to

resolve differences and reach higher levels of evolution.

The &nneagram system is based on two basic principles) *irsteveryone is born with an intrinsic talent and motivation to dothings in a certain way.

The second principle paradoxically is that our main talentsare the source of our main defects. The &nneagram showshow we unconsciously get trapped in what we know how to dowell and start using in a fixed way only this particular thinkingstrategy. +nce we realise our &nneagram type we startunderstanding why we have been thinking feeling and doingthings the way we do.

The &nneagram not only reveals why we are the way we areit also shows us what we are not what we are missing due toour fixations and it provides a tailored road map for changefor each individual. Perfectionists for example usually realisethat being more tolerant relaxed and flexible are essentialfor growth.

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,ou must have heard the tale of the group of blind men andthe elephant. hen each of the nine &nneagram types touch the same elephant at different points they gain a differentunderstanding of it. %imilarly the &nneagram helps each oneof the nine to see the whole of the &lephant.

 

Enneagram: $he Sufi under%tanding of theEnneagram

&nneagram) The %ufi &nneagram explored as a way of becoming aware of howthe pains of the heart can blurr out the reality of our essence and how our

disorders themselves are the raw material of our recovery.

Names of God  as remedies, Claudio Naranjo, Ibn Arabi, Facts, Sheykh Amanoullah , Philippe de Vos , nnea!ram ,"uslim Sufis , Fact, Gurdjieff  , #planation , soufi  masters , nnea!ramme , Indian Sufis , Crescent, chamsdin $abib

 Allah, %hat, About, Sufism , &ur disorders themsel'es are the ra( material of our reco'ery, na)chabandi sufi (ay  ,carto!raphy of the e!o , *efinition

Sufi%m: $he Sufi under%tanding of 

the Enneagram

By Shey&h !manoullah' Phili((e de )o%

Author) %heykh Amanoullah Philippe de os

The word &nneagram refers to a nine component geometricalfigure but this symbol is above all the base to teach aknowledge which can be apprehended through differenttypologies of nine essential types of wisdom corrupted by thesame number of heart defects or egotic tendencies.

Due to its symbolic power as well as its universal dimensionthis / archetype/ figure has been taken up used developpedlaunched and adapted in a great number of school doctrineswhose followers have found out there what they could see or

pro(ect from their ideas.

0evertheless no one can claim the possesion or the exclusiveunderstanding of it. These great symbols like the "oly 1rossthe six or five branch stars the 1rescent the triangle even ifthey had been associated with some religions or doctrinesremain free within the heritage of the human conscience.

The &nneagramme bear a free and universal revelation in its

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words and their unique essence. Through 6ary they increasein numbers. $n his book 2des ch@tons de la sagesse/ 4 Thesetting of wisdom B5 he introduces the >8 wordscorresponding to >8 prophets. The prophets guide you on to aspiritual way according to these >8 sorts of wisdom inconnection to spiritual typologies that afterwards some people

teaching the &nneagramme will assume to have discovered inintroducing them differently.4: psychological types with each C sub-types equaling to >8categories.5

According to a more traditional reading of the 6uslim %ufis this universal 3+'+% 4source of the words5 is the originalprophetic light the womb of all prophets whose latest earthyevidence is 6ohammad.

All these approaches give us a precise idea of all the possibledirections which can be taken in the study of th &nneagram from psychiatry to holiness.

$n any case its a light for the soul like this star leading theshepherds to the "oly $nfant in the cave because they hadbeen able to see it with the eye of the heart and to follow itup there.

 2And men follow the guining stars/ 1oran 7EF7E

The tuition

*irst step)The first thing to do is helping the audience to diagnosedifferent egotic tendencies which hurt or obbiterate the heartthus preventing the eye of the heart to see properly.

These tendencies can be represented on a vertical line goingfrom the infernal psychiatric compulsion to the blessing of thespiritual service. People are generally in the half way on theline on the way of delivrance. Then : different compulsionscan be recogni;ed thy are both typologies or tendencies butat the same time the sign of a propensity to a spiritual activity.

!ut once this has been estabbished what remedies are to begiven#People would probably found themselves frustrated todiscover their faults without anyother help but some pieces of

advice or selfawareness exercises as psychologists would urgethem to do.

%econd step

- *irst stagehat the sufi doctrine suggests is to discover that ourdisorders themselves are the raw material of our recovery. *arfrom re(ecting our egotic tendencies out of arrogance we must

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face them and in so doing become aware of them in order toreach this type of repentance which must be understood as aretun to the centre to our essence.

$ndeed all our disorders and fixed ideas drive us away fromthis glorious essence which is the presence of 'od within us

and make it forgotten fall into oblivion. The awareness of thisfact is the first step to take.

- %econd stage0ow we need to identify the names of 'od as remedies asthey are the appropriate ways to make these negativetendencies positive. *inally we need to exercise them bysinging meditating and invoking the name of 'od. $n workingout on our breathing and meditation they are the keys to thecoming down of the "oly %pirit in our heart.

e have been taught these precepts by autori;ed soufimasters for thirty years. This work follows the 2authori;ed/line of the tuition which is not useless considering all thedisorders and damages of our time.

e wish this way should be the answer to a large demand ofall those who through an authentic guidance want the eye ofthe heart to open since it is this heart which receives the lightof our essence.

"ere are some more great articles on this topic)

O%car Icha+o

*rom an $nterview with %am Jeen Psycholo!y -oday  <uly 7:8C

...$cha;o) hen $ was 7: a remarkable man found me in 3a Pa;. "e was E9 years oldand when he began to teach me $ knew from the beginning that he was speaking thetruth. This man whose name $ have pledged not to reveal belonged to a small group in!uenos Aires that met to share their knowledge of various esoteric consciousness-alteringtechniques. $ became the coffee boy for this group. $ would get up at four a.m. to maketheir coffee and breakfast and would stay around as inconspicuously as possible.'radually they got used to my presence and they started using me as a guinea pig todemonstrate techniques to each other. To settle arguments about whether someparticular kind of meditation or mantra worked they would have me try it and reportwhat $ experienced.

Jeen) hat kinds of disciplines were being shared in the group#

$cha;o) About two thirds of the group were +rientals so they were strong on Ken %ufismand cabala. They also used some techniques $ later found in the 'urd(ieff work.

Jeen) here does the story go from there#

$cha;o) +ne day when $ was serving coffee an argument arose between two members of the group. $ turned to one and said L,ou are not right. "e is right.L <ust like that. Then $explained the point until both of them understood. This incident changed everything.

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They asked me to leave and $ thought $ was being kicked out for being pretentious. !utafter about a week they called me back and told me they had all decided to teach me.They worked with me for two more years and then opened doors for me in the +rient.After a time of remaining at home in 1hile $ began to travel and study in the &astF in"ong Jong $ndia and Tibet. $ did more work in the martial arts learned all of the higheryogas studied !uddhism and 1onfucianism alchemy and the wisdom of the $ 1hing.Then $ went back to 3a Pa; to live with my father and digest my learnings. After workingalone for a year $ went into a divine coma for seven days. hen $ came out of it $ knewthat $ should teachF it was impossible that all my good luck should be only for myself. !utit took me two years to act on this decision. Then $ went to %antiago and startedlecturing in the $nstitute for Applied Psychology. Things got so busy and crowded therethat $ decided to move to the remote little town of Arica and filter out all except the reallycommitted persons who would follow me there. At first $ worked with a group of 79. Thenin 7:89 a group of Americans -- about M9 -- came and stayed for nine months. *ifteen of these were from &salen. $t was clear to me that the time had come to move to 0orthAmerica. %o here we are -- The Arica $nstitute with centers in 0ew ,ork 3os Angeles and%an *rancisco....

Taking with the Left Hand

Excerpt from Part I

How the Enneagram ame to !arket" opyright #$$% &i''iam Patrick Patterson

 

((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

The ancient esoteric teaching of the )o*rth &ay+ reform*'ated for o*r time+ was

first introd*ced by ,- I- ,*rd.ieff in /*ssia circa #$#0- The teaching+ !r- ,*rd.ieff

said+ was 1comp'ete'y se'f(s*pporting and independent of other 'ines and it has been

comp'ete'y *nknown *p to the present time- - -2and the enneagram3 is one of its

principa' symbo's-1 In 'ater disc*ssions it was i''*strated how the enneagram co*'d

be *sed to *nderstand the re'ationship and transformation of the three foods 4air+

physica' food+ and impressions5 within the body for the p*rposes of evo'*tion and

connection with higher being(bodies- The enneagram+ he said+ was 1the f*ndamenta'hierog'yph of a *niversa' 'ang*age which has as many different meanings as there

are 'eve's of men-1 6s a principa' symbo' of the teaching+ it co*'d not be *nderstood

or *sed appropriate'y o*tside the teaching- 7aid ,*rd.ieff+ 1The know'edge of the

enneagram has for a very 'ong time been preserved in secret and if it now is+ so to

speak+ made avai'ab'e to a''+ it is on'y in an incomp'ete and theoretica' form of

which nobody co*'d make any practica' *se witho*t instr*ction from a man who

knows-1 The existence of the enneagram was first made wide'y known with the

p*b'ication of P- D- 8*spensky9s In 7earch of the !irac*'o*s in #$:$- The

app'ication of the symbo' to 1persona'ity fixations1 was first introd*ced by 8scar

Icha;o- Thro*gh Icha;o+ Dr- 'a*dio Naran.o+ a specia'ist in h*man typo'ogy+

'earned of what might be ca''ed 1the persona'ity enneagram1 in #$%$- Naran.ocodified it into a system and+ on his own accord+ began to teach it to others with the

proviso that they keep it a secret- This+ of co*rse+ was naive- Interest in the

enneagram+ as app'ied to h*man typo'ogy or persona'ity fixations+ b*i't steadi'y

over the years b*t fina''y 1came to market1 in the 'ate #$<=s with the p*b'ication of

n*mero*s books on the persona'ity enneagram-

I9>E T6?,HT THE ENNE6,/6! IN 6DDITI8N 6ND /E8>E/@

ENTE/7+ I9>E T6?,HT IT IN D6NE ha''s+ I9ve ta*ght it in high schoo's+ and

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traditiona' ;hikr+ prayer+ meditation((and I know rea'i;ed 7*fi sheiks- It is not part

of their theoretica' framework- They co*'dn9t care 'ess abo*t the Enneagon

2Icha;o9s name for the enneagram3-1

6'tho*gh born sixteen years after ,*rd.ieff first made the enneagram known+

8scar Icha;o neverthe'ess c'aims himse'f as the so*rce of the enneagram or+ as he

wo*'d have it+ enneagon- That cannot be tr*e+ b*t certain'y he is responsib'e forintrod*cing what might be ca''ed the 1contemporary1 enneagram- &hat is known

of Icha;o is on'y what he has written or to'd others abo*t himse'f and so its veracity

is witho*t witness- 7ometimes the acco*nts differ- This is what he says Born in #$F#

in Bo'ivia+ his father was a mi'itary officer and so his ear'y years were spent at a

mi'itary insta''ation- By the age of six he was having periodic cata'eptic attacks

every few days in which he wo*'d become very rigid and frightened- To c*re

himse'f+ at the age of thirteen+ he took the dr*g ayah*asca 4ya.e5 made+ interesting'y

eno*gh in terms of 'ater events+ from a vine which grows aro*nd trees in the

6ma;onian forests- !ore than once he says he had an o*t(of(body experience which

a''owed him 1to experience the *nity of matter-1 He went on to st*dy yoga+

hypnosis+ Theosophy+ Hind* phi'osophy+ Pythagoras+ P'ato+ P'otin*s and theGabba'ah-

Then in La Pa; in #$0=+ at the age of nineteen+ he met a E*ropean b*sinessman who

gave him copies of 8*spensky9s In 7earch of the !irac*'o*s and Terti*m 8rgan*m-

The man to'd Icha;o of a st*dy gro*p in B*enos 6ires to which he be'onged and

invited him to .oin- 4Icha;o first said he spent fo*r years with the gro*p+ 'ater two

years+ then one year- In his ear'y description+ it was a )o*rth &ay gro*p+ in a 'ater

acco*nt it is *ndefined-5 ?pon his arriva' in B*enos 6ires+ Icha;o was to'd to rent a

