Session 8: The Enneagram
February 24th
Gurdjieff's description of the Enneagram from "In Search..."
"Speaking in general it must be understood that the enneagram is a universal symbol. All knowledge can be included in the enneagram and with the help of the enneagram it can be interpreted. And in this connection only what a man is able to put into the enneagram does he actually know, that is, understand. What he cannot put into the enneagram he does not understand. For the man who is able to make use of it, the enneagram makes books and libraries entirely unnecessary. Everything can be included and read in the enneagram. A man may be quite alone in the desert and he can trace the enneagram in the sand and in it read the eternal laws of the universe. And every time he can learn something new, something he did not know before."
Reading List
The Enneagram described in detail by Gurdjieff
from In Search of the Miraculous pp. 285-294
Enneagram Lecture (PDF) 40 pages
A description of the Enneagram from Tony Blake, (HTML)
~ author of the "Intelligent Enneagram"
A description of the Enneagram from Nicoll, (PDF) 59 pages
Sylvia has forwarded three very different, but very interesting documents about the enneagram:
1. The Lifestage Enneagram and Personality: A treatment of the stages of life as process with insights into the enneagram used for personality typing. (doc) 4 pages
2. The Day in the Enneagram: Mapping an intentional day to the points of the enneagram. (doc) 4 pages
3. Organizational Change with Insights from the Enneagram: (PDF) 4 pages
"...They say making organizational change is like performing an appendectomy on a man carrying a piano upstairs. It’s a complex process, involving a lot of people at many different hierarchical levels. And it has to be done while keeping the enterprise running...
The Intelligent Enneagram by Anthony Blake
Available through Bennett Books (click links)
This is the key text for understanding how to use the structural form of the Enneagram as it was introduced by Gurdjieff at the beginning of the twentieth century. It gives a historical background to Gurdjieff's work and explains the basic principles of his so-called 'cosmic laws' of Three and Seven that underlie the dynamic form of the Enneagram. It also demonstrates its use in a variety of fields that include science, sex, prayer and even movies. The book is based on the work of J. G. Bennett, with whom Anthony Blake studied for fifteen years, collaborating on several projects. The emphasis of the 'school' developed by Bennett from Gurdjieff's work is on practical method and creativity. The study of systems and structures, originating with Bennett and Gurdjieff, continues to evolve and this book indicates how the Enneagram is but one of an almost endless series of forms of understanding.