Unlocking The Enneagram - Consciousness In Action

Unlocking The Enneagram: The Gurdjieff Sequence (Growth Sequence) for Transformation

Unlocking The Enneagram

? Copyright 2011 by Arthur Kranz, MD

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Unlocking The Enneagram: The Gurdjieff Sequence (Growth Sequence) for Transformation

G. I. Gurdjieff distilled his "science of the harmonious development of man" into a simple formula: "To Know ? To Understand ? To Be."

If you open your mind and eyes, the secret paths of the Gurdjieff Enneagram are hidden in plain sight. Over the years, many observers have noted that the Enneagram looks like a clock, with a 9 in the top position. This observation hints at an important aspect of the Enneagram: like a clock, the Enneagram contains movement and change. It is not a static diagram, as Gurdjieff reminded his students repeatedly. Gurdjieff's Enneagram was often depicted with no fixed numbers (or arrows). In my understanding of the Enneagram as a diagram of growth and transformation, the static diagram we have become familiar with is an unwitting depiction of the Enneagram's configuration relevant to Type 9 only. In this article, I will show how a moving Enneagram functions to reveal nine different configurations, one for each personality type. Each of these nine configurations entails a unique sequence of nine Hidden Path Movements ? the unique growth path for each type.

The Enneagram is an intriguing geometric figure with three distinct parts:

1) A Triangle + 2) A Hexad

+ 3) A Circle = THE ENNEAGRAM

"This figure is not just symbolic of the enneagram, it actually is the enneagram." --Susan Rhodes--The Positive Enneagram, page 1, Geranium Press (2009)

As Rhodes comments above, these three figures are not merely symbols used to depict the Enneagram: they combine to create the Enneagram, and united they contain all the information and directions needed to experience within ourselves the various growth paths of all nine types.

Gurdjieff's method promises to teach three things to the student: "To Know," "To Understand," and "To Be," in that specific order. Each of the three learning objectives can be associated with one of the three physical components of the Enneagram diagram. The first goal, "To Know," is associated with the central triangle (above, in red).

? Copyright 2011 by Arthur Kranz, MD

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Unlocking The Enneagram: The Gurdjieff Sequence (Growth Sequence) for Transformation

"In all ancient teaching the first demand at the beginning of the way to Liberation was: Know Thyself"-Gurdjieff. (1)

The first goal represents a journey of self-knowledge: to "know thyself" in all three Centers ? Body, Heart, and Head. This journey utilizes the structure of the central triangle ? for all nine types ? by aligning each type and its Dominant Affect triad with the inner triangle. (This will be explained in more detail below.)

The second goal involves a journey "To Understand" or "To Know Others." This second stage of the Hidden Path Movements is represented by the hexad.

The third goal of the work is "To Be" ? to accept that we are all part of one great whole and that there is no separation. It is represented by the outer circle component of the Enneagram, which encompasses and unites all nine types. This stage of the work requires that you accept and love all the other types as well as your own. Realistically, if you are unable to accept and love the other types, you will not be able to fully accept and love yourself.

To Know Oneself

In the traditional understanding of the Enneagram of transformation, derived from the work of Claudio Naranjo, there are two separate structures for growth, depending on one's type. For the types on the inner triangle, the growth path is 9-3-6. For the types on the hexad, the growth path is 7-5-8-2-4-1. There is no connection between these two growth paths, and furthermore, there at least two obvious imbalances: the growth path for the hexad types is twice as long, and you wind up with five types that cover all three Centers in the first two movements (3,6,9,5 and 4) and four types that need either three or four movements to cover all the Centers (1,2,7 and 8). It has never made sense to me that the growth paths for the nine types should contain this kind of imbalance and disconnection. Intuitively, the structure of the Enneagram suggests that all nine types should be connected and that the nine growth paths should be balanced and Harmonious.

There is an elegant solution to the problem: the Enneagram is meant to be a moving diagram, in which each of the nine types can be placed at the top position on the clock-face. In each of the resulting configurations of the types, the first two steps in the growth direction move along the inner triangle and result in a balancing of the three Centers.

I am drawing some disparate influences together to make this leap in understanding how the Enneagram of Transformation works:

? Copyright 2011 by Arthur Kranz, MD

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Unlocking The Enneagram: The Gurdjieff Sequence (Growth Sequence) for Transformation

? I have trained under Kathy Hurley, who explicitly rejects Naranjo's arrows of growth and teaches a Centers approach to growth ? specifically that we need to work on our weaker or weakest Center in order to progress.

? I have also trained under Don Riso and Russ Hudson, whose emphasis on the "Object Relations" or "Dominant Affect" triads (9-3-6, 5-8-2, and 7-1-4) helped me see their crucial role in the first stage of each type's Hidden Path.