'arge apartment for the gro*p where they co*'d work- He was to serve them whi'e

they worked+ making coffee and so forth- He didn9t 'ive at the apartment+ b*t in a

h*t on the o*tskirts of the city- The gro*p passed him thro*gh a n*mber of

experiments or initiations+ one of which was to sit in a 'ot*s position on a post *nti'

they ret*rned- Three days passed+ he says+ before they ret*rned- Icha;o9s body was

so rigid he had to be 'ifted off the post- Back in his h*t+ his persona'ity str*ct*re

broke down comp'ete'y+ after which he was transformed- &hen he went to the

apartment+ he fo*nd the men waiting for him- Now+ they said+ he co*'d .oin the

gro*p-

6ccording to whichever acco*nt may be tr*e+ either one or fo*r years 'ater he

ret*rned to La Pa;- There+ he either discovered+ or created+ the system of the

enneagramatic psycho'ogica' fixations- The versions+ or amp'ifications+ of what

happened differ in part- In the ear'iest he said he received or discovered the

know'edge from the 9,reen *T*b9 or the 6rchange' ,abrie'- !ore recent'y+ that

he created the app'ication b*t was 1in a state of 9divine presence-9 !etatron is the

prince of archange's and an archetypa' fig*re for the concentration of the re'ative

mind+ yo* know- 6t this point+ I started vis*a'i;ing the Enneagons in front of me-

They didn9t .*st appear- I started vis*a'i;ing it- It was not that some 6rchange'

!etatron came and said+ 9Here it is-9 If things were that simp'e and ridic*'o*s((my

,od-1

Thereafter+ in #$0# or #$00+ Icha;o began teaching gro*ps- He a'so made trips to

Nepa'+ Gashmir+ the Hind* G*sh and 6fghanistan- 8rigina''y+ he said he made

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contact with the same schoo' from which ,*rd.ieff came- Icha;o says he was given

m*ch know'edge d*ring his .o*rneys+ a''owed to read the 6kashic records+ and at

the death of one of the five e'ders of what he wi'' on'y ca'' 1the 7choo'+1 he became

the *T*b+ or center+ the one who was to carry the know'edge to the &est-

8n 8ctober #+ #$%$+ in 7antiago+ hi'e+ 8scar Icha;o gave a series of 'ect*res at the

Instit*to de Psico'ogia 6p'icada on the enneagram as a means of mapping theh*man psyche and its character fixations- 6mong the attendees was Dr- 'a*dio B-

Naran.o+ an expert on vario*s psychotropic s*bstances and a research associate at

the ?niversity of hi'e who had introd*ced fee'ing(and image(enhancing dr*gs to

psychotherapy- Naran.o had st*died at Harvard on a )*'bright 7cho'arship and

was now a ,*ggenheim )e''ow at the ?niversity of a'ifornia at Berke'ey- &hi'e at

Berke'ey+ he had received 'etters from fe''ow psychoana'ysts and a former patient

exto''ing Icha;o9s esoteric know'edge+ partic*'ar'y of Naran.o9s specia'ty+ h*man

typo'ogy- 6'tho*gh *nimpressed with Icha;o himse'f((1His tota' impact on me as a

person did not impress me in any way1((Naran.o fo*nd himse'f 1awed by the

comp'eteness of his theoretica' pict*re and techniA*es-1

Naran.o spent two months with Icha;o and a gro*p of twenty(seven hi'eans withwhom he worked- He then ret*rned to a'ifornia- Naran.o had extensive

connections with Esa'en+ then the center of the h*man potentia' movement+ and with

Berke'ey9s psycho'ogica' comm*nity+ partic*'ar'y the enter for Biochemica'

Dynamics 4where he had contin*ed his st*dy of typo'ogy and the effects of

ha''*cinogenic dr*gs+ s*ch as L7D+ psy'ocybin+ mesca'ine and ya.+ a shamanic dr*g

growing in the .*ng'es of the o'ombian 6ndes+ the same dr*g taken by Icha;o5-

Naran.o spoke informa''y to a good many of his friends abo*t his experiences with

Icha;o+ who in the meantime asked Naran.o to see if 6mericans wo*'d be interested

in working with him in a ten(month program- That !ay+ in #$J=+ Naran.o gave a

ta'k at Esa'en te''ing of his experience with Icha;o+ saying he 1c'aimed to be

somebody who had been schoo'ed or 9accepted9 in the same 7*fi tradition that was

the so*rce of ,*rd.ieff9s training-1 Icha;o+ he said+ was exp'icit abo*t

differentiating 19the 7choo'9 from traditiona' 7*fi orders+ inc'*ding the

NaAshbandi-1 6ccording to Icha;o+ whi'e some 7*fi orders derived from the 7choo'+

it was not 7*fi- 6bo*t his persona' impression of Icha;o+ Naran.o said that a'tho*gh

he seemed to have 1an a*thoritarian streak that I don9t tr*st1 and that 1I don9t 'ike

him as a person+1 he fo*nd that 1his bag of tricks is incredib'e-1 7oon+ a'' the ta'k in

spirit*a' and psycho'ogica' circ'es at Esa'en and Berke'ey was abo*t Icha;o-

Hearing abo*t Icha;o from Naran.o+ the scientist Cohn Li''y decided to spend a

week with him and f'ew down to 6rica+ hi'e+ a rapid'y growing fishing port of

#==+=== peop'e+ most 'iving in o'd packing crates+ near the Per*vian border- It was a

desert and+ according to Li''y+ 1one of the driest p'aces on earth-1 Icha;o9s schoo'+

he said+ was ca''ed the Instit*to de ,noso'ogia and was 1bi''ed as a center for the

reviva' of an ancient esoteric schoo' of mysticism-1 He fo*nd a ba'ding man of

medi*m height with prominent+ dark brown eyes- Tho*gh his physica' appearance

did not 'ive *p to 1the vis*a' expectation of a 9ho'y man+91 Li''y was impressed+ 'ike

Naran.o+ with Icha;o9s know'edge- ?n'ike Naran.o+ he fo*nd Icha;o a 1warm+

'ikab'e h*man being who was practica'+ pragmatic+ direct and had bo*nd'ess

energy- He is very positive and never critici;es third parties-1

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&hen the ten(month co*rse began on C*'y #+ #$J=+ fifty(fo*r 6mericans+ Naran.o

and Li''y among them+ were in attendance- The days were 'ong+ fifteen and more

ho*rs fi''ed with gymnastics+ meditation+ ta'ks and experiments- D*ring the

training+ Naran.o is said to have gone into a satori state and ref*sed to ret*rn-

Icha;o had to bring him back- 6ngry+ Naran.o ret*rned- Things apparent'y went

wrong with Naran.o after that+ for after seven months he was expe''ed by the gro*pas *ndesirab'e- 6ccording to Icha;o+ 1Naran.o was re.ected by #==K of the vote 2of

the gro*p3- The main reason being that he co*'d not drop his 9messianic9 attit*de

that was fe't as very individ*a'istic and egocentric-1 Li''y stayed on and had many

conversations with Icha;o+ among them a ta'k abo*t divine grace in which Icha;o

*sed the 7*fi term for it+ baraka- Then they disc*ssed the training

Li''y &hat sort of name are yo* giving it Is this the 7*fi thing or is this something

e'se

Icha;o &e ca'' it a'ways 1The 7choo'-1

Li''y Peop'e want a 'abe'- The 7*fi name in the ?nited 7tates has a 'ot of

prestige-- - -Icha;o It is better for *s+ Cohn+ that the name is something new beca*se the

teaching is comp'ete'y new- If we conf*se o*r names+ for instance with 7*fism+

everybody is going prepared for that way- Let *s make it something new-

Li''y 'eft 6rica before he comp'eted the program- He gives differing acco*nts of

when he 'eft+ saying after six months+ 'ater eight- He 'eft then either a month before

or after Naran.o- 6 'ot of reasons are given+ b*t it seems c'ear that he wanted to

maintain what he considered his independence as a 1scientific exp'orer-1 He said+ 1I

did not 'ike the idea of being in a c'osed gro*p+ esoteric or otherwise- I have p*rs*ed

my own path+ 'earning from whomever and wherever I co*'d-- - -1

/et*rning to Berke'ey+ 'a*dio Naran.o foc*sed his entire energies on

*nderstanding the enneagram materia' that Icha;o had presented- Naran.o had first

'earned of the enneagram in his teens when reading 8*spensky9s 7earch- It is not

c'ear b*t he may have .oined a ,*rd.ieff gro*p in >ene;*e'a+ 'eaving after a short

time- Having a negative attit*de toward the existing ,*rd.ieff teaching represented

by Lord Pent'and((1I had been disappointed in the extent to which ,*rd.ieff9s

schoo' entai'ed a 'iving 'ineage+1 he says((Naran.o had to re'y on his own research

abetted by the 'ike'y *se of fee'ing and imagery enhancers-

Intent'y st*dying a'' the p*b'ic'y avai'ab'e ,*rd.ieff 'iterat*re and Icha;o9s

enneagram materia' of psycho'ogica' comp*'sions+ Naran.o saw a correspondence

between what Icha;o was saying and hristianity9s seven dead'y sins- He then

re'ated this+ a'ong with information on the ;odiac+ to the vario*s psycho'ogica'

typo'ogies 4histrionic+ comp*'sive+ avoidant or schi;oid+ and so forth5 e'aborated in

The Diagnostic and 7tatistica' !an*a' of !enta' Disorders 4D7!5 and soon

deve'oped+ as he wo*'d say+ his own enneagrammatic 1co''age-1 However+ he was

1*nder a commitment of reserve1 to 8scar Icha;o in regard to teaching the

persona'ity enneagram- 7o Naran.o wrote to Icha;o asking for permission to teach-

Icha;o never answered- 1I took the fact that he didn9t rep'y+1 said Naran.o+ 1as a

sign that I myse'f had to decide-1

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In #$J# he formed his own schoo' and ca''ed it 76T 47eekers 6fter Tr*th5- This was

a partic*'ar'y ferti'e time to start an 9esoteric schoo'-9 Having so*ght the spirit*a'

with dr*gs((1L7D is 6merica9s Ces*s hrist+1 said the Indian ho'y man !eher

Baba((many yo*ng peop'e were 'ooking for a way to get high witho*t them- &ith his

extensive know'edge of dr*gs+ h*man typo'ogy+ and now a version of the

enneagram+ Naran.o9s schoo' soon had *pwards of a h*ndred st*dents-evo'*tion and the nine *nknowns

)atcherr   

CN:N>99>C)79)99

P6

the goa- of the arica schoo-, according to oscar icha6o, is the e%o-ution of the metasociety,0humanity one0. it is a %ision of a g-oba--y united )or-d )here body and spirit ha%e become

united, and humanity has become one. icha6o presents this as a historica- ine%itabi-ity, the

a-ternati%e to )hich )ou-d be the end of the human race. )e either e%o-%e or )e perish.icha6o fee-s that his be-ief that )e -i%e in such a time of change )as confirmed by a mystica-

%ision he had in 1+*.

spiritua- en-ightenment of the indi%idua- in the arica schoo- is seen as happening for the benefit of 0humanity one0. the archange- gabrie-7green 8utub symbo- represents 0humanity

one0. icha6o a-so e8uates this force )ith the green maitreya buddha.

the buddhist -egend of the maitreya, re-ated by icha6o, is that e%ery 2*99 years, there is a

 buddha )hich ushers in a ne) age. guatama )as the third buddha. no) is the time for the

fourth buddha, the maitreya buddha, )ho )i-- gi%e the science for the ne:t 2,*99 years,)hich )i-- -ead to unity, the perfect state of humanity, ca--ed maitreya. maitreya )i-- first

incarnate in one person and then spread to the rest of humanity.

