Begin a journey of self-discovery and self-awareness with a private consultation with a certified Enneagram teacher (Ajayan or Keesha). Consultations may be in person or by phone or via skype. To schedule your appointment, call 425-391-3376.
A System for Understanding Your Habits of Emotion and Patterns of Thinking
The enneagram is an ancient system that is referenced in every major spiritual tradition. During the last 30 years it has been modernized through extensive research and development and the application of modern psychological thinking.
The root “ennea” means “9” in Greek and “gram” means “something drawn.” So the term “enneagram” refers to a diagram with nine points. This is the enneagram:
The Nine Types: Habits of Emotion and Patterns of Thinking
The enneagram identifies 9 different fundamental strategies that human beings use to navigate life. It also identifies a “predicament,” (meaning a core lesson), that each type is challenged with learning. These types are noted by a number on the 9-pointed star in the diagram above. The diagram is a circle because the numbers are not hierarchical. No type is better than any other. Each type has strengths and challenges. The system is numbered to keep the system as neutral as possible.
The strategies identified by the enneagram are deeply ingrained habits of thinking and emotion that each person has. (The types are consistently identified throughout cultures and countries around the world.) People are born with a neurobiological leaning, meaning a natural tendency for their constitution. This tendency develops into one of the 9 strategies as we grow up and react to the life circumstances we are faced with. Over time, the strategy we use becomes our “reality.” The habits become wired into our systems and kick-in with lightning fast speed as we react to our circumstances and life experiences.
Each strategy has many gifts and benefits. There can also be subconscious limiting beliefs and habits that prevent us from moving into who we really want to be and what we really want to do. Without self-awareness the habits control our thinking and our behavior and we are unable to move forward in the way that we want. The enneagram provides a unique lens with which to examine our habitual reactions to life and the opportunity to build self-awareness and choice.
The Enneagram and Ayurveda
Like Ayurveda, the enneagram is a rich and complex system. It is possible to study it for many years and continue to learn more. In Ayurveda there are 3 general doshas – pitta, vata and kapha – yet each person is an individual and has a personal constitutional mix of the doshas. Within the enneagram, there are 9 core types, yet each person is an individual mix of a number of variables within this dynamic system.
As the discovery of your dosha type is the first step to working with Ayurveda, the identification of your core type will start your enneagram journey. With both systems, it is up to you how far you want to go and how deeply you want to dig.