The Enneagram

with

Jason Brody

There are nine styles of trance
Nine ways in which we lose contact with Essence
Nine paths along which we Awaken

The Enneagram exists on the boundary between secular and spiritual psychology. It was used by the ancient Sufis as a tool for self understanding and today is being used extensively in Hollywood, corporate America, and in counseling.

Each human is born with a sacred gift to offer, but as we react defensively to the pain of human experience, this gift becomes obscured. The defenses are a reflection of the gift, but are actually a protective mask, a false self. Another way to say it is we are all living in trance. The trance resides in an inner habit of where our attention habitually goes, and what story we tell ourselves about our experience.

The Enneagram describes in detail 9 portraits of how we fall away from Essence and how each type wakes up from the dream. For each of us, one of these styles predominates. Our perception, thinking and feeling will be influenced by the “filters” of this style. Enneagram styles are like nationalities - we are all unique but belong to a larger group.

Our purpose in studying the Enneagram is to bring conscious awareness to unconscious structures in order to free enough energy to take a leap to the next level of Self-identification. When we identify our core style, baffling aspects of behavior make sense. We see through the magicians tricks. We recognize more clearly why we think and act the way we do. We begin to see reality without the distortion of our inner movie. Deeper levels of reality that are not part of our style’s drama can reveal themselves, bringing us more in touch with what lies beyond and is more fundamental than the filter of ego.