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Ennea TRIAD Basics – 567 (Part 3a)

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triad flowersI NEED TO UNDERSTAND
so I can control my environment

PREVIOUS: Basic Triads 234 (Part 2b)

 

SECOND Triad (567) : HEAD, Mental-based character structure
#5 = Observer – – Energy: ‘Invisible’ Detachment, Hoarding
#6 = Questioner Energy: Fight  – Jabbing Confrontation
OR Fawn – Agreement seeking – – OR  Flight  – Poised-for-flight Scanning
#7 = Adventurer Energy: Airy Excitement, Re-framing

At a party: If you stand at the door, looking around to see who’s there & what’s happening, you’re likely in the Head triad. You want to have a good idea of what to expect before going in to a new situation, approaching others cautiously.

Flow: Head-centered people think first – act and feel later. They tend to view life as outsiders looking in. Their driving ‘sin’** is fear, feeling separate from people and their environment

**”SIN” – the Enneagram comes out of a spiritual-direction tradition, so it teaches that each type has a definite sin disrupting their journey toward psychological & spiritual wholeness. In Greek it means “to miss the mark,” so it’s what makes us miss the ‘target’ in our life, which must be confronted & integrated

POSITIVE 567s notice more than other people, but don’t realize that most can’t see the same things they do, or don’t see things the same way! At their best they’re knowledgeable, intellectual & brilliant & visionary. (Bill Gates…). But caught up in the world of ideas, they can forget about the rest of the body (Sherlock Homes).triad 567

Purpose: “The goals of this center are to help us all minimize anxiety, & manage potentially painful situations. They want to gain a sense of certainty through the mental processes of analyzing, figuring out, envisioning, imagining & planning.

In addition, all of us depend on the HEAD Center of Intelligence to develop the higher qualities of wisdom, inner knowing & thoughtfulness.” ~ David Daniels, M.D

Physical center: Their main activity takes place in the Head, where they make decisions based either on logic & mental processes (thinking things thru).
Also – they’re acutely aware of the environment, living very much in the present, & instinctively take everything in by physical senses (touch, taste, smell is the way to their “holy idea”) – because it gets them out of being stuck in mental loops

Priority: They want to create security by making sense of the world & other people – using ideas, concepts & rational thinking. Their most important quest is for Truth – for what’s real & what’s not.

Their implied Q is: “What does it all mean?” as they constantly try to figure out how each piece of information they’ve gathered fits in with everything else they’ve picked up. Controlling all the pieces by ‘understanding’ things makes them feel safer

Direction: 567 Types initially move away or withdraw from relationship
Key Mode: Detachment & upward displacement (away from gut)
Key Words: Assurance, Certainty, Opportunity, Predictability, Safety, Security

Basic defense: A concentration of mental energy lets them detach from emotions & the body, to live in the mind. Fear of life (& death) is countered by thinking, explaining, rationalizing. Personal wants & needs are explained away or simply not felt.
Neurotic Style: Paranoid/schizoid process – distrust leads to withdrawing from contact with the world, to figure things out & feel protected.
⭕️ Re. Emotion:
5s externalize their fear
6s repress their fear, as a primary strategy
7s internalize their fear
Life challenge: To integrate mind & body, to combine their inner world with the outer environment. For them – being ‘seen’ is a two-sided dilemma:
— if they get noticed, they lose their valued privacy
— if they don’t get seen they feel unappreciated for all their knowledge

Much of the time they have lots of ideas & plans that never go anywhere which tend be forgotten or go unnoticed. In business, being rigid & dogmatic in their thinking (they’re always right!) can create resentment & conflict, but they don’t know why, since they’re just being ‘reasonable’.
📌 The primary attraction / avoidance dance is trust vs. non-trust.

NEXT: Triad basics – Part 2c

Ennea TRIAD Basics – 234 (Part 2a)

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ALL OF MY ENERGY
goes to looking good to others

PREVIOUS:
 Basic Triads, Part 1

 


FIRST Triad (234) : HEART, Emotion-based character structure
#2 = Sentimentalist Energy: Aggressive Affection, (overly) Helpful
#3 = Enthusiast – – – Energy: Charismatic Producer, Successful
#4 = Romanticist – – Energy: Dramatic pull, Authentic

At a party: When you get to the door, what do you do?
If you walk right in, say hello & start chatting – you might belong in the Heart triad

Flow: Heart-centered people feel first – act & think later. They are very conscious of the community around them & how they’re being received.
Their driving ‘sin’ is pride – constantly engaged in image-management, so they’ll be well received by others

POSITIVE 234s have flexibility & skill in relationships, achieving success by empathy – being attuned to & meeting social expectations, & sensitive to the vast potential of the human heart

Purpose: “Every Type depends on emotional intelligence to develop the higher qualities of the Heart Center, including empathy, understanding, compassion and loving-kindness.
The HEART center energy tunes us into the mood & feeling state of ourself & others, so we can meet the vital needs for contact & approval. We can get recognition from others to help support our self-esteem, & fulfill our need for love & connection.” ~ David Daniels, M.Dtoward others

Physical center is the spinal column, which allows free & comfortable movement around the outer world, to accomplish all the tasks they set for themselves. They use their energy to ‘feel’ what others want from them, so they can adapt themself