? I am a serious student of the works of Ramon Lull, who I consider to be the true "father of the Enneagram" and who left us an Enneagram diagram that corresponds exactly to the Riso-Hudson diagram of the Dominant Affects. i

In addition to his reputation as a poet, philosopher, theologian, Ramon Lull was a great mathematician in field of computation and created "Logical Machines", the forerunner of the modern computer. Today, these circular paper instruments are referred to as "Lullian Circles" and consists of two or more paper or parchment disks attached at central hub that spin upon each other with numbers, symbols or abbreviations written upon them that presents facts or assumed truths about the subject of the circles. By spinning the circles, one creates a primitive proof by computation of all possible combinations of the facts. The Lullian Circle method can easily be applied to the Gurdjieff Enneagram with dramatic results that unveil a natural motion to the Enneagram consistent with Gurdjieff's three stage teaching program, Hurley's Centers approach and Riso-Hudson's Dominant Affective Triads.

Thus, Lull's work is my primary inspiration behind the idea of "rotating" the Enneatypes around the clock-face, which reveals for each type a unique Nine Step re growth path directed at achieving balance and harmony between all three centers and all the nine enneatypes.

A word about the Dominant Affect triads and why they are so crucial to the first stage of the journey of growth is necessary here before I demonstrate how the moving Enneagram works. Briefly, the Dominant Affect triads are introduced in Riso and Hudson's book Understanding the Enneagram (1990), where they are identified as the "Attachment" types (9,3,6), the "Frustration" types (7,4,1), and the "Rejection" types (5,8,2). These designations are based on the work of British "object relations" psychologists, particularly W.R.D. Fairbairn.

I modify these terms somewhat, influenced by Riso-Hudson's earlier alignment of the same triads with Freud's Relational Styles: "Receptive" (9,3,6), "Retentive" (7,1,4), and "Expulsive" (5,8,2). (See Personality Types, 1987.) Freud's terms are unnecessarily graphic and physical, whereas the Riso-Hudson term "Attachment" can be confusing, as all the relational styles are styles of attachment. I believe it is clearer to call the Dominant Affect/Relational Styles "Accepting" (9,3,6), Frustrating (7,1,4), and Rejecting (5,8,2).

? Copyright 2011 by Arthur Kranz, MD

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Unlocking The Enneagram: The Gurdjieff Sequence (Growth Sequence) for Transformation

In Personality Types, Riso and Hudson also combined Freud's three relational styles with his three "psychosexual stages" of childhood development, creating nine variations that align with the nine Enneagram types:

DIAGRAM 1 OF THE THREE OBJECT-RELATIONS GROUPS (2)

DIAGRAM 2 OF THE NINE FREUDIAN PERSONALITY TYPES & FIXATIONS (3)

Again, I find Freud's language unnecessarily sexualized. These are three stages of development in a natural and predictable order as the infant/toddler moves from total dependency on caregivers to various degrees of interdependence with and independence from the caregivers. The "oral" phase is the infant's Dependent Stage of Development. The "phallic" phase is the Assertive Stage of Development, where the infant/toddler has gained independent locomotion and physically manipulates its environment independently of the caregivers. The "anal" phase is an Interdependent Stage of Development where the toddler/young child performs tasks requested by the caregivers in exchange for physical and emotional rewards or avoidance of punishment. Therefore, one could correctly re-label the Enneagram of Relational Styles and Developmental Stages as follows:

1 = interdependent-frustrating 2 = interdependent-rejecting 3 = assertive-accepting 4 = dependent-frustrating 5 = dependent-rejecting 6 = interdependent-accepting 7 = assertive-frustrating 8 = assertive-rejecting 9 = dependent-accepting

One become apparent that the adjacent Enneagram types alternate between frustrating, rejecting and accepting types, and that each of the three centers (Heart, Head, Body) has one each relational type. So the first stage of growth along each type's Hidden Path will involve balancing and integrating the type's fundamental relational style in all three Centers and in terms of all three developmental stages. Here is where the importance of the Dominant Affect/Relational Styles triads and the idea of a moving Enneagram come together as we move out of our fixation towards greater psychological health.

? Copyright 2011 by Arthur Kranz, MD

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Unlocking The Enneagram: The Gurdjieff Sequence (Growth Sequence) for Transformation

When thinking about your own personality type in its primary center, consider that there are also two Balance Points associated your secondary centers that correspond to your Dominant Affective Group Triangle that give further description of your total personality. So even though everybody has only one Enneagram Type, everybody still has all three centers operating to comprise their whole personality (4). We all have a functioning Body Center, Heart Center and Head Center with one center functioning as the primary or lead center. A Type 3 in the Heart Center has balance points in the Head Center at 6 and in the Body Center at 9. A Type 5 in the Head Center has balance points in their Body Center at Type 8 and in their Heart Center at Type 2. A Type 1 in the Body Center has balance points at Type 4 in the Heart Center and at Type 7 in Head Center.

