PREVIOUS:  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 & 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, so 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 God 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 value & 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

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

Holy 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

Holy 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

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#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.

Holy 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

Holy 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)

I 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

♝ 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