Priority: Their relationship-needs are for recognition & approval, establishing personal identity through connecting & being seen. 234s tend to rate themself by how others rate them – to the point of ignoring their own wishes. Their attention is so outwardly focused that it’s hard for them to access their Inner Space

CONFUSING: Actually – they’re only concerned with how they appear to themself – keeping the image of being “good”- but it has to be through the eyes of others

Direction: 234 Types move towards others, to engage in relationship
Key Mode: Substitution of worth (trade yours for mine)
Key Words: Affection, Approval, Assurance, Bonding, Certainly, Connection, Image, Love, Opportunity, Predictability

Basic defense: their Emotional intelligence is used to form an “image self” to get recognition & approval, which helps overcome an internal sense of deficiency or emptiness. Trying to meet the expectations of others is a substitute for personal needs & wants
Neurotic Style: ‘Hysteric’ process – unconsciously building up emotional energy & then discharging it willy-nilly into the environment (over-reacting, clowning….)

lots of activityLife challenge: To find the balance between Self and Other, autonomy & dependence, acknowledging & expressing their authentic Inner state.
They tend to resist this inward turn, using many rationalizations to ‘explain’ why they can’t or don’t have time to be introspective.
Each of the 3 types will have their specific excuse, based on lack of self-esteem & emotionally hooked to the past.
Their two major themes are: Identity: “Who am I?” and
Hostility : “I hate you for not loving me the way I want!”.

Re. Emotion 
2s externalize their shame, & create an image of the ‘good person’
3s feel conflicted between feeling shame & creating an image of success
4s internalize their shame, & create an image of unique identity
“SHAME eats away at the very core of who you are, wondering if you have enough value to meet all the demands of life & love.  Without a clear answer to this question, you set out to get evidence – to prove your worth, in many unproductive & unhealthy ways. All that effort – to get something you already have.” (MORE…..)

• Their Primary Instinct “To DO something” means they have a need to respond to other people or circumstances in order to stay connected.
This is true even if they’re not feeling something themself, or don’t actually like the person or group. P.D .Ouspensky called them ‘Natural Imitators”, sometimes generating emotions they think suitable to a given situation. They create a facade for others to relate to – of like-ability (2s), success (3s) & uniqueness (4), & then become dependent on the reactions of others for their sense of value & worth.

NEXT: Heart Triad 567 (2b)

Ennea TRIAD Basics (Part 1)

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triad proportions<—- DIAGRAM – Each Type’s proportion
of the triune brain, combining: (scroll down)
Intellect (green)
Emotions (blue)
Instinct (red)

PREVIOUS: Type Strengths – 6, 7, 8, 9, (#4c)

SITE: Ennea Triads – Centers of Intelligence


BASIC TRIADS
 enn triadsAs mentioned in ‘Enneagram Basics – Part 3’, there are many different ways to sub-divide the Enneagram, usually in groups of 3. Others will be addressed as well, but we start with the fundamentals, beginning with TYPE 2 – from  the Heart group.
The Triad that our Type falls into dictates the general way we approach life’s challenges. This gets combined with our specific VICE (character weakness) to form our Driving Need. These create all our traits & desires, fueling an automatic way of responding in the world, often cleverly disguised as defense mechanisms (Enn. Defects, Part 3a…..).

NOTE: Main approaches to categorizing the trios
a. From Helen Palmer – the most popular approach :
234= Heart-based Emotion  // 567= Head-based, Reason  // 891=Gut-based, Instinct

b. From Don Riso:  Feel / Do / Relate to environment

c. From Dick Wright, PhD, who believes his approach is truer to Gurdjieff’s original teachings:  234 = Doers // 567 = Perceivers // 891 = Feelers/ Sensers**.

◆ Each grouping is named by the function they do best, & what’s most important to each type in the sub group: (see below).
The Primary style is what is most Instinctual, the 2nd is an Auxiliary & the 3rd is Buried —->  EXP: Quality that’s buried for Type 7 is ‘Doing’ = to motivate

**In the Enneagram, Feeling or SENSING refers to basic, primitive instincts which come from deep inside & can’t be faked (891s). It does not mean Emotion or Sentiment – like the ‘show’ of 234s, which is more surface – a reaction to external ideas & events – picked up from others.

DOERS Triad (HEART #s 234) – They Motivate
Unconscious Types that deal with life experiences. Focus: emotive center
POSITIVE purpose : To achieve healthy, perfect union with others, the universe & with Spirit, to understand the stages of human development that create maturity and wholeness.
NEGATIVE use : To manipulate one’s own & others’ way of feeling, including the emotional climate within relationships

PERCEIVERS Triad (HEAD #s 567) – They Communicate
Conscious Types that define & justify emotions. Focus: theoretical center
POSITIVE Purpose: To develop creative vision & open people up to the real meaning of life, to be fully conscious of the true nature of self and others
NEGATIVE Use: To think, plot & make intellectual decisions limited by a narrowly defined universe

SENSERS Triad (GUT / Body #s 891) – They Translate
Subconscious Types that deal with sensations. Focus: effective center
POSITIVE Purpose: To energize & motivate people to actively live as we were intended, according to our true purpose & vision, to actively create & complete the work we are meant to do
NEGATIVE Use: To protect & preserve our physical body & fulfill our basic needs, no matter the cost to others.
«enn TRIAD expressions

«
NEXT: Triads (Part 2a)

Enneagram – Type STRENGTHS 6, 7, 8, 9 (Part 4c)

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jad0055PREVIOUS:  Strengths 2, 3, 4, 5 (Part 4b)


HOLY IDEAS & VIRTUES / STRENGTHS (cont.)

