The Body CenterEnneagram Types Eight, Nine, and One  
Keep in mind that as you read about these three Enneagram types, that we are more than our type or ego structure. Our personality type isn’t the whole story. The structure is what we “lead” with. It is familiar, and its landscape is well-traveled. In times of stress, our fall-back position (automatic response) is this type structure in an exaggerated form. We become over-identified with our personality’s perspective and fall in a trance of sorts. However, beyond this automatic self is a deeper self, a present self that manifests love and compassion and is grounded in this moment. This is our connection to God, our Essence, our Ground of Being. The gifts of our personality style can assist us in our journey to our Essence and once we land there, our Essential Selves can help to soften our type structure. The Body Center Those types whose first way of knowing is through a kinesthetic sense, physical sensation and instinct are types Eight, Nine, and One. We all have body intelligence; when we are grounded in our bodies, we act—we take a stand. The Body Center is the doing center, and “doing” is grounded in the gut. When they are awake and alert, these types can enter into the present moment fully. However “doing” can be a sort of sleep walking and talking, and these types can fall asleep in the comfort of routine. In this “self-forgetting” center, worth is an issue. These types forget themselves to others’ agendas (Nines), to principles and ought-tos (Ones) and forget the fragile tender one within (Eights). Body Center types can offer a strong sense of fairness, justice, and presence in relationships. The issue of anger is central to these types and can impact intimate relationships in significant ways. Eights’s anger is easily accessible and is often expressed as a show of power or to maintain control. Nines deny anger to avoid conflict and to keep the peace. Ones, more often than not, suppress anger, judging it wrong to express, and feel it instead as resentment or irritation. Autonomy is key to these types. As much as these types have in common, each has its own motivation and focus of attention. We’ll now consider the nuances of each and the practices that can deepen self-understanding and compassion.
Enneagram Type Eight: The Protector Energy Follows Attention The Path and the Barrier Eights are the most protected and armored type on the Enneagram map and avoid vulnerability for fear of being unjustly treated. They confuse vulnerability with weakness. Quick action feels safe and is a way of maintaining control. Eights believe, “If I am not in power I may be treated unfairly.” With this unconscious worldview, taking control before another does seems logical for this type. To stay safe, Eights act to direct the outcome. Eights have an intuitive ability to know who has power and how much and have an innate ability to match energy. The driving emotional habit for Eights is lust, a primal urge to have a desire met now. Lust wants more of a good thing and Eights can take good things to excess! When lust is in control, Eights are blind to options and focused solely on the sought-after goal that will satisfy now, not later.
But waiting is not an option when believed to be a posture of weakness, for Eights’s lack of trust keeps the impulse to act and direct in play. Any vacuum is quickly filled. When directing is reactive and thoughtless, it springs from fear and is a barrier to the heart. To soften the trance of directing, Eights need to explore who and what in situations draw out their controlling response. With whom am I directive? In what kinds of situations does my control rise quickly? What would happen if I didn’t direct? Exploring waiting as an entry point on the journey to heart means that Eights open themselves to the impact of others. This seems risky given their blindness to a supportive universe, but this risk is crucial to the growth of this type. At the point when Eights realize that their own directing can be unfair, that the certainty they lead with silences the wisdom of others, and that they hurt those they love, they may experience a time of withdrawing and be willing to consider other ways of being in the world. When Eights move beyond blame and beyond their rage at a perceived unjust world, their open heart can transform anger’s energy into loving response. Moments of waiting are full of possibility for deepening self-awareness and compassion. We need only to be awake in the waiting. The courage to wait is to stand in the unknown without rushing in to respond or to give shape prematurely. To wait without anticipating, being receptive to what unfolds, is an act of trust. Uncertainty may increase anxiety, but if we can wait through the anxiety, we move deeper into the Ground of our being, and when we act, we do so with greater compassion and wisdom. Threshold Practices These practices are designed to assist in the creation of new neural pathways in order that new patterns of behavior can be birthed, patterns that allow us more creative options and that deepen our heart’s capacity to give and receive love. • Practice engaging others with questions rather than declarations and opinions. Sabbath The unconscious fear of inner deadness has Eights amping up life, going for the gusto each moment, and the body can take a beating as Eights tend to be unaware of the body’s fatigue. Rumi says, “You are burning up your soul to keep the body delighted….” Sabbath for type Eight must include rest for the body. Move slowly, cultivate kindness toward yourself. Cook if you like, or read, but most of all, rest the body. Be gentle with your body today as well as tender with your heart. Prayer for the Journey Enneagram Type Nine: The Peacemaker Energy Follows Attention When counter-merged, Nines are in resist mode and express their low-level anger as stubbornness. This deep-seated anger is about not being seen or heard, yet when Nines don’t show up for themselves, it is difficult for others to show up for Nines. “You must not ever give anyone the responsibility for your life,” says poet Mary Oliver. Anger may be directed at others but Nines know this anger will eventually come home to roost as they come to terms with their own self-erasing. The emotional habit of narcotization means that Nines numb out to themselves, expending their energy in any direction but their own. The Path and the Barrier Claiming as a Spiritual Practice The practice of claiming takes us to the deep wells of our inner resources and our Essence. Claiming is a deep honoring of who we are and our place “in the family of things.” (Oliver) We know ourselves as significant beings who are unconditionally lovable. If I show up, I’ll be loved. The ability to grasp this reality is the core issue of Nines. Exploring claiming as an entry point on the journey to heart means that Nines are willing to be seen and to engage conflict. This seems risky given a belief that “the world is neglectful and ignores me.” The deep fear of Nines is to show up and no one notice. But when inessentials come to a halt, or when rage surfaces, or when off-track with an important commitment, Nines may sink into despair. At this point, claiming becomes of utmost importance. Threshold Practices These practices are designed to assist in the creation of new neural pathways in order that new patterns of behavior can be birthed, patterns that allow us more creative options and that deepen our heart’s capacity to give and receive love. • Each day consider “What is the one essential thing for me to do for me?” Sabbath Name one thing that would delight you today and initiate making that happen—NOW! Invite another to join you and you make all of the decisions regarding the what, when, where, and how. Take time during this Sabbath day to review the next week’s schedule. What is unnecessary? Indicate those tasks, meetings, activities that are unnecessary and eliminate them. This means making time to say “no.” Don’t allow other activities to lengthen and slide into that time. Instead, choose a personal priority that you will fulfill and create a plan for making that happen. The plan will name the specific time and strategies for this priority. The time you saved from the unessentials will give you the time you need for your own priority. Name yourself to the Holy One and allow yourself the unconditional love you seek to give to others. Prayer for the Journey Enneagram Type One:The Perfectionist Energy Follows Attention A strong inner critic sits in judgment of self and others, and it is difficult for this type to understand that “I am right and you are right too.” No compromise, here, though a thoughtful diplomacy can engage conversations. Resentment or anger is the emotional habit of this type. Righteous adherence to moral convictions is fueled by anger and judgment. Ones suppress anger (judged as wrong) which then makes it feel permanent. Typically, anger is a clue that Ones have substituted being responsible for experiencing pleasure. Opening to anger and expressing it, allows other feelings to surface such as delight and creativity. The Path and the Barrier Accepting as a Spiritual Practice Accepting is a loving heart’s response to life—to self and other. The heart has no need or desire to evaluate. This is the mind’s need. Evaluation implies standards and the landscape of the heart is absent of standards. There is no dividing line between right and wrong. When Ones journey to the wisdom of the heart, their deeper selves offer a serenity that calms. Mistakes become a part of life’s learning, endearing Ones more to themselves and to others. Dreams and desires surface when the heart leads. Asking and receiving what you want brings your life more into balance. Resentments fade when you are remembered and accepted. When seen through the eye of the heart, the world is a feast of beauty and perfection. Threshold Practices These practices are designed to assist in the creation of new neural pathways in order that new patterns of behavior can be birthed, patterns that allow us more creative options and that deepen our heart’s capacity to give and receive love. • Delegate some of your tasks and responsibilities. Sabbath Experience the “soft animal of your body” as natural and free, rather than out-of-control. Notice what feels good to your body today. Be tactile. Allow your instinctual energy to emerge and feel its inherent goodness. Throw caution to the wind! Welcome disorder. There is no wrong way today. Finally, allow your Sabbath to be a time to cultivate awe, to delight in Creation. Awe allows us to yield to the flow of life rather than opposing it, helping us to cultivate acceptance for what is. In this state of wonder and acceptance we can sense the inherent perfection in God’s creation and in ourselves, realizing nothing needs to be improved or to resisted. Prayer for the Journey |
Category: Enneagram Theory
This article is the third of three that explore the nine Enneagram personality types and suggests specific spiritual practices and prayers for each type. The Enneagram acknowledges our three centers of intelligence—head, heart and gut— and situates three personality types in each of these centers. This article explores the types in the body center— types Eight, Nine, and One. Types in the The Heart Center
The Heart CenterEnneagram Types Two, Three, and Four