icha6o imp-ies that his schoo-;; from )hich the modern enneagram of persona-ity )as

deri%ed;; is possib-y the )ay to)ards the rea-i6ation of this unity, and is the beginning of ane) age.

there is a simi-ar sufi tradition concerning the enneagram. according to the na8shbandi sufis,

during his tra%e-s in the east in the ear-y part of the t)entieth century, gurd<ieff made contact

)ith a na8shbandi shay!h ca--ed abdu--ah ad;daghestani. this shay!h a--o)ed gurd<ieff to-earn some of the secrets of the enneagram, or as they sometimes ca-- it, the 0nine points0.

 but gurd<ieff )as to-d that he cou-d not re%ea- this )isdom because it is 0a secret that in

genera- )i-- not be re%ea-ed unti- the &-ast days& )hen the &mahdi& appears and &<esus& returns.0the mahdi is an is-amic sa%ior figure )ho )i-- precede the return of <esus."

 based on a con%ersation )ith a sufi teacher in afghanistan in the 1*9&s, icha6o seems to be-ie%e that he )as the one destined to e:p-ain the enneagon figure. see 0inter%ie)s )ith

oscar icha6o.0"

according to shay!h ad;daghestani, the secret of the enneagon figure is that 0each of the nine

 points is represented by one of the nine saints )ho are at the highest -e%e- in the di%ine

 presence. they are the !eys to the unto-d po)ers )ithin man, but there is no permission to

use these !eys.0

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ad;daghestani goes on to say that the fi%e primary -ataif sufi %ersion of cha!ras" are 0the

center of the nine points, )hich represent the -ocus of re%e-ation and inspiration of the di%ine presence in the heart of the human being. they are -ocated on the chest of e%ery person and

represent nine different hidden states in e%ery human being. e%ery state is connected to a

saint, )ho has the authority to contro- that point.0

0... if the see!er... is ab-e to ma!e contact )ith the authori6ed master contro--ing these points

he may be gi%en !no)-edge of and po)er to use these nine points.0 the story of ad;daghestani can be found on the na8shbandi sufi )ebsite, under their 0go-den chain0."

this is reminiscent of the indian -egend of the 0nine un!no)ns0, )hich )as brought to the

)est by the french dip-omat <aco--iot in the 1th century.

the myth is that o%er 2999 years ago, an indian emperor created the society of the nine

un!no)ns, to encapsu-ate a-- human !no)-edge of the time and to ensure that a-- further

research into the psycho-ogy of man and the u-timate nature of matter )ou-d be confined to peop-e, incapab-e, because of their ad%anced state, of misusing the !no)-edge.

 <aco--iot asserted that the nine un!no)ns )ere sti-- a-i%e and he )as in contact )ith them,

and that they had certain po)ers un!no)n to the )est at that time, e%en inc-uding something

)hich some modern )riters see as simi-ar to the re-ease of nuc-ear energy.

each of the nine un!no)ns is supposed to be responsib-e for the security of one area of

human !no)-edge. the nine branches inc-ude physio-ogy, microbio-ogy, transmutation of

e-ements, e:traterrestria- communication, gra%itation, cosmo-ogy, -ight and the e%o-ution ofhuman society. it is said that they inter%ene in human affairs in times of distress, and he-p

guide humanity in its e%o-ution to its u-timate destiny. see ernest scott&s 0peop-e of thesecret"

the idea that there are 0supreme adepts0 guiding humanity&s e%o-ution through contact )ith

some higher po)er )as a-so encountered by o.m. bur!e in his time spent )ith the der%ishes

in the ear-y 1+9&s. a-ong )ith ernest scott, <.g. bennett and %arious other )riters, bur!econnects these adepts )ith the sarmoun brotherhood, one symbo- of )hich is said to be the

enneagon.

3he origin of the $nneagram is rather mysterious and sti-- the sub<ect of substantia- debate.

3he )ord $nneagram is from the Gree! and means 0nine points0. 3he origina- teaching may go bac! as faras 2*99 =.. to the !ingdoms of =aby-onia, and the )isdom schoo- of the Sarmoun =rotherhood. In the

1'th and 1*th centuries it )as passed on to Is-amic mathematicians )ho incorporated it into their mystica-

teachings. 3raditiona--y it has been a part of the secret ora- tradition of the Sufi =rotherhoods, beingre%ea-ed on-y in part to any but the masters.

=ecause the $nneagram has been a secret ora- teaching, no )ritten records of it e:ist unti- it&s introduction

to the 5est. 3he ear-iest appearance in the historic record dates to a Gree! man named Georges Gurd<ieff1/++;1'". e )as interested in the meaning of -ife and tra%e-ed around >orth 4frica and 4sia -earning

%arious spiritua- traditions. 4--eged-y, one of these )as ca--ed &3he 5or!& )hich supposed-y had been

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 passed do)n from teacher to pupi- for thousands of years. 3he 5or! made such an impression on Gurd<ieff

that he made it his -ife mission to teach it to the )estern )or-d.

Gurd<ieff )as initiated into the use of the $nneagram by his Sufi teachers, and he a--uded to it as a de%ice

)hich he used to recogni6e his student&s aptitude for certain types of inner -ife training. Gurd<ieff did not

transmit the $nneagram to his students in fu--, ma!ing reference to the fact that it )as not yet the right time

for it to be re%ea-ed. is students did ho)e%er, study the mathematica- properties of the $nneagram, and

used it&s symbo-ogy in non;%erba- mo%ement designed to teach the rhythm of process through the physica- body.

3he e%o-ution of 3he 5or! into the $nneagram of today is attributed to a hi-ean named ?scar Icha6o, the

founder of the 4rica Institute. e recei%ed training into the system by Sufi teachers in 4fganistan and

incorporated it into his system of human de%e-opment. In the 1+9s, Icha6o de%e-oped a theory of nine

 persona-ity types corresponding to the nine points of the $nneagram a-though he c-aims tota- origina-ity of this concept". In 11, Icha6o brought his teaching from hi-e to the @nited States, )here Aohn Li--y and

the hi-ean psycho-ogist -audio >aran<o encountered it at the $sa-en Institute. >aran<o reframed the

$nneagram into the -anguage of modern )estern psycho-ogy and taught his system ca--ed the $nneagram

of Bi:ations" in 4merica during the 19s. 3hrough >aran<o, a Aesuit priest named =ob ?chs introducedthe system to his community, )here, as the 0Sufi >umbers0 it is )ide-y taught and used as a too- for

spiritua- de%e-opment, prayer, and -i%ing in community.

In the 1/9s, >aran<o&s $nneagram of Bi:ations )as popu-ari6ed as a psycho-ogica- profi-ing system by

authors e-en Pa-mer and Don Richard Riso. Don Richard Riso is a former Aesuit )ho -earned the system

through his order, and after -ea%ing the Aesuits, de%e-oped materia- on it&s secu-ar, psycho-ogica- aspects.e-en Pa-mer )as a student of >aran<o )ho has pursued the aspects of attention and intuition for the types.

=ecause this system is best taught ora--y, there are many other teachers )ho can on-y be found through

)ord of mouth.

3oday, the $nneagram is )ide-y used in c-inica- psycho-ogy and corporate 4merica and is a-so %ery popu-ar among Aesuit and atho-ic priests.

This article is adapted from What Really Matters: Searching for Wisdom in America.

Beyond Freud, beyond ung, beyond est lies a personality!typing system "no#n as the

$nneagram. And #hether you%re an o&erachie&ing pit!bull la#yer or a hopelessly romantic #anna!be poet, it%s got your number.

'%m a Si(.

' do ha&e some other )ualities, of course. Still, the disco&ery of my essential Si(ness!!embeddedin a personality!typing system "no#n as the $nneagram!!has re&ealed more to me about myunconscious patterns, habitual preoccupations, underlying fears, and misused strengths than anytechni)e for self!understanding '%&e yet come across.

 And '%&e loo"ed at plenty of them. *uring the past fi&e years, ' tra&eled the country, inter&ie#ingmore than t#o hundred psychologists, philosop+hers, physicians, mystics, yogis, and scientists#ho ha&e made the search for a deeper truth primary in their li&es!!and #ho pursue it through anarray of practices and systems. What sets the $nneagram apart is that it contains such detailed,useful information about #hat dri&es us to beha&e as #e do. 't%s &aluable not ust for those

see"ing to understand themsel&es but also as a source of insights into one%s friends and family,colleagues, and e&en enemies.

The #ord ennea is -ree" for nine, and the $nneagram is a nine!pointed figure that has its rootsin /ythagorean theory, originally as a model for understanding the predictable patterns ofmo&ement #ithin any gi&en system. 't #as first adapted to understanding personality types by aBoli&ian psychiatrist named 0scar 'cha1o in the early 2345s. As 'cha1o formulated it, eachpersonality type on the $nneagram!!he called the figure an $nneagon!!is mar"ed by a differentcentral fi(ation or passion. Around this fi(ation, he concluded, our indi&idual personalities ta"eshape.

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The result is a narro#, habitual, and often defensi&e #ay of percei&ing the #orld that deeplyinfluences #hat #e thin" and feel and ho# #e beha&e. The moment #e "no# our type, says'cha1o, #e ha&e obser&ed oursel&es in reality. 0r as *a&id *aniels, a psychiatrist #ho #or"s#ith the $nneagram, puts it: $mbedded in each type is our basic belief about the #orld and ho##e li&e in it!!not ust the aspect of our underlying essence that has been most damaged but alsothe corresponding path of healing. 'f you are fully de&eloped, you can incorporate all nine types or points of &ie#, rather than s"e#ing to#ard ust one.

 As a Si(, for instance, my fi(ations are fear and doubt. What made this disco&ery so surprising!!tome, at least!!is that '%d spent so much of my life beha&ing in ust the opposite #ay: aggressi&elyand authoritati&ely. '%d long been a#are of a &ague underlying an(iety and a chronic ambi&alence,but mostly these feelings baffled me. ' didn%t see that these feelings co&ered a classically Si(ish&ie# of the #orld as a dangerous place!!one in #hich people%s moti&es can%t be fully trusted, the#orst!case outcome is fore&er e(pected, e(ternal success runs the ris" of prompting resentment,and the need for &igilance ma"es it difficult to e&er fully rela(. A grim picture to be sure, but onethat ga&e sudden coherence to a lifetime of pu11ling emotions and beha&ior.

' also began to understand that other types sa# the #orld &ery differently than ' did, but often ustas narro#ly. T#os, for e(ample, re#arded early on for being self!sacrificing, gro# up ruled by aconstant hunger to #in appro&al from others, e&en at the cost of suppressing their o#n needs.Fours, beset by a sense of early abandonment and loss, belie&e that intense, passionate

relationships are the "ey to escaping depression and finding happiness, only to feel fore&er letdo#n. By contrast, Fi&es, intruded upon or simply ignored as children, culti&ate detachment andminimi1e their needs in order to a&oid feeling o&er#helmed!!but often end up isolated and cut offfrom intimate relationships. 'n a slightly different spin, 6ines, o&ershado#ed and often neglected#hen they #ere young, react by discounting their o#n needs and assimilating the agendas ofothers.

The $nneagram is not limited to characteri1ing pathology, ho#e&er. 6early all of the system%sleading teachers belie&e that recogni1ing one%s f i(ation opens the door to healthier states of mindand greater freedom. 7nli"e most Western psychological personality!typing systems, the$nneagram treats all personality types as inherently defensi&e structures. The #or" of the type isto stop being that type, says 'cha1o. The fi(ation is dissol&ed by obtaining an understanding ofthe other eight positions.