#6 Virtue : COURAGE is available when negative projections are seen as Toxic Beliefs of the mind, rather than reality. Reaction against or away from fear becomes irrelevant when we see the fear is self-created

LOYALISTS are attentive to people & problems, committed, courageous, loyal, reliable, strategic thinkers, w/ shared values, solidity
— They really want to make the world a safer, more secure, reliable, trustworthy place to live in
— They value/are attracted to Loyalty, & stand by their commitments

Holy FAITH provides the experience of receiving real support from Presence &enn - holy-ideas 6 Being that exists right now – which is beyond the obvious. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. This holy Ideas infuses you with trust & the courage to respond spontaneously to whatever happens in the moment, not bound by belief, habit or doubt.

HIGHER MIND: Faith –  6s are in the habit of doubting everything, so they can easily erase signs of success by what seem like ‘believable’ thoughts used to argue away positive experiences. It takes a leap of faith for 6s to keep their attention focused on genuinely positive people & events, continue their Recovery & spiritual practices, pursue projects that encourage them……

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#7 Virtue Sobriety, ie. having a Clear Head, which comes from understanding that fulfillment ultimately develops from within — & nowhere else. We learn that a more meaningful & deeper experience of life is missed when it’s sampled superficially

EPICURES are adventurous, appreciative, focus talents well, fun-loving, quick thinking, satisfied. Like adventure, excitement, variety
— They really want to enjoy life & experience all its possibilities, envision making the world a more delightful place to live in
— They value /are attracted to Joy & newness

Holy PLANNING / Wisdom tells us that we are part of a Greater Plan, soenn - holy-ideas 7 we don’t have to anticipate or figure out where we’re going & are willing to take the negative with the positive. You know that in this moment you truly are having the optimal experience you’re supposed to, & the pleasure is in the journey itself.

HIGHER MIND: Work implies a complete commitment to a single course of action, rather than flitting from project to project because they don’t want to miss out on something good. It means setting appropriate boundaries for themself & sticking to a good plan – even if criticized – allowing them to accomplish a great deal.

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#8 Virtue: MAGNANIMITY – the wise & balanced use of their power, knowing there’s a right and wrong time for aggression. “Liberty consists in wholesome restraint.” ~ Daniel Webster.
MERCY – not needing vengeance on or blame of – others or self – for losing the connection to the Whole (“If only I had been stronger….”)
Innocence (simplicity) = being able to feel subtle sensations & emotions, rather than go for excesses & intense experience.

BOSSES (ex-Bullies) are dependable, enthusiastic, generous, heroic, inspiring, loyalty, powerful, self-mastering, strong, improve others’ lives
— They really want to live life fully, freely – using their strength to influence others & help create a more just world where power & resources are distributed equitably
— They’re attracted to, appreciate & can effectively handle power

Holy TRUTH /Innocence is the understanding that “all is one”, that GodEnn - holy-ideas 8 is everywhere & omnipotent. You can overcome your limited & biased perspective ( by trying to balance the scales of justice according to your personal sense of fairness). You recognize that all differences at all levels of existence are part of one unfathomable reality that is Truth – so you don’t have to push & control.

HIGHER MIND: Truth – In mature 8s the neurotic need to create conflict as a way to discover buried truth – is a habit of the past. No longer threatened by the possibility of being unfairly controlled by others, 8s connect with a rare capacity to recognize each individual’s real needs, wishes & truth.

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#9 Virtue: PARTICIPATION / ACTION frees up energy to pursue our goals & desires, formerly used to shut out anything felt to be disturbing. Right Action is the willingness to engage in life & stay engaged, no matter what happens, eliminating laziness or inertia which depends on using others to give us direction.

PEACEMAKERS are accepting, all-embracing, balanced, brave, comfort-oriented, harmonizing, peaceful, stable, heal conflicts,
— They really want to feel ‘at one’ & at home – to make the world a more harmonious, ecumenical, comfortable place to live in
— They value /are attracted to Harmony, peace, unity

Holy LOVE (unconditional) holds that every being in the universe has enn - holy-ideas 9value & significance, both the world around us & our Self, which releases us from the trap of self-abasement. It has the dynamic effect of energizing the virtue of action, while still cultivating compassion, nobility & unshakable inner peace.

HIGHER MIND: Love/Charity – in its higher form, love has less to do with an emotional response than 9s being able to focus their attention on a point inside themself, from which the loved-one can be connected with. This prevents trying to merge with others as the reason for existence – which is not Love. The goal is to be able to sense the condition of others while still being aware of the Self.