Keep in mind that as you read about these three Enneagram types, that we are more than our type or ego structure.Our personality type isn’t the whole story. The structure is what we “lead” with. It is familiar, and its landscape is well-traveled. In times of stress, our fall-back position (automatic response) is this type structure in an exaggerated form. We become over-identified with our personality’s perspective and fall in a trance of sorts. However, beyond this automatic self is a deeper self, a present self that manifests love and compassion and is grounded in this moment. This is our connection to God, our Essence, our Ground of Being. The gifts of our personality style can assist us in our journey to our Essence and once we land there, our Essential Selves can help to soften our type structure. The HeaRT Center As mentioned in the previous article, we all have three centers of intelligence, three ways of “knowing.” The Enneagram types in the “heart center” know through mood, tone and feeling. They rely on emotional intelligence first and foremost. Relating, connecting and impressing are of particular importance to these personality types. They are often referred to as the image types because they are so externally referenced with a need for approval (Two), a need for recognition (Three) and a need to be seen as unique (Four). Each of these types can alter their image to fit the occasion. Rather than feeling emotions directly, they tend to derive their feelings from the responses and reactions of others. Access to authentic emotions is often blocked or limited. Discernment helps to separate authentic feeling from performed emotion. A central issue for people in this center is shame. Shame arises as these types consider “Am I seen for who I am or am I simply an image?” and “Is there a self behind my image?” With attention moving out to others in order to receive attention, the inner life can become neglected and emotions that don’t fit an image get pushed aside. Spiritual work for all three types is a turning inward, becoming aware of feelings and allowing genuine emotions to surface. Alone time and quiet reflection allow heart types to drop beneath their image and connect with authentic feelings. When the heart is open and clear, these types can hold the creative tension between polarities and offer a discerning wisdom. Types Two, Three, and Four have lots in common, however each has its own motivation and focus of attention. We’ll now consider the nuances of each and the practices that can deepen self-understanding and compassion. Energy Follows Attention The Path and the Barrier Receiving as a Spiritual Practice In healthy relationships, mutuality is grounded in the flow of giving and receiving. To resist receiving creates a barrier to one’s own heart and fuels the unconscious belief that “I am unworthy unless I’m giving.” This is at the root of the Twos’s resistance. They believe that love must be earned, and approval equals love. Receiving requires a posture of receptivity and, for all of us, the vice of pride is a formidable barrier to moving into a posture of “I need you.” Our hidden agendas and control dissolve in this posture. Willfulness becomes willingness and we move in a natural flow, a holy unfolding. Categories of dispensable and indispensable fade as we are all valued and loved equally for our beingness. As we stand in the truth of who we are, our “yes” becomes a true “yes” because we can, if appropriate, voice our “no.” No longer held captive by pride, the heart engages in genuine giving. Released from approval ratings, Twos become teachers not only in genuine helping, but in gracious receiving as well. Receptivity is the landscape of spiritual experience. Threshold Practices These practices are designed to assist in the creation of new neural pathways in order that new patterns of behavior can be birthed, patterns that allow us more creative options and that deepen our heart’s capacity to give and receive love. • Give yourself permission to withdraw from a group or commitment when things get too overwhelming. Sabbath Each Sabbath, ask others to do something for you. This may be to simply give you some time to yourself! (If you are a grandparent, this is not a day to take care of the grandchildren!) Create a sacred space where you can read, meditate and engage stillness for at least 20 minutes as a part of your Sabbath. Reflect on your own limitations as a way of protecting yourself from overextending. Take time to reflect on your own inherent goodness remembering yourself as made in the image of the Divine. Prayer for the Journey Enneagram Type Three:The Performer Energy Follows Attention The Path and the Barrier Feeling as a Spiritual Practice Creating space for our feelings makes us more available to ourselves as well as others and allows our gentleness to emerge. Acknowledging and honoring our grief, sadness, disappointments, and delight connects us more intimately with our life’s experience. Feelings arise naturally when we invite them. We cannot think our feelings into existence or demand they show up. For Threes, over-doing is a sure sign that feelings are just below the surface in need of attention. When, over an extended time, Threes (or any of us) deceive themselves into believing that they are their image, an underlying sadness can develop from rejecting the authentic self, as Threes wonder, “Does anyone really know me?” When Threes can relax into the sadness that arises when feeling unknown, alone, and the only one who “can do,” they can find the support of and connections with others they have been seeking. Feelings connect and hope is found in the heart. Threshold Practices These practices are designed to assist in the creation of new neural pathways in order that new patterns of behavior can be birthed, patterns that allow us more creative options and that deepen our heart’s capacity to give and receive love. • Consider who you most want to impress and why. When with them, make an effort to relax your habit of shape shifting. Sabbath As much as possible, be with yourself and ask, “What do I enjoy doing just for me?” “What does my heart want?” You may find yourself engaging a hobby, reading poetry, gardening, watching a movie. The key is to relax into the body and be present to yourself rather than outwardly focused. Prayer for the Journey Enneagram Type Four: The Tragic Romantic Energy Follows Attention Intense emotion feels comfortable for Fours, who often mistake their feelings for reality, and moods can rule the day. The Four “addiction” is to the peak experience. Time between peak experiences can be difficult because it seems simply ordinary. Fours see the ordinary as a place of disconnection and, thus, avoid ordinariness as they seek the emotional intensity of peak experiences. Fours remain ungrounded and saturated with longing when envy is in control, conjuring up the belief that the grass is greener over there. Feelings of inadequacy weave their way into the mind when Fours compare themselves to that “greener grass.” The Path and the Barrier Appreciating as a Spiritual Practice Gratitude, or appreciation, as spiritual practice needs a structure to have an impact on our lives. We cannot simply decide to appreciate instead of long. Appreciation as practice is not a superficial response to “nice things,” but a discipline that evolves. It develops within us as we transition in and out of our personal cycles of despair and joy, turmoil and contentment, learning from each phase. Gratitude embraces all of life, not just the easy fun parts. Creating certain times during the day to be grateful helps to cultivate this sense. Before or after meals, when we greet the day, and when we end our day are all times that this practice can be easily woven into our daily living. Once we begin using our appreciation muscle, it begins to show up more. Our heart’s openness is connected to our ability to allow appreciation to permeate our lives. When appreciating is the heart’s posture, longing dissolves and Fours discover they are the ones they have been seeking. Comparisons fade as Fours see that the present contains all. Drama transforms into calm and Fours find beauty in life’s ordinariness and realize, that at the core of life, it is all holy, all extraordinary. Threshold Practices These practices are designed to assist in the creation of new neural pathways in order that new patterns of behavior can be birthed, patterns that allow us more creative options and that deepen our heart’s capacity to give and receive love. • Notice when your mind goes into a comparing state. In these moments, bring something to mind for which you are grateful. Sabbath Be comparison-free today. Each Sabbath, take time to write a thank you note to someone with whom you connected during the week, offering appreciation for the other. Write journal entries relating to your gratitude for specific people and events in the past week. Create an altar space of gratitude in your home for the coming week and allow it to be a symbol and reminder of your connection to the Creative Source. On this day, know that you are neither too much or not enough and that God’s love is because of who you are (not in spite of!). Prayer for the Journey |
This article is the second of three that explore the nine Enneagram personality types and suggests specific spiritual practices and prayers for each type. The Enneagram acknowledges our three centers of intelligence—head, heart and gut— and situates three personality types in each of these centers. This article will explore the types in the heart center— types Two, Three and Four. Types in the The Head Center _ Enneagram
The Head Center
Enneagram Types Five, Six, and Seven
This article is one in a series of three that explores the nine Enneagram personality types, suggesting specific spiritual practices and prayers for each to assist us in creating new neural pathways that are helpful in waking us up to our lives. The Enneagram acknowledges our three centers of intelligence—head, heart and gut— with three personality types in each of these centers. This article explores the types in the head center, types Five, Six, and Seven. Types in the heart and gut centers are discussed in separate articles.
The Head Center
Personality types Five, Six, and Seven are thinking types who respond logically and systematically to situations and like to have a plan for what is to come. Predictability and security are highly valued. These Enneagram types have an active inner world and vivid imaginations. They are comfortable exploring possibilities and thinking in the grey zone. Black-and-white thinking is foreign. However, they can overthink to the point of not acting or not following through. Fear is a key issue for people who lead from this center. “What if” thinking can be paralyzing for type Six, which makes decision-making difficult. For type Five, fear prevents initiating and self-disclosing, and for type Seven, emotional pain is avoided for fear of falling into a bottomless pit of sadness.
Because of this center’s fascination with the inner world of thought and imagination, symbols, icons, chanting and movement are essential to their spiritual lives as a means of drawing them out into the external world. Head types often find comfort knowing that all are held in the bosom of the Divine, and from this refuge of grace, they can act with courage.
Though each of these three personality types has great similarities, let’s now consider the nuances of each and the practices that can deepen self-understanding and lead to compassion for self and others.
Enneagram Type Five: The Observer
Energy Follows Attention
Believing that detaching keeps them safe, Fives scan the environment for who or what may be intrusive. A withdrawing and rationing energy distances this type from connecting. They think things over, censoring their speech, decisions, and action before engaging in the world, if they engage at all. Overanalyzing freezes Fives. They seek predictability and like knowing when the beginning and end of events will occur.
