The Body Center
Enneagram Types Eight, Nine, and One
This article is the third of three that explore the nine Enneagram personality types and suggests specific spiritual practices and prayers for each type. The Enneagram acknowledges our three centers of intelligence—head, heart and gut— and situates three personality types in each of these centers. This article explores the types in the body center— types Eight, Nine, and One. Types in the head and heart centers are discussed in separate articles.
Keep in mind that as you read about these three Enneagram types, that we are more than our type or ego structure. Our personality type isn’t the whole story. The structure is what we “lead” with. It is familiar, and its landscape is well-traveled. In times of stress, our fall-back position (automatic response) is this type structure in an exaggerated form. We become over-identified with our personality’s perspective and fall in a trance of sorts.
However, beyond this automatic self is a deeper self, a present self that manifests love and compassion and is grounded in this moment. This is our connection to God, our Essence, our Ground of Being. The gifts of our personality style can assist us in our journey to our Essence and once we land there, our Essential Selves can help to soften our type structure.
The Body Center
Those types whose first way of knowing is through a kinesthetic sense, physical sensation and instinct are types Eight, Nine, and One. We all have body intelligence; when we are grounded in our bodies, we act—we take a stand. The Body Center is the doing center, and “doing” is grounded in the gut. When they are awake and alert, these types can enter into the present moment fully. However "doing" can be a sort of sleep walking and talking, and these types can fall asleep in the comfort of routine. In this “self-forgetting” center, worth is an issue. These types forget themselves to others’ agendas (Nines), to principles and ought-tos (Ones) and forget the fragile tender one within (Eights).
Body Center types can offer a strong sense of fairness, justice, and presence in relationships. The issue of anger is central to these types and can impact intimate relationships in significant ways. Eights’s anger is easily accessible and is often expressed as a show of power or to maintain control. Nines deny anger to avoid conflict and to keep the peace. Ones, more often than not, suppress anger, judging it wrong to express, and feel it instead as resentment or irritation. Autonomy is key to these types. As much as these types have in common, each has its own motivation and focus of attention. We’ll now consider the nuances of each and the practices that can deepen self-understanding and compassion.
Enneagram Type Eight: The Protector
Energy Follows Attention
Believing that control keeps one safe, Eights scan the environment for what “appears” to need directing. What seems out of control pops up first on their internal monitor, while all that is safe, in control and fair is lost. The focus of attention on control keeps the directing energy front and center, so eight energy moves to decide and act quickly. Cultivating an image of strength and power seems the safest way to navigate an unjust world. Eights have an “all or nothing, now or never” approach to life. As black and white thinkers, the holy middle ground is unfamiliar terrain to Eights. A “later” approach doesn’t show up on their radar. Moderation is an unknown concept. Opinions, a piece of the Eight armor, are strong and leave little or no room for others suggestions or input.
The Path and the Barrier
The path and the barrier in the journey to the divine heart for type Eight is the conversion from directing to waiting. Understanding when directing is invited and actually needed and when waiting is the appropriate response is a key discernment issue for this type. Waiting engenders anxiety in Eights because it feels vulnerable.
Eights are the most protected and armored type on the Enneagram map and avoid vulnerability for fear of being unjustly treated. They confuse vulnerability with weakness. Quick action feels safe and is a way of maintaining control. Eights believe, “If I am not in power I may be treated unfairly.” With this unconscious worldview, taking control before another does seems logical for this type. To stay safe, Eights act to direct the outcome. Eights have an intuitive ability to know who has power and how much and have an innate ability to match energy. The driving emotional habit for Eights is lust, a primal urge to have a desire met now. Lust wants more of a good thing and Eights can take good things to excess! When lust is in control, Eights are blind to options and focused solely on the sought-after goal that will satisfy now, not later.
Waiting as a Spiritual Practice
Waiting feels vulnerable, not powerful, yet it is a powerful act. In the pause that waiting affords, we gain wisdom and a broader perspective. Eights can learn the concept of “later” by befriending waiting. Through this pause, an “unless” can form at the end of an opinion.
