The Enneagram

Have you been thinking roughly the same thoughts, feeling the same feelings, and acting out the same old patterns for as long as you can remember?
by James Fairbanks

Do you frequently feel you are in a rut — caught in the same old arguments, confronting the same dilemmas, at home, at work and especially in your own mind? Have you been thinking roughly the same thoughts, feeling the same feelings, and acting out the same old patterns for as long as you can remember? If so, the Enneagram may help you to find yourself through an understanding of the nine fundamental ways the light of consciousness gets caught as it tries to shine through the human form.

The development of the Enneagram (see diagram) may have begun as early as 3000 BC with the Chaldeans. It was used as a sacred seal, a magical figure, revealing the divine patterning of life. The Enneagram was interpreted by Pythagoras around the 6th century BC and was reintroduced to the West by George Gurdjieff. Gurdjieff taught, among other things, that humans are caught in a self-imposed machine, trapped in repetitive—almost mechanical—patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving. The modern father of the Enneagram is undoubtedly Oscar Ichazo, founder of the Arica School, who discovered its theory through study of the Jewish Kabbala and direct inspiration. Ichazo revealed with astonishing clarity the subjective issues around which our perception and, thus, our being are habitually preoccupied.

The Enneagram enables individuals to see themselves more honestly without the deadening weight of self-deception and denial. It provides a means of discovering a map of the coherent pattern of their underlying motivations, so that they become aware of the burden of hidden agendas carried from the past. Most of us live our lives attached to hurt and limitation. When we despair, when we find life boring and burdensome, we are caught in our personality type. The Enneagram reveals the nine specific patterns of personality based on reactions to perceptions of separation, powerlessness and abandonment that occur during infancy. A part of us becomes energetically stuck in the notion that we are a separate, isolated being in an insecure environment. A thought/feeling of limitation thus fills infinity! People can spend a lifetime pursuing desires motivated by a sense of deficiency, and wonder why they never feel deeply satisfied. As an example, ‘Ones’ have a deepseated fear that something is existentially wrong. They can easily justify their fear given the state of the world. Insidiously this feeling is reinforced by looking at the world through a lens of what is wrong in a relationship or a situation. Not surprisingly, ‘Ones’ frequently give off a vibe of resentment and are preoccupied with making everything perfect. If they allow a little chaos to inform perfection, they can release the burden of having to improve everything. The hidden harmony we live within is vast enough to contain conflict and stress. Then ‘Ones’ can spontaneously enjoy doing what needs to be done now.

‘Twos’ are preoccupied with the experience of the instability of health and emotions. This results in them feeling insecure and unloved. They tend to be overly involved with caring for others’ feelings in order to be acknowledged as loving. Their own unacknowledged neediness frequently causes them to be manipulative. It leads to exhaustion when they over-commit to helping others. Obsession with their deepest fears manifest them in their life! When ‘Twos’ know that they are an expression of love, they abide in true security and find the will to express their own heart-path.

Although the Enneagram is popularly used to typecast people, its true value lies in freeing people from typecasting themselves and others. Each person—each moment—is unique and special, and deserves our complete attention—but not in the form of looking for what type another is, nor for what is wrong or could be improved. Nature loves freeing patterns as much as she loves creating them. Nobody likes living in a small box of limitation.

However it is difficult to drop something if you don’t know that you are holding onto it. The Enneagram is best learned in groups through interaction with others. The famous Indian philosopher, J. Krishnamurti, said that the most we can do for another with a problem is to understand them in a non-judgmental way. In time, the solution is transmitted. Pure perception acts; distorted, limited perception repeats.

The most frequent compliment of the Enneagram is that it increases peoples’ ability to be more compassionate. As such, it is of incredible benefit to communities, counsellors, parents and businesspeople—wherever people are intimately living and working together. The Enneagram helps people to see others with less judgment and criticism, helping them to become aware of how each of us contains all the types to some degree. It becomes easier to understand and respect others’ viewpoints, priorities and differences. The Enneagram helps us disconnect from our automatic reactions and embrace the new—the unknown—in order to grow and be creative.

Another value of the Enneagram is as a tool of awakening and liberation. The more we work with the Enneagram, the more it works on us. We embody the understanding and, in letting go of the struggle to be someone, to have or become something in order to feel okay, tremendous energy is released. We no longer battle to defend a particular image of ourselves or follow a false goal. Instead, the spontaneous ease of a child can play through our being to be integrated with the power, experience and majesty of an adult. We live with greater motivation and meaning. The Enneagram then becomes a guide in the development, as well as sharing, of our intuitive powers. We are more open and transparent to the incredible array of forces and intelligence informing life. The light of consciousness begins to freely illuminate our body/ heart/mind. Living from inspiration is much more fulfilling than living for safety.