The driving emotional habit for Five is the vice of avarice. Fives hold onto those resources they believe will maintain their privacy and autonomy. They prize self-reliance and work to stay unaroused to avoid self-disclosure. The feeling is delayed until a time and place are deemed safe. Allowing emotions to arise in the moment seems dangerous to Fives, who unconsciously believe that their soul will be taken if they reveal too much of themselves. They highly regard emotional control and confidentiality.
The Path and the Barrier
The journey to the divine heart for type Five begins when they turn their attention inward and notice when they are detaching from the experience of the moment. Detaching is Fives’ pattern for protecting the resources they think they need in order to maintain privacy and independence. This protecting or withholding is the vice of avarice showing up. Analyzing and reasoning push feelings in the background, as knowledge replaces emotion. With their minds, Fives quickly engage content but are unaware of the feeling of the content—its impact. Up and in feels safe.
They may learn a lot, but experience very little. For Fives, engaging passionately with others offers possibilities of connection and nurture, an unbelievable idea! And personal development is dependent on these connections. Conversion of the energy from avarice (withholding and rationing) to non-attachment—the virtue of Fives—allows this type to engage life with generosity, knowing that there is enough.
Engaging as a Spiritual Practice
Fives deny being fully themselves when they isolate, withdraw, and contract. When they explore engaging as an entry point for deepening their capacity to give and receive love, Fives open themselves to the possibility of not knowing ahead of time. By engaging in the moment, we risk sharing ourselves and our feelings without benefit of a predictable outcome. It is possible the connection may drain us. Also, it is possible that we become more of who we are. It’s worth the risk. Not risking these connections dooms us to a shriveled and isolated life.
It isn’t that Fives aren’t passionate. They are and are capable of strong feelings. However, much of their energy is used to contain, contract, and censor. Fear drives these responses; fear of depletion to the point of nonexistence. When Fives lessen the mental activity and ground themselves in their bodies, more energy is available. They can allow themselves to experience feelings and emotions in the now, without pulling away to analyze.
The practice of engaging enriches relationships, deepens connections, and nourishes those in connection. We know from our hearts, not just our minds, who we are and who we can become. These connections provide a safe and loving container and companions who support us in our journey to a God who desires our return to wholeness. We discover the access to full knowing in the arms of community, not in isolation. Ground in your body, then practice initiating sharing and connecting. You will receive riches beyond your anticipation.
Threshold Practices
Our practices are ways of saying “yes” to our journey to the divine heart. These practices are designed to assist in the creation of new patterns of behavior that allow for more creative options and deepen our heart’s capacity to give and receive love. At the threshold of what has been and what can be, Fives’ conversion process will be supported by these practices. Keep in mind that these practices are designed to bring up the very thing that your ego tells you to resist. You will experience discomfort; please allow these feelings. Sooner than later, they will dissipate. What we resist, persists. So allow feelings of discomfort, sitting with them with an open heart.
• Say “yes” to three of the next five invitations or requests.
• Offer appreciation each day to two people.
• Notice when you internally detach from a situation. Ask why? Try re-engaging.
• Initiate sharing something about yourself with others at least twice a week.
• Notice when you may be substituting information for emotion. Check in with yourself and experience what you are feeling.
• Remember a time when your were surprised by the generous nurturing of another. How did that feel to you? What made that possible?
• Notice how little space you take up physically and experiment with taking up more space (pretend to be superwoman or superman if necessary!)
• Be physical each day in order to move your energy from your head to your body.
Sabbath
This day’s rhythm supports the emotional nurturing of Fives and allows safe space for spontaneity to occur. If possible, begin Sabbath engaging the body in some form of movement. Stretching, yoga, exercise, a brisk morning walk all enliven the body’s senses. Stay away from the computer today. Stay with your body’s experience of your day’s activities. Follow your body’s instincts rather than your mind’s reason, allowing it to guide you from moment to moment, allowing your senses to reconnect you to God’s good creation.
See this Sabbath as an immersion in generosity and abundance. Understanding that “what you withhold from the world, it then withholds from you,” (Tolle, A New Earth) contemplate those gifts and resources that you have to offer. Give something. Whether a donation to a charity, a pot of soup to a sick neighbor, a hug to a friend, give. If married or partnered, don’t rely on her/him to connect you with others. Initiate a phone call today or an activity with someone. At some point during the day, spend some time journaling, remembering the nurturing you received that week. Offer gratitude for each.
Prayer for the Journey
Most gracious and generous God, awaken in me my full knowing, that I may remember my heart’s desire. Give me eyes to see the many ways that life is abundant, the many blessings offered me each day, that I may receive my heart’s desire. Empty me now of my need for predictability that stifles my spontaneity. Empty me now of my stinginess that withholds my gifts and love from others. Give me the wisdom to know when to think and when to act. Loving God, calm my fears of rejection, and instill in me the courage to open my heart and share myself with others in ways that cultivate compassion. As I come to my full senses, I offer gratitude for my body’s wisdom. May I begin each day grounded in that wisdom, knowing that I have enough time, enough energy, information and enough passion to live fully engaged in life.
Enneagram Type Six: The Loyal Skeptic
Energy Follows Attention
Sixes focus their attention on potential dangers in the world. Worst-case thinking drives energy into a hypervigilant scanning for harm. This scanning creates a feeling of safety for Sixes as it allows them to anticipate and prepare for what might come. Feelings get locked out as the imagination works overtime to prepare for a possible worst-case. Sixes might ask themselves how it would feel to prepare for the best possible outcome.
This emotional habit of fear motivates Sixes to seek certainty. Ever watchful for hidden motives, “what if” questioning keeps doubt in play and suspicions heightened. Self-trust is foreign when fear is in control and mistrust gets projected onto others. Internal issues for Sixes get attributed to others or to external factors. Fears are magnified. Collecting more evidence and needing proof is an indication that this type is living on automatic.
The Path and the Barrier
For type Six, the journey home to the divine heart begins when they land in their own power and stand on the prima mater within, knowing they can trust themselves to move through an uncertain world. The understanding that we live in the loving lap of the Holy and are not abandoned to a dangerous world gets lost in the Six-type structure that spins doubt, creates anxiety, and fears the worst. Feelings of helplessness are a constant companion when Sixes lose sight of the wells of resources within. The transformation from the vice of fear to the virtue of courage allows Sixes to act, to decide and to move forward without all the facts, knowing that they can trust themselves in an unpredictable world. Courage diminishes the scanning and invites the heart wisdom to speak.
Trusting as a Spiritual Practice
For all of us, the ability to trust indicates an awakened heart. The courage to step into uncertainty, to move through doubting and fearful times is an open- hearted response to life. We have a knowing that God journeys with us. Distrust keeps the heart and mind separate. When Sixes are moved by fear, uncertainty is unacceptable, and a strong focus on the external is in play. Paradoxically, it is not certainty but uncertainty that leads us to trust.
In the space that uncertainty gives us, a shift of attention from external to internal can unveil fresh insights and deepen our understanding of who we are. When we abide in uncertainty with a grounded presence, we receive lessons in trust; trust that we will journey through the transition, the unknowing, and be ok. When Sixes land in trust and have the courage to look within, feelings of helplessness shift to a posture of self-reliance.
Just as we know the sky is star-filled in daylight and the sun still burns even when hidden by clouds, we can trust without evidence that God’s presence is within us this day and for all the days to come—there to lean into, to rest in, supporting us as we step forward without predictability, into a world of surprises.
Threshold Practices
Our practices are ways of saying “yes” to our journey to the divine heart. These practices are designed to assist in the creation of new patterns of behavior that allow for more creative options that deepen our heart’s capacity to give and receive love. At the threshold of what has been and what can be, Sixes’ conversion process will be supported by these practices. Keep in mind, that these practices are designed to bring up the very thing that our ego tells us to resist. You will experience discomfort; please allow these feelings. They will dissipate. What we resist, persists. So allow feelings of discomfort, sitting with them with an open heart.
• Notice when worst-case thinking is in operation and inquire how it’s appropriate.
• Become aware when you are over-thinking or over-interpreting a situation and take a course of action, however small, to relax the energy of thinking.
• Check in with your own wisdom when you notice yourself seeking the advice or opinion of another. Ask, “What would I do?” before polling others.
• Each week, reflect on your personal success stories, remembering times when your action, your decision, was the right course.
• Spend some time each day in touch with the feelings you shut down in order to feel safe. How might allowing these feelings to be felt the moment they arise benefit you?
• Plan time alone each day when you can offer heartfelt thanks for those in your life who love you and who have your trust.
• Notice where you feel safe and secure in your body. In times of anxiety, try shifting your attention there.
• Exercise each day in ways that bring your energy lower into the body. Intentionally notice each step and feel the ground supporting you.
Sabbath
Sabbath for type Six is a day of nourishing the senses and lessening the need for “evidence” on which to act or make meaning. Create a sacred space with icons and symbols that remind you of God’s abiding presence and your own strengths as well as your connections with others. Pray in ways most comfortable for you. Prayer settles us into a larger context, allowing us to better understand our interdependence, how we belong, and how we are held in God’s loving lap.
