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Design Influence

  • Numerology, Horoscopes and Astrology:
  • Extensive use of numbers and geometric designs are used to unlock a true inner self and make connections.
  • The circle represents “the Law of One,” which “denotes eternity, unity, wholeness, and the inclusivity of all things.”
  • The equilateral triangle represents “the Law of Three,” which references “the three forces that guide everything in motion: active, passive, neutral.”
  • The irregular hexagram teaches “the Law of Seven,” which “is thought to explain things like light, sound, sequence and energy (similar to the seven chakras of the body’s energy centers in yoga.”
  • Gurdjieff (more on him later) stated that “everything can be included and read in the enneagram” and “in it, read the eternal laws of the universe.”
  • And of course the nine points or personalities. But these types are defined as traps, passions, or deadly sins.
  • Richard Rohr (again, more on him later) makes use of connecting animals, colors, biblical figures, etc. to the Enneagram numbers and encourages users to “give names to the forces at work.
  • Finally, there are stark similarities to the Enneagram types and Zodiac signs and how they are read. There is also similarities with the two in that they have influence or control over a persons life.
  • Zodiac sins have both positive and negative energy, that is, personality and behavioral trappings, that may relate to the person connected to the Zodiac.
  • Rohr states that, “each one of the Enneagram numbers refer to a certain state of energy …[and] the connecting lines [of the Enneagram symbol] point to the dynamics between specific points of energy.”
  • Heuertz also affirmed that “we possess within us the energies or aspects of all nine types.”
  • In a blog by K. Mulhern, it’s written, “Jesus represents all numbers; it has been said in Christian Enneagram tradition that the Enneagram is the face of God. If you read the Gospels and you’re Enneagram literate, you’ll find that Jesus has stories specifically addressing each of the nine ways of seeing the world.”*1
  • There is no scientific backing to the “psychology” to the Enneagram. It is not like the Myers-Briggs, which, even then, is speculative because they’re flawed.
  • There is no ancient backing to it either. It was not developed from a hidden source that stretches back to any OT or NT individuals. Its origins barely go back beyond the late 1800’s and only developed into what it is today in the 1970’s. More on that later.
  • “…proper spirituality and worship require Scripture a their center, involve sacrifice from the worshipper, and result in praising God for who He is no matter the circumstances."*2


History

  1. Starting from George I. Gurdjieff who made the diagram saying that one can see the universe in it and ascribed mystical meaning to it.
  2. Gurdjieff’s pupil, P. D. Ouspensky wrote on his teachings saying it was “The Fourth Way” which are beliefs that influenced the New Age.
  3. Way of the Fakir - Namely the way to control the physical
  4. Way of the Monk - Namely the way to control affection
  5. Way of the Yogi - Namely the way to control the mind
  6. The Fourth Way - Rather than making the focus on one of the Three, the Fourth Way can simultaneously be mastered, known as the Work, that is work on self.
  7. Gurdjieff’s teachings were further adopted by Oscar Ichazo who ran an occult school called Arica School (of Knowledge). Ichazo did not attribute any personality types, but had made contact with two spirits called Metatron and the Green Q’tub that aided in its development. Ichazo had also used psychedelic drugs and shamanism to enhance his experience.
  8. Claudio Naranjo, a New Age psychiatrist and spiritual seeker, learned about the Enneagram from Ichazo. Naranjo claimed to add the personality types sometime in the 1960’s. He said it was partly from his “observations” but mostly through automatic writing, making that claim on video.*3 He lied but justifies it because much of the New Age is changeable and requires acceptance of those shifts in understanding. Naranjo also adds that the Enneagram as an ancient practice was made up to get people to believe it, quoting Oscar Wilde, “If you want an idea of yours to become famous, attribute it to a famous person.”
  9. Naranjo then took Enneagram ideas to the Esalen Institute*4 which is “a holistic retreat and education institute” and “considered the epicenter of the Human Potential Movement,” all of which are generated through New Age philosophy.
  10. Bob Ochs, a Roman Catholic Jesuit Priest was at Esalen and learned the Enneagram from Naranjo. Ochs then introduced it into the Roman Catholic Church where it was not endorsed but still spread among New Age thinking priests.
  11. Richard Rohr then learned the Enneagram as a Catholic priest sometime in the 1970’s from Naranjo, later writing a book on it in the early 90’s, and teaching its practice throughout.
  12. Rohr had some students and followers who learned from him and wrote on the Enneagram. Ian Cron and Suzanne Stabile wrote “The Road Back to You” (IVP, 2016) and Christopher Heuertz wrote “The Sacred Enneagram” (Zondervan, 2017). Both these books are widely used. Heuertz quotes New Ager and co-founder of the Enneagram Institute, Russ Hudson (a contemporary of Rohr) that a “Type isn’t a ‘type’ of person, but a path to God.”
  13. There is therefore no historical backing to the Enneagram and has no scientific or psychological legitimacy or validity as a legitimate personality test. Its origin is in mysticism, occultism, and New Age, including New Age philosophies. It is a mirror image of the Zodiac signs and it is said to be the Trojan Horse already in the church.


Syncretization:

  • Ezekiel 8:1-18; 10:18-19; 11:22-23
  • Matthew 21

Scripture Referenced:

  • Matthew 12:22ff
  • Ezekiel 8:1-18; 10:18-19; 11:22-23
  • Matthew 21

Works Cited:


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