May 8, 1989 Santa Fe, New Mexico I found myself sitting in a circle with 25 others from around the country in a beautiful room with windows all around for a week-long course on the Enneagram. This would be the first time I met Helen Palmer and her teaching assistants — representatives of the nine types. The Enneagram had caught my heart a few months earlier in Denver when my first teacher had animatedly described the types in vivid detail for a full weekend. But, as this week unfolded and I watched Helen interview the types, I knew with certainty that this was how I wanted to teach the Enneagram.

Why was it so powerful back then and still is today? How do we as teachers and students of the Narrative Tradition articulate this to others? As we grow into our new nonprofit structure and redesign our website, we are asking the questions “Who are we?” “How are we different from other Enneagram schools?” The simple answer is the Narrative Tradition.

Oral transmission of information and wisdom is as old as human civilization. A few years ago I came upon a useful description of “orality” in a dissertation on the Jamaican Rastafari by Dr. Jeanne Christensen, a friend and colleague of mine who is a professor at the University of Colorado. She writes:

“Orality…is immediate, because sound cannot be paused. It disappears as soon as it is uttered. It is active…dynamic…a total expression. Reading is an isolated individualistic expression. The oral tradition, on the other hand, commands not only the storyteller, but the audience to complete the community. Orality is a process, movement, experience rather than an imperious permanence.”

Dr. Christensen’s description of orality resonates with me and holds several keys to understanding the power of the Narrative. It is a process, not a technique. It is dynamic, always changing. And it involves a community, a “field” created between the person whose story is being told and the listening audience. In a word, it is alive.

The Narrative Tradition, based on interviewing and interacting, is a process and invites us into a relationship with our inner territory. We use the content of the Enneagram and make an experience of it. When we describe our patterns on panels using our capacity for self-observation, we began to see them differently. We get some distance from them. Underlying motivations become clearer. Something clicks. Our patterns begin to loosen. As we try to make ourselves clear to the audience, we gain more insight. Insight is an essential first step toward change. Working with the insights we glean on panels helps us make the necessary changes that grow our souls.

Kinship among panelists develops from mutual sharing and recognition. It is an enormous relief to be in the company of people who understand us because their stories are so similar to ours. Their openness, insight and self-acceptance give us courage to accept our weaknesses and embrace our strengths. We learn how others work with the same behavior patterns, and that supports us. When I thank people who come from the community for taking the time to share their stories on panels, they almost invariably say to me, “I learned so much. Thank you for asking me to come!”

A compassionate audience is also an important part of the Narrative method. We use the practice of following the breath “in and down” so as to be as present as possible to the panelists in all centers – grounded, open hearted, and open minded. The audience receives what is shared and is impacted by it. They may react to what is shared either positively or negatively, but their response teaches them.

All of us have had the experience of suddenly understanding hidden motivations: “That’s why they act like that, not just to get under my skin! It’s how they see the world.” I remember listening to a Five panel years ago. In a difficult relationship with a Five at the time, I shed tears of understanding as the panelists demonstrated their difficulty coming forward and connecting. Phrases such as: “I had to withdraw. I was afraid that they were going to steal my soul” were spoken. This understanding helped me depersonalize my reaction. My relationship was no longer so painful to me. When we see the reasons why others act the way they do, our hearts open and we can never see the person or the type in the same way again. The first line in my notes from that workshop in Santa Fe is “Improves human relationships almost immediately.” So true.

Being part of a narrative audience builds compassionate presence. By listening to others in a compassionate way, we begin to open ourselves. Remember a time from one of your trainings when the room got quiet, you could feel a palpable presence in the room, and something shifted. In that movement we extend beyond our limited awareness – not just cognitively, but also emotionally and somatically – to obtain (for a moment, at least) a glimpse of the greater reality of existence. “Transforming lives, creating a more compassionate world,” the tag line of our organization, is not just words, but truly what happens in our work.

The methodology of the Narrative Tradition grounds the Enneagram in the experiences of thousands of individuals and validates the objective reality of the map. Helen’s first book outlined the key themes that emerged after years of interviews with panelists. We continue to use the experiences of panelists to validate the map and deepen and enrich its lessons.

The “field” created in teaching this way offers a different experience from reading. The Enneagram becomes three-dimensional, embodied in the form of a particular person and story. You hear the words as well as get a sense of the nonverbals of type. While we are each unique representatives of type with our own personal story, the energetic blueprints of type become evident as we observe. In a closing circle in the Enneagram Intensive a few years ago, a participant shared: “The Enneagram has turned from an idea into real people. Now, it’s a real, living, breathing model for me.”

