I can be hypnotized for hours reading, exploring & gabbing about my double whammy Pisces with Sun AND rising sign in Pisces with moon in Leo but I cannot remember a a single thing about the Enneagram. I keep searching my memory cause I knew I HAD to have explored it sometime, somewhere…and then I released I was confusing it with Myers-Briggs. Which I honestly don’t remember much about either. Not to denigrate either one but i think my Pisces personality & trying to figure out how to deal with that might be enuf.
Both the article & comments are definitely intriguing - thanx, everyone - & I’m sure I’d be fascinated by it (maybe TOO fascinated by it….& since I just got Helminski’s “Living Presence” from Amazon today & am already reading/listening to 2 other books, i should probably stop there. Putting another thing on my “to do” list that will easily by pass dusting & cleaning the bathroom is more than enuf lol
I was introduced to the Eneagram and other such things in seminary back in the 1980's. I found them all so labeling, in a highly negative way, and pretty much refused to use them or tell people my types.(I also don't tell people my "Sun sign" or "Color Me Beautiful" season, either.)
I was required to put my Eneagram and Myers-Briggs types on my internship applications by the seminary's internship director. I refused. My reasoning? I was being true to type with whatever my Eneagram numbers were. He had to allow it.
I find these things just more limits by the patriarchy. When there's one of these models developed by a woman, let me know. I might be interested.
I've just finished a series of lectures on the Eneagram by Richard Rohr. His approach and insights follow your same argument and is very humbling. I'm quite new to the Eneagram although I'd heard of it I hadn't identified my number. It's definitely given me insight into my traps and I can see how much my ego wants to romanticise or justify. I feel myself resisting the shameful aspects of my type too. Great essay.
Rohr’s work opens such an honest doorway into that shadow side, doesn’t it? The moment we stop treating the Enneagram like a costume party and start seeing it as a mirror, the ego starts sweating. The resistance you mention is the exact place grace begins its work. Beautiful reflection, Terry.
I remember trying different “typing” systems including the Enneagram but could never settle on one or even two of the types because I saw myself in several, so I just gave up. Maybe that was a mirror that I overthink things 🤔😅
Same here. The harder I tried to find my type, the more it felt like chasing smoke. Maybe that’s the point though, awakening starts when we stop trying to fit truth into tidy boxes and just let it breathe.
Presence is what’s left when your type takes a nap. It’s the space underneath the analysis, the ache, and the need to figure everything out. For a 5 with a 4 wing, it’s not about adding more insight but feeling the pulse of what’s already here. Think less “understanding the sauce” and more “tasting it.”
I recently listened to a YouTube video from Richard Rohr's CAC Group and he explained that if we try to change our Enneagram type, we won't make progress because ourself is trying to change ourself and that dynamic doesn't change anything. The best we can do is become aware and let God change us. I understand that and I also know it will be a long, stubborn process. On the other hand, I don't even know how a "wing" influences the type.
OK, I’m presently a “human, trying to wake up.” But when I was in high school, everybody was into ASTROLOGY, even some of the teachers. (Although one year when I tried to make my science fair project about astrology, my science teacher wasn’t too crazy about it!) Yes, “exquisite self-awareness” can be exhausting. But as a die-hard Gemini, I just have to say that LOTS of things in my life have come in pairs. Just sayin.🤓
That “lots of things come in pairs” line feels like the most Gemini way to describe the human condition. Always two sides of the mirror, the one who’s trying to wake up and the one who’s watching her try. Maybe that’s the real cosmic joke the Enneagram and astrology were both hinting at.
Ahh you named it so well! Thank you. I have often felt alone in seeing this in coaching and leadership dev. My whole nervous system relaxed reading you. Thanks.
Very often I come across something I've never heard of and wondered "How did I not know about this?". But if you had asked me what an enneagram is before I read this, I' have paused, frowned, and finally responded "I have no idea." And honestly you wouldn't get a much more definitive answer now. Except now I could make a passable guess at how to spell it.
The Enneagram is a personality system that categorizes people into nine distinct types, each with unique core motivations, fears, and desires. It uses a nine-pointed diagram to illustrate how the types are interconnected and to show paths for personal growth or stress. The system helps individuals gain self-awareness and understand their own and others' behavior, though its scientific basis is debated
I danced with the Eneagram and Myers Briggs years ago. I got insights but just did not fit into a category. I remember years later I did both again with different results but never felt it was capable of getting who I was. Did better with just reading Jung.