OVERVIEW: Spectrum of all 9 Personality Styles

NEXT: Ennea TRIAD basics, #1

Enneagram – Type STRENGTHS – 2, 3 , 4, 5 (Part 4b)

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virtues - 2 EACH OF US
has our own talent

PREVIOUS: Type Virtues & Holy Ideas (Part 4a)

SITE: “How Each Types Sees Their Every-day Life” (scroll to page 21-22)

REMINDER – use Blue-&-White chart in part 4a as reference (by P.Ferrieux)

HOLY IDEAS & VIRTUES / STRENGTHS  (cont)

#2 Virtue: HUMILITY overrides Pride, as we come to truly see & accept that we’re not indispensable, that everyone is equally important & needed
● HELPERS are affectionate, altruistic, caring, communicators, emotionally connected, familiar, popular, unselfish, warm
— They really want to be loving, to nurture others & encourage relationships & TO makE the world a more loving place to live in
— They value / are attracted to Love

enn - holy-ideas 2Holy WILL : I acknowledge that there is only One Will, with a Purpose beyond the self-centered motive of feeling important to & being needed by others. You are aware that Reality flows with a certain force, & the easiest way to ‘live well’ is to move with it. Freedom is the feeling of openness when you experience the unfolding of Divine Will.”

HIGHER MIND: Freedom comes when 2s are able to recognizing their own needs, by not compulsively helping others & regularly paying attention to themself. Withdrawing their focus on others interrupts a negative habit 2s usually depend on for emotional security. This frees them to provide self-care.

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#3 Virtue: INTEGRITY /  Truthfulness comes easily when our True Self is accepted. Packaging & selling of ourself becomes unnecessary when we have no reason for a deceitful appearance (False Self).

ACHIEVERS are admirable, attractive, authentic, competent, energetic, high achievers, inspirational, self-accepting, successful
— They really want to make the world a more efficient, organized, productive, smooth running harmonious & orderly system
— They value/are attracted to Competence, Industry, Productivity

enn - holy-ideas 3Holy HARMONY corrects the false perception that the ego is the source of doing & functioning. It means the universe as a whole already functions in efficient harmony & you don’t need to compete with that in order to prove yourself. You fully realize & surrender to the knowledge that you’re not a separate doer, & that all experience is part of the great Reality.

HIGHER MIND: Hope – anxiety drops away when 3s truly believe that each stage of work leads to a correct conclusion. Then they feel alive in the middle of activity, & become skilled at sensing the energy requirements of different jobs. Healthy 3s say it’s like floating on a wave of inexhaustible energy

✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥ ✥

#4 Virtue: EQUANIMITY comes when we see both our positives & negatives equally. The half-truth of envy loses its validity when we stop comparing the positives of others with what we think we don’t have.

INDIVIDUALISTS are accepting, communicators, compassionate, creative, emotionally honest & deep, idealistic, inspired, good listeners
— They aspire to be special – really wanting to be unique & to put their personal touch on everything they’re involved in, to make the world more beautiful
— They value/are attracted to originality & beauty.

enn - holy-ideas 4Holy ORIGIN tells us that ‘being’ is the source & origin of our true identity. You see that you’re not separate from everything, that all parts of the universe express the Great creative intelligence. Since you’re an aspect of that creative flow you can’t be otherwise. Your life will unfold in unique ways, & finding the Authentic Self comes by being ‘in the flow’.

HIGHER MIND: Originality – 4s want to be unique so they resist being re-shaped into an ‘ordinary’ happy person. Actually, their attitude is not ‘just in their head’ but a legitimate need, and their tenacious resistance to conforming remind the rest of us to connect to our own higher awareness

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#5 Virtue: DETACHMENT from vulnerability & over-protection comes when we no longer feel in danger of being overwhelmed by emotions, & learn that the world is better understood by participating in it. Greed for alone-time makes us less prepared to live in the world, not more.

INTELLECTUALS are intense, involved, non-intrusive, perceptive, scholarly, self-reliant, visionary pioneers, have wonder
— They really want to make the world a more enlightened place by discovering what is real & true, & making it more understandable
— They value/are attracted to Knowledge, truth, understanding, wisdom

enn - holy-ideas 5Holy OMNISCIENCE is the direct knowing of Essence, which includes all that exists in its various manifestations, yet does not negate Unity. When you abide in your True Nature you know the Great Intelligence, & your minds is clear – you see that feeling safe in the world comes from participation & experience, rather than watching from the sidelines in the hope of understanding it before jumping in.

HIGHER MIND: All-Knowing becomes available when in a non-thinking state of mind – which is the opposite of trying to find out every tiny aspect of a given subject. Rather – it’s being able to engage the Inner Observer that allows its own awareness to merge with impressions of the past, present & future possibilities & events.

NEXT: Type VIRTUES (Part 4c)

Enneagram – Type STRENGTHS + Type 1 (Part 4a)

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k5941299THERE ARE MANY MORE
pieces to this puzzle

PREVIOUS: Type Strengths (Part 3)

SITE: Ennea Happiness & Strengths (fun)

 

STRUCTURE of PERSONALITY
Claudio Naranjo has united several theories, contrasting Essence to Personality (the conditional Self/lesser mind <——> to the Real Being/Higher Mind). This chart shows his variation of Ichazo & Gurdjieff’s view of the human psyche, made up of five centers, with the addition of two higher centers of the ‘awakened’ individual.