This is a day to be in the body. Hiking, swimming, dancing, singing can help to ease over-thinking. During Sabbath, practice making decisions without all the information you think you need. Wing it and trust that the outcome will be friendly. Allow emotions to arise without asking “why?” Simply note your sensations and feel the emotion in the moment. Notice when your mind goes to worst-case thinking and use your quick wit to playfully disengage it. Go lightly this day, for this time is to rest. Rest your worries, your fears, your anticipation. Take this day to reflect on all that has gone well in the past week and on all the moments you trusted yourself to know what to do. These moments are evidence of your own authority and power. Celebrate that.
Prayer for the Journey
Abiding God, You are within me and beyond me, forever present. Your love enfolds me as I go about my days. I am not alone. My suspicions fade when held in your unwavering assurance of me. Empty me now of my anxieties, doubts and imaginings. Assuage my fears. Create in me a refuge for trusting myself. Remind me of my inner resources and power. All I need is within me. My act is to call this forth in trust as I stand on my own solid foundation. Knowing your steady Ground is with me, I move forward in an uncertain world. Guide me as I travel the path of courage so I may lean into myself when the waters are troubled, having faith in the unfolding, growing myself into my own authority. Hold me in the fearful times, hold me in the fearless times. In your Holy Ground I rise to offer my full and powerful self in each moment.
Enneagram Type Seven: The Epicure
Energy Follows Attention
With a focus of attention on best-case possibility, Sevens move quickly from one activity or plan to the next. Engagement can be superficial as their minds wander away from the present to securing the next stimulating adventure. Boredom surfaces quickly. Commitment for Seven is “one foot in,” a peripheral investment that allows Sevens to maintain control of how they spend their time. Driven by the fear of being restricted, Sevens may rationalize away commitments as their minds go to much better future options. Imagination offers the perfect playground and is a strong lure away from commitment and the present moment.
Gluttony, the emotional habit of Sevens, responds with appealing options when limitations are sensed. Sampling life rather than engaging is the trance of this type, and filling time through sampling one experience after another prevents Sevens from deepening and staying with the experience in the moment. Moving on quickly to the “next,” whether internally or externally, keeps the stimulation up and Sevens’s ego assured of control.
The Path and the Barrier
The path to the divine heart for type Seven lies in the conversion from filling to emptying. Sevens manage their fear and escape anxiety by planning the next exciting adventure. They fill the mind with imaginative plans and fill their calendars with new experiences. The vice of gluttony is in play when Sevens’ active imagination and planning for the positive leave little or no time for feelings of grief, sadness, and no space for emptiness. When Sevens can relax into emptiness, experience their sadness and allow their heart’s voice to speak, their excited energy transforms into joy. The virtue of sobriety allows Sevens to know that genuine joy cannot be experienced without acknowledging and feeling sorrow.
Emptying as a Spiritual Practice
Emptying is an age-old spiritual practice named in many religious traditions. It is a difficult one, but beneficial for all of us. This process requires that our image of God be one of love and trust.Emptying enables us to shed our roles, expectations, plans, imaginings. This shedding is crucial for the work of spiritual transformation. Who we are awaits us beyond that which we use to fill ourselves. Keeping busy, staying full, is a barrier to the connections we seek with ourselves and others.
With their compulsion to “fill,” type Seven has a particular resistance to this practice. Their world view claims the world is a limiting place, and being confinement-sensitive, Sevens avoid limits. They can fall into a rhythm of filling, then fleeing, filling and fleeing. This addictive cycle itself is limiting, though this awareness is usually lost on Sevens. “Empty” feels like no more options, a bottomless hole of emotional pain, like death for type Seven.
Multiple options eventually prove to be wearing and overwhelming, and within the unconsciousness of Seven is the desire for limits. They seek the freedom that only emptiness offers. If Sevens can imagine emptiness as a great adventure it is, they might approach it, at least to sit on the edge and be curious. What color and shape is emptiness? The ultimate question for this type is, “What am I missing that will make me complete?” The answer lies in the uncharted waters of emptiness.
Threshold Practices
Our practices are ways of saying “yes” to our journey to the divine heart. These practices are designed to assist in the creation of new patterns of behavior that allow for more creative options that deepen our heart’s capacity to give and receive love. At the threshold of what has been and what can be, Sevens’s conversion process will be supported by these practices. Keep in mind, that these practices are designed to bring up the very thing that our ego tells us to resist. You will experience discomfort; please allow these feelings. Feel these feelings and sooner than later, they will dissipate. What we resist, persists. So allow feelings of discomfort, sitting with them with an open heart.
• First of all, see these practices as guides to wholeness rather than restrictions.
• When you find yourself in planning mode, ask “Is my planning connected or separate from what is occurring right now?”
• Each day practice doing one thing at a time and complete a task before going to the next.
• Try eliminating a third of the “balls” you have in the air as you multitask. Don’t fill the
time with other “balls.”
• Create empty space in your calendar. For example, have a weekend with no plans. Notice how you respond as the weekend gets closer.
• When you notice yourself unusually adventurous, take time to be with your heart to see if some sadness needs a voice.
• When you experience grief or sadness, allow yourself time with it. When you feel ready to move on, stay with the sadness two more minutes.
• Recall when a commitment or boundary offered you deep joy. Stay with the memory and the feeling.
• Slow down the pace of your activity and bring your body’s energy to your midsection. Breathe in the belly, narrow your focus.
• Sense how your body responds to emptiness? (not the mind’s response) Journal your body’s response.
• Spend time each day with a somatic meditation. Notice the body’s sensations and stay with the sensations. Don’t research or investigate. Don’t ask why! Follow the sensations.
Sabbath
This is a day of single focus. To guide Sevens on the inner journey, this Sabbath is structured to soak in the present moment. The great “I Am” is found only in the present, not the past or future. Multitasking is set aside for the pleasure of experiencing one thing at a time. As you experience one thing, notice if and when boredom surfaces. Try staying with the feeling of boredom, noticing where it resides in your body. Ask, “What is boring me?” and see what comes up. Sit with it for 1-2 minutes and notice if it dissipates.
Sabbath for this type is a day to cultivate reverence. Reverence requires paying attention and taking in what is before us, being mindful of where we are in space and time, and who and what we are relating to. Reverence is the heart’s offspring that creates spaciousness for an “I/Thou” relationship to emerge with another. It allows and honors what is. No investigation with the mind. No imagining, no planning. Reverence deepens us to the unfolding of the moment, empties us of everything but “now,” so that we may know the sacredness of our lives and relax into the freedom of God’s gentle embrace.
Prayer for the Journey
Holy Creativity, Your love and grace know no limits. You offer the completion I seek. Gently guide me to my fulfillment, awaiting me when I rest in the calm of the present moment. My mind seeks such calm. Empty me now of my obsessive planning and all the ideas that overwhelm me. Allow my energy to deepen me, not scatter me, so that I experience the gifts offered each moment, gifts that lead to my wholeness. Guide me to my heart, that I may feel not only my joy, but the richness of my sadness. Deep down, I recognize that it is my sadness that I seek, it is limitation I desire. For both bring me home to my deeper self where I find the freedom to be me, as I root myself in you, O God. Guide me on the path toward reverence.
The Awakened Body
Feel free to Listen, Read or DOWNLOAD this free seminar on The Awakened Body
Explore a revolutionary view on embodiment in this talk, The Awakened Body: Opening to the Spiritual Wisdom of the Body with Diamond Approach co-founder, Karen Johnson. Listen as she describes how the physical and spiritual are inseparable and how to embody our being in ways that allow our spiritual nature to function through this fleshy medium.
The reality of our body can be investigated and recognized for what it truly is – not just an object we experience consciousness through, but that our body IS consciousness itself.
This Zoom event was recorded live on January 29, 2022. Over 1000 people joined the live event from The United States, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom, Portugal, France and the Netherlands
Show Notes
0:00 – 1:35
Welcome with Daniela (Zoom Host)
1:35 – 9:48
Welcome and Meditation with Karen Johnson
9:48 – 46:18
Karen Talk: The Awakened Body
46:18 – 47:04
Intro to questions and comments with Daniela (Zoom Host)
47:04 – 51:52
Question: “Is consciousness only good? Or can it be angry?”
51:52 – 58:44
Question: “Does something live on when the body dies?”
58:44 – 1:01:35
Comment: “It seems that the heart is the doorway to opening the body.”
1:01:35 – 1:09:34
Question: “How to I work with the pain in my body and heart when my sister is suffering physically?”
1:09:34 – 1:15:52
Question: “Is the body the unconscious? Are there universal meanings to different parts of the body?”
1:15:52 – 1:24:36
Question: “What does it mean when the body does strange sudden movements? How do you work with it?”
1:24:36 – 1:26:28
Karen describes the importance of the topics in Spiritual Wisdom of the Body series.
1:26:28 – 1:31:46
Question: “How do I help my clients if they can’t feel their bodies?”
1:31:46 – 1:37:28
Question: “How do you define presence?”
1:37:28 – 1:38:11
Karen’s closing comments.