But waiting is not an option when believed to be a posture of weakness, for Eights’s lack of trust keeps the impulse to act and direct in play. Any vacuum is quickly filled. When directing is reactive and thoughtless, it springs from fear and is a barrier to the heart. To soften the trance of directing, Eights need to explore who and what in situations draw out their controlling response. With whom am I directive? In what kinds of situations does my control rise quickly? What would happen if I didn’t direct?
Exploring waiting as an entry point on the journey to heart means that Eights open themselves to the impact of others. This seems risky given their blindness to a supportive universe, but this risk is crucial to the growth of this type. At the point when Eights realize that their own directing can be unfair, that the certainty they lead with silences the wisdom of others, and that they hurt those they love, they may experience a time of withdrawing and be willing to consider other ways of being in the world. When Eights move beyond blame and beyond their rage at a perceived unjust world, their open heart can transform anger’s energy into loving response.
Moments of waiting are full of possibility for deepening self-awareness and compassion. We need only to be awake in the waiting. The courage to wait is to stand in the unknown without rushing in to respond or to give shape prematurely. To wait without anticipating, being receptive to what unfolds, is an act of trust. Uncertainty may increase anxiety, but if we can wait through the anxiety, we move deeper into the Ground of our being, and when we act, we do so with greater compassion and wisdom.
Threshold Practices
Our practices are ways of saying “yes” to our journey to the divine heart. At the threshold of what has been and what can be, Eights’ conversion process will be supported by these practices. Keep in mind, that these practices are designed to bring up the very thing that our ego tells us to resist. You will experience discomfort; please allow these feelings. Feel these feelings and sooner than later, they will dissipate. What we resist, persists. So allow feelings of discomfort, sitting with them with open heart.
These practices are designed to assist in the creation of new neural pathways in order that new patterns of behavior can be birthed, patterns that allow us more creative options and that deepen our heart’s capacity to give and receive love.
• Practice engaging others with questions rather than declarations and opinions.
• Allow others to speak first in a group.
• Question the certainty that arises. Ask two “What if...” questions before stating your opinion then add “unless” at the end of your declaration.
• Notice when you reach out to others who may be sad or hurting and check in to see if your tender self needs some attention.
• Remember a time when the universe was supportive. When others were supportive. How does that feel to you?
• Soften the eyes, drop the shoulders, lean back in your chair. Envision velcro between your shoulder blades.
• Place your attention five feet behind you to slow down your actions and to include yourself in your vision. You’ll be better able to see your impact on others.
• Get physical exercise daily to help discharge your abundant energy.
Sabbath
This day’s rhythm is designed to soften Eight’s intensity and dissolve the demands of lust. Lust fills time, rushes toward the next thing desired NOW. This Sabbath day is a day of no initiation and no agenda. Having no deadlines or agendas takes away the “bait” for lust. There is nothing to make happen today. Simply be receptive to what shows up. Allow others to do for you and gracefully receive. This is a small step in trusting another to care for you, to protect you and to direct the action and outcome. Be willing to experience your own fragility as you allow the support of others to surface, knowing this allowing isn’t weakness but a mutual dance of protecting and loving. We all need and desire this mutuality.
The unconscious fear of inner deadness has Eights amping up life, going for the gusto each moment, and the body can take a beating as Eights tend to be unaware of the body’s fatigue. Rumi says, “You are burning up your soul to keep the body delighted....” Sabbath for type Eight must include rest for the body. Move slowly, cultivate kindness toward yourself. Cook if you like, or read, but most of all, rest the body. Be gentle with your body today as well as tender with your heart.
Prayer for the Journey
Loving Protector, watch my back as I wade into the waters of waiting for I do not trust easily. Empty me of my need to assert myself, empty me of my need to blame others when things don’t go my way. Soften the walls surrounding my heart, the rigid boundaries, my strong opinions. Embrace me in your gentleness, Holy One, as I wait, so that I may know the richness in stillness and open my heart to the affection of others. May I be present in each moment without judgment and without fear, knowing that you abide with me always. Ground me in your gentle and loving presence that I may be gentle and loving with myself and others. Remind me each day that we are all one and that in our unity we find hope, and in vulnerability we discover loving support.