Ultimately, we are all each other’s teachers. David Daniels speaks about the Narrative method as being a democratic process. It is not a hierarchical system. We get away from the mode of “I’m the teacher; you’re the student. I know and you don’t.” We are always learning and benefiting from the wisdom of each other. Self-discovery is key.

The Enneagram is not “an imperious permanence” but a dynamic map, and the stories of thoughtful, articulate and self-aware individuals are among the most fertile sources of its growth over time. It is through these sacred stories we share with each other that our souls grow and we develop more compassion for others. Through this method, our minds gain insight and understanding, our hearts are touched, and our bodies experience the energies of the types. I knew then as I know now, more than ever, that the Narrative Tradition is how I want to teach the Enneagram.

Note: I would like to thank Carole Whittaker for our conversation in October 2010, which planted the seeds for some of these reflections.

Terry Saracino, MA, MBA has been teaching the Enneagram as a tool for personal, professional, and spiritual growth since 1989. The Enneagram is her life-long passion. She is currently the president of the nonprofit Enneagram Studies in the Narrative Tradition (ESNT) and on the faculty of the Enneagram Professional Training Program. For more information, visit Enneagram Worldwide or email Terry with any questions or thoughts you may have..

]]> http://www.enneasight.com/2012/04/why-the-narrative-tradition/feed/ 0 http://www.enneasight.com/2012/04/555/ http://www.enneasight.com/2012/04/555/#comments Sun, 01 Apr 2012 16:32:02 +0000 Renee Rosario http://www.enneasight.com/?p=555 Most of us dream of being able to simply BE in the present moment, meeting reality as it is right then, without the preamble of past experience or the pull of future plans.  We’ve all had these experiences unbidden, when time seems to stop and we are simply and fully present.  Like when we laugh, we are not reviewing or fantasizing about anything other than being in the full body experience in that moment.

Understanding our type structures, we begin to recognize the patterns that pull is into the past or the future by our conditioned survival strategies.  These strategies are not wrong or bad, on the contrary, we need them to attend to daily life.  But the Inner Observer, the aspect of your awareness that is always in the present moment and reflecting that, is an evolutionary miracle that allows us to have choice in what we attend to.  So we can CHOOSE to go to past, present or future.  We can CHOOSE to BE PRESENT, in our minds, hearts, and bodies to reality as it actually is.  And when we are, and the heart is open, the mind alert and the body receptive, we stumble upon compassion.  We are PASSIONATELY WITH reality as it is.

Read the article below posted on Integral Life, co-sponsor for Helen’s workshop, to get a taste of the Enneagram from Leslie Hershberger, Enneagram and Integral Theory Teacher

Using the Enneagram for Psycho-Spiritual Relationship by Leslie Hershberger
The Enneagram identifies the cognitive-emotional habit of nine types. Each type as its own habitual attentional style with a core emotion that drives the pattern. Within this structure, there is a somatic response that accompanies the emotion. There are three primary afflictive emotions in Enneagram theory which are concurrent with neurobiological research: anger, fear and panic at loss of connection.  Read More

I was triggered last week by an interaction with an Enneagram colleague and friend.  I was really, really frustrated – okay maybe furious.  And here’s the thing that evokes overwhelming gratitude for the Enneagram.  Because of our work with the system, we were able to speak directly about the issues, truly listen to each other and understand the differences in interpretation, own our type challenges and concerns, and move through it.  My friend clothed as an Eight and I as a Two were both able to practice authenticity and vulnerability.  Our relationship deepened and I feel transformed.  Dare I say it, conflict is good.

The reactive patterns of our ego or type can also be frustrating and yes, messy.  We could call them patterns of resistance – we want this, not that, am this, not that.  They provide contrast and the fuel for the art of our evolution.  When we allow ourselves to honor the our reactive patterns as the amazing evolutionary survival strategies they are, as part of creation, the ego can be seen as more than an obstacle.  It can be held as the creative medium that helps us grow.  Resistance is the art of the ego.

How we respond to resistance though is a different matter.  I like to step back a bit from the art I’m viewing.  It gives me a better sense of perspective.  Not too far away and not smack up against what I’m looking at.  Then I can notice how I feel and decide how I will respond.   With a kinder approach to ourselves, we actually have more choice and more freedom.  I think that’s what we end up truly wanting anyway.

