The Enneagram

The Enneagram is a multi-layered symbol of transformation that provides a structure and a process for self-knowledge. It opens up a way for the complete development of the human being — mind, heart and body. 

The beginnings of the Enneagram have been clouded by time. It was certainly an oral teaching, and Georges Gurdjieff introduced it to the modern world as a system of sacred movements he learnt from an Eastern monastic tradition. The Enneagram we know now has been developed and written down since Gurdjieff’s teaching. It continues to be an evolving symbol that people gather around to share their stories – for the path to transformation will always be found in our immediate experiences.

Working with the Enneagram can be a lifelong journey. We start by understanding our ‘type’ and recognizing the automatic patterns that control our day-to-day existence. Yet the Enneagram does not simply show us our compulsive behavior, it also reveals our innate gifts. This gradual awakening takes us deeper into the symbol, towards a rediscovery of the individual expression of love that is our authentic self.

The Enneagram helps us to connect with the great natural laws that govern how energy, including our microcosmic consciousness, moves in the macrocosm. It gives us the tools we need to change and evolve with all of life — to make conscious choices rather than react automatically. The Enneagram asks us to suspend judgement of good and bad, to be kind to ourselves and acknowledge that we all receive exactly what we need for growth in each moment.

- Inscapes - Centre for Enneagram Studies