Enneagram Type Nine: The Peacemaker
Energy Follows Attention
Nines focus their attention on others’s agendas and away from their own as a way to keep the peace. Another’s point of view replaces their own and Nines fall asleep to themselves while merging with the life of another. The energy of Nine is a passive receptivity that feels accommodating to others. For Nines, knowing what they want is difficult, so their own personal priorities don’t seem to surface. It is far easier for Nines to identify what they don’t want, but saying what they do want feels risky, if they know at all. It feels as if claiming their own wants creates disconnection, an unacceptable outcome. Nines wonder, "How do I exist if not merged or counter-merged with another?"
When counter-merged, Nines are in resist mode and express their low-level anger as stubbornness. This deep-seated anger is about not being seen or heard, yet when Nines don’t show up for themselves, it is difficult for others to show up for Nines. “You must not ever give anyone the responsibility for your life,” says poet Mary Oliver. Anger may be directed at others but Nines know this anger will eventually come home to roost as they come to terms with their own self-erasing. The emotional habit of narcotization means that Nines numb out to themselves, expending their energy in any direction but their own.
The Path and the Barrier
For type Nine, the journey home to self is the path to the divine heart. The holy ground for Nines is the landscape between merge and resistance, the place where “my agenda and your agenda” can both be honored. In this place Nines show up to themselves, expressing their desires and risking conflict. In self-erasing, Nines fall asleep to how they matter in the world as well as their own lovability. They seek harmony and small comforts while real desires take a backseat to life’s inessentials. To avoid conflict, nines go along, blending in and merging with the energy and flow of those they are with. The desire for peace can lead nines to avoid conflicts, which tends only to create more conflict in the future.
Claiming as a Spiritual Practice
The ability to claim themselves allows Nines to see their own lives as important. Love of self is now equal to their love for others. The posture is an engaged receptivity rather than a passive one. Claiming as a spiritual practice requires waking up to ourselves, to what is most important in our lives. Paradoxically, though claiming takes energy, when Nines state their thoughts and preferences, more energy arises.
The practice of claiming takes us to the deep wells of our inner resources and our Essence. Claiming is a deep honoring of who we are and our place “in the family of things.” (Oliver) We know ourselves as significant beings who are unconditionally lovable. If I show up, I’ll be loved. The ability to grasp this reality is the core issue of Nines.
Exploring claiming as an entry point on the journey to heart means that Nines are willing to be seen and to engage conflict. This seems risky given a belief that “the world is neglectful and ignores me.” The deep fear of Nines is to show up and no one notice. But when inessentials come to a halt, or when rage surfaces, or when off-track with an important commitment, Nines may sink into despair. At this point, claiming becomes of utmost importance.
Threshold Practices
Our practices are ways of saying “yes” to our journey to the divine heart. At the threshold of what has been and what can be, Nines’s conversion process will be supported by these practices. Keep in mind, that these practices are designed to bring up the very thing that our ego tells us to resist. You will experience discomfort; please allow these feelings. They will dissipate. What we resist, persists. So allow feelings of discomfort, sitting with them with open heart.
These practices are designed to assist in the creation of new neural pathways in order that new patterns of behavior can be birthed, patterns that allow us more creative options and that deepen our heart’s capacity to give and receive love.
• Each day consider “What is the one essential thing for me to do for me?”
• Practice stating your opinion even when it differs from others.
• Before vacations or weekend of leisure, plan ahead for those things you want to do. This helps you remember and you’ll be less likely to merge with others agendas.
• Journal at the end of the day about how you mattered to yourself and to others. Notice how it feels to matter, to be seen.
• Each week, share what is on your heart with another. Don’t minimize this time by a quick sharing, then shifting attention to the other. Take your time in naming what is so for you.
• Exercise each day in ways that get the heart rate up and the breath in the chest.
• When you feel excitement stay with it. Allow it to rise. Experience it as life force.
• Engage the body at work—a brisk walk clears the mind.