'cha1o refers to the higher opposites of the nine fi(ations as the holy ideas. The Si(%s doubt andfear, for e(ample, become courage and faith. /ut another #ay, these higher opposites representaspects of our essence!!#ho #e are fundamentally, beneath the personae #e habitually #ear.The personality mechanism is put in place for good adapti&e reasons, says $nneagram teacher*on Riso. 0&er time, ho#e&er, #e begin to identify #ith this personality. We thin" it is us. The$nneagram sho#s us that there is something else!!a higher self, an essence, a soul!!that thepersonality obscures. At the same time, each personality type gets reflected at different le&els!!from the most pathological and f i(ated to the healthiest and most e&ol&ed.

 Although the $nneagram emerged as a personality!typing system ust t#enty!fi&e years ago, itsroots are mysterious, faintly mystical, and ancient. The $nneagram diagram goes bac" to at leastthe fifth century B.8. Se&en of the personality types correspond to 8hristianity%s se&en deadlysins: anger 90ne, pride 9T#o, en&y 9Four, greed 9Fi&e, gluttony 9Se&en, lust 9$ight, and sloth96ine. As far bac" as the fourteenth century, in the /urgatorio section of The *i&ine 8omedy,

*ante #rote not only about the se&en deadly sins but also about those of fear and deceit, thefi(ations of the Si( and the Three, respecti&ely.

The $nneagram itself #as introduced to the West by -eorge '&ano&ich -urdieff, a Russianmystic and teacher born around 2;<5. -urdieff studied many esoteric disciplines but #asperhaps most influenced by the 'slamic mystical school of Sufism, from #hich he is belie&ed toha&e first learned about the $nneagram. 'ts nine!pointed star #as painted on the floor of his mainschool in /aris. -urdieff%s Wor", as it came to be "no#n, #as concei&ed around his belief thatmost of us are asleep to our true sel&es, identifying instead #ith our false personalities. -urdieff used the $nneagram not to categori1e personality types but as a model for dance mo&ements

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he as"ed. The fact is #e%re already in a bo(. The $nneagram sho#s us ho# our fi(ations bloc"real contact #ith oursel&es. What the system really gi&es us is a #ay out.

't%s precisely because the $nneagram deli&ers up so much information so easily that some criticsdismiss it as superficial. 8ertainly it can be used to assess people%s moti&ations and beha&ior)uic"ly #ithout necessarily understanding them more deeply. ' "no#, because '%&e done it myselfplenty of times. Whate&er nobler uses the $nneagram may be put to, it%s great fun ust to sit

around #ith fello# $nneagramni"s and gossip about people%s types. 's Bill 8linton, for instance, aThree 9the achie&er, a Se&en 9the optimist, or a 6ine 9the peacema"er 's he so difficult tocategori1e because he tries so hard to be all things to all people 0r ta"e 6ancy Cerrigan. =erbland, disengaged response to Tonya =arding suggests she%s a 6ine, but might she really be animage!conscious Three And #hat about *a&id ?etterman 7nderneath his genial Se&en!li"edemeanor, is he really a fearful, anhedonic Si( 0f course, this sort of celebrity typing isinherently speculati&e and imprecise, since people often #ear public personae that ha&e little todo #ith #ho they really are.

Speculation about types also ine&itably e(tends to ho# they interact in relationships. While there%sno clear e&idence that certain types necessarily get along better, some matchups are common.For e(ample, Threes and Se&ens!both upbeat and e(ternally focused!!are often dra#n to oneanother. $ights and 6ines can be another snug fit, the former oriented to po#er, control, andcertainty, the latter accommodating easily to other people%s agendas and naturally playing the role

of conciliator.

That it%s possible to use the $nneagram as a parlor game doesn%t ma"e the system itself tri&ial.The notion that human nature e(presses itself in fundamental categories or types, after all, is the&ery basis of modern Western psychology, beginning #ith Freud%s &aried classifications ofpsychopathology. Thin"ers ranging from ung to Reich to =orney to $ric"son to Cernberg ha&emodified and reshaped Freud%s ideas, but in each case partly by offering up their o#n ne# andimpro&ed typologies.

The $nneagram offers something subtler than other systems by suggesting that personality is notstatic. When 'cha1o mapped the nine basic personality types around the $nneagram, hetheori1ed that they ha&e certain predictable patterns of mo&ement. The $nneagram%s centraltriangle, for e(ample, is formed by types Three, Si(, and 6ine. 7nder conditions of great stress,most teachers agree, the Si( tends to ta"e on characteristics of the Three, the Three begins to

loo" more li"e the 6ine, and the 6ine more li"e the Si(. The same thing occurs in re&erse underconditions of unusual security. The S'G, in short, tends to act more li"e the 6ine, and so on. Asimilar pattern of mo&ement e(ists for each of the types.

=ere, the $nneagram starts to get more comple(!!and more interesting. Ta"e my o#n fi(ations offear and doubt. 'n times of stress, the system suggests that '%ll tend to ta"e on characteristics ofthe Three, the type most concerned #ith status, image, and e(ternal success. 6o sooner did 'become familiar #ith the $nneagram than ' recogni1ed precisely this pattern. Whene&er ' feltespecially threatened or insecure, ' found myself more dra#n to po#er, e(ternal achie&ement,and recognition. ' also got more ealous of those #ho seemed to ha&e them. 'n effect, ' soughtprotection from the inner e(perience of &ulnerability by pushing harder for outer confirmation.Sometimes ' got #hat ' sought, but only rarely did it bring me much satisfaction. By contrast,#hen ' #as feeling most secure and comfortable, ' tended to e(perience the healthier 6ine%seasygoing capacity to empathi1e #ith other people and to see the #orld from other points of &ie#.

'n short, ' became less suspicious and more open.My introduction to the $nneagram too" place #hen my #ife, *eborah, and ' attended an intensi&efi&e!day #or"shop run by =elen /almer at the $salen 'nstitute in Big Sur, 8alifornia. Trainedinitially as a psychologist and no# in her midfifties, /almer has been teaching the $nneagram fornearly t#o decades. More than anyone, she has helped to bring it ali&e by gathering panels ofeach personality type and then inter&ie#ing them in depth before large groups of students.

6either *eborah nor ' arri&ed at the #or"shop con&inced that #e%d accurately identified our$nneagram types. /almer suggested that #e%d almost certainly recogni1e oursel&es in the courseof listening to panels of the nine types. As it turned out!!aided partly by t#o dreams that focused

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on primal childhood fears that first night of the seminar!!' identified myself fairly )uic"ly as a Si(,the same type as /almer.

8entral to the childhood e(perience of the Si( is the feeling that one can%t trust authorities. Myformati&e years certainly fed this belief. My mother #as a po#erful presence as ' gre# up, fiercelyprotecti&e and supporti&e on the one hand but controlling, critical, and &olatile on the other!!almost certainly an $ight. My father #as a gentler, s#eeter presence, a )uintessential 6ine, but '

ne&er felt that he stood up to my mother on my behalf. /erhaps ine&itably, ' de&eloped a #ary&ie# of the #orld, an ambi&alence to#ard authority, and a tough e(terior to #ard off feelings of&ulnerability.

Recogni1ing this pattern of fear and doubt in my life hardly seemed cause for celebration. Still, itfelt oddly e(hilarating. 0n one le&el, ' #as happy to find others at the #or"shop #ho shared myperceptions and preoccupations and to reali1e that ' #as not alone. At another le&el, ' #asrelie&ed to disco&er that my #ay of seeing the #orld!!one that had caused me no small amount of pain o&er the years!!#asn%t necessarily accurate or complete. 0nce personality is formed,attention becomes immersed in the preoccupations that characteri1e our type, /almer hase(plained. 't can be astounding to reali1e that #e percei&e H>5 degrees of reality in a &ery limited#ay and that most of our decisions and interests are based on highly sophisticated habits ratherthan real freedom of choice.

Seeing the narro#ness of one%s #orld&ie#, most teachers belie&e, is the first step to #idening it.For the Si(, this means beginning to transform chronic doubt into more discriminating trust,reecting imagined negati&e scenarios in fa&or of more balanced, realistic assessments. Beyondthat, the central challenge for Si(es, ' began to see, is to reco&er faith in their o#n authority!!togi&e up constantly and fruitlessly see"ing reassurance and confirmation from others and to find itinstead #ithin.

 At about the same time that ' did, *eborah had an epiphany about her o#n type. She #as, shereali1ed, a perfectionist 0ne. 'n the 0ne%s characteristic #ay, *eborah #ent to great lengths to dothe right thing, to be #ell li"ed, and to a&oid criticism at all costs. What the $nneagram.helped her to see #as ho# the perfect image that she sought to proect to the #orld mas"ed her o#nunderlying fi(ation!!anger and resentment, born of the relentless pressure she felt to be perfect. 't#as a curious bind. Ac"no#ledging this anger, e&en to herself, e(posed her imperfection andopened the door to more criticism. But "eeping up a perfect pose only fueled her resentment and

made her feel less authentic.From the $nneagram perspecti&e, the challenge for the 0ne is not so much to &entilate anger asto become more a#are of it and more able to accept such feelings #ith e)uanimity. Beyond that,the 0ne%s challenge is to gi&e up the internal demand to meet the sort of impossible standardsthat prompt resentment in the first place. 'n short, 0nes are challenged to feel self!acceptancee&en though they aren%t perfect, much as Si(es aim to e(perience an inner sense of safety andsecurity e&en though not e&eryone merits trust.

Det another #indo# opened up in the first fe# days of the #or"shop as ' listened to othersdescribe their fi(ations. '%d al#ays tended to ideali1e certain people #ith sunnier, more easygoingdispositions than my o#n. 't hadn%t occurred to me that they might be protecting themsel&es frompain and conflict in &ery different and sometimes more &eiled #ays than ' did. Watching thepanels made it clear, for e(ample, that se&eral of my oldest friends #ere Se&ens, the /eter/ans!!eternal children, full of high spirits, fun, charm, and good humor, often highly self!absorbedand self!satisfied.

For years, '%d been ama1ed!!and not a little ealous!!that these friends #ere so consistentlyupbeat, free of apparent fear and an(iety, and capable of enoying themsel&es e&en in stressfulcircumstances. Actually, these e(periences #ere not entirely foreign to me. Most $nneagramteachers belie&e that any gi&en type is influenced by at least one of its #ings!!meaning the typesdirectly adacent to it. A tragic!romantic Four #ith a strong Three #ing, for e(ample, #hile prone todramatic emotions, might also e(hibit some of the more outgoing performance!oriented traits of aThree. A Four #ith a strong Fi&e #ing, by contrast, might deal #ith depression by turning morein#ard and #ithdra#ing. 'ndeed, Riso refers to types not as a single number but in tandem #ith a

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dominant #ing. =illary 8linton, for e(ample, #ith her strong moral bent and her inclination toser&ice, is probably a 0ne!T#o.

 As a si(, ' shared #ith my Se&en friends high energy, the capacity for sudden, ne# enthusiasms,and a belief in the boundless possibilities ahead. The difference #as that my attention ine&itablyturned to all the things that might go #rong along the #ay. Where ' en&isioned the #orst, theytended to see the best. Where ' #orried decisions to death, they simply umped in or guiltlessly

set decision ma"ing aside. '%d al#ays found it uplifting to be around them. At the same time, '%dlong been a#are that there #as often something limited and one!dimensional about theserelationships.

What ' had failed to recogni1e, until the $nneagram made it clear, #as ho# the relentlesslyupbeat stance of the Se&en is less a choice than a compulsion. Se&ens are as addicted topleasure and high spirits as Si(es are to conuring negati&e outcomes. For Se&ens, crammingtheir li&es full of ne# e(periences and acti&ities helps "eep deeper emotions!including fear andan(iety!!at bay. The problem, ' reali1ed, is that their insatiable hunger for ne# e(periences ma"esit difficult for Se&ens to stay #ith anything long enough to become deeply immersed in it. TheSe&en%s a&ersion is not ust to boredom but also to the sort of intimacy that carries #ith it the ris"of pain and loss.