Type Nine—Levels of Development
Type 9 – Healthy Levels
Level 1 (At Their Best): Become self-possessed, feeling autonomous and fulfilled: have great equanimity and contentment because they are present to themselves. Paradoxically, at one with self, and thus able to form more profound relationships. Intensely alive, fully connected to self and others.
Level 2: Deeply receptive, accepting, unselfconscious, emotionally stable and serene. Trusting of self and others, at ease with self and life, innocent and simple. Patient, unpretentious, good-natured, genuinely nice people.
Level 3: Optimistic, reassuring, supportive: have a healing and calming influence—harmonizing groups, bringing people together: a good mediator, synthesizer, and communicator.
Average Levels
Level 4: Fear conflicts, so become self-effacing and accommodating, idealizing others and “going along” with their wishes, saying “yes” to things they do not really want to do. Fall into conventional roles and expectations. Use philosophies and stock sayings to deflect others.
Level 5: Active, but disengaged, unreflective, and inattentive. Do not want to be affected, so become unresponsive and complacent, walking away from problems, and “sweeping them under the rug.” Thinking becomes hazy and ruminative, mostly comforting fantasies, as they begin to “tune out” reality, becoming oblivious. Emotionally indolent, unwillingness to exert self or to focus on problems: indifference.
Level 6: Begin to minimize problems, to appease others and to have “peace at any price.” Stubborn, fatalistic, and resigned, as if nothing could be done to change anything. Into wishful thinking, and magical solutions. Others frustrated and angry by their procrastination and unresponsiveness.
Unhealthy Levels
Level 7: Can be highly repressed, undeveloped, and ineffectual. Feel incapable of facing problems: become obstinate, dissociating self from all conflicts. Neglectful and dangerous to others.
Level 8: Wanting to block out of awareness anything that could affect them, they dissociate so much that they eventually cannot function: numb, depersonalized.
Level 9: They finally become severely disoriented and catatonic, abandoning themselves, turning into shattered shells. Multiple personalities possible. Generally corresponds to the Schizoid and Dependent personality disorders.
Type Eight—Levels of Development
Type Eight—Levels of Development
Healthy Levels
Level 1 (At Their Best): Become self-restrained and magnanimous, merciful and forbearing, mastering self through their self-surrender to a higher authority. Courageous, willing to put self in serious jeopardy to achieve their vision and have a lasting influence. May achieve true heroism and historical greatness.
Level 2: Self-assertive, self-confident, and strong: have learned to stand up for what they need and want. A resourceful, “can do” attitude and passionate inner drive.
Level 3: Decisive, authoritative, and commanding: the natural leader others look up to. Take initiative, make things happen: champion people, provider, protective, and honorable, carrying others with their strength.
Average Levels
Level 4: Self-sufficiency, financial independence, and having enough resources are important concerns: become enterprising, pragmatic, “rugged individualists,” wheeler-dealers. Risk-taking, hardworking, denying own emotional needs.
Level 5: Begin to dominate their environment, including others: want to feel that others are behind them, supporting their efforts. Swaggering, boastful, forceful, and expansive: the “boss” whose word is law. Proud, egocentric, want to impose their will and vision on everything, not seeing others as equals or treating them with respect.
Level 6: Become highly combative and intimidating to get their way: confrontational, belligerent, creating adversarial relationships. Everything a test of wills, and they will not back down. Use threats and reprisals to get obedience from others, to keep others off balance and insecure. However, unjust treatment makes others fear and resent them, possibly also band together against them.
Unhealthy Levels
Level 7: Defying any attempt to control them, become completely ruthless, dictatorial, “might makes right.” The criminal and outlaw, renegade, and con-artist. Hard-hearted, immoral and potentially violent.
Level 8: Develop delusional ideas about their power, invincibility, and ability to prevail: megalomania, feeling omnipotent, invulnerable. Recklessly over-extending self.
Level 9: If they get in danger, they may brutally destroy everything that has not conformed to their will rather than surrender to anyone else. Vengeful, barbaric, murderous. Sociopathic tendencies. Generally corresponds to the Antisocial Personality Disorder.
Levels of Health for Type 1
Type 1 Healthy Levels
Level 1 (At Their Best): Become extraordinarily wise and discerning. By accepting what is, they become transcendentally realistic, knowing the best action to take in each moment. Humane, inspiring, and hopeful: the truth will be heard.
Level 2: Conscientious with strong personal convictions: they have an intense sense of right and wrong, personal religious and moral values. Wish to be rational, reasonable, self-disciplined, mature, moderate in all things.
Level 3: Extremely principled, always want to be fair, objective, and ethical: truth and justice primary values. Sense of responsibility, personal integrity, and of having a higher purpose often make them teachers and witnesses to the truth.
Average Levels
Level 4: Dissatisfied with reality, they become high-minded idealists, feeling that it is up to them to improve everything: crusaders, advocates, critics. Into “causes” and explaining to others how things “ought” to be.
Level 5: Afraid of making a mistake: everything must be consistent with their ideals. Become orderly and well-organized, but impersonal, puritanical, emotionally constricted, rigidly keeping their feelings and impulses in check. Often workaholics—”anal-compulsive,” punctual, pedantic, and fastidious.
Level 6: Highly critical both of self and others: picky, judgmental, perfectionistic. Very opinionated about everything: correcting people and badgering them to “do the right thing”—as they see it. Impatient, never satisfied with anything unless it is done according to their prescriptions. Moralizing, scolding, abrasive, and indignantly angry.
Unhealthy Levels
Level 7: Can be highly dogmatic, self-righteous, intolerant, and inflexible. Begin dealing in absolutes: they alone know “The Truth.” Everyone else is wrong: very severe in judgments, while rationalizing own actions.
Level 8: Become obsessive about imperfection and the wrongdoing of others, although they may fall into contradictory actions, hypocritically doing the opposite of what they preach.
Level 9: Become condemnatory toward others, punitive and cruel to rid themselves of wrongdoers. Severe depressions, nervous breakdowns, and suicide attempts are likely. Generally corresponds to the Obsessive-Compulsive and Depressive personality disorders.
Opening Your Heart: 11 Ways to Break Free of Mind-Oriented Spirituality
by Aletheia · Mar 31, 2023 ·
As mind-oriented beings, it can be so easy for us to get caught up in solely thinking our way through life.
Yes, the mind is necessary. Yes, logic is important. But when the mind is the ONLY force we use to navigate through life, we suffer from a sense of deep unease most of us aren’t even aware of.
When the mind dominates our lives, all mystery and wonder is lost. We tend to separate other people, the environment, and ourselves into neatly labeled boxes and concepts. Instead of seeing reality as it actually is, the mind-dominated person sees all of life through a narrowed lens. Everything is either “good or bad,” “black or white,” “nice or nasty,” “right or wrong,” “helpful or unhelpful,” and so on. As a result of this rigid thinking, we become angry, resentful, suspicious, selfish, and fearful.
Not only is life’s complexity and infinite mystery compacted into bite-sized chunks of “knowledge,” but all of our other senses are numbed. We cease seeing the beauty of the sun’s rays, hearing the pure joyful laughter of children, feeling the gentle whisper of wind against our skin, or tasting the richness of the earth.
When we are mind-dominated, our hearts become closed. We no longer see other people as fascinating expressions of Divinity. Instead, we see them as threats to our job, security, well-being, or unstable ego identities. We can no longer find the courage in ourselves to be open and vulnerable, so instead, we adopt fearful masks that suffocate us.
When our hearts are closed, we are no longer truly experiencing life. When our hearts are closed, we are knee-deep in the dark quagmires of illusion created by thought. The moment our hearts close is the moment when we disconnect from our True Nature, our Souls.
The moment you commit to opening your heart is the moment you embark on true spiritual practice.
Are You Trapped in Mind-Oriented Spirituality?
Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all. — Aristotle
The unfortunate fact is that most spiritual practice these days is mind-oriented.
How many books have you read, or seen, that are focused on philosophizing, theorizing, explaining or detailing certain steps that must be taken to “change your life”?
I’m convinced that a person could truly become mad if they were to read all the spiritual advice out there. There are so many teachings that are based on the premise that we are “broken” and therefore need to be “fixed.” There is so much potential to become a frantic spiritual seeker who believes that there is something eternally wrong, or something that must be learned, or fixed, within them. There is so much advice, so many programs, endless philosophies.
Yes, a lot of this knowledge, theory, and philosophy is helpful. Sometimes these teachings take us to the “next level.” But always, always, always, we have a sense of wanting more. We still end up feeling somehow “lacking” at the end of the day. We still feel a sense of emptiness inside.
We’re all dressed up with this knowledge … but we have nowhere to go.
So we continue the cycle of learning again. We seek out more knowledge; the next idea that might somehow “liberate” us.
We work on our personalities, we work on our fears, we work on our desires, we work on becoming good meditators, we work on our thought patterns, we work on our energy fields … and we repeat the cycle endlessly.
What is missing here? What is the problem here?
We are trapped in mind-oriented spirituality.
