Enneagram, Spiral Dynamics, and Levels of Health

The Unfolding Enneagram

Let's talk about the movies! Specifically, the cult classic, Napoleon Dynamite, and my favorite character, Uncle Rico.

It’s hard when you believe life would have worked out perfectly ‘if only’. When you believe that had you not made that one poor choice or dropped that football pass you would have set your life on a path to everlasting happiness. And so, we live with the lie that we were denied all the privileges of a ‘good life’ because we already set our entire course with that moment in our past.

What I love about the Enneagram is that it provides a map that shows YOU ARE HERE if you are willing to look. Like going to the doctor for a check up.

However, as with all maps of personal development, it’s difficult to see when you are trapped in a lower level of consciousness. It’s really only when you move beyond your current view (including world views as well as the boundary you have settled into in your personal life). BUT - you can see where your thinking has evolved FROM. You can look at a tool like the Enneagram or Spiral Dynamics and with certainty understand how your thinking has evolved from your past.

If you are familiar with the biblical narrative you might remember Paul saying, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things."

It’s clear that we can see how we have grown in our thinking from childhood. But once we reach adulthood it becomes less obvious UNTIL we become intentional about our desire to change our thoughts and thought patterns.

Beyond type, beyond stances, beyond instincts is the vital work of honestly looking at where you are in health. The Enneagram presents 9 levels of development broken up into three sections: Unhealthy, Average, and Healthy. It’s amazing to look at these and recognize where you were in your teens or 20’s. Then, if you’ve continued to evolve to look and be grateful if you can see that you’ve crossed a barrier and moved into a healthier level. But you’ll also be able to see where you are NOT. This is your call to action.

It’s up to us to look at how we can see where we have come from and where we are NOT YET and deduce where we are now. It’s only when you understand WHERE YOU ARE that you can begin to take next steps to move into healthier levels of awareness and functioning.

Reference: The Wisdom Of The Enneagram, Riso and Hudson