' recogni1ed yet another &ariation on this theme #hen ' listened to the members of the Three

panel. More than any of the other types, the Three embodies the American dream. *ri&en,hard#or"ing, self!assured, and often high!achie&ing. Threes tend to be leaders in any gi&ensituation. ?i"e Se&ens!!#hom they superficially resemble!!Threes "eep themsel&es intenselybusy and acti&e. But unli"e Se&ens, #ho focus first on pleasure, Threes are most concerned #ithpo#er and status. 'n turn, they become highly image conscious.

The cost is that Threes get disconnected from their underlying emotions. Their fi(ation is deceit,and indeed Threes tend to be chameleons!!)uic"ly adapting themsel&es to #hate&er a gi&ensituation demands. There is a profound split, Riso has #ritten, bet#een #ho they seem to beand #ho they are, bet#een the image they proect to others and the reality behind it. All of ussee" in some measure to fill e(ternally #hat%s felt to be missing internally, but this becomes a full!time ob for Threes. 0ften, it per&ades e&en their closest relationships. Threes, says =elen/almer, can ma"e honest and enduring commitments to their intimates . . . #ithout being trulyconnected to the emotions they describe.

 An e(treme e(ample of a Three is 0. . Simpson. /ublicly, he meticulously culti&ates an image asa charming, li"able, easygoing guy. /ri&ately, the e&idence suggests that he &iciously abused his#ife!!denying it to the &ery end, perhaps e&en to himself. =ealthier Threes tend to be producti&eand successful in all aspects of their li&es. Still, they%re far more comfortable describing #hat theydo than #hat they feel, more at home tal"ing about #hat they%&e accomplished than #ho they are.0n a broader le&el, ' #as struc" by ho# the personality types that our culture tends to admiremost!!among them achie&ement!oriented Threes and upbeat Se&ens!!are often the least inclinedto loo" #ithin for any deeper le&el of self!understanding.

There #as at least one other type '%d been dra#n to repeatedly in my life. $ights are "no#n asbosses and leaders. Typically po#erful, bluntly direct, ceaselessly energetic, and confident to afault, they%re also instincti&ely protecti&e of those they care about most. My o#n childhoode(perience had fueled an eternal search for authorities ' might finally be able to trust. '%d soughtout a succession of $ights, ' no# reali1ed, as mentors and e&en as protectors!!all roles that the$ight ta"es to easily. My pattern #as to begin by ideali1ing them, accepting too readily that theydid indeed ha&e all the ans#ers. So long as ' maintained this &ie#, they couldn%t ha&e been moregenerous and friendly. The problems arose #hen ' began to )uestion their authority. ' did so inpart because ' e&entually recogni1ed their shortcomings but also because of a belated need toassert some independence. The catch #as that )uestioning $ights can bring out their lessattracti&e )ualities!!the intense need for control, e(plosi&e anger, and a tendency to dismiss those#ho do not share their #orld&ie#. The $nneagram helped me to see ho# ' unconsciously set upthese friends. By ideali1ing them at first, ' #as bound to feel let do#n and e&en betrayed later.

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 At the same time, it #as among $ights that ' sa# most &i&idly the $nneagram%s transformati&epo#er. $ights #ear the toughest e(terior of any type, and perhaps nothing comes harder for themthan admitting their o#n &ulnerability and lac" of certainty. But beneath this hard shell, the $ight istypically protecting the tender, innocent heart of a child. T#o years ago, ' introduced my oldestfriend!!a prototypically s#aggering $ight!!to the $nneagram. =e became fascinated by it and, intime, &astly more self!a#are. 'n the process, he began to re&eal a depth of s#eetness andtenderness that '%d ne&er seen. 'ndeed, nothing so consistently brings people to tears at$nneagram panels as listening to self!obser&ant $ights tal" honestly about themsel&es.

/almer has used the panel!inter&ie# format to demonstrate &i&idly the nature of each type. At thesame time, her deeper interest is in helping students con&ert their fi(ations to their higheropposites!!more essential )ualities that the personality tends to mas". For the 0ne, the challengeis to transform anger and the tendency to critici1e into self!acceptance and serenityI for the T#o,pride and people!pleasing into humility and unconditional lo&eI for the Three, #or"aholism andimage!consciousness into integrity and inner con&ictionI for the Four, en&y and self!absorptioninto e)uanimity and clarityI for the Fi&e, emotional detachment and abstraction into in&ol&ementand compassionI for the Si(, fear and doubt into courage and self!possessionI for the Se&en,gluttony and distractedness into focus and contentmentI for the $ight, control and certainty intotenderness and opennessI and for the 6ine, inertia and complacency into con&iction and self!a#areness.

/almer%s techni)ues are based more on meditation than on psychotherapy. =er primary interest isin teaching the tools for gaining control o&er the placement of one%s attention, dra#ing on aclassic Buddhist meditati&e techni)ue "no#n as mindfulness. By learning to obser&e #ith moredetachment the constant s#irl of our thoughts and emotions, she argues, #e can a&oid becomingcaught up in them and cease reacting to them so automatically.

/almer is less interested in #or"ing #ith one%s defensi&e habits the #ay that a psychotherapistmight!!by e(ploring their origins in childhood and #or"ing through the painful feelings theytypically mas". My o#n e(perience is that this meditati&e approach is immensely &aluable but notnearly sufficient. When conflicts in lo&e and #or" tap directly into old, unresol&ed #ounds, it%sdifficult for most people to stay in a neutral place of self!obser&ation. 'n the face of stress, fore(ample, ' sa# /almer%s central passions as a Si(!!fear, doubt, and mistrust!!rise right up, despiteall her meditati&e training.

To understand better ho# transformation occurs, ' found myself dra#n to the insights of *on Riso,#ho has de&eloped a more systematic and de&elopmental approach to the $nneagram than itsother teachers. Beyond the nine personality types, Riso theori1es that there are nine le&els ofde&elopment #ithin each type, ranging from the most pathological to the most integrated andhealthy. Because his #or" has been largely theoretical, his o&erall descriptions of types oftendon%t feel as rich as /almer%s. Still, by ta"ing into account the &aried le&els of people%sde&elopment, Riso is the first $nneagram theorist to describe the &ery different #ays in #hicheach type e(presses itself.

$ach of us has a center of gra&ity, he told me. ?et%s say it%s le&el fi&e. That ser&es as yourhome, the place you li&e in most of the time. 'n the course of a gi&en day, ho#e&er, you can mo&eup and do#n, depending on #hat%s happening in your life. The challenge of self!de&elopment!!#hich begins #ith self!obser&ation!!is to mo&e your peg up, to raise the stage that is your home.The $nneagram is most useful, say Riso and his partner, Russ =udson, for those at the middle

le&els of de&elopment. At the &ery bottom, people ha&e no capacity to self!obser&e and,therefore, no means to change, =udson says. For those #ho are most highly de&eloped, thefi(ations are no longer so e&ident!!or so problematic.

/erhaps nothing is as po#erful as seeing one%s o#n fi(ation in action. ' had this e(perience forthe first time to#ard the end of the #or"shop that ' too" #ith =elen /almer at $salen. An intense,diminuti&e man!!let%s call him Richard!!#as sitting in the center of the room and describing the#ay that he, as a highly analytic Fi&e, handled a certain situation. As he spo"e, ' sensed that hesomeho# felt superior to the rest of us!!an impression Fi&es can sometimes gi&e. Without

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thin"ing, ' blurted out this obser&ation. 'n my o#n mind, ' #as groping for a #ay to understandhim better, to bridge the gap bet#een us.

6o sooner had ' spo"en up, ho#e&er, than Richard flashed bac" in red!hot anger, accusing me of imposing my &ie#s on him and misunderstanding him. This #as the second time during the #ee"'%d done so, he said. ' belie&ed it #as he #ho had misunderstood me, but from the murmursaround the room, it seemed clear that others in the group agreed #ith Richard. This brief

e(change made me feel terrible, not least because the #ee" had been such a positi&e e(perienceand ' hated to ha&e it end on a hostile note.

 As #e got closer to the end of the session, ' raised my hand and as"ed /almer if ' might comeout and discuss #ith Richard #hat #as on my mind. 'n recent years, /almer has begun toe(periment #ith interactions bet#een types, both as a #ay of e(ploring ho# their fi(ations playout in real life and of #or"ing through the conflicts that arise. While /almer didn%t seem eager tocap the #ee" #ith a confrontation, she finally relented. ' #al"ed out to the middle of the room andsat do#n across from Richard. /almer "neeled bet#een us. 'n my urgency to set things straight, 'immediately started to lean for#ard to#ard Richard. ' felt my adrenaline rising, but ust as ' #asabout to spea", /almer literally pulled me bac".

'nstead of putting your energy out here in the room, she said gently but firmly, ' #ant you to tryfirst to follo# your breath do#n and in!!to come inside. When you%&e done that, ust say #hat

you%re feeling, simply and from your heart. ' felt as if '%d been stopped in my trac"s, but ' tried tofollo# /almer%s instructions, consciously pulling my energy bac" in and follo#ing my breath do#ninto my belly.

 As ' did so, the room began to disappear, and ' lost trac" of #hate&er had been on my mind.Then, ' felt a #a&e rising inside me!!a po#erful #a&e of sadness that began to fill my body. ' triedto say something, but ' disco&ered ' #as too cho"ed up. Suddenly, tears started to stream frommy eyes. They too" me utterly by surprise. ' tried to compose myself, but it #as no use. For #hatseemed a &ery long time, ' sat )uietly, filled #ith o&er#helming emotion, and #aited. Finally,/almer turned to me and said, ust say #hat you%re feeling.

' feel as if ' could ha&e made a connection #ith Richard, yet someho# '%&e ended up #ith ust theopposite of #hat ' #anted, ' heard myself respond. ' also reali1e this has happened to mebefore. And it ust ma"es me &ery sad. 'n ordinary circumstances, '%d ha&e found ac"no#ledgingthis much &ulnerability intolerable!!especially #ith a large group of people loo"ing on. =ad /almer 

permitted me to confront Richard #hen ' first came out, #e%d almost certainly ha&e ended up in anangry e(change. 'nstead, #ith a &ery simple gesture, /almer sho#ed me a #ay to ta"e theenergy of my anger!!born of the con&iction that someone had unfairly turned against me!and useit to direct attention instead to the painful feelings of loss and be#ilderment that this angerco&ered up.

' had no sense of ho# much time had passed #hen the interaction ended and the room camebac" into focus. The first person ' sa# #as *eborah, and ' could tell that she, too, had beencrying. Slo#ly ' reali1ed that many people in the room had tears in their eyes and that nearlye&eryone #as emotionally sha"en. All #ee", ' had been unconsciously playing my usual role asan aggressi&e, sardonic tough guy!!the classic counterphobic Si(. =ere, ho#e&er, rather than runfrom an underlying e(perience of sadness and loss, '%d allo#ed myself to sense it fully.

Far from feeling humiliated or reected, ' got the &ery connection '%d been see"ing!!not ust #ith

Richard but #ith many others in the room. My ordinary defenses had gi&en #ay. 'n /almer%sterms, '%d tapped into an aspect of my o#n essence. The e(perience #as e(traordinary andbitters#eet!!sad for #hat it re&ealed about the barriers ' typically put up but incredibly promisingfor #hat it suggested about the &alue of letting them do#n.

'%d li"e to report that my fear and doubt!!my fi(ations as a Si(!!simply fell a#ay in the #ee"s andmonths follo#ing this re&elatory e(perience. Alas, they did not. 6onetheless, the $nneagram hashad a profound and enduring impact. 0n the one hand, it%s gi&en me an e(traordinaryappreciation for the #ay others in my life see the #orld and #hat they%re up against. 'n turn, by

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trying to see the #orld from their perspecti&es instead of mine, ' find ' can often deal #ith them far more effecti&ely, e&en compassionately.

 As for my o#n fear, doubt, and anger, #hen they do come up these days, ' no longer loo" so)uic"ly for the e(ternal causes. Rather, ' try to turn my attention in#ard, to focus on my automaticinclination to react and on ho# my perception narro#s in the process. ' certainly don%t catchmyself e&ery time, but ' do far more often and sooner than ' e&er did before.