Mind-oriented spirituality occurs when we unconsciously believe that freedom, purpose or spiritual enlightenment can somehow be found through teachings and concepts. There is the unspoken assumption that the more you “know” the more “enlightened” you will be. But actually, the opposite is true.
The more you unlearn, the more you know.
The more you release the grip of the mind, the closer you will come to your True Nature.
How can your True Nature be confined to a five-step process? How can the eternal be understood through the limited mind?
Theories and philosophies help us to expand, but they do not help us to deepen. The only way we can deepen is through the Heart.
Why Opening Your Heart is the Key to the Deepest Growth You’ll Ever Experience
There are many paths to enlightenment. Be sure to take one with a heart. — Lao Tzu
Theories and concepts will only take us so far: they will instruct us and open our minds, perhaps give us new and fascinating territories to explore, but they will never open the heart.
In order for us to go deeper into ourselves, deeper than we’ve ever gone, we must access the Heart. And there is no any “one” way to do this. Opening your heart will be intimate and unique to your own needs.
In many ancient traditions, the Heart symbolizes the doorway to the Soul. Thus, the more you practice opening your heart, the more you will be immersed in the infinite waters of your Soul.
Unlike the mental journey, the emotional journey of opening your Heart can be extremely confrontational. Only the courageous venture into the waters of the Heart. Sometimes these waters can be frozen over with thick layers of ice. Other times these waters of the Heart can be turbulent, even violent and unpredictable. Still, sometimes the Heart’s waters are still, deadly still, but swarming with life underneath.
But although the Heart journey can be confrontational, it will open worlds within you that you never knew existed.
The reward for opening your Heart is access to the strongest force in the universe: Love itself. The deeper you go into the Heart, the more you will sense this pulsating, overwhelmingly intense energy within you. This energy, this Love, is the fabric of your very Soul. This energy is the source of Life itself; the feeling of eternity.
Can you imagine what it would be like accessing this endless stream of Love within you? Can you imagine how profoundly your life would change if you could love yourself unconditionally, and others as well? Can you imagine what it would be like to heal yourself of every source of suffering you have ever experienced, and will ever experience, all with this source of Love within you?
Love is the most powerful force in the Universe. We call this Love Presence, Consciousness, Om, God, Divine, YHWH, Holy Spirit, Truth, Spirit, and a thousand other names.
Love transcends the mind and its need to control and understand everything. When you open your heart, little by little, you will find that the only true guidance is within you. In other words, your Heart knows exactly what you need let go of and love.
Here are a few Heart-opening practices you can try:
Practice 1 — Spend time in solitude and silence
Make time to spend alone. Ensure that you are completely disconnected from all forms of technology (your laptop, computer, phone, tablet) as well as other people. Solitude opens up space for you to listen to your inner self. In modern life, we are surrounded by constant dramatic external distractions that pull us out of our inner selves. If you can set aside time to sit in silence and solitude, you will be preparing the perfect environment to connect with your Heart.
At first, expect to be bored as your addiction to stimulation emerges. Then, you might feel scared or even sad. Solitude is a space of honesty where our true feelings arise. If you are scared of yourself or feel incomplete alone, this feeling will manifest first. Try attempting the other practices in this article if you struggle with this issue.
Practice 2 —Comfort yourself
Saying simple and comforting words to yourself goes a long way in helping you feel supported in the midst of pain. Remember that your inner child resides within your Heart. Comfort your innocent self as you would with a scared child. Saying small caring sentences such as, “It’s OK,” “I’m with you,” “You’re being so strong,” “I love you,” “I’m here,” will encourage your Heart to open more deeply.
Practice 3 — Give yourself the permission to FEEL
When you give yourself the permission to FEEL whatever is within you — both joyful and miserable — you are giving yourself the permission to grow. Opening your heart is about having the courage to face and fully feel your emotions. Unfortunately, the very reason why we’re so alienated from our Hearts in the first place is because of our denial of certain feelings. When you allow yourself to approach whatever you’ve locked away, you are taking a massive jump into the waters of your Heart. Giving yourself the mental permission to feel will “speed up” the process of Heart opening.
Practice 4 — Connect with your inner Mother or Father
We all have the presence of the divine Mother or Father within us. These forces emerge when the Heart begins to open, and we can call on our inner Mother or Father at any time. Unfortunately, many of us have negative associations with parents, but our inner parents are completely different from human parents. The inner parent is unconditionally loving, supportive, and present with all of our pain. The inner parent is the guardian of the inner child within us. In other words, nothing you could ever (or have ever) done, said, or thought has influenced the love of your inner Mother or Father. This powerful love is known as unconditional love.
Call on your inner Mother or Father in whatever way feels the most natural to you. For example, you might like to pray, speak out loud, write a letter, sing, dance, or any other form of invitation. When the inner Mother or Father emerges, you will feel a warm presence emerge within you.
Practice 5 — Breathe into the pain
As you practice opening your heart, you may come across intense feelings that seem to spontaneously materialize. It’s normal to feel scared or overwhelmed when these suppressed emotions emerge, so make sure you use the breath to ground yourself. It is so common for us to immediately shut ourselves off from any source of emotional pain, but opening your heart is about actively feeling these emotions. One you can feel these emotions, and breathe through them, the congested energy of these feelings will dissipate. A feeling of inner spaciousness and energy alignment will be the result. Make sure you breathe from your lower belly for proper grounding.
Practice 6 — Use the power of prayer
Words are energy, and when you say a prayer of intention, you attract guidance and support. Pray to whomever or whatever you most strongly resonate with — whether that be the goddess, Life, Spirit, God or your own Soul. The act of praying itself will help you to open your heart. When you are humble and sincere enough to ask for help, you will receive guidance bountifully. When I started praying (and got over my prejudice towards it), I experienced immense spurts of inner growth. Read more about the power of prayer. The Universe is always listening.
Here is a sample prayer: “Dear Spirit/God, please help me to open my heart and to have the courage to feel whatever is inside of me. Help me to see what I have been locking away so that I may be free of the burden of pain. May my journey deepen as I learn how to be vulnerable and receptive towards my feelings. Amen.”
Practice 7 — Embrace feeling uncomfortable
Part of the reason why we have blocked hearts in the first place is that we are so averse to feeling uncomfortable. We are taught that uncomfortable is “bad” and must be medicated, brutally picked apart or somehow numbed. But the truth is that whatever makes us squirm is hugely valuable. Whatever we react to, whatever triggers emotional pain or fear within us, is a GREAT teacher. Yet we are so caught up in running away from such discomfort that we never see it for what it is.
Embracing feeling uncomfortable is more of a mindset than anything. You can also apply the other practices in this article to help you loosen up. The mindset that I’m talking about is about becoming receptive rather than reactive. When you are receptive, you are open and prepared to feel what you usually avoid or deny. When you are reactive, you unthinkingly run away like a scared child or react like a wounded animal. Can you see the difference?
Opening your heart is about adopting this new mindset, but doing it in a loving, self-caring way.
Practice 8 — Find the beauty in everything
Seeing and appreciating beauty requires an open heart, but it also requires that you slow down your daily pace of living. There is beauty everywhere: in the faces of other people, in sounds, smells, textures, animals, trees, clouds, food, ideas, even in the most unexpected places like garbage tips, pavement, and urbanized cities. If you can make it your goal to find beauty in everything each day, you will not only be amazed, you will fall in love with life again.
Practice 9 — Learn how to cry
Yes, you heard me. Often, we are so emotionally congested that crying is extremely difficult for us to do. The older we get, the more we tend to “forget” how to truly cry. Our stomachs harden, our throats constrict, and our bodies stiffen. Some of us become numb or completely freeze when we’re overwhelmed with grief or sadness.
In order to learn how to cry again, you need to give yourself some privacy. You might like to watch sad movies or listen to music that makes your heart stir. If your body tenses up, try massaging your stomach. This is what I do when I struggle with emotional stiffness. When you feel sad or burdened, try to cry. Remember, crying is completely normal and something you need to honor. Many of us were taught as children to be ashamed of crying, but as adults, we can now reprogram that damaging teaching.
Practice 10 — Ask your heart what it needs
We are so used to listening to our minds that we forget to engage with the needs of our hearts. When was the last time you asked your heart what it needed to feel better? Our hearts always share honest answers with us, unlike the mind. Sometimes these honest answers are hard to face, which is why most people are scared of their own hearts. It’s much more comfortable to settle into the silver-tongued illusions of the mind. But the heart will never obscure the truth.
In order to ask your heart what it needs, you need to be silent and still. The heart often gets drowned out by loud and external-centered modern living. You might like to ask, “What do you need? Please show me” or “How can I feel better?” Whatever question comes naturally, ask away. Remember, your heart’s language is complex. You may receive an answer through a physical sensation in your body, an image flashing through your mind, a memory, an intuitive sense, or a silent word. Often, listening to what your heart needs will take practice. But as long as you’re receptive, you will quickly receive guidance.
Practice 11 — Learn how to be vulnerable
We’re all, to some extent, scared of being vulnerable. Vulnerability means being open, and being open means exposing ourselves to possible attack. The fear of vulnerability is ancient and embedded within our DNA. After all, we are “half” animal, and being on the defense helped us to survive as a species. The problem is that we have become too defended against others. We have forgotten that we are also one “half” Spirit.
