There are a lot of explanations for what the Enneagram, which means “drawing of nine”, is and where it has come from, some of which have gotten more diluted or fabricated as the model has grown in popularity. The Enneagram as we know it today is not this ancient tool illuminating our pathways to growth. It is, however, founded in spiritual practices that find truth and continuity in a wide variety of spiritual teachings throughout history, such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Taoism, Buddhism and even Greek philosophy.
The Enneagram we know and use today was developed as a practice and way of being through the teachings of George Gurdjieff, and carried into modern teachings by Oscar Ichazo and Claudio Naranjo. The Enneagram continues to evolve and shift as those who teach it, experience it. It’s a fluid system, not meant to be a rigid set of static beliefs about the human experience. When we use the Enneagram to ground down, and into our type, we negate the complexities of our human spirit. I am passionate about what makes each of us uniquely ourselves, and how the Enneagram can support and serve each of our needs.
I am committed to doing this work differently, because when we fully live the Enneagram, we find our way out of the box we are in and closer to
• A primary type
• A dominant wing
• A dominant subtype
• Instinctual patterns of security and problem-solving
• Movement within the model as we utilize high and low side behaviors of other types