Our expectations and reality often don’t match.  We have to find the right presents, pick up groceries for our gatherings…the list seems endless.  This year I was thinking how lovely it would be if we gave Presence for presents.  I think it is actually what we all want.  We want to feel the attention, love and presence of those we care about.  We want to feel our own presence.  We want to slow down enough to enjoy one another.

So this is my hope for all of us, that we give and get Presence, along with our presents or even without them, this year.  Happy holidays!

Although we’re learning a ton about the evolution of life and consciousness on this planet, mystery still reigns supreme. We can talk in loose generalities that convey some aspect of deeper truths, but these truths are embedded in the unknown. We are also blessedly embedded in this mystery with others; friends, family, colleagues, acquaintances, and even teachers disguised as enemies are often the bestowers of the gifts needed to strip us naked once again. We are in this together, ever lending the support and challenge required to help us come alive in a new ways. To help us liquify old identities on our evolutionary quest.

It’s through such help that I’ve found myself anew, fresh with possibilities and not-knowing that is a much more delicious way to experience life than from the “I know how things are” attitude. Can I really say I know that this bird murmuration and their miracle of flight is simply “instinct.” What does your heart say when you watch it? Can I really say that mammals don’t think when I watch these clever monkeys?  Really?

So what does this have to do with the Enneagram? The Enneagram is exquisite in its ability to help us understand what makes us and others tick. Unparalleled, in my view, in its ability to help us get to what’s underlying and motivating us to behave in particular ways. And if we’re not careful, we can begin to fix and solidify this knowing, maybe slowly at first, but possibly wiping out the sense of the mystery of life.

The Enneagram at its best, acts as a guide to navigate our inner landscapes and relationships with others. The Enneagram at its worst, can develop a sense of “I know you” or “this is how I am” which can begin to constrict on the evolutionary possibilities that are unknown. What’s trying to be birthed in you?  What’s trying to get birthed in others?  What about our society and culture?

We’ve come so far and who knows what is to come. The Enneagram at its highest good, spurs curiosity, compassion and connectivity. We feel more embedded in the mystery with our good friends (of all flavors) at our side, with our beautiful planet beneath our feet, and with the miraculous universe(s) at our heads. It can help us reach both directions, dancing on the earth pulling us towards greater embodiment while helping us to reach the stars.

On the Two panel in our last gathering, I was encouraged to move into the slight experience of a contraction around my heart, which I felt when thinking about allowing myself to have needs.  I was encouraged to let my body express that.  You see pride, the passion of the type, would encourage me to straighten up, feel the armoring encase my heart as I  push against the contraction, lancing those pesky needs into oblivion.

As I allowed my chest to cave in around my heart, the tears came.  Sobbing, I allowed myself to go all the way into the smallest little ball of panic and collapse.  Then something else happened, I felt this energy turn.  The energy began to rise and my chest with it, just like bread, and there was a simple, clear and grateful ME left.  I was in touch with the life force coursing through my body and heart, my mind clear and aware.  It was truly a gift.

When we’re little, we easily express our feelings.  And it’s usually pretty raw…we rage, reach out for contact with a panicky cry, run away when we’re scared.  As we evolve our type structures in order to be socially acceptable, we stop having tantrums and start resisting these basic animal responses to stress or threat.  We do this by contracting on these responses, and therefore the life force as well, and we can experience this as we explore the passions or vice of our type.  Pride contracts down on my panic when I have needs because this feels like a potential risk to connection and approval as a Two.  My “orders”  are to take care of your needs to get approval, to get the needed connection.  So I cut myself off….literally, because the life force, is an aspect of my essential nature.

Working with our Enneagram type is like rolling around a stone in your hand and exploring it from many different angles.  As a Two, one of the well-worn spots in the stone is the shadow element of owning my needs.  Yet as I roll it around, the stone becomes worn with love, pain and resistance.  I polish the stone and as it smooths, the rough edges wearing down, I begin to appreciate its beauty.

The great news is that we can honor all of these aspects of ourselves.  We can bring awareness and kindness to our animal instincts, the structure and energy of our type structures, and CHOOSE to experience something new.  With the Enneagram as our guide, we can evolve!