● It’s based on the current view of optimal mental health that the outer expressions of Personality do not represent the True Self within, but are motivated by a sense of deficiency – the passions/drives repressing, contaminating & replacing core instincts. The Bound (lower) parts include the Enneagram’s Triad of Instincts:
— Self-Preservation, for personal survival
— Sexual, for intimate one-to-one connection
— Social, for connection to the larger world. More in future posts. (MORE…..Chart—>.)

ESSENCE:  Higher Mind drives an automatic orientation toward our particular kinds of awareness – not mediated by every-day thinking.
The Virtues are automatic bodily responses – not directed by personal likes or dislikes.

Although higher mental awareness is different from its counterparts in the Personality, it’s easy to mistakenly assume we are in our Essence when we – think humble thoughts (4s), force ourselves to be brave (6s), feel we’ve been of ‘great service’ (2s)….. These reactions are only indirectly related to being open, undefended & attuned to the environment & other people. Fortunately, each type has the unconscious drive to identify ‘the trance of type, AND the conscious ability to outgrow it.

LIBERATION & Presence* (being fully awake)
2 = Humility. By Disinterestedness we can express Altruism
3 = Integrity. By Self-acceptance we gain Genuineness
4 = Equanimity. By Self-renewal we achieve Creativity

5 = Generosity. By Understanding we experience Discovery
6 = Courage. By Self-Affirmation we gain Courage
7 = Sobriety. By Assimilation we experience Gratitude

8 = Subtlety. By Self-restraint we can express Magnanimity
9 = Engagement. By Self-possession we find Fulfillment
1 = Serenity. By Discernment we gain Tolerance

*Presence – the opposite of being trapped in our Enneagram style – habitually acting out of the past as a reflex – when controlled by a younger part of ourself. If we’re not truly awake to current experiences, our judgments are flawed & our actions inappropriate. Being Present is a spiritual process, & while it’s not easy, it is a crucial requirement for a full life.

Overviews – Holy Ideas are the essential qualities of Universal Reality.
The left-hand chart shows how it coordinates with the Enneagram’s Heart, Head, Body triads.  enn - holy-ideas 2 TRIADS
Use the right-hand chart as the model for the #1-9  diagrams that follow. (All created by P.Ferrieux)

HOLY IDEAS & VIRTUE (STRENGTHS)
Type #1 VIRTUE: Serenity is the recognition that Reality is inherently perfect. As part of that reality, we are already ‘perfect’ so we can be open & accept the conditions that we are working with, trusting that whatever wisdom we may need will be available in the moment

PERFECTIONISTS are fair, honest, honorable, improvement-oriented, noble, responsible, want equality with a shared purpose and values, can be morally heroic
— They really want to be good people & make the world a better place, for everyone to realize their full potential & help them actualize it
— They value/are attracted to Goodness & right-ness

Holy PERFECTION points to the more universal sense of perfection , which we can only uncover in small doses. Understand that your purpose is not to achieve some transcendental level but rather to accept & deal with the imperfect world as it is . Everything is already as it should be, so when you’re in “here and now” the moment is always perfect. You trust the process & bring your support to every situation with compassion.

HIGHER MIND: True Perfection isenn - holy-ideas 1
a balance of positive & negative elements blending together at every moment. Any perfect relationship, event or product has to go through stages, including occasional bad risks or bad timing. So – 1s can benefit by accepting that what can seem like terrible mistakes are connected to an ultimately correct outcome. Their only responsibility is doing the best job they can at any given time

NEXT: Type VIRTUES – Types #2, 3, 4 , 5 (Part 4b)

Enneagram – Type STRENGTHS (Part 3)

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enn water over rocksPREVIOUS: STRENGTHS (#2)

SITE: Popular Enneagram books

 

 

♟️ FALL from Higher Essence Qualities to Ego Distortions
Oscar Ichazo made a connection between the Tree of Life & the Enneagram symbol.  This chart shows his hierarchy of expressions.   While everyone has the potential to embody all of the Holy Ideas and Virtues, one version of each (pr. type) is central to each soul’s identity. So when one or both are missing, the loss is acutely felt, & the person’s ego (conscious False Self) becomes totally preoccupied with recreating them – although in futile, self-defeating ways.

Any loss or absence of connection to spiritual Truth generates a specific delusion /fixation, showing up as the underlying Toxic Rules of our Wounded Self. Each delusion forms the center of a psychological complex, which is the core of that particular fixation
Loss of awareness of the Holy Idea becomes a person’s Ego-fixation, &
Loss of contact with the Virtue forms the person’s characteristic Passion.

 ↗️ Ego-fixations & Passions  (review posts) represent how spiritual qualities shrink into Ego States.  The Enneagram’s 9 types indicate the main ways we lose our specific center, which creates distortions in thinking, feeling, & doing.  The Passions can also be considered our untamed animal nature before being transformed by contact from higher-awareness & Grace.

↗️ Instinctual Self  –  a primal aspect of personality. The Enneagram’s 3 instincts : Self-preservation, Social / Adaptation, Sexual / Attraction. Also a “Blind-spot instinct. (MORE…. )
Our dominant one insures our fundamental survival in the physical world, but in so doing can block the way to growth. They become an anchoring counter-balance to the higher spiritual Essential Self, rooting us in the dualistic (good-bad) defended Self, causing a habitual overuse of our survival strategies.
Spiritual & emotional growth comes from being able to balance, release & transform our instinctual nature into its higher opposite.

