enneagram and faith

It’s not been uncommon for me to encounter individuals of faith who are wary of engaging the Enneagram.  I can understand that.  Looking at the Enneagram symbol alone can raise questions and bring images of the Occult to mind.    People of faith may wonder if the Enneagram touts being a religion in itself.  As a person of faith, I can testify that I have found the Enneagram to be an invaluable tool for spiritual practice.  It has been complimentary, even illuminating, on my spiritual journey.  

The Enneagram addresses our essence and our ego.   Essence is our unacquired, inherent belovedness.  In my Christian tradition, this is the “Christ in you”, “the Kingdom of God that is near, in fact, within you”, the “imago dei- image of God”.  In Buddhist tradition, it is the Buddha nature.  Our essence speaks to each and every being’s indestructible worth and value that is not created, but is a gift.

Ego addresses our small, false selves, the temporary costumes we try on to gain love, security, and power.  It refers to our conditioned self and who we think we need to be.  We become attached to our egos and tend to identify with them, forgetting to trust that we have a greater Source of power, security, love that exists both within us and in the world. 

Enneagram work is truly spiritual growth work as we learn to compassionately identify ego- not so that we can fight against it, judge it, or try to kill it with willpower- but so that we can observe it, and at the same time, be reminded of our Essence and encouraged to loosen ego so that we might “fall into God” and live more from Essence.   

Whether you come from a faith background or not, if you’re curious or would like to take a deeper dive, this Richard Rohr video is one of the best teachings I’ve heard on the Enneagram from a faith perspective.  It’s long, but I’ve listened to it at least 15 times over the past five years.  It’s that good.  

If you’d like to share your own experience of how the Enneagram has informed and impacted your own spiritual journey, your comments are welcome here!