The ability to cultivate kindness is the path to freedom, “enlovement” marries enlightenment, allowing us to meet all our experiences, every pain and joy, with kindness.  The path of enlovement is possible for us beacuse of the Inner Observer, the witnessing consciousness that evolves over time as we explore our inner landscapes and outer experiences.  Enlovement invites us fully into our human experience, allows us to bend in kindness towards all that arises, and is completely possible because of an essential aspect of you – the enlightened Awareness or the Inner Observer that is always present.

As I prepare for the next year of classes, the theme of kindness and enlovement will be weaved throughout.  If it’s in the Introduction to the Enneagram, Discovering the Inner Observer, the Energetic Enneagram classes or the Cultivating Heart drop-in gatherings, they will all be grounded in practicing kindness to all that arises.  This is true freedom.  It is not, as often desired, that the world conforms to your plans.   There is something in you that is already free no matter what the circumstances!  Discovering the Inner Observer, understanding the beauty of your type as the ecstatic creation of the Consciousness or Spirit itself as well as the fuel for awakening, life becomes a miraculous unfolding.  All of it!

A great way to begin this year of Enneagram study is to discover or deepen your understanding of the Inner Observer on September 17th.  This important class is sponsored by our Enneagram community of teachers as we build to Helen Palmer’s April 2012 weekend workshop in the Boulder/Denver area.  As Helen’s students, all our classes are held in the Narrative Tradition which brings the Enneagram to life through interview and inquiry of the nine types. The panel method quickly builds community and supports learning through the mind, heart, and body.

PRIMARY CONCERNS of the drives:

Self Preservation

• Matters of safety and security
• Survival issues (body, money)
• Seeks security and assurance in an intense way
• How do I meet my physical needs?

One-to-One

• A concern with the need for 1-1 relationships
• Issues of intimacy and sexuality
• Seeks intensity
• How do I deal with my peers?

Social

• Related to the need for social relationships
• Concern with place in group and belonging
• How do I deal with the group?
  

How we pay attention to our inner and outer worlds also differs depending on the drive and the area of concern.  Remember the Enneagram describes how we pay attention.  It works the same with the drive.  We are compelled to pay attention in a particular way to attend to the concerns of that drive. 

INSTINCTUAL DRIVE ATTENTIONAL STANCE

Self Preservation needs encourage us to pay attention inwardly and in a singular fashion.

Social needs encourage us to pay attention outward in a panoramic and inclusive way.

One-to-One needs encourage us to pay attention to the special other in a  focused and intense fashion.

(in gratitude to Helen Palmer, Terry Saracino and Peter O’Hanrahan for their information and teaching on this subject)

While I was meditating this morning, the gift was delivered.  Here’s the wrapping on the gift.  I’ve been feeling a sense of “too much” lately.  Not an uncommon experience in our Three oriented culture, especially during the high summer.  For me this feeling can include everything from too much work, too much fun, too much visiting with friends, and too many everyday chores.  I watch myself approach things with a resistant attitude.  “You (fill in the blank) are a burden.”  This attitude really sucks to put it bluntly.  My entire body feels heavy, my mind feels dull and negative, and my heart frustrated.  I’ve created a miserable present moment.

I’ve been practicing shifting this attitude.  Recognizing it, I can choose to lighten up, loosen up and adopt a positive attitude.  I can shift it right in the moment by contacting the felt sense experience of Presence.  This is exercising choice.  It’s a wonderful capability and I love it.  Of course, I do find myself choosing over and over because of the tenacity of this familiar pattern.  It’s good practice.

Let’s go back to what’s in the box.  The deeper question is what is it that fuels this sense of burden or too much? What I realized this morning was that my core belief that I’m “not enough” somehow is being projected out into the world.  There is not enough time, enough money, enough support, blah, blah, blah.  You get the drift.  Partly this has gotten stirred up from a teaching opportunity in which I did not “shine enough.”  I didn’t feel that I did my best work so “not good enough” arose.

I tell you, when the recognition of this projection, aka gift, arose in my heart, mind and body, I felt RELIEF!  I felt HAPPY!  I felt LOVE!  I saw a world filled with possibility and potential.  I knew that there is absolutely enough and I could align with it in me and see it in the world.  In the moment of embodied Presence there is no question of “not enough.”  Ultimately, every time we “wake up” in these ways, we evolve in consciousness.

There are more reasons of course for these core beliefs.  They give us a sense of identity for one.  These core beliefs support the type structure in its desire to create familiarity.  I could go on.  But this projection piece is an interesting angle to explore.  How do you perceive the world?  What are you projecting that has the possibility of shifting?   I encourage you to play with this for yourself.