Sandra Maitri: The Spiritual Dimensions of the Enneagram
Instincts
Sexual 9: Union
Sexual Nines are driven by a desire for the love of another and for total union, which appears to them as the key to their happiness. Total merging with another is seen by Sexual Nines to be what they need to be whole. They tend to merge easily with others, losing touch with themselves in the process. The substitution of another for what they really need to merge with - their essential nature - is the heart of a Sexual Nine's passion of laziness. Since this is the archetype of all the sexual types, this attempt to fill the hole left by loss of contact with Being with the love of another is shared by all of the subtypes that follow.
Social 9: Participation
Social Nines have a drive to belong, lacking the certainty that they actually do. They lack a sense of ease in social situations, because of their sensitivity to whether they are really welcome or not. They often feel that they don't know how to become part of the group, and, rather than being themselves, they try to fit n by emulating socially acceptable forms of behavior and communication. Inevitably this leaves them feeling that they are not really making contact, and so reinforces their sense of being left out. This attempt to participate through social conventions is how the passion of laziness manifests here, and in their resulting tendency to make superficial contact with others.
Self-preservation Nine: Appetite
The focus for a Self-preservation Nine is on satisfying his appetites and hungers. His laziness, in the sense that we have defined it as the passion, manifests here in the substitution of the nonessential satisfactions for those that he really needs. At the deepest level, this shows up in substituting material gratifications for those that are really spiritual. An example on a more superficial level of this substitution of the nonessential would be eating a chocolate bar when what he really needs is a nourishing meal. Also, as the word appetite suggests, Self-preservation Nines tend to overindulge, ingesting and acquiring far more than they actually need out of insecurity about receiving sustenance.
The Soul-child of Enneatype Nine (Point Three)
The heart point of Enneatype Nine is Point Three, so a Nine's soul child first makes her appearance in a tendency to deceive and lie in order to present to another what will get approval. Like a little child who takes a cookie when mommy has told her not to, or plays hooky from school pretending to be sick, a Nine's soul child pleads that she did not do it and that she really does have an upset stomach. Beyond the passion of lying, within every Nine is a young place that wants to be seen, wants to shine, and wants to be the center of attention. So there is a little show-off, wanting to do her dance and be applauded. Behind a Nine's self-abnegating tendency lies a drivenness and often a ruthlessness about succeeding - usually well hidden and pushed out of consciousness. Nines are often afraid of appearing too pushy and taking up too much space, which is the shadow of their soul child falling across their consciousness. The focus on doing underlies a Nine's inertia, and often Nines are afraid that if they start an activity, they will become driven and not be able to stop.
As a Nine allows herself to get in touch with this structure inside and its qualities, she will progressively experience herself as a more complete person. Exhibitionist tendencies will transform into a sincere recognition of her personhood. She will see that being a person n her own right was not supported during her childhood, and so she became accommodating and self-absenting in order to get approval. Reclaiming herself as personally valuable and lovable will lead her toward the realization of herself as a personal embodiment of Being, the Pearl Beyond Price, a radiant and luminous presence independent from the constraints of her conditioning. She will gradually become free of any self-image or mental construct defining who she is, and be able to contact and interact in the world liberated from the sleep of the personality.
The Idealized Aspect
Enneatype Nine: Living Daylight
Living Daylight is the experience of everything in the universe being made of love. It is the recognition of Being as what sustains and supports all of manifestation, and that our nature is inseparable from It. It gives us the sense of being held by a warm and benevolent presence and connects us with the goodness of life and of ourselves. Nines believe that these qualities are missing and are what they need. So they want to be included, noticed, loved, and appreciated by others, and want to contact the goodness of life and feel that they are included in its bounty. They fade into the background, harmonizing with others and rarely asserting themselves. They avoid conflict and try to keep things pleasant and comfortable both for themselves and others. Their focus is outward, on others and on the events in their lives. They are sensitive and open to the perspectives and points of view of others, and so mediate well. At the same time, they have difficulty determining what they think, feel, and believe. They tend to have a fuzzy, amorphous, or slightly out-of-focus feeling about them.
The Wings of Enneatype Nine
With Ego-Revenge (Eight) as one wing and Ego-Resentment (One) as the other, a Nine is caught between the bad boy of the enneagram on one side and the good boy on the other. Strong instinctual drives arise at Point Eight and meet strong superego prohibitions at Point One. Of necessity, what results is a deadening of impulse and stalling of movement. These are very strong pulls in different directions - what often feels like a hopeless conflict - so Enneatype Nine goes numb to his inner life and becomes outer rather than inner directed. Because of the profound and mostly unconscious inner discord, Nines set about trying to make and keep things harmonious, avoiding conflicts as much as possible.
