I’ll tell you what all the fuss is about. It’s about this being a fabulous tool for understanding ourselves and others. It’s about this being a great map for exploring the desires, fears and core motivations which make us tick. And it’s about this being a way of awakening to our highest selves, seeing others through a lens of acceptance and compassion, and even experiencing the world as a place where we all belong.
That’s a tall order, eh? Well, I’m here to tell you, the Enneagram delivers everything it promises.
I’ve been studying and using the Enneagram in my own life since 2000, and I am still discovering new avenues for observing myself. Through the Enneagram, I’ve learned to spot those behaviors which take me down some old familiar rabbit holes. Yet, because the Enneagram helps me understand the natural human attachments which drive me, I’ve developed quite a bit of compassion for myself.
Now when I see myself doing those things I do, instead of asking, “What in the world is wrong with me?” I am much more inclined to say, “Well, there I go again being me!” It’s such an easier and gentler way to live.
When something brings us this much understanding of ourselves, it’s bound to spill over into our relationships. Better than anything I’ve ever encountered, the Enneagram helps me really get that everyone is operating out of the same kind of personality stew (including the good stuff along with the pesky) that I am. It’s just that their stew is as particular to them as mine is to me.
Seeing where we get stuck within ourselves is just the beginning. The Enneagram offers a map for moving beyond these patterns. It points the way towards real personal and spiritual growth by guiding us towards that essence we were when we came into the world but have forgotten about. It shows us what gift we each bring to the human family and how we can awaken it within ourselves and express it in the world with awareness, yet still through our own unique personality. We grow but stay the same. We don’t have to give up being who we are in order to awaken to who we are! Pretty cool, huh?
Although I’ve been teaching the Enneagram for years now, I still consider myself a student. I continue to read, consult with other Enneagram teachers, and attend training events to broaden my knowledge base, sharpen my teaching methods and learn new ways to engage with it to navigate my life.
You’ve heard the expression that the map is not the territory (if you haven’t, then you have now). Well, the territory is us. Who we are is really what we’re all searching for. This thing called us is a territory filled with smooth paved roads, bumpy curvy ones and sudden dead ends; mountain vistas and misty valleys; light-filled meadows and dark patches of woods; places we love and those we wish we didn’t even know about.
When you decide to travel into this territory of yourself, I suggest you take along a good flashlight, a compass and a map. The flashlight is your commitment to being more aware and accepting and loving of yourself and others. The compass is your own north star leading you home to that essence which is waiting for you. And the map…well, there are lots of maps which can take us home to ourselves. The one I recommend is the one I’ve been following all these years – the Enneagram. It never goes out of date, it never gets boring, and it never steers me wrong.
To learn more about my Enneagram offerings, click here: https://www.spaceforconsciousliving.com/the-enneagram/