Choices.

If you’ve ever explored the Enneagram system of personality (or thought about exploring it), the choices can feel a bit daunting. Nine types… with wings… and subtypes. At least 54 possibilities before we get into the particular expression of that type that is uniquely you. Where do you even start?

People usually start with one of two places: They read a book or they take an assessment. Either are good. Both can whet your appetite and get you started on the journey of a lifetime. And both can lead you to a dead end. The cool thing is that it’s all a grand adventure, and you don’t have to be afraid of doing it wrong. The important thing is finding the courage to begin.

Whether you are 17 or 70, there is more to learn about the priceless diamond that is you. Once you stop being curious about yourself, or think you know all there is to know about you, at that moment you stop growing. And that would be a tragedy because there is so much more. Always more.

There are many on-ramps to the Enneagram, and it doesn’t matter where you start as long as you keep going. Once you do land confidently on your type (or your “stack” as aficionados call it), that is the beginning, not the end. Seriously, if there’s one thing you remember from this post, it’s that Enneagram typing isn’t about being able to number yourself; it’s about uncovering new tools to do your inner work. It’s about becoming your True Self. It’s about transformation.

On books, there are many excellent ones. I personally like The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth as a starting read.

On assessments, there are as many as there are books…and I like Integrative Enneagram Solutions. But even more than online assessments, I have come to value the orientation of the Narrative Tradition (pioneered by Helen Palmer and David Daniels) who redirect seekers toward dialog and discernment rather than questionnaires, a more organic (and in my experience more accurate) approach to typing. If that is of interest to you, feel free to reach out to Kellie and myself for a Typing Interview.

But the main point I want to make here is that Enneagram typing is fundamentally a matter of discernment. No one can tell you your type except you. Sometimes that revelation comes almost instantly, and sometimes it’s more of an unveiling over weeks or months. And I want to reiterate that the entire point of the Enneagram is to equip you to do the work that is only yours to do: the journey of spiritual formation. This is the priceless gift of this ancient tool.

Our School of Spiritual Formation (SOUL School) will be emerging over the next couple years with the goal of incorporating insights from the Enneagram into the contemplative journey. Stay posted on that…but get started today! And for a funny, creative take on the whole Enneagramatic drama, watch the video below!