♟️ LAW of THREE – states that any creative act or Process requires three dynamic forces to manifest. And the Law of Octaves / Sevens – how vibrations & all creative processes proceed in periodic stages / waves, like the musical scale.

Personal growth proceeds around the Inner Points of the circle via the ‘spiritual’ octave Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti-Do, toward full Essence /Consciousness (#9). Each octave is a circulatory system with a set of specific demands placed on it.
As energy circulates, it’s expressed by specific characteristics, depending on its proximity to the Divine,  🔑 starting at the Mechanical / Automatic way of functioning on the right side – THRU 🔐 #1-the way of the body, #2-the way of love & #4-the way of power, which need to be learned before moving up the left side.

PINK = closest to the divine, (“do”, the absolute) are material expressions on the  right, & wisdom on the left.
GREEN = represents the heart, the mediating zone between the most holy at the top – and –
BLUE = at bottom are manifestations of intelligence & awareness, being furthest from the divine.

Enneagram use  : for self-observation & inner work to deal with daily obstacles, with conscious effort instead of pre-set reactions.  ALSO – to help break out of “stuckness”.
🔆Affirming (#3) = prodding or unfolding force for growth – the active, dynamic energy that initiates action & moves things forward
🔆Denying (#6)= resisting or contracting force providing structure, limits, & grounded reality, as the necessary friction against which Affirming pushes 
🔆Reconciling (#9) = resulting harmony or neutral force that reconciles the two extremes. It holds the big picture, serving as the neutral stability that allows creation, movement & completion.

♟️ The Universal Principles of Being, Grace, Mercy – in Enneagram studies –  are seen as the bridge between flawed ego structures & True Nature. They are divine forces driving the engine of the universe & function according to spiritual laws in every octave, regardless of a person’s ‘developmental level’.
❣️ Grace = unmerited favor, which is not earned
❤️‍🩹 Mercy = withheld punishment which is deserved
💝 Being = Cosmic consciousness expands naturally into personality types (1-9) according to these principles, as:  Materiality, Desire, Conscious Labor, Power, Being, Intentional Suffering, Purification, Knowing, Essence. 

NOTE that the strengths & weaknesses of each type are two sides of the one coin. There is NO point in wanting to change to another type, since that would just mean swapping one set of problems for another.

NEXT: Type VIRTUES (Part 4a)

Enneagram – Type STRENGTHS (Part 2)

dmtorbi 12-step, ACoAs, al-anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, mental health, Psychotherapy, recovery, self growth, self-help , , , ,

ennea strenghI CAN REST EASY
in the castle of my identity

PREVIOUS: Type STRENGTHS (Part 2)

REMINDER: In this context – EGO = FALSE SELF
NOT the same as a HEALTHY EGO, and read “The EGO”)

To appreciate the POSITIVES of our Type, it helps to put the work of the Enneagram in context. Chasing ‘healthiness’ is not the main goal of the Enneagram – but rather to become aware of our unique Role in the larger scheme of life, & experience how it plays out in every-day experience. Our fixation behavior – the acting out of the Defect – is Ego trying to hang on to its particular version of Reality.
EXP: #5: “I must fill the unfillable hole of not-knowing”.

“Primal Catastrophe” The Defect of our type is formed in response to the primal catastrophe of our childhood – losing touch with our specific Essence & the Divine. In Christian terms, we’re born separated from God by our sin-nature, forgetting our birthright as children of God. In reaction, humans develop 9 different (ineffective) strategies to try reconnecting with Spirit & our deepest self.

● This unconscious pull toward Essence, with its ‘best’ way of thinking & feeling, suggests that each Number represents an archetypal energy pattern, a Higher Octave, intuiting its deeper Reality. This awareness can provide self-knowledge & a way to connect to Spirit. (Enn in Motion).  

Ego vs. Essence 
Essence = our True Self, originating at birth. It’s different for each Type, & depends on the basic flavor which each Number is most sensitive to, based on one’s Holy Idea. When we’re in touch with it, we feel a sense of aliveness, connection & well-being.

Ego: not the Healthy Self from Psychology, but rather the ego of the False Self, the ‘personality mask’ with all its illusions, defenses & hidden features, only a dim reflection or imitation of our individual Truth.
BTW – it’s not accurate to think in B & W terms – that ‘negative’ ego/ personality is an extreme opposite of ‘positive’ Essence, because humans are on an ego<—>Essence continuum all the time. Understanding & working with both ends are needed for growth.

A.F. Almaas reminds us in ‘Diamond Heart Book Four :  Indestructible Innocence’ that “The personality is not something that needs to die or be thrown away…. but rather developed over time, to be refined & integrated with the sense of Being-ness” (p. 69).

