Eneagram's wisdome

What are we truly searching?
We are driven by an tireless inner search. We feel that something is missing without realizing what actually is. We think we know what we need or what we want – a better relationship, a better job, a new car or to look better. We hope that if, finally, we will have the perfect relationship or the dream job, our uneasiness will disappear and we will be satisfied and fulfilled. But experience teaches us that the new car will make us feel better just for a short period of time and our new relationship, as wonderful as it might be, is not as fulfilling as we imagined. So... What are we truly looking for?

If we will stop to think for a minute we will understand that our soul is yearning to find out who it is and why is it here. The modern society is not encouraging us to find answers to this questions. We were forced to think that life can significantly improve only if luck will help us. But sooner or later we will realize that exterior things, no matter of their value, cannot fulfill our soul. So...

Where can we find the answer?
Many of the books that are now on the market talk in an impressive way about personal development, about what kind of person we would like to be. They affirm the importance of compassion, of the state of communion that needs to exist between us, the importance of communication and creativity. Sounds very good. Our souls are yearning to rise high up above, but we are painfully crushing on the rocks of fear, ignorance and of our own defense mechanisms. Much to often our good intentions and hopes are becoming new sources of disappointment. We forget about ourselves, we come back again to trivial discussions, trying to forget everything.

Are most of the books that are supporting psychology wrong? Are people incapable to live a truly fulfilling life? The great sages and spiritual masters have always said that we have extraordinary potential to become all divine beings. We consider that the most part of this  books are mostly incomplete, for example, even for a common problem as weight loss. There are many reasons for which a person has weight problems – a sensibility to sweets, they eat to many fats, nervous hunger due to anxiety or different emotional problems. Without identifying the core problem that induces this unbalance we will never find a viable solution, despite all our efforts. 

The books of self-taught writers are based on methods and solutions that were good for them, that matched their psychological profile. If, by coincidence, the reader has a similar personality the methods described in the book could be efficient. But if this similarity does not exist, instead of being helped, the reader can be pushed into a bigger and greater confusion. Any system that wishes to propose an efficient development must consider that people are very different and they belong to different personality types.

Over time, many spiritual paths and psychological trends tried to express this understanding and to systematize: astrology, numerology, the four classic temperamental types (phlegmatic, choleric, sanguine, melancholic), the Jung classification about the personality types (extrovert and introvert with the sub-types: sensitive, intuitive, emotional, mental) and many others. More over, recent studies of child development have shown that the fundamental temperament differences have a biological base. This diversity explains the fact that often, what is good for someone can be even disastrous for another. Telling certain psychological types to focus on their feelings is like pouring water on a person who is about to drown (like putting gas on fire). Or telling another that hey must assert themselves is as inappropriate as putting an anorexic person on a diet.

In our attempt to better understand ourselves, to enrich our relationships or for our spiritual development we will see that the most important factor that influences our decisions is not the gender nor the upbringing but the type of personality we belong to. It is very important to know what type of personality you are. This has a broad applicability in relationships, business, education and especially in the field of transformation and personal development.

While our metaphysics anguish has is universal, the way in which this inner anguish is manifesting depends on the „filter” through which we perceive life. The main filter through which we perceive ourselves and the world around us, we express, defend, face the past and anticipate the future, learn, enjoy and love is actually the type of personality that we belong to. 

What if there were a way to help us understand more about ourselves and others? A way that would allow us to observe those filters through which we perceive reality and give them the proper attention? What if this system would show us what our problems and our strengths are? What if this system would show us not only our weaknesses but also the way to overcome them, leading us, finally, towards the depths of our soul? This system exists. It is called Enneagram.

Source: fragment from „The Wisdom of the Enneagram: The Complete Guide to Psychological and Spiritual Growth for the Nine Personality Types”
 by Don Riso and Russ Hudson, Mix Publishing house, Consultant: Dr. Marin Gabriela, professional member of International Enneagram Association.

 

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