The great masters, when discussing the way to spiritual freedom, advised, “above all else, know thyself”.  We all
have deeply engrained behaviors that we practice habitually and unconsciously, whether they serve us well…or
keep us from the freedom we seek.

Enneagram can be a wonderful way to become more aware of these habitual behaviors and how they operate in
our lives.  Enneagram teaches that human behavior falls into nine different personality archetypes. In this
workshop, you will learn the behavior patterns of the nine types.  Underlying attitudes, sense of self, conscious
and unconscious motivations, emotional reactions, defense mechanisms, our spiritual potentials--and much more—
are all parts of a complex pattern that forms each Enneagram personality type.

The Enneagram can be an exceptional tool to complement a metaphysical spiritual practice.  The better we
understand human behavior – our own and others – the more we can remove obstacles to finding our own Divine
Nature.  

We recently saw a wonderful bumper sticker: "Don't believe everything you think."  It got us to thinking about the
function of our mind and just how much we can trust it to be our ally.  

Eckhart Tolle, in his book, “The New Earth”, believes our minds are in cahoots with our egos, and therefore, cannot
be trusted.  Dr. David Hawkins, author of “Power Vs. Force”, agrees.  Both authors suggest moving to a higher
perspective, which they call the silent observer or the witness, where the thinking mind is suspended in favor of
intuition or deep knowing – a view of reality that is not dependent upon the five senses, outer circumstances or
events.

Ernest Holmes, founder of Religious Science, said "Most of our thinking is unconscious.  Habit patterns of thought
are laid down from infancy.  It should be our purpose to find out what these thought patterns are and, when they
are unhappy or morbid or filled with fear, to change them so that the natural, normal flow of the Life Force Itself
shall be resumed”.

One thing we know for sure, our habitual patterns of behavior, which stem from a belief system that was
developed early in life, can be a deterrent to our spiritual growth.  Almost immediately upon exiting our mother’s
womb, we begin having experiences that lead us to believe the world is an unsafe place. Given this condition, it
would be difficult for one to believe in a "benevolent universe", which is the fundamental teaching of most
spiritual paths.

Because of our lack of faith in an all-loving creator, we develop a coping mechanism known as the "ego".  The ego
or personality is the camouflage or suit of armor we wear to protect ourselves from our early childhood
experiences of pain, rejection, lack of attention, control or over-smothering.     

One way to follow Ernest Holmes’ advice and “find out what these thought patterns are” is through the study and
practice of Enneagram, a personality mapping system that helps us uncover our hidden – and often limiting –
belief systems.

The word Enneagram (pronounced “any-a-gram”) comes from the Greek word ennea, meaning “nine” and
grammos, meaning “model”. No one of the types is better or worse than any other. Each type has its own way of
viewing life, its own mental and emotional preoccupations, and its own talents and abilities.

Because the world looks so different to each of the nine types, understanding the Enneagram allows us to
appreciate human diversity and come to a truer understanding of who and what people really are, rather than what
we wish they were. Relationships with family members, people at work, friends and acquaintances, take on new
meaning. By understand the Enneagram, our own lives and spiritual practices are enriched.

Over the last two decades that Marilyn and Kent have studied, practiced and taught the Enneagram system, it has
opened our awareness to see a bigger world. It allows us to witness our habits of mind and become intimate with
the dark corners of the invisible belief system that have previously constrained us.  We do not teach Enneagram to
put people in a box, but rather to help people see more clearly the “costume” they wear to protect themselves
from a perceived unsafe world.  Your Enneagram type is not “who you are” but rather, “who you mistakenly think
you are”.  How exciting it is to begin to realize that we are so much more than our limited perceptions of
ourselves.  We are more than our ego identities, after all!

As Eckhart Tolle has so clearly stated, our ironclad identification with our personalities, our story, who we think we
are as a mental concept, has created enormous problems for ourselves and the world.  So intent is our ego on
surviving and flourishing, it will go to any lengths to separate us from others (including our most cherished love
ones), ourselves and God.  For a more complete thesis on this concept, we refer you to Tolle’s book, “The New
Earth” which explains how the collective human ego has put our species on the brink of catastrophic disaster.

Ironically, Enneagram suggests that the way out of this ego predicament is not to run from it, but to work through
it.  We come out of hiding behind our Enneagram personality type and transcend to the Divine Quality for each
type.  Behavior within each number runs the gamut from very unhealthy to highly functional.  Just above highly
functional is the gateway to the Christ consciousness within, of which Ernest Holmes writes.  Enneagram calls this
the Holy Idea.

When we function in the healthiest range of our personality type, it is possible to access this Holy Idea and move
out of the ego-fixation.  When the ego’s shortcomings are brought to awareness, and the ego is encouraged to
function at its most healthy level, a transition to the Holy Idea for each Enneagram number occurs naturally.
HERE ARE SHORT VIDEO EXPRESSIONS
OF THE NINE ENNEAGRAM TYPES...