VIRTUES
Based on the spiritual insights of the Holy Ideas, the Virtues (in Part 1) are the natural expression of the awakened heart – the unified, expansive qualities of humans experience when abiding in our True Self. They identify the way to reconnect to Essence. (Holy = objective spiritual reality, expressed in the higher essential qualities of the human mind & soul)

The Virtues are each type’s antidote to its Passion, pointing to its Strength, AND cannot be ‘practiced’ or claimed as personal achievements.  Our ego-self is very preoccupied with recreating it  but it’s only a narcissistic self-aggrandizement – the very opposite of a Virtuous state.
Rather, they are ‘their own reward’ as expressions of Grace & a method of transformation*.  So if we “Let-go-&-let-God”, accepting what is already waiting in us to emerge, our specific Virtue begins to express itself in our daily life.

*Transformation can be understood as a conversion of energy : shifting from the narrowness & futility of our Vice into our Virtue. It’s not easy to do, since our Type is hardwired, & a life-time of doing things a certain way are hard to soften & dissolve.
Shifting this vice-energy takes time.  It requires great desire & determination, persistent effort & a willingness to look deep inside oneself. Repetition of new habits & patterns create new neural pathways that, over time, allow us to catch our automatic responses before they get going. This makes it possible to choose a new way of responding to PPT (people-places-things).

● When our focus is on becoming less & less attached to our defensive way of functioning, it slowly heals the split between parts of ourself, between ourself & others, & between us & our Higher Power. Transpersonal* experiences allow us to see ourself as we are meant to be – in our current state, but moving toward being whole.
*Transpersonal = having “experiences where the sense of Self-identity stretches beyond (trans) the individual, to embrace wider states of humanity, life, psyche & cosmos”. (Shakti – 10/16/05)

NEXT: Type Strengths (Part 3)

Enneagram – Type STRENGTHS (Part 1)

dmtorbi 12-step, ACoAs, al-anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, coaching, mental health, Problem-Solving, Psychotherapy, recovery, self growth, self-help

ennea jewelsIT’S GOOD TO ACKNOWLEDGE
my special strengths & talents

PREVIOUS : Defenses, #2 

POSTs : Type Defects (7, 8, 9 )
(all in June)

BOOK: The VISUAL Enneagram (pictures)


CORE qualities = our GIFT
● The flip side of each Type’s ‘defect’ is the main characteristic which allows us to self-actualize – our Virtue / Strength. These exist in immature form when we’re born, & are supposed to develop over the course of a lifetime (like an acorn), but can only do so IF planted in good soil – ie. a safe, loving family.
> If Nurtured, the Strength will allow us to grow into something grand
> If Hindered – it will be ignored or used incorrectly, to everyone’s detriment.

We know that a damaging childhood environment stunts the healthy development of our specific core quality – so we can’t turn into a mighty oak . This is what happens to most ACoAs . SO an essential part of Recovery is to find healthy people-places-things (PPT) that help us undo the early damage & allow our precious acorn to unbend & grow correctly. “It’s never too late to have a happy childhood” – NOW.

● The reverse of the “defects” are the 7 Heavenly Virtues:
Charity, Faith, Fortitude, Hope, Justice, Prudence, Temperance + 2.  The coordinating Ennea-Strengths are:  (#1 – #9) : Serenity, Humility, Truthfulness, Equanimity, Detachment, Courage, Sobriety, Innocence, Actionheavenly virtues.png
— These positive qualities can be used as PROCESS, starting at #9 -“The Whole”- for planning a trip, making a meal, running a company, pursuing personal growth…

● To find our Type, we start with the exaggerated expression of the self – the defect – & trace it back to its original state. Our harmful ‘Habits of Mind’ (CDs) come from over-using /mis-using the Strengths, which are our most natural positive tendency – what we’re best at & our fundamental way of approaching the world. Therefore, the positive quality hidden in the flaw is our GIFT, with both the characteristics of Divinity & of human personality, which we bring into the world to share with others.

EXP: 🪴 2s love to help people, but damage turns it into co-dependence & people-pleasing.
🪴 Healthy 1s like things to be done right, but damage turns it into judgmental, rigid perfectionism.
🪴 Healthy 5s love to be quiet & study, but damage turns it into isolating themself, or being pedantic (a know-it-all) …..

VALUES
● In his “Types of Men – Psychology And Ethics Of Personality” (1928), Eduard Spranger wrote that people are best understood through the study of their values. In the 1960’s Gordon Allport, father of Personality Psychology, agreed that personal values are the basis of our philosophy of life.
💔 Vulnerabilities come from what caused our essence to be distorted
❣️ Values come from what each Type finds most important & deeply wants Values vs Vulnerability

● At the heart of each person’s adaptation to the world are our inborn aptitudes & abilities, present as potentialities in our core self. These energizing talents form our values, which we hold dear, influencing our motivations & perspectives on life.

They orient & focus our vision – identifying what’s important to us, what to organize our life around, what to live for. While we can appreciate & express some of all the 9 qualities, temperamentally we favor a specific one which guides our attitudes, behaviors, emotions, energies & perceptions – expressions of our Essence throughout life.

a. From a spiritual point of view, we are told that human being were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), ie. God’s character & attributes reflected in us, such as compassion, rationality, love, hatred, anger, mercy…..
b. From a psychological view, human nature shows up in differing points of view & their accompanying ways of experiencing, evaluating, perceiving, understanding & responding to the world.

