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Monday, January 16, 2023

The Enneagram Guide to Waking Up - Beatrice Chestnut, Uranio Paes (16 of 2023)


The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be - Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

You are not your personality. There is a reason for all that happens in you life. 

The Enneagram Guide to Waking Up: Find Your Path, Face Your Shadow, Discover Your True Self by Beatrice Chestnut, Uranio Paes is "An Outstanding book that offers precise steps to take to wake up to the self-limiting habits of your personality, get out of your own way, and give yourself the gift of accessing more of your higher – more authentic – self." Chestnut and Paes, two leading Enneagram teachers, frame this approach to personality types in a way that is accessible, practical, and filled with possibility.

The Enneagram of Personality, or simply the Enneagram, is a model of the human psyche which is principally understood and taught as a typology of nine interconnected personality types. The Enneagram symbol has roots in ancient wisdom traditions. The teaching connected to it reveal the possibilities for human transformation. The knowledge it reveals confirms that inner work can help us achieve higher states of consciousness. This book will help one wake up from the state of zoombie like, free you from defensive self-limiting patterns and help you grow into an expanded version of yourself. It can show you who you really are by showing you who you think you are. This will help you know who you are not. 

A fresh approach to the Enneagram that encourages readers to embark on their own hero’s journey for transformation, this is a personal transformation book rooted in the wisdom of the Enneagram system of personality types. It is a book about waking up and growing into the best version of yourself. It is a book that shows you how to discover who you are and what you can be. It is a book about finding your path, facing your shadow, and discovering your true self.

It is a good news–bad news–good news story. The good news: you survived childhood. The bad news: in order to grow, you are going to experience some pain. The really good news: you can use your negative habits as a springboard to move beyond them. With a commitment to self-observation and reflection, you can develop greater self-awareness and open yourself up to a life filled with exciting choices and opportunities.

To wake up from the current state, we much confront the ego - as well as the shadow cast by the ego. We need to become aware of the automatic habits that structure our defensive egoic persona, as well as all that remains unconscious in us connected to our ego's need to protect itself. When we don't see and own the unconscious tendencies connected to the personality we stay focused on and limited by, we are held hostage to who we think we are, or who we fear we are, or who we would like to be.  When we move beyond the ego and actively engage in the process of growth that the Enneagram maps out for us, we begin to awaken to our full potential. 

'You' and 'Your personality' are not the same thing,  Our personalities help us survive childhood, but limit our conscious awareness of all we can be in adulthood. As we grow our true selves are obscured by the defensive patterns we adopt. We become zoomies to it. Awakening to our true self and moving towards greater consciousness requires enormous amount of intentional effort. We must continually remind ourselves to be more present and attuned to our moment-to moment experiences to overcome the deeply rooted habits of ego.  The original meaning of the word 'passion' is 'to suffer'. Thus your awakening comes in large part from the 'conscious suffering' you endure as you face your shadow. 

Each of the nine chapters includes these features:



The problematic perspective, the process of self-discovery, and the path forward for that type

How the main issues for that type get played out in 3 different ways—the 3 distinct sub-types of the main type (necessary for pinpoint accuracy in describing your personality and your path of growth)

The Nine types that we move are:

From: Anger/Pride/Self Deceit/Envy/Avarice/Fear/Gluttony/Lust/Sloth

To: Serenity/Humility/Veracity/Equanimity/Non Attachment/Courage/Sobriety/Innocence/Right Action

Focus on acceptance. 

"Peace is not a relationship of nations. It is a condition of mind brought about by a serenity of soul".

Type 1 The Path from Anger to Serenity

Type 2 The Path from Pride to Humility

Type 3 The Path from Self Deceit to Veracity

Type 4 The Path from Envy to Equanimity

Type 5 The Path from Avarice to Nonattachment

Type 6 The Path from Fear to Courage

Type 7 The Path from Gluttony to Sobriety

Type 8 The Path from Lust to Innocence

Type 9 The Path from Sloth to Right Action

'Each of us has something to give that no one else has.' - Elizabeth O'Connor. To support further one need to 

  • Ask for help
  • Seek friends on the path
  • Do research
  • Don't judge self
Sincere seeker will experience peace and joy. Don't just upgrade your ego, self-development aims for transcendence. If your orientation is spiritual, don't ignore the psychological aspect of growth, it is dangerous and vice versa -it is limited.

Enneagram should help one manifest their highest potential, transformed by its insights and learning from every step in the journey.  

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