Self-Spirituality:
One of the Enneagram’s major strengths is that it does not ascribe to any doctrine or theology, and promotes the universal pursuit of knowledge of the Self. Another great benefit of the Enneagram is that it reaches out to us wherever we are in our ego development. Often, working on personal growth and advancement is stymied because the ego fancies itself as much more aware and enlightened than it actually is. The Enneagram resonates with us in unique ways depending on our own level of development, making powerful insights possible.
On a more spiritual level, the Enneagram helps us to “see [ourselves] with eyes unclouded”--to excavate our true nature, or essence, from all the emotional baggage and ego-coping mechanisms that we have accumulated over time.
Our true essence is not our personality--but rather, our personality is a tool that we create to interact with our world, that sometimes clouds our true nature and masks the truth of Who We Are as unique, spiritual beings having a physical experience. As such, the goal of transformational work within the Enneagram is to stop identifying our Self (our true nature or essence) with our personality, to stop defending it. Only then can our unique, essential nature arise and transform us.
Cultivating A Higher Awareness
The beauty of the Enneagram is that it acts as a giant mirror--it gets us in touch with our true, spiritual nature by helping to “catch ourselves in the act”. As your awareness and understanding of the nine types deepens, you will be able to recognize the “warning signs” of acting as your particular type in your day-to-day behavior. In other words, you will be able to more clearly see how your personality gets in the way of, or “clouds”, your true nature. When we are able to truly perceive our actions and our current state of being completely and without judgment, our old patterns will begin to fall away.
Awareness of the Self is key in personal growth and in deepening our spirituality. Once we can see the many ways that we entrust our lives and decisions to the mechanisms of our personalities, an awakening happens. Once we see our “Fiveness” or “Twoness” in action, we can also choose to “not do” our type--to let our true nature come through.
