ABSTRACT
Sooner or later I knew I had to tackle the Enneagram. I was skeptical about this ancient tool that some say originated in Babylon as early as 2500 BC The term enneagram comes from the Greek word ennea, which means “nine,” and grammos, the Greek word for “figure.” It is a nine-pointed figure set within a circle replete with mystical symbolism. The Enneagram has been widely used by Christians, Buddhists, Muslims (especially Sufis), and Jewish mystics following the Kabbalah for well over a thousand years. Some think it was derived from the nine divine attributes that Neoplatonists like Plotinus and other Gnostics in the third century believed to be reflected in human nature. If so, these found their way into the Christian tradition as their opposites—in the form of the Seven Deadly Sins to which fear and deceit were added. (See Figure 9.1.) Oscar Ichazo's Enneagram of the Passions (Deadly Sins). https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780203882429/b1cbc09d-b38e-46d2-82bc-6a003eb92190/content/fig9_1_B.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
