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This brings us to the enneagram. As shown in DIAGRAM 5, the enneagram ("nine
sided figure") can be thought of as a symbol representing the process by which
the "deviations" described in this primer (see MODULE 3) maintain our enthrallment
in everyday life (or H48).
Although the proper function of the enneagram is to remind us of our situation and
to stimulate us to make efforts to attain release from it, its meaning has, at present,
been largely lost.
In fact the meaning of the enneagram has, over the years, gone through the same process
of deviations that the enneagram symbolizes! At present it has become just another
means to deviate our direction away from a quest for the higher levels of spiritual
experience back into everyday life.
| A large literature on the enneagram has sprung up over the last few years, mostly
devoted to using it as a basis for a system of categorizing personality types. Of
course personality is an "everyday life" (H48) phenomenon, so at present
almost everyone who develops enough interest in The Work to become curious about
the enneagram is immediately sidetracked (deviated) back into H48. |
For those who are interested, there is an article "The Marketing of the Enneagram"
in Telos Vol 4, No 2, that at least partially describes the history of this process.
Currently, a portion of this article is available on the Telos website at http://members.aol.com/Telos9.
There are also a number of enneagram websites that can be accessed by entering "enneagram"
as a keyword in any of the search engines. A review of these sites is almost an education
in "deviations" in itself.
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Diagram Five
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The Enneagram - A symbol representing the process
by which "deviations" maintain our enthrallment in everyday life. |
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