0f course, ' ha&en%t totally renounced my Si(ish roots. '%m still e(pecting the s"y to fall in on meany moment no#.

3he $nneagram

 by Sep Meyer =ased on an artic-e in the S!eptic&s Dictionary"

 An enneagram is, -itera--y, a dra)ing )ith nine -ines. The $nneagram is a >e) 4ge

manda-a to persona-ity typing. 3he dra)ing is based upon a be-ief in the mystica-

 properties of the numbers and #. It consists of a circ-e )ith nine e8uidistant points onthe circumference. 3he points are connected by t)o figuresC one connects the number 1 to

' to 2 to / to * to and bac! to 1 the other connects #, + and . 3he 1'2/* se8uence is

 based on the fact that di%iding into 1 yie-ds an infinite repetition of the se8uence

1'2/*. In fact, di%iding into any )ho-e number not a mu-tip-e of )i-- yie-d theinfinite repetition of the se8uence 1'2/*. 4-so, 1'2/* : E . 4nd of course 1

di%ided by # yie-ds an infinite se8uence of threes. 3he triang-e <oining points #, + and -in!s a-- the numbers on the circ-e di%isib-e by #. 3o ascribe metaphysica- or mystica-significance to the properties of numbers is mere superstition and a thro)bac! to an

ear-ier time in human history )hen, as Scott 4dams& Di-bert might ha%e it, ignorance )as

considered a point of %ie).3he enneagram represents nine persona-ity types. o) the types are defined depends on

)hom you as!. Some define them by a fundamental weakness or sin. ?thers define them

 by a fundamenta- energy that dri%es one&s entire being. Some fo--o) c-assica- biorhythmtheory and c-assify the nine types according to three types of typesC menta-, emotiona-

and physica-. ?thers c-assify the nine types according to three types of instinctua- dri%esC

the Se-f;Preser%ing dri%es, the Socia- dri%es and the Se:ua- dri%es. Some fo--o)

Gurd<ieff, )ho c-aims to ha%e fo--o)ed Sufism, and type the types as mental, emotionaland instinctual.

3he 0father0 of the enneagram is ac!no)-edged to be ?scar Icha6o )ho -earned of the

enneagram through ?uspens!y&s )ritings of Gurd<ieff. e ca--ed his system Arica, afterthe coasta- city in northern hi-e, near the Peru%ian border, )here he opened his first

schoo-. In the ear-y 19s.

The 6rica system constit*tes a body of practica' and

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theoretica' know'edge in the form of a nine('eve' hierarchy of

training programmes aimed at the tota' deve'opment of the

h*man being---- The 6rica system observes that the h*man

body and psyche is composed of nine independent yet

interconnected systems- Partic*'ar imba'ances within these

systems are ca''ed 1fixations1---- These nine separate

components are represented by enneagons(( nine pointed

fig*res that map the h*man psyche----2T3here are seven

f*ndamenta' enneagons associated with the nine ego fixations-

Th*s+ the enneagons constit*te the str*ct*ra' maps of a h*man

psyche --- 2and3 provide a g*ide thro*gh which a person may

better *nderstand onese'f and one9s interactions with others----

6n ego fixation is an acc*m*'ation of 'ife experience organi;ed

d*ring one9s chi'dhood and which shapes one9s persona'ity-

6rica training seeks to overcome the contro' and inf'*ence of

the ego fixations so that the individ*a' may ret*rn to the inner

ba'ance with which he or she was born-

Icha6o )ou-d ma!e c-aims -i!e &the dominant passion of the  Indolent  fi:ation is Sloth thedominant passion of the Resentment  fi:ation is Anger  and the dominant passion of the

 Flattery fi:ation is Pride.& In short, he de%e-oped a typo-ogy of 0ego fi:ations0 based on

the c-assica- hristian notion of the se%en cardina- sins p-us fear  and deceit .

Icha6o c-aims to ha%e been trained in the mystica- arts of Sufism, the !aba-a and Fen, andto ha%e studied martia- arts, yoga, =uddhism, onfucianism, the I hing and a-chemy.

..e began teaching the enneagram, he states, after spending a )ee! in a 0di%ine coma0

and has ne%er c-aimed to ha%e a scientific basis for his theory of persona-ity types. isnotions )ere based on %isions and insights ta!en from numerous ec-ectic sources and

free-y mi:ed into an ama-gam of mystica- psychobabb-e.

Icha;o c'aimed to have discovered the persona'ity type

meaning of the enneagram whi'e in some kind of ecstatic state

or trance *nder the inf'*ence of some spirit or ange'ic being

the 6rchange' ,abrie'+ the M,reen *T*bO 2a 7*fi spirit*a'

master3 or !etatron+ the prince of the archange's

Li!e Gurd<ieff, he c-aimed )e are born )ith an essence nature" )hich conf-icts )ith our

 persona-ity nurture", and )e must strugg-e to harmoni6e the t)o and return to our trueessence. e founded his 4rica Institute in the -ate 1+9s. 3he Institute continues to e:ist,

though it has contracted some)hat from its heyday in the ear-y 19s, and no) offers

training in 0>ine ypergnostic Systems0 and T'ai chi chuan in centres in >e) or! and$urope.

Se%era- former discip-es ha%e modified Icha6o&s teachings during the past t)enty years.

-audio >aran<o attended Icha6o&s -ectures on ennead persona-ity types in Santiago,

hi-e, in the 19&s and pub-ished a boo! ca--ed Enneatyes in Psychotheray in 1*. 4Aesuit priest named =ob ?chs got the enneagrams from >aran<o and taught courses on

enneagrams at Loyo-a @ni%ersity in hicago in 11. >aran<o a-so taught e-en Pa-mer,

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)ho c-aims to be carrying on the esoteric ora- tradition in her )ritings, but changed the

termino-ogyC enneagram rep-aced enneagon, and ersonality tye rep-aced ego fi!ation.

Pa-mer says that the 0$nneagram is a psycho-ogica- and spiritua- system )ith roots inancient traditions.0 She types peop-e by fundamenta- )ea!ness or sinC anger, ride, en"y,

a"arice, gluttony, lust,  sloth, fear, and deceit . She ca--s these )ea!nesses 0capita-

tendencies.0 $ach of us has a persona-ity that is dominated by one of the nine capita-tendencies. (no)ing )hat type you, and )hat type others are, )i-- put you on the road to

0se-f;understanding and empathy, gi%ing rise to impro%ed re-ationships,0 says Pa-mer.

$ach persona-ity type is numbered and -abe--ed.

The Perfectionist 8ne 6nger

The ,iver Two Pride

The Performer Three Deceit

The /omantic )o*r Envy

The 8bserver )ive 6varice

The Trooper 7ix )ear

The Epic*re 7even ,'*ttony

The Boss Eight L*st

The !ediator Nine 7'oth

Persona-ity typing is some)hat arbitrary. 3he c-assification systems used by Icha6o, and

modified by Pa-mer and others according to their o)n idiosyncratic be-iefs, are not

)ithout merit. Bor e:amp-e, one certain-y cou-d -earn much of importance about onese-f by focusing on one&s centra- fau-t or fau-ts, but those )ho ad%ocate using the enneagram

seem to be interested in much more than a bit of se-f;!no)-edge. $ntire metaphysica-

systems, psycho-ogies, re-igions, cosmo-ogies and >e) 4ge springboards to higher

consciousness and fu--er being are said to be found by -oo!ing into the enneagram. 3hereis seeming-y no end to )hat one can find in these nine -ines.

Some, for e:amp-e, ha%e de%e-oped persona-ity profi-es for different 0sty-es0 of

 persona-ities.

7ty'e )ive

The 'ife of the sty'e )ive centres on their thinking- Hea'thy

)ives are both high'y inte''ect*a' and invo'ved in activity- They

can be+ if not geni*ses+ then extraordinari'y accomp'ished- 6s

the most inte''ect*a' of the nine types+ they are often s*perb

teachers andor researches- !any hea'thy )ives are fine writers

beca*se of their ac*te observationa' ski''s and a deve'oped

idea'ism- They are high'y ob.ective and ab'e to see a'' sides of a

A*estion and *nderstand them-

&hen )ives become 'ess hea'thy+ they tend to withdraw-

Instead of dea'ing with their sensitivity by being emotiona''y

detached from res*'ts+ they sp'it off from rea'ity+ 'iving in

wor'ds of their own creating and not answering the demands of 

active 'iving- Their nat*ra' independence as a thinker

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degenerates into arrogance- They can become A*ite arrogant or

eccentric- In the movies+ )ives are the 1mad professors-1

)ives yo* may know Bi'' ,ates+ 7crooge+ B*ddha+ T- 7- E'iot+

Cean Pa*' 7artre+ /ene Descartes+ Timothy !c>eigh+ Coe

Di!aggio+ 6'bert Einstein+ H- /- Ha'deman+ Ted Gac;ynski+

CacA*e'ine 8nassis and >'adimir Lenin-

2Enneagram entra'3

 

5hat this typo-ogy is based on is anybody&s guess. =ut it is reminiscent of astro-ogica-forecasts. 3here does not seem to be any )ay to %a-idate this typo-ogy. 4t the heart of this

 >e) 4ge spiritua- psycho-ogy are a number of concepts %ague-y reminiscent of

 biorhythms, numero-ogy, astro-ogy, tarot card reading, and Myers;=riggs persona-ityin%entories. >othing in the typo-ogy resemb-es anything approaching a scientific interest

in persona-ity.

3he abo%e Sty-e )as said to be that of the author of the S!eptic&s Dictionary artic-e, as a

resu-t of a test he too!. It )as accompanied by the fo--o)ing ad%iceC Does this fit you? If it does not, go back over the test, rethink some of your answers

and see if you come up with your style. This is not easy. Your enneagram style is an

energy you have been using without knowing all your life. You have a vested interest in

not knowing this energy because it may slightly alter what you have considered your

motivation for many things. Besides, this energy has a down side you may not like to

acknowledge.

0If the sty-e doesn&t fit, go bac! and change some ans)ers unti- it fits but be carefu-

 because you may be decei%ing yourse-f )hen you ans)ered the 8uestions the first time or 

you may be decei%ing yourse-f )ith your re%isionsH >ote a-so ho) the profi-e containsse%era- )ease- )ordsC &can be&, &are often&, &tend to&, &can become&. 3he centra- feature of

the Bi%e is thinking . >obody needs a persona-ity test to determine if his or her dominantenergy, dri"e, fi!ation, assion, etc., is the inte--ectua-. 3hin!ers are obser%ers andinte--ectua-s are often arrogant. 3his is not a scoop. >or is it %ery usefu-, as is e%ident by

the -isting of peop-e )ho are a--eged-y a-- Bi%es.0

3he -imits of the enneagram are the -imits of the imagination of those )ho )or! )ith

them. ?ne 0master0 c-aims that the Bi%e&s 0primary passion is a%arice in terms of theirtime and possessions, and their chief feature is )ithdra)a- from e:perience.0 4nother

0e:pert0 describes the Bi%e as 3he 3hin!er and identifies this type by its dominant fearC

 fear of #eing o"erwhelmed #y the world. 5e are to-d that if )e )ant to get a-ong )ith aBi%e

 Be independent, not clingy. peak in a straightforward and brief manner. I need time

alone to process my feelings and thoughts. !emember that if I seem aloof, distant, orarrogant, it may be that I am feeling uncomfortable. "ake me feel welcome, but not

too intensely, or I might doubt your sincerity. If I become irritated when I have to

repeat things, it may be because it was such an effort to get my thoughts out in the first 

 place. Don#t come on like a bulldo$er. %elp me to avoid my pet peeves& big parties,

other people#s loud music, overdone emotions, and intrusions on my privacy.

3his is good ad%ice for getting a-ong )ith <ust about anybody, e:cept for those )ho

)ou-d rather be at a big party after spending the afternoon a-one )ith a boo!.