I can be hypnotized for hours reading, exploring & gabbing about my double whammy Pisces with Sun AND rising sign in Pisces with moon in Leo but I cannot remember a a single thing about the Enneagram. I keep searching my memory cause I knew I HAD to have explored it sometime, somewhere…and then I released I was confusing it with Myers-Briggs. Which I honestly don’t remember much about either. Not to denigrate either one but i think my Pisces personality & trying to figure out how to deal with that might be enuf.
Both the article & comments are definitely intriguing - thanx, everyone - & I’m sure I’d be fascinated by it (maybe TOO fascinated by it….& since I just got Helminski’s “Living Presence” from Amazon today & am already reading/listening to 2 other books, i should probably stop there. Putting another thing on my “to do” list that will easily by pass dusting & cleaning the bathroom is more than enuf lol
I was introduced to the Eneagram and other such things in seminary back in the 1980's. I found them all so labeling, in a highly negative way, and pretty much refused to use them or tell people my types.(I also don't tell people my "Sun sign" or "Color Me Beautiful" season, either.)
I was required to put my Eneagram and Myers-Briggs types on my internship applications by the seminary's internship director. I refused. My reasoning? I was being true to type with whatever my Eneagram numbers were. He had to allow it.
I find these things just more limits by the patriarchy. When there's one of these models developed by a woman, let me know. I might be interested.
I've just finished a series of lectures on the Eneagram by Richard Rohr. His approach and insights follow your same argument and is very humbling. I'm quite new to the Eneagram although I'd heard of it I hadn't identified my number. It's definitely given me insight into my traps and I can see how much my ego wants to romanticise or justify. I feel myself resisting the shameful aspects of my type too. Great essay.
Rohr’s work opens such an honest doorway into that shadow side, doesn’t it? The moment we stop treating the Enneagram like a costume party and start seeing it as a mirror, the ego starts sweating. The resistance you mention is the exact place grace begins its work. Beautiful reflection, Terry.
I remember trying different “typing” systems including the Enneagram but could never settle on one or even two of the types because I saw myself in several, so I just gave up. Maybe that was a mirror that I overthink things 🤔😅
Same here. The harder I tried to find my type, the more it felt like chasing smoke. Maybe that’s the point though, awakening starts when we stop trying to fit truth into tidy boxes and just let it breathe.
I really love that, thank you!
So . . . How do you define Presence? (Asking as a Type 5 with a STRONG 4 wing. With a side of BBQ sauce. 😆😎)
Presence is what’s left when your type takes a nap. It’s the space underneath the analysis, the ache, and the need to figure everything out. For a 5 with a 4 wing, it’s not about adding more insight but feeling the pulse of what’s already here. Think less “understanding the sauce” and more “tasting it.”
Ewww. . . That cut deep . . . and True. So: Ouch, Ouch, & Amen. Here's to tasting the sauce!
I recently listened to a YouTube video from Richard Rohr's CAC Group and he explained that if we try to change our Enneagram type, we won't make progress because ourself is trying to change ourself and that dynamic doesn't change anything. The best we can do is become aware and let God change us. I understand that and I also know it will be a long, stubborn process. On the other hand, I don't even know how a "wing" influences the type.
Exactly!
OK, I’m presently a “human, trying to wake up.” But when I was in high school, everybody was into ASTROLOGY, even some of the teachers. (Although one year when I tried to make my science fair project about astrology, my science teacher wasn’t too crazy about it!) Yes, “exquisite self-awareness” can be exhausting. But as a die-hard Gemini, I just have to say that LOTS of things in my life have come in pairs. Just sayin.🤓
That “lots of things come in pairs” line feels like the most Gemini way to describe the human condition. Always two sides of the mirror, the one who’s trying to wake up and the one who’s watching her try. Maybe that’s the real cosmic joke the Enneagram and astrology were both hinting at.
Ahh you named it so well! Thank you. I have often felt alone in seeing this in coaching and leadership dev. My whole nervous system relaxed reading you. Thanks.
Very often I come across something I've never heard of and wondered "How did I not know about this?". But if you had asked me what an enneagram is before I read this, I' have paused, frowned, and finally responded "I have no idea." And honestly you wouldn't get a much more definitive answer now. Except now I could make a passable guess at how to spell it.
I think I'm okay with that.
Ok I have never heard of an enneagram. What is it?
The Enneagram is a personality system that categorizes people into nine distinct types, each with unique core motivations, fears, and desires. It uses a nine-pointed diagram to illustrate how the types are interconnected and to show paths for personal growth or stress. The system helps individuals gain self-awareness and understand their own and others' behavior, though its scientific basis is debated
Very interesting. Thanks for explaining ☺️
I danced with the Eneagram and Myers Briggs years ago. I got insights but just did not fit into a category. I remember years later I did both again with different results but never felt it was capable of getting who I was. Did better with just reading Jung.