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Vulnerability cannot be forced, it must be coaxed gently. The deeper you delve into opening your heart, the more risks you will need to take. But in order to take them, you must feel some sense of security within yourself. The only true security there is, is the Love within your heart. You must be able to see that no matter what risk you take, what people think of you, or what the result is of your efforts, you will still respect and care for yourself.
In order for you to truly and completely practice opening your heart, you will need to be prepared to take risks. Being vulnerable, sharing your emotions with others, following your bliss, and following the guidance of your heart will take your spiritual growth to a whole deeper level. Try taking small steps that will allow you to open to vulnerability. For example, you might like to cry in front of the mirror without covering your face or learn how to laugh freely. Gradually, you can move on to sharing your feelings with others and taking emotional risks.
***
One final bit of advice: become aware of how your inner critic or judge causes your heart to close. The inner critic is the voice of fear that tells us that we “look stupid,” are doing something wrong or are somehow making a fool of ourselves. Become conscious of this voice, and treat it with love. See it for what it is: the lonely voice of fear, crying out for attention and love.
THE THREE CENTERS OF KNOWING
The Three Centers of Knowing are our data centers. Through them comes all the information of the world around us, and the world within us. It is important to distinguish our Knowing Centers from our Being Centers, and not be too grounded in all the data coming to us from the world. Learning to filter and use wise discernment concerning our data centers is important. Not everything coming at us reflects true reality. Many thoughts and feelings can become ingrained within us that are not true concerning us and the world. Sorting through the data is important. That is the purpose of our Being Centers. If our Knowing Centers, especially The Mind, are too dominant, they can darken and disconnection us from our deeper identity as founded in our Being Centers. “I think therefore I am,” is not a good foundation for identity or truth. The rise of mental health issues is evidence enough. “I am therefore I think” is a much better statement. The more we can detangle and distinguish our Knowing Centers, from each other and from our Being Centers, the more balanced we will be. It’s important to know what is coming from where. Heart data, Mind data, and Body data are all different, telling us different things, and should be interpreted and filtered accordingly. When each of our Knowing Centers can operation within their proper space and function, we can find greater balance in our whole person. Then each of these data centers can work together to inform our Being Centers without distorting or convoluting who we are independent of all the data floating around us in the world at large. This is a great part of the spiritual journey, of detangling the Knowing Centers and bringing them back under the leading of God through our Being Centers.
THE MIND: The Rational Knowing Center
The function of the MIND KNOWING CENTER is problem solving. It loves to identify problems and come up with solutions
The Mind is the most abstract center, the most disconnected from concrete reality. The Mind has the most ability to go into the past or future, to imagine and create things outside of, and often contrary to reality. We often think of our Mind as the most grounded and clear, the most able to pierce through to truth and reality. This is not always true, especially for the Mind which is the most dominant over our other five parts, and thus the most detached from the wisdom and information which can come through them. When the mind is over-dominant, our other parts can shrink and become more dormant. Even our bodies, which is the most obvious and concrete of our Three Knowing Centers can become obscured when the Mind Center is over-dominant.
The Mind is good at creating theories around reality. It is very creative, and able to lead to many good truths, when focused in a good way. When the mind is the most open to a wide variety of experiences through all Six Centers, it can form good ideas about reality, which can lead to good discoveries. The Mind has its own form of intuition and feelings. In connection with the other Centers, it can come to many good conclusions about the world in connection to others and God. In separation from the other centers, the Mind has the most ability to conceive of the person as a closed system. The Mind is the most dominated by the desire for control and independence.
THE HEART: The Feeling/Connection Knowing Center
The function of the HEART KNOWING CENTER is connection through empathy. It loves to feel with and for itself and others.
The Heart Center is very intuitive. It can follow deeply mystical intimations towards deeper truths which don’t make sense to the rational Mind Center. But it also needs to be connected and balanced by all our other parts. The Heart Center can chase feelings for the sake of feelings, and end up stuck in the murky world of interior darkness, lost and overwhelmed. Depression, anxiety, anger, disillusionment, and the like can create great dysfunction when the Heart Center is too dominant, and not pursuing its emotive function with measure and balance. Still, the Heart Center brings great wisdom, especially concerning community and relational connection. The Heart Center knows how to make people a priority, and takes care to give the proper space to others feelings, thoughts, and bodies.
From the Heart Center comes great poetry, music, art, and stories. The Heart Center brings color and flavor to our lives. The Heart Center knows how to dance, feel the moment and suck the marrow out of life. It knows how to stop and savor the goodness of life, and leads us to balance concerning our darker desires for ego-affirmation and control. The Heart Center balances the Mind’s need for dominance, and the Bodies need for protection. Without the Heart Center all can become function and survival. The Mind is very practical and purposed, the Body very bent on self-preservation. It is the Heart that makes good space for the “other,” that honors difference and balances the “me” with the “we.” A culture greatly disconnected from the Heart space is greatly divided and divisive, pitting the good of some against the good of others. The Contemplative idea of Unitive Consciousness is a predominantly Heart movement to see how everything in all creation is connected and how everything belongs. God creates no meaningless things. No wonder our reconnection back to God is primarily facilitated by the Heart Center of God, the Holy Spirit, who helps us come back to our proper connection to all things as God intents them.
THE BODY: The Physical Knowing Center
The Body Knowing Center is the most grounded in reality and the present. It loves to experience the goodness of the physical world in the moment
Of the three Knowing Centers, the Body is the most concrete and the least permanent. It is grounded in present reality, but also by the reality of death and dying. It can be the most consumed with survival, and can thus easily feed into the Minds desire for control and dominance for the sake of self-interest and ego. But the Body Center is in the middle. Like the Heart Center, it also craves connection and community. It delights in the pleasure and joy of experiencing the world around itself, and world full of other people. The Body Center can fall to either side of the spectrum, towards the Heart’s desire for community or the Minds desire to isolate and insulate for the sake of control. Controlling for the sake of dominance is a disconnecting energy, it pits us and our needs against the needs of others. This is the energy of war and death, of conflict and survival, of tribalism over globalism. The Body Center can’t help but be grounded in its environment, but how it interacts with that environment depends on how it frames itself within it. Too much “me” and not enough “we” can ground the Body Center in a defensive and withdrawing stance. It can become fearful of a dark and threatening world, and through disconnection and self-interest can end up feeding the kind of world it fears.
Still, the Body Center can only isolate to a degree. Without leaving the world altogether, the Body Center forces us to reckon with the reality of our connectedness to the earth and other humans. It knows, intuitively so, that we are connected, and that the good of the one does not outweigh the good of the whole. Because the Mind is so abstract, when it is over-dominant, it can lead the Body into great fear and separatism. But so too can the Body and Heart help lead the Mind back out. Of the Knowing Centers, the Body can be the least attached to God and our Being Centers. It can conceptualize our personhood as extremely temporal and finite. Because the Body Center is the most fragile and in need of daily sustenance, it can become consumed with its own existence and space. The Body needs most to be reminded by our Being Centers that its actions in present, physical reality have far-reaching emotional, mental, and spiritual consequences. The Body is good at reacting in the moment to the moment, but not at balancing momentary actions with long term consequences. The Body needs a proper attachment to the other five centers in order to be well balanced and healthy.
History of the Enneagram
The Traditional Enneagram
Overview
The Enneagram of Personality Types is a modern synthesis of a number of ancient wisdom traditions, but the person who originally put the system together was Oscar Ichazo. Ichazo was born in Bolivia and raised there and in Peru, but as a young man, moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina to learn from a school of inner work he had encountered. Thereafter, he journeyed in Asia gathering other knowledge before returning to South America to begin putting together a systematic approach to all he had learned.
After many years of developing his ideas, he created the Arica School as a vehicle for transmitting the knowledge that he had received, teaching in Chile in the late 1960’s and early 70’s, before moving to the United States where he resided until his passing in 2020. In 1970, When Ichazo was still living in South America, a group of Americans, including noted psychologists and writers Claudio Naranjo and John Lilly, went to Arica, Chile to study with Ichazo and to experience firsthand the methods for attaining self-realization that he had developed.
This group spent several weeks with Ichazo, learning the basics of his system and engaged in the practices he taught them. The Arica school, like any serious system of inner work, is a vast, interwoven, and sometimes complex body of teachings on psychology, cosmology, metaphysics, spirituality, and so forth, combined with various practices to bring about transformations of human consciousness. (Neither Don Riso nor Russ Hudson was affiliated with this school, and therefore cannot describe it with any justice, but those seeking to learn more about it can do so through Arica publications1).