Instincts
Sexual 9: Union
Sexual Nines are driven by a desire for the love of another and for total union, which appears to them as the key to their happiness. Total merging with another is seen by Sexual Nines to be what they need to be whole. They tend to merge easily with others, losing touch with themselves in the process. The substitution of another for what they really need to merge with - their essential nature - is the heart of a Sexual Nine's passion of laziness. Since this is the archetype of all the sexual types, this attempt to fill the hole left by loss of contact with Being with the love of another is shared by all of the subtypes that follow.
Social 9: Participation
Social Nines have a drive to belong, lacking the certainty that they actually do. They lack a sense of ease in social situations, because of their sensitivity to whether they are really welcome or not. They often feel that they don't know how to become part of the group, and, rather than being themselves, they try to fit n by emulating socially acceptable forms of behavior and communication. Inevitably this leaves them feeling that they are not really making contact, and so reinforces their sense of being left out. This attempt to participate through social conventions is how the passion of laziness manifests here, and in their resulting tendency to make superficial contact with others.
Self-preservation Nine: Appetite
The focus for a Self-preservation Nine is on satisfying his appetites and hungers. His laziness, in the sense that we have defined it as the passion, manifests here in the substitution of the nonessential satisfactions for those that he really needs. At the deepest level, this shows up in substituting material gratifications for those that are really spiritual. An example on a more superficial level of this substitution of the nonessential would be eating a chocolate bar when what he really needs is a nourishing meal. Also, as the word appetite suggests, Self-preservation Nines tend to overindulge, ingesting and acquiring far more than they actually need out of insecurity about receiving sustenance.
The Soul-child of Enneatype Nine (Point Three)
The heart point of Enneatype Nine is Point Three, so a Nine's soul child first makes her appearance in a tendency to deceive and lie in order to present to another what will get approval. Like a little child who takes a cookie when mommy has told her not to, or plays hooky from school pretending to be sick, a Nine's soul child pleads that she did not do it and that she really does have an upset stomach. Beyond the passion of lying, within every Nine is a young place that wants to be seen, wants to shine, and wants to be the center of attention. So there is a little show-off, wanting to do her dance and be applauded. Behind a Nine's self-abnegating tendency lies a drivenness and often a ruthlessness about succeeding - usually well hidden and pushed out of consciousness. Nines are often afraid of appearing too pushy and taking up too much space, which is the shadow of their soul child falling across their consciousness. The focus on doing underlies a Nine's inertia, and often Nines are afraid that if they start an activity, they will become driven and not be able to stop.
As a Nine allows herself to get in touch with this structure inside and its qualities, she will progressively experience herself as a more complete person. Exhibitionist tendencies will transform into a sincere recognition of her personhood. She will see that being a person n her own right was not supported during her childhood, and so she became accommodating and self-absenting in order to get approval. Reclaiming herself as personally valuable and lovable will lead her toward the realization of herself as a personal embodiment of Being, the Pearl Beyond Price, a radiant and luminous presence independent from the constraints of her conditioning. She will gradually become free of any self-image or mental construct defining who she is, and be able to contact and interact in the world liberated from the sleep of the personality.
The Idealized Aspect
Enneatype Nine: Living Daylight
Living Daylight is the experience of everything in the universe being made of love. It is the recognition of Being as what sustains and supports all of manifestation, and that our nature is inseparable from It. It gives us the sense of being held by a warm and benevolent presence and connects us with the goodness of life and of ourselves. Nines believe that these qualities are missing and are what they need. So they want to be included, noticed, loved, and appreciated by others, and want to contact the goodness of life and feel that they are included in its bounty. They fade into the background, harmonizing with others and rarely asserting themselves. They avoid conflict and try to keep things pleasant and comfortable both for themselves and others. Their focus is outward, on others and on the events in their lives. They are sensitive and open to the perspectives and points of view of others, and so mediate well. At the same time, they have difficulty determining what they think, feel, and believe. They tend to have a fuzzy, amorphous, or slightly out-of-focus feeling about them.
The Wings of Enneatype Nine
With Ego-Revenge (Eight) as one wing and Ego-Resentment (One) as the other, a Nine is caught between the bad boy of the enneagram on one side and the good boy on the other. Strong instinctual drives arise at Point Eight and meet strong superego prohibitions at Point One. Of necessity, what results is a deadening of impulse and stalling of movement. These are very strong pulls in different directions - what often feels like a hopeless conflict - so Enneatype Nine goes numb to his inner life and becomes outer rather than inner directed. Because of the profound and mostly unconscious inner discord, Nines set about trying to make and keep things harmonious, avoiding conflicts as much as possible.
but when I read about type 9, it's like seeing all the little corners of my psyche, even the darkest and hidden ones, illuminated and brought to daylight. It's eerie. It's happened with NO other type descriptions but 9.