● The Virtues/ Strengths identify the way to reconnect to Essence, out-growths of the spiritual insights called Holy Ideas (Holy = objective spiritual reality, expressed in the higher essential qualities of the human mind). Since our Type’s Ego-Desire is a mix of divine yearning & ego questing – in spite of the distortions – ‘personality’ has a sacred impulse at its core.

 The combination of the 9 Types make up a total Microcosm of the human viewpoint. The movement toward Presence (the ‘work’ is to become awake to a Higher Truth) , starting at the Mechanical / Automatic way of functioning on the right side – THRU’ #1-the way of the body, #2-the way of love & #4-the way of power, which need to be learned before moving up the left side toward full Essence / Consciousness (#9).

NEXT: Enneagram – Type STRENGTHS (Part 2)

DEFENSE MECHANISMS (Part 2)

dmtorbi 12-step, ACoAs, al-anon, Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholism, mental health, Psychotherapy, recovery, self growth, self-help

no see, no hear, no talkI HAVE SO MANY OPTIONS 
for escape!

PREVIOUS: Defense Mechanisms (#1)

SITE: “Types & Uses of Defense Mechanisms”

 

ALL DEFENSES are used to avoid some form of anxiety
♝ Acting out – coping with stress by compulsively taking actions, instead of actually feeling one’s emotions about the situation
♝ Affiliation – dealing with emotional conflicts, internal stressors, or external threats by turning to others for support, help, or connection

♝ Aim Inhibition – settling for a modified version of one’s original goal (as in “Those who can’t – teach”)
♝ Altruism – gaining satisfaction by self-sacrificing service to others, or participating in beneficial social causes

Enneagram♝ Asceticism – moral  & practical renunciation of specific or all pleasurable experiences, to avoid internal conflict re. impulse-gratification (to find safety by rigid self-denial)
♝ Avoidance – refusing to deal with or face an unpleasant person, object or situation

♝ Compensation – trying to make up for what one sees as personal deficiencies
♝ Conversion – repressed mental & emotional conflicts turned into a physical symptom (excessive sweating, temporary paralysis or blindness….)

♝ Denial – unconscious need to refuse admitting important parts of oneself, of ones own experiences or of external reality, even though these things may actually be known or perceived by others
♝ Displacement – shifting emotions or mental conflicts about one person or situation toward another. It’s ‘dumping onto’ one person what one feels towards someone else (kicking the dog instead of the boss)

♝ Fantasy – a retreat into a dream world, mental drifting back to ‘better times’ or to an ideal place…. used instead of when concrete, adult action is needed OR when the current situation is experienced as completely hopeless
♝ Idealization – making up a fantasy image of PPT (people, places, things), rather than seeming them realistically, in order
to deny aggressive or competitive feelings towards someone they love or are afraid of

♝ Identification: model oneself on another’s persona, in place of developing a ‘Self’ of their own
♝ Intellectualization – warding off unacceptable emotions & desires by only thinking about PPT rather than experiencing them directly

♝ Introjection – the child’s developing Self absorbing PPT in their environments a separate eep state. Extreme: psychologically imprinting oneself onto another’s whole personality, to avoid their own powerful emotions such as love, rage, hate, envy…. that they’re terrified of
♝ Isolation (not isolating) – cutting off the memory of painful emotions connected to a distressing situation or trauma, so it no longer triggers anxiety

♝ Projection – attributing to others ones own unacceptable but unconscious thoughts & emotions. Disowning unwanted parts of oneself by only seeing them in others, & then hating that person or quality
♝ Rationalization – use convincing ‘logical’ reasons to justify an idea, emotion or action, to avoid recognizing the real but unacceptable underlying motive for ones bad behavior (like getting defensive)

♝ Reaction formation – compulsively saying & doing the extreme opposite of what one really wants, but is afraid of (violently preaching against lust, while not admitting to being filled with sexual longing)  (CHART INFO ⬇️ )
♝ Regression – unconsciously retreating to the actions, feelings & beliefs of an earlier developmental phase when feeling threatened (toddler’s thumb sucking)

♝ Repression – keeping unwanted thoughts & emotions out of awareness, which can include forgetting actual painful or traumatic events associated with painful emotions (opposite of ‘Isolation’)
♝ Reversal – turning a feeling, attitude or behavior into its opposite
EXP: when masochism is replaced by sadism, love into hate….

♝ Simple denial: unpleasant things are treated as if they don’t exist
♝ Splitting – characteristic of Borderlines, – the inability to hold in ones conscious mind both positive & negative qualities of the Self or others in a whole (like loving & hating the same person or thing at the same time)

♝ Somatization – when intolerable impulses or conflicts are converted into physical symptoms (suppresses rage into an auto-immune disease)
♝ Sublimation – redirect id impulses (a socially objectionable desire or goal) into socially acceptable activities, while still retaining the original longing. It’s considered the most “mature” defense. (Play football instead of fighting, make art instead of adultery)

♝ Suppression – painful emotions & events are consciously ‘stuffed’ down
♝ Undoing – involves symbolically nullifying or voiding an unacceptable or guilt-provoking act, thought, or feeling (Nullify = make it of no importance or as irrelevant  // Void = make as if it never happened at all)

NEXT: Enneagram Strengths #1