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5e are a-so to-d that for a Bi%e to reach his potentia- he must go against the grain and

stri%e to be -i!e an $ight, )hose main %ice is -ust. 3he scientific studies supporting this

c-aim seem to ha%e been -ost, ho)e%er.3he foregoing )as adapted in -arge measure from the S!eptic&s Dictionary )ebsite and

can be found at httpC77s!epdic.com7homepage.htm-.  It contains a -ot more materia- on this

sub<ect, p-us innumerab-e -in!s to other sources7resources.JMy o)n further reading -ed me to the fo--o)ing %ery interesting statement about the

enneagram that is typica-, not on-y of the %ast number of courses being offered to the

increasing-y gu--ib-e se-f;he-p see!ing pub-ic, but reinforces much of )hat has been)ritten in the abo%e section of this artic-e. It cou-d be app-ied ; indeed probab-y is ; to

any number of other so;ca--ed se-f;he-p discip-ines. I ha%e rep-aced the )ord

0enneagram0 )ith the )ord 0idea0 in most cases. ou might -i!e to try changing 0idea0

to )hiche%er system you persona--y fa%our ; and see )hether it sti-- ma!es as much senseto you.

The s*b.ect of severa' recent best(se''ing books+ the 1idea1 is a

fascinating+ powerf*' system of psycho'ogy- - -

The 1idea1 is abo*t peop'e ( how we are the same+ how we are

different+ what makes *s tick- It describes the nine persona'ity

sty'es that h*man beings most favo*r- The descriptions of

these sty'es are both profo*nd and comprehensive+ detai'ing

the inner motivations+ tho*ght patterns and basic be'iefs of

each one- Newcomers to the 1idea1 are often ama;ed to find

c'ear+ acc*rate portraits of themse'ves and most everyone they

know-

Part of the power of the 1idea1 is that it recogni;es how h*man

beings have sincere'y different versions of rea'ity- No version is

presented as better than another- Each of the nine sty'es has its

own interna' 'ogic and integrity- Each correct'y perceives partof rea'ity and has an area of 1expertise-1 Each sty'e has

strengths+ ta'ents and advantages as we'' as 'imits+ pitfa''s and

b'ind spots-

Enneagram sty'es are 'ike nationa'ities- &hi'e we are a''

*niA*e individ*a's+ we be'ong to a 'arger gro*p of which we

are individ*a' examp'es- If yo* have friends from other

c*'t*res+ yo* know that on one 'eve' yo* are very aware of the

differences between their c*'t*re and yo*rs- The fact may

contrib*te m*ch to yo*r re'ationship- 8n other 'eve's+ yo* and

yo*r friends connect affectionate'y in a way that bypasses how

yo*r c*'t*res make yo* different-7t*dying the 1idea1 wi'' revea' the differences between yo*r

psycho'ogica' orientation and those of other 1psycho'ogica'

nationa'ities-1 &ith this awareness yo* can a'so connect more

compassionate'y or *sef*''y to others who have wor'd views

distinct from yo*r own-

The ma.or advantage to 'earning the 1idea1+ of co*rse+ is to

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discover yo*r own persona'ity sty'e- This can be a start'ing

experience at first+ b*t its *sef*'ness soon emerges- 8nce yo*

identify yo*r core sty'e+ baff'ing aspects of yo*r own behavio*r

may s*dden'y make sense- @o* might see more c'ear'y why yo*

sometimes think and act the way yo* do- 6s yo* t*ne f*rther

into yo*r own inner workings+ yo* might sense deeper be'iefs+

p'*s a way of seeing the wor'd that shades yo*r dai'y actions

and re'ationships-

 @o* might a'so become aware of the ways yo* are ca*ght *p in

the pitfa''s of yo*r sty'e and ca*se yo*rse'f s*ffering- There

co*'d be 'itt'e psycho'ogica' traps yo* set for yo*rse'f+ 'imits

yo* p'ace on yo*r experience or habit*a' ways that yo* react to

events witho*t choice-

These insights can be he'pf*' in that they provide motivation to

work on one9s se'f- 7ome responses that yo* now have may be

o*tmoded and carried over from chi'dhood- @o* may act

b'ind'y at times- To an extent+ yo* may find that yo*r

Enneagram sty'e amo*nts to something 'ike a hypnotic trance+

as tho*gh part of yo* s'eepwa'ks thro*gh 'ife+ re'ating to an

idea of the wor'd+ rather than the wor'd itse'f-

!ost psychotherapists wo*'d say that .*st having insight into

yo*r behavio*r is not eno*gh to change it- Learning abo*t the

1idea1 won9t magica''y transform yo*+ b*t it wi'' give yo* a

too' that is great'y c'arifying and *ncanni'y *sef*'-

C*st as the 1idea1 wi'' show yo* how yo* are ca*ght+ it a'so

points to yo*r higher capacities ( what yo* are good at+ what

creative reso*rces are present when yo* are happiest and most

awake- It wi'' direct yo* toward the so*rce of yo*r persona'power and give yo* a ma.or too' for 'iving more f*''y in the

present(day wor'd+ basing yo*r choices on yo*r act*a' needs-

The 1idea1 is a system of psycho'ogy- It is neither inherent'y

esoteric nor spirit*a'- @o* might+ however+ find that it has deep

spirit*a' imp'ications in that it he'ps diagnose how yo* get in

yo*r own way and b'ock the most free and so*'f*' expression of 

yo*r being-

8n everyday 'eve's+ know'edge of the 1idea1 is he'pf*' in

do;ens of ways+ from *nderstanding re'ationships to improving

comm*nication to hand'ing diffic*'t peop'e- @o* may discover

that yo*r friendships ref'ect affinities for certain 1idea1 sty'es-@o* wi'' a'so better pinpoint types of persona'ities that have

been diffic*'t for yo* to dea' with- @o* may rea'i;e that the

behavio*r of some peop'e that yo* a'ways took persona''y

never was persona' they were .*st acting b'ind'y o*t of the

'imits of their own wor'd view-

The Enneagram is especia''y *sef*' in any professiona' context

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where comm*nication is important- 6ttendees at workshops

have inc'*ded psychotherapists+ teachers+ 'awyers+ co*nse'ors+

b*siness peop'e+ artists+ p'*mbers+ fi'mmakers- 6nyone who

needs to dea' effective'y with other peop'e benefits great'y from

st*dying persona'ity sty'es-

 

,urd-ieff and the Enigmatic Enneagram

3he fo--o)ing artic-e emerged out of a footnote to a -arger in%estigation into the

re-ationship bet)een Dr. ar- Aung, neo;gnosticism, and the M=3I.

5ho is George Gurd<ieff, and )hy is he ha%ing such a massi%e indirect impact on our

churches todayK 5hy in particu-ar are post;charismatic Roman atho-ics, especia--y

)e--;meaning nuns, becoming caught up in his 8uestionab-e practicesK1" 3he Re%. Dr.Robert Innes, Lecturer in Systematic 3heo-ogy at St. Aohns o--egeC Durham, $ng-and,

te--s us that the man credited )ith bringing the $nneagram to the 5est is George

Gurd<ieff, a Gree!;4rmenian from )hat is no) the Repub-ic of Georgia. 5hi-e sti-- a

teen, Gurd<ieff became immersed in occu-tic practices such as astro-ogy, menta-te-epathy, spiritism, tab-e turning, fortune te--ing and demon possession. Gurd<ieff

c-aimed that )hi-e he )as in 4fghanistan in 1/, he %isited a monastery of the esoteric

Sarmouni sect )here he -earned their mystica- Sufi dancing, psychic po)ers and the$nneagram.2"The massive popularity of the &nneagram in 1hristian circles the >nd most popularpersonality test after the 6!T$ 4C5 makes it well worth assessing what we are actuallyopening ourselves to. Advocates like !arbara 6et; and <ohn !urchill describe the

&nneagram as La sleeping giant awakened in our times...L4O5 *r. 6itchell Pacwa %<Professor of %cripture and "ebrew at 3oyola niversity 1hicago has written a brilliantcritique of 'urd(ieff and the &nneagram entitled LTell 6e ho $ Am + &nneagramL.4M5*r. Pacwa?s studies of ancient literature and archeology show that there is no hardevidence for the existence of the &nneagram in any form before 'urd(ieff. Humours ofthe &nneagram?s antiquity4e.g. pre-6uslim 1hristian influence of Persia or Pythagoreanor Platonic mathematics54E5 serve to give it an air of authority but have no properhistorical basis. Perhaps most incredible is the unsubstantiated claim by Ted Dobson QJathleen "urley that there Lare indications that several of the 0ew Testament writerswere familiar with and used the &nneagram.L485

The heart of 'urd(ieff?s &nneagram teaching which he described as esoteric 1hristianityis numerological divination. Dividing one by three yields the decimals .CCCC .EEEE .:::: - the points (oined by the triangle in the figure. Dividing one by seven yields the

decimal .7O>IM8) a recurring number which contains no multiples of three and the digitsof which correspond to the oddly-shaped six pointed figure. $t seems that the&nneagram?s relation to these mystical numbers 4three and seven5 was held to give it atruly cosmic significance.4I5 'urd(ieff taught that Lall things in life work on two laws --Cand 8L. All psychological laws fall within the law of three -- as within 'urd(ieff?s threealleged personality centres 4path oth Q kath5 and all material things fall within the lawof seven.4:5 &ach human being on earth is claimed to have one and only one of the nine&nneagram numbers.4795 &nneagram teaching holds that 'od has nine different facescorresponding to the nine patterns of the &nneagram.4775 Hobert <. 0ogosek 1.%.1.wrote a book along this line entitled L0ine Portraits of <esus) Discovering <esus Through

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the &nneagramL 4Dimension !ooks5 claiming that <esus being sinless had all nine&nneagram personality types.47>5 !eesing 0ogosek and +?3eary also teach that each of us has one of nine different totems R&nneagramic animalsS. $n the christiani;ed? versionof the &nneagram a U> LhelperL personality can be redeemed from being a cat intobecoming an $rish setter and then receives the &nneagramic colour of Hed.47C5

'urd(ieff?s work led to the formation of the 0ew-Age cult Arica founded by his disciple

+scar $cha;o. $t was $cha;o and his colleague 1laudio 0aran(o 4an instructor at the&salen $nstitute5 who together developed the &nneagram in the 7:E9?s as an indicator ofpersonality in its current form.47O5 0aran(o merged the &nneagram with : of *reud?s 79personality defense mechanisms. *r. Pacwa notes that $cha;o claims to receiveinstructions from a higher entity called 6etatron the prince of the archangels?. $cha;o?sstudents are guided by an interior 6aster the 'reen Gu?Tub.47M5 $cha;o and 0aran(otaught the &nneagram in the 7:89?s to *r. !ob +chs %< who then taught this secretwisdom?47E5 at the 3oyola %eminary from which it spread heavily within the Homan1atholic and Anglican communities. 'urd(ieff?s role in the &nneagram was covered up by$cha;o saying that he had Lbeen ordered by his source not to reveal the name of theperson or being who gave him the &nneagram.L4785 6oral Theologian 6sgr. illiam !.%mith commented that Lthe more you read about it the more it begins to resemble acollege-educated horoscope...As a tool for spiritual direction it seems to me most

deficient even dangerous.L47I5!arbara 6et; %0D and <ohn !urchill +P recommend the &nneagram as a way ofengaging in Lkything prayerL. Jything Prayer can be done with any other person presentor absent dead or alive whose &nneagramic reading moves against your numericalarrows?. The key is to Llet your center find itself within the person with whom you arekythingL and to LPicture yourself within the RotherS person.L An alternative form of&nneagramic kything is to Linvite the other person?s spirit into themselves.L47:5 +nemay very well ask how appropriate it is for 1hristians to be inviting the spirits of the deadinto themselves. Does this not slide into occultic channelingNmediumistic practices thatare clearly forbidden by "oly %cripture#4>95 $s it enough for &nneagram advocates like<im %cully of Pecos Abbey to say Lthat occult? and satanic? are not synonyms# 'od toldme back in 7:8: that the greatest issue facing the 1hurch in the 7::9?s would be thedeception of inter-faith syncretism. 6aybe it is time for us as Anglicans and 1hristians to

truly wake up and repent of our syncretistic mixing of 1hrist and the occult of good andevil of truth and deception of light and darkness.