Sabbath
This day is structured to support Nines in clearing the inessentials from their vision in order to see themselves more clearly. Structure is key and offers opportunities for Nines to become more conscious of how inertia influences their lives. Sabbath schedule involves first and foremost, moving the body. Whether this is a brisk walk, a run in the neighborhood or an exercise routine, vigorously engage the body. (Walking the dog does not count.) Set aside a specific time for this. Avoid activities that allow you to numb out (like watching TV).
Name one thing that would delight you today and initiate making that happen—NOW! Invite another to join you and you make all of the decisions regarding the what, when, where, and how.
Take time during this Sabbath day to review the next week’s schedule. What is unnecessary? Indicate those tasks, meetings, activities that are unnecessary and eliminate them. This means making time to say “no.” Don’t allow other activities to lengthen and slide into that time. Instead, choose a personal priority that you will fulfill and create a plan for making that happen. The plan will name the specific time and strategies for this priority. The time you saved from the unessentials will give you the time you need for your own priority. Name yourself to the Holy One and allow yourself the unconditional love you seek to give to others.
Prayer for the Journey
God who loves me unconditionally, create in me a refuge for remembering myself, a safe place where I can go deep and explore the full range of who I am. Dissolve my fears of my anger, Holy One, so that I may allow it to guide me in knowing what matters to me and what the matter is. Empty me now of my resistance to my inner journey, my resistance to waking up to my life. Remind me of my own lovability, so that in loving myself, I may genuinely love others, and in this loving show up in the peaceful times and in times of conflict. I no longer want to deprive myself of my life, Holy Lover of my heart. Be my foundation as I honor my life and my relationships by offering my aliveness and my full being.
Enneagram Type One:The Perfectionist
Energy Follows Attention
With a focus of attention on error, energy to do things right and create order follows. An unconscious belief that “I am inherently wrong” drives this type to avoid mistakes and to do good in the world. The fear of making mistakes slows down decision-making and quickly tamps down spontaneous urges. Ones's attitude of “Good people worry and stay in control” creates a tendency to anticipate the negative and postpone pleasure until their world is right again. Work blinds Ones to the delights of the moment. Fun may be seen as disorderly, and without order, mistakes may arise. For Ones, fun may equal irresponsibility.
A strong inner critic sits in judgment of self and others, and it is difficult for this type to understand that “I am right and you are right too.” No compromise, here, though a thoughtful diplomacy can engage conversations. Resentment or anger is the emotional habit of this type. Righteous adherence to moral convictions is fueled by anger and judgment. Ones suppress anger (judged as wrong) which then makes it feel permanent. Typically, anger is a clue that Ones have substituted being responsible for experiencing pleasure. Opening to anger and expressing it, allows other feelings to surface such as delight and creativity.
The Path and the Barrier
The path to the divine heart for type One lies is the conversion from improving to accepting. Ones have high internal standards and a long list of don’ts. They tend to divide life into categories of right and wrong, good and bad, appropriate and inappropriate. A heart of acceptance sees the “isness” of now and celebrates what is without judgment and without the need to reform, order or tidy up. Acceptance offers Ones the space to rest in a world that is simultaneously chaotic and beautiful.
Accepting as a Spiritual Practice
Within type One is an unconscious belief that “I am nobody unless I’m improving.” Therefore, when in the trance of type, Ones believe the journey to the Divine is through self-improvement and by reforming a chaotic world. My right to be in the world and my goodness hinge on my work of improving. Ones are blind to the inherent goodness and rightness in the beingness of all.
Accepting is a loving heart’s response to life—to self and other. The heart has no need or desire to evaluate. This is the mind’s need. Evaluation implies standards and the landscape of the heart is absent of standards. There is no dividing line between right and wrong. When Ones journey to the wisdom of the heart, their deeper selves offer a serenity that calms. Mistakes become a part of life’s learning, endearing Ones more to themselves and to others. Dreams and desires surface when the heart leads. Asking and receiving what you want brings your life more into balance. Resentments fade when you are remembered and accepted. When seen through the eye of the heart, the world is a feast of beauty and perfection.
Threshold Practices
Our