Your two Balance Points correspond to the other points in your Object Relations Group Triangle or Freudian Style Triangle and form a stable three-legged stool when all the three centers are adequately developed. But, when there is not adequate development in the two non-primary centers, the person is imbalanced and unstable, just like a person trying to balance him or herself on a two-legged stool, or possibly even on a one-legged stool. In time, they are sure to fall. In short, to grow spiritually and psychologically, one must development all three centers in a balanced and harmonious manner to become a whole or full human being.

Personal growth creates a fuller self-awareness and a greater balance between all three centers than would be possible if you remained solely focused on only your primary fixation. After learning about yourself and trying to "move up" the levels of development in your own personality type, further growth necessitates movement out of your own small fixed corner of the Enneagram towards your Balance Points and secondary centers of your Dominant Affective Group Triangle.

Table 1 below shows each of the Types in its primary center and the two balance points associated with its Object-Relations Group Triangle. I assume a clockwise direction for growth and integration around the Dominant Affective Groups triangles similar to that assumed by Claudio Naranjo for the 9-3-6 central triangle in the Enneagram.

Table 1: Dominant Affect Groups are the 1st three steps of The Hidden Path

1st Step

8

9

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

2nd Step

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

1

3rd Step

5

6

7

8

9

1

2

3

4

? Copyright 2011 by Arthur Kranz, MD

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Unlocking The Enneagram: The Gurdjieff Sequence (Growth Sequence) for Transformation

As postulated by Claudio Naranjo in a 1971 SAT group, the direction of growth (integration) for Types 3, 6, 9, and 5, is clockwise (5). I am suggesting that the transformational energy continues flowing clockwise for all three Dominant Affective/Object-Relations Groups. You can do this by placing each type's number in the position usually reserved for Type 9. Then complete the inner triangle in the usual clockwise direction of integration, as seen the following example diagrams for Type 9, Type 1, and Type 2

Using this pattern, Type 8 would grow clockwise to Type 2, and then to Type 5. Type 2 would grow clockwise to Type 5, then to Type 8. Type 1 would grow clockwise to Type 4, and then to Type 7. Type 4 would grow clockwise to Type 7, and then to Type 1. Lastly, Type 7 would integrate and grow clockwise direction toward Type 1, and then to Type 4.

Speaking from my own personal experience and those of my close friends, family and clients, this consistent direction for growth and integration makes sense for these additional five Types.

Type 2 needs to move from the Heart Center and constantly giving, and perhaps enabling, to Type 5 in the Head Center to wisely help other and not enable dependency, as well as to recognize and wisely tend to their own necessary personal needs else wind up being of no use or help to anybody. Caring for the Care Giver is essentially a Head Center strategy.

Type 7 needs to move from the Head Center and its unbridled enthusiasm and excited activity to the Body Center at Type 1 to gain focus, set priorities and complete tasks that may have become boring, but still are necessary and important.

Type 1 will unlikely be able to move to Type 7 without first becoming aware of their feelings, relaxing their rules on themselves and realizing they are special and have been especially good and deserve to indulge their desires and be a little self-centered by first moving to Type 4.

Furthermore, the melancholic Type 4 is unlikely to integrate initially by growing counterclockwise to the rule-minded Type 1 in my opinion. Type 4 views him or herself as an exception to the rules, special and unique. However, moving to the exuberant Type 7 is appealing to Type 4 as it would help ameliorate any sadness or depression and move the Individualists from the Feeling Center to the positive and optimistic Type 7 in the Head Center where they need to be to process and distant themselves from negative emotions as is often practiced in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

? Copyright 2011 by Arthur Kranz, MD

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Unlocking The Enneagram: The Gurdjieff Sequence (Growth Sequence) for Transformation

If you drew out the three Object-Relations Groups as an Enneagram, it would look like the following diagrams. Actually, this was first done by Riso-Hudson in a book section entitled "Advanced Topics" in their book Understanding the Enneagram, Revised Edition (6)

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

The first figure is called the Enneagram of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit (7). The second figure is the Llullian Enneagram and is of Christian origin (8). The third figure is modern Jewish sacred spiritual jewelry from Israel by David Weitzman (9).

Although these figures are historically interesting and beautiful, a different Enneagram is not needed, as we shall discuss further. (in part 2 of this article).

The Gurdjieff Enneagram is not a static diagram, but one of dynamic change like a clock. The Enneagram symbol generates the same series of numbers for integrative transformation for all the above types when you use the Enneagram figure itself as a decoder and what I term The Hidden Path Rule of Position 9. Each Type is placed at the center point in the Body Center. For each type, we place that type's number in the position usually reserved for Type 9 and then complete the inner triangle in the usual direction of integration to position 3 and then to position 6. (see the example diagram for Type 2 below)

? Copyright 2011 by Arthur Kranz, MD

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