The Nine Personality Types of the Riso Enneagram
1. The Reformer. The rational, idealistic type. Conscientious, with a strong sense of right and wrong. Advocates and teachers, they are agents for change, always striving to improve things, but afraid of making a mistake. Moral and ethical, critical and perfectionist. Well-organized, orderly and fastidious, but can also be impersonal, rigid and emotionally constricted. Problems with anger and impatience. At their best: Wise, discerning, realistic and noble. Can be morally heroic.

2. The Helper. The caring, nurturing type. Empathe-tic, sincere and warm-hearted. People-oriented, friendly, generous and self-sacrificing, but can also be sentimental, flattering and intrusive. Possessive of others, doing things in order to be needed, they have hidden agendas and ulterior motives. Proud and self-deceptive, they can feel unappreciated and victimized, becoming manipulative and controlling. At their best: Unselfish and altruistic, they have unconditional love for others.

3. The Motivator. The adaptable, success-oriented type. Self-assured, attractive and charming. Ambitious and energetic, but can also be too competitive and driven. Image-conscious and overly-concerned about what others think of them. Pragmatic chameleons, calculating, saying and doing whatever ‘works’ for them. Seeking attention and admiration, they can be arrogant and opportunistic. At their best: Self-accepting, authentic, everything they seem to be—role models who inspire others.

4. The Individualist. The intuitive, reserved type. Self-aware, sensitive, introspective and gentle. Individualistic, expressive and personal, but can also be too moody and self-conscious. They dwell in their fantasies, feeling different, melancholy, and exempt from ordinary ways of living. Become impractical, self-indulgent and self-pitying; problems with self-inhibition. At their best: Inspired and highly creative, they are able to renew themselves and transform their experiences.

5. The Investigator. The perceptive, cerebral type. Alert, insightful and curious. Able to concentrate and understand complex ideas. Independent, innovative and inventive, but can also be too preoccupied with their thoughts and imaginary constructs. They become detached, yet highly-strung and sensitive. Awkward and isolated, they lack interpersonal skills and can be cynical and eccentric. At their best: Visionary pioneers, ahead of their time, able to see the world in an entirely new way.

6. The Loyalist. The committed, security-oriented type. Endearing and likeable, forming strong bonds with others. Reliable, responsible and trustworthy, but can also be too partisan and suspicious of others, creating ‘in’ and ‘out’ groups. Defensive, contradictory, evasive and anxious, they run on stress while complaining about it. Cautious and indecisive, but also defiant and rebellious, talking ‘tough’ and scapegoating others. At their best: Open-minded, stable and self-reliant, courageously supporting the weak and powerless.

7. The Enthusiast. The energetic, productive type. Extroverted, optimistic and spontaneous. Playful, high-spirited, practical and accomplished, but can also be over-extended, superficial and undisciplined. Acquisitive, seeking constant stimulation, they distract themselves by staying on the go. Uninhibited, excessive and self-centered. Can be infantile, demanding and insensitive to others. At their best: They focus their talents on worthwhile goals, becoming appreciative and joyous.

8. The Leader. The powerful, aggressive type. Self-confident, strong and assertive. Protective, resourceful, straight-talking and decisive, but can also be proud and domineering. Feel they must control their environment, becoming confrontational and intimidating: everything is a contest of wills and they seldom back down. Can become hard-hearted and openly belligerent. At their best: Self-mastering, they use their strength to improve others’ lives, becoming heroic, magnanimous and great.

9. The Peacemaker. The easy-going, accommodating type. Accepting, trusting and stable. Good-natured, optimistic, straightforward and supportive, but can also be too willing to go along with others to keep the peace. Want things to be smooth and easy; tend to be complacent, to simplify problems and to minimize anything upsetting. Creatures of habit, they can be passive and unwilling to change. Stubborn, inattentive and neglectful. At their best: Indomitable and all-embracing, they are able to bring people together and heal conflict.

James Fairbanks MA , MSc has been authorized and encouraged to teach the Enneagram by Don Riso and Richard Hudson. Fairbanks is director of the Integral Yoga Centre and Counselling Services in Vancouver. He regularly facilitates Insight Meditation Retreats at the Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada in Victoria.

� Copyright 1996