Among the highlights for many of the participants was a system of teachings based on the ancient symbol of the Enneagram. The Enneagram symbol has roots in antiquity and can be traced back at least as far as the works of Pythagoras. 2 The symbol was reintroduced to the modern world by George Gurdjieff, the founder of a highly influential inner work school. Gurdjieff taught the symbol primarily through a series of sacred dances or movements, designed to give the participant a direct, felt sense of the meaning of symbol and the processes it represents. What Gurdjieff clearly did not teach was a system of types associated with the symbol. Gurdjieff did reveal to advanced students what he called their chief feature. The chief feature is the lynchpin of a person’s ego structure—the basic characteristic that defines them. Gurdjieff generally used colorful language to describe a person’s chief feature, often using the Sufi tradition of telling the person what kind of idiot they were. People could be round idiots, square idiots, subjective hopeless idiots, squirming idiots, and so forth. But Gurdjieff never taught anything about a system of understanding character related to the Enneagram symbol.
For these and other reasons, many early Enneagram enthusiasts have mistakenly attributed the system of the nine types to Gurdjieff or to the Sufis because of Gurdjieff’s use of some Sufi techniques. This has led to the widespread and erroneous belief that the Enneagram system has been handed down from the Sufis or from some other ancient school as an ongoing “oral tradition.” While it is true that Ichazo drew on his knowledge of a number of such traditions, the actual combination of those traditions connected with the Enneagram symbol is purely his creation. Thus, the “Traditional Enneagram” only goes back to the 1960’s when Ichazo was first teaching it, although the philosophy behind the Enneagram contains components from mystical Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Taoism, Buddhism, and ancient Greek philosophy (particularly Socrates, Plato, and the Neo-Platonists)—all traditions that stretch back into antiquity.
In Personality Types (11-26), we offered a more extensive history of the system, but here, we want to look at the basics of the Enneagram system developed by Ichazo. 3
Ichazo actually taught Aricans a system of 108 Enneagrams (or “Enneagons,” in his terminology), but the Enneagram movement in America has been based on the first few, and primarily on four of them. These are called the Enneagram of the Passions, the Enneagram of the Virtues, the Enneagram of the Fixations, the Enneagram of the Holy Ideas.
To grasp the significance of these diagrams and the relationship between them, we must remember that the system was designed primarily to help elucidate the relationship between Essence and personality, or ego. In Ichazo’s own words:
“We have to distinguish between a man as he is in essence, and as he is in ego or personality. In essence, every person is perfect, fearless, and in a loving unity with the entire cosmos; there is no conflict within the person between head, heart, and stomach or between the person and others. Then something happens: the ego begins to develop, karma accumulates, there is a transition from objectivity to subjectivity; man falls from essence into personality.” (Interviews with Ichazo, page 9)
Thus, Ichazo saw the Enneagram as a way of examining specifics about the structure of the human soul and particularly about the ways in which actual soul qualities of Essence become distorted, or contracted into states of ego. In developing his Enneagram theories, he drew upon a recurrent theme in Western mystical and philosophical tradition—the idea of nine divine forms. This idea was discussed by Plato as the Divine Forms or Platonic Solids, qualities of existence that are essential, that cannot be broken down into constituent parts. This idea was further developed in the third century of our era by the Neo-Platonic philosophers, particularly Plotinus in his central work, The Enneads.
These ideas found their way from Greece and Asia Minor southward through Syria and eventually to Egypt. There, it was embraced by early Christian mystics known as the Desert Fathers who focused on studying the loss of the Divine Forms in ego consciousness. The particular ways in which these Divine forms became distorted came to be known as the Seven Deadly Sins: anger, pride, envy, avarice, gluttony, lust, and sloth. How the original nine forms, in the course of their travels from Greece to Egypt over the course of a century, became reduced to seven deadly sins remains a mystery.
Another key influence Ichazo employed in developing these ideas comes from mystical Judaism, and particularly from the teachings of the Kabbala. Central to Kabbala is a diagram called Tree of Life (Etz Hayim in Hebrew). The Tree of Life is a said to be a map showing the particular patterns and laws by which God created the manifest universe. The diagram is composed of 10 spheres (Sefirot) connected by 22 paths in particular ways. Most significantly, Ichazo must have been aware of the Kabbalistic teaching that all human souls are “sparks” that arise out of these spheres or emanations from the Kabbalistic Tree. (The first sphere, Keter, is reserved for the Messiah, leaving nine other spheres for the rest of us.) In the traditional teachings of the Kabbala, for instance, each of the great patriarchs of the Bible were said to be embodiments of the different spheres of the Tree. 4 This teaching suggests that there are different kinds of souls—different emanations or facets of the Divine Unity.
Ichazo’s brilliant work was in discovering how these Divine Forms and their corresponding distortions connected with the Enneagram symbol and with the three Centers of human intelligence, Thinking, Feeling, and Instinct. He called the higher, essential qualities of the human mind the Holy Ideas, in accordance with western mystical tradition. Each Holy Idea also has a corresponding Virtue. The Virtues are essential qualities of the heart experienced by human beings when they are abiding in Essence. As a person loses awareness and presence, falling away from Essence into the trance of the personality, the loss of awareness of the Holy Idea becomes a person’s Ego-fixation, and the loss of contact with the Virtue causes the person’s characteristic Passion. While everyone has the capacity to embody all of the Holy Ideas and Virtues, one pair of them is central to the soul’s identity, so the loss if it is felt most acutely, and the person’s ego is most preoccupied with recreating it, although in a futile, self-defeating way. See the diagram below.
Relationship between Higher Essence Qualities and Ego Distortions
The Virtues, Passions, Holy Ideas, and Fixations
Thus, the Passions and Ego-fixations represent the ways that spiritual qualities become contracted into ego states. There are, according to Ichazo’s theory, nine main ways that we lose our center and become distorted in our thinking, feeling, and doing, and are thus the nine ways that we forget our connection with the Divine. (The Passions can also be thought of as our untamed animal nature before it is transformed by contact from higher influences—awareness and Grace.)
Because of this particular relationship between the higher qualities of the soul and their corresponding ego distortions, a person could, by using presence and awareness to recognize the pattern of their distortion—their characteristic passion and ego-fixation—come to recognize the quality of Essence that had been obscured. By remembering or contemplating the higher quality, balance could be restored, thus accelerating the person’s awareness of themselves as Essence. Knowing one’s “type” was a way to direct one’s inner work to facilitate the transformative process.
The Virtues describe the expansive, non-dual qualities of Essence experienced in a direct, felt way by a person abiding in their true nature. The Virtues are the natural expression of the awakened heart. We do not try to force ourselves to be “virtuous”—rather, as we relax and become more present and awake, seeing through the fear and desire of the ego self, these qualities naturally manifest themselves in the human soul.
“An essential individual will be in contact with these [Virtues] constantly, simply by living in his body. But the subjective individual, the ego, loses touch with these Virtues. Then the personality tries to compensate by developing passions.” (Interviews with Oscar Ichazo, page 19).
The Passions represent an underlying emotional response to reality created by the loss of contact with our Essential nature, with the ground of our Being, with our true identity as Spirit or Essence. The underlying hurt, shame, and grief that this loss entails are enormous, and our ego is compelled to come up with a particular way of emotionally coping with the loss. This temporarily effective, but ultimately misguided coping strategy is the Passion. But because the Passion is a distortion of an inherent, essential Virtue, recognizing the Passion can help us to restore the Virtue.5
In a related way, the Virtue of each type can also be seen as an antidote to its Passion and as a focal point for the type’s positive traits. By recalling the Virtue in a state of presence, the Passion can be gradually transformed. The restoration of the virtue and the transformation of the passion is an extremely important part of the spiritual use of the Enneagram.
The Holy Ideas represent specific non-dual perspectives of Essence—particular ways of knowing and recognizing the unity of Being. They are what naturally arises in a clear, quiet mind when a person is present and awake, seeing reality as it actually is. The loss of a Holy Idea leads to a particular ego-delusion about the self or reality, called the type’s Ego-fixation. Through the ego-fixation, the person is trying to restore the balance and freedom of the Holy Idea, but from the dualistic perspective of ego, cannot. Again, understanding the perspective of our type’s Holy Idea functions as an antidote to the ego-fixation. The non-dual perspective of our true nature is restored as we see through the particular delusions of our type.6
Oscar Ichazo’s Enneagram of the Virtues
Oscar Ichazo’s Enneagram of the Passions
Oscar Ichazo’s Enneagram of the Holy Ideas
Oscar Ichazo’s Enneagram of the Ego-Fixations
Footnotes
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We particularly recommend Interviews with Oscar Ichazo, Arica Press, 1982. It gives readers a feel for Ichazo’s overall philosophy and explains in simple language his orientation and use of Enneagrams, or “Enneagons,” as he calls them.
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Ichazo has called the Enneagram the “Ninth Seal of Pythagoras,” see Goldberg, 1993.
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We do not claim to be representatives of Ichazo’s teachings, but rather wish to offer our own interpretation of a few of them based on our own work with the system over the last few decades.
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See Adam and the Kabbalistic Tree, by Z’ev ben Shimon Halevi, Weiser 1974. On page he provides the relationship between the sefirot and the patriarchs. See also Howard Addison’s The Enneagram and Kabbala, Jewish Lights Press, 1998.
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For a more extensive discussion of the Passions, see Character and Neurosis, Claudio Naranjo, Gateways, 1994.
6. For a full treatment of the Holy Ideas, see Facets of Unity, A.H. Almaas, Diamond Books, 1998.
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