Heverend &d "ird Past 0ational 1hairAnglican Henewal 6inistries of 1anadaHector %t. %imon?s Anglican 1hurch 0orth ancouver !1

Bootnotes

1" 3heodore $. Dobson, )ho )as a R.. charismatic priest )e--;!no)n for his innerhea-ing boo!s, has co;)ritten an $nneagram boo! )ith (ath-een N. ur-ey entit-ed

05hats My 3ypeK0 Dennis, Shei-a, O Matt Linn, a-so )e-- !no)n in the Roman

atho-ic charismatic sphere for inner hea-ing, strong-y endorsed 3ed Dobsons boo!,saying 03his is an encyc-opedia of information about the $nneagram. 5e are a ?ne, a

Si:, and a Se%en.0 Bront Inside o%er". Da%id Geraets, ?S=, 4bbot of the Pecos R..

=enedictine 4bbey and se-f;described post;charismatic, comments that ur-ey and

Dobson 0gi%e us fresh and in%igorating insight into the $nneagram.0 Bront Insideo%er".

2" Robert Innes, Persona-ity Indicators O the Spiritua- Life, Gro%e Spiritua-ity Series,

ambridge, p. 12 03e-- Me 5ho I 4m, ? $nneagram0, Br. Mitche-- Pac)a, S.A hristian

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Research Aourna-, Ba-- 11, p. 1'ff Renee =aron O $-i6abeth 5age-e 3he $nneagram

Made $asy, arper o--ins,1', p. 1" say that 03he Russian mystica- teacher G.I.

Gurd<ieff introduced it to $urope in the 129s ...0#" Robert Innes describes Myers;=riggs and the $nneagram as 0the t)o indicators most

)ide-y used by hristian groups...0p.#" =aron O 5age-e ho-d that 0Many of the

%ariations )ithin the nine $nneagramJ types can be e:p-ained by re-ating the high-yrespected Myers;=riggs 3ype Indicator to the $nneagram. 3his )i-- increase accuracy,

gi%e greater breadth to the system, and -ead to a more fine-y tuned understanding of

ourse-%es and others. p. , 1#+;1'" Su6anne Fuercher, author of 0$nneagramSpiritua-ity0 >otre DameC4%e Maria Press, 12, p. 1*" 0p-aces the )ho-e of the

$nneagram )ithin a basica--y Aungian frame)or!.0 Robert Innes, op. cit., p. 1'"

'" =arbara Met6, S>D, O Aohn =urchi--, ?P, 3he $nneagram O Prayer, Dimension

=oo!s, p. 11*" Br. Mitche-- Pac)a, op. cit., p. 1'ff

+" Renee =aron O $-i6abeth 5age-e, 3he $nneagram Made $asy, arper o--ins, San

Brancisco,1', p. 1C =aron O 5age-e c-aim that 03he roots of the $nneagram go bac!

many centuries. Its e:act origins are not !no)n but it is be-ie%ed to ha%e been taughtora--y in secret Sufi brotherhood in the Midd-e $ast.0 Dobson O ur-ey hint that the

Magi 5ise Men" )ho %isited the baby Aesus brought the $nneagram, teaching that theMagi )ere 05isdom see!ers from ancient Persia )ho )ere probab-y the originating or at

-east the first organi6ed careta!ers of the $nneagram.0 p.1/2" Dobson O ur-ey a-so

a--ege that Pythagoras, the +th century =.. mathematician, 0-earned the $nneagram inPersia before founding his schoo-...0 p. 1/#"

" Dobson O ur-ey, p.#

/" Robert Innes, Persona-ity Indicators and the Spiritua- Life, Gro%e Spiritua-ity Series,

Gro%e =oo!s Ltd., ambridge, p. 1#" Margaret 4nderson, 3he @n!no)n Gurd<ieff, LondonC Rout-edge, p.1;2.

19" Dobson O ur-ey, p. 1*C 0It is important to remember that each person has one, and

on-y one, $nneagram number.011" op.cit., p. 1*1.

12" Robert >ogose!, >ine Portraits of Aesus, p. %

1#" Maria =eesing ?P, Robert >ogose! S, O Patric! ?Leary SA, p. 129.1'" Innes, op.cit, p. 1#

1*" Li--y O art, 3ranspersona- Psycho-ogies,3he 4rica 3raining, p. #'1

1+" ur-ey O DobsonC 4gain and again they refer to the $nneagram as 0secret )isdom0

p. 1, , 1', 1#+, O1+". -audio >aran<o c-aims that Br. =ob ?chs and others promisednot to teach others the $nneagram, but that they bro!e their promise of secrecy. 03he

$nneagram;; Stumb-ing =-oc! or Stepping Stone0, 4udio 3ape recorded at the

4ssociation of hristian 3herapists, Beb. 19, San Diego 3he oncise ?:fordDictionary defines the occu-t asC !ept secret, esoteric...from the Latin )ord ce-areC to

hide.

1" 03he $nneagramC a riti8ue0, St. -air Mc$%enue, atho-ic Insight, Au-y74ugust1+, p. 19 =eesing, >ogose!, O ?Leary, authors of 03he $nneagramC a Aourney of

Se-f;Disco%ery0 Dimension =oo!s", c-aim that ?schar Icha6o )as taught 0the

$nneagram in La Pa6, =o-i%ia, by a man )hose name he p-edged not to re%ea-0 p. 1" See

a-so 0Psycho-ogy 3oday0, Sam (een, No-. , >o. 2, Au-y 1#, p. +'0.

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1/" Msgr. 5.=. Smith, 3he omi-etic O Pastora- Re%ie), March 1#

1" Met6 O =urchi--, op. cit., p. 19 p. 19C 03he person does not need to be physica--y

 present =arbara )as in (enya )hen I !ythed )ith her", nor need the person be -i%ing.029" See Le%. 1C#1, Le% 29C+, Deut 1/C19;11, 1 hron 19C1#, Aer 2C;19, 4cts 1+C1+;

2', O Re% 22C1*

The Heverend &d "ird 

Past 0ational 1hair AH6 1anada 

Hector %t. %imon?s Anglican 1hurch 

To %t. %imons AH6 page ist AH6s site 

Ta"e a moment no# to pass on your comments, suggestions and)uestions to $d at either address: edVhirdWtelus.net or  

3o ome Page St. Simon&s 4ng-ican

hurch >orth Nancou%er, =..

  page updated Aanuary 19, 1/

Here is the darkness in your light

+ Follo# 7ps E + /ost Follo#up E + Enneagram Chat Board E

/osted by 8arle1 9>;.2J.;3.52 on une 2H, 55H at 23:53:;:

http:KKs"epdic.comKgurdief.html

!go to this site to read about -' -7R*'$FF, the man #ho supposedly disco&ered theenneagram. Read about his past based on his biography. 'f you are an enneagram cultist, youshould learn about your father.

8R'T'8'SM by Fr. Mitchell /ac#a, Sr.K7ni&ersity of ?oyolae(cerpt from his article, Tell Me Who ' Am, 0 $nneagram.

6early all the enneagram boo"s and lecturers accept -urdieff%s claim that the enneagram is &eryancient, originating in the Babylon or Mesopotamia of 455 B.8. Faith in the enneagram%santi)uity is in effect a claim for its authority. =o#e&er, in my studies of ancient literature and

archaeology, ' find no e&idence for the enneagram%s e(istence in ancient times, neitherinscriptions nor dra#ings. 'n fact, 0uspens"y%s boo"s on -urdieff are its earliest appearance.ohn Bennett says that the symbol may go bac" to fourteenth century Sufis, since that #as thetime of the disco&ery of 1ero and the decimal point.+<E The enneagram%s dependence on thedecimal point for its inner shape prohibits an earlier date. =o#e&er, e(ternal e&idence for amedie&al date is lac"ingI there is merely the possibility that it has mathematical roots bac" then.

 After ta"ing an enneagram course, ' searched for more information about the enneagram ofpersonality types. While 0uspens"y and other -urdieff disciples described cosmic interpretationsof the enneagram, or used it to describe the process of coo"ing or scientific e(periments, none of

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them described nine personality types. 0nly after hearing 8laudio 6arano%s lecture+;E andreading /almer%s boo" did ' learn that 0scar 'cha1o in&ented the enneagram of personality typesin the 23>5s.

Significantly, 'cha1o%s enneagram employs the numerological bac"ground of the Sufi decimalpoint symbolism in understanding personality dynamics. For instance, according to the system,the number one gets #orse by follo#ing the direction of the arro# on the line connected to type

fourI four gets #orse by becoming li"e a t#o, and so forth. /eople impro&e by mo&ing in thedirection opposite the arro#sI that is, a one gets better by becoming li"e a se&en, a se&en shouldbecome li"e a fi&e, and so on. Remember that this inner dynamic of the si(!point figure and of thetriangle is based on the numerology of di&iding se&en into one or three into one, a dynamic rootedin occultism and di&ination. This occultic dynamic #as 'cha1o%s a priori structure into #hich heconformed the nine personality types and their inner principles of spiritual impro&ement orregression. Many people accept this and adust their spiritual and psychological life to theseprinciples.

$&en if one demythologi1es the occultism, or assumes good #ill among those #ho are ignorant of the occultic roots, one must nonetheless demand an e(amination of this system by psychologistsand beha&ioral scientists. What is the e&idence that a resentful perfectionist 9one should see"the &irtue of the happy!go!luc"y planner 9se&en Why should the &engeful, po#er!hungry person9eight become a helper 9t#o rather than see" other &irtues Besides faith in the anti)uity of the

system, #hich it does not possess, ho# can anyone "no# the best &irtues to pursue for anyindi&idual type 6o research has been done in this regard, yet enneagram e(perts suggestspecific spiritual goals based on this system to their students in parishes and retreat houses. Thelac" of scientific study should set off alarms for anyone interested in this approach to spiritualgro#th.

 A second area to be )uestioned and tested is the e(istence of the nine personality types. 6ine isthe a priori number suggested to 'cha1o and 6arano by the occultic enneagram figure. Whatpsychological proof do they ha&e that only nine basic types e(ist And #hat is the e&idence thatthese are in fact the correct nine This has not been researched, either.

 A third area needing research is the theory of personality structure taught by enneagram e(perts.Follo#ing -urdieff, they assume e&eryone #as born in their essence but chose an ego fi(ationaround age three or four. 8hildren choose these egos as a defense against their parents% egos,

but get trapped by their o#n defense mechanisms.The e(perts also teach -urdieff%s theory that three centers of consciousness !! mind 9path, heart9oth, and belly or instinct 9"ath !! is true. Some associate the head center #ith types 4, >, and <Ithe feeling center #ith types , H, and JI and the belly #ith types ; and 3.+3E They teach-urdieff%s doctrine that human personality problems deri&e from the imbalance of these threepersonality centers. 0ne goal of enneagram therapy is restoration of the interdependence of thethree centers.+H5E But #here is the e&idence for the e(istence of such centers 8an psychologistsconfirm their e(istence, describe their imbalance, or test therapies that restore their balance Theenneagram industry, as 6arano no# calls it, tries to a#a"en these centers through spirituale(ercises deri&ed from yoga, 1en, and Sufi practices, much the same #ay that "undalini yogaattempts to a#a"en psychic energy in the se&en cha"ras of that school of yoga !! a practice thatis considered dangerous e&en by its o#n adherents. Why are the enneagram teachers doing this,and #hat is their #arrant e(cept the practices of occultists li"e -urdieff and his follo#ers

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

=a&e you al#ays been so gullible to accept things #ithout as"ing )uestions or hearing the othercamp. That is your emotion tal"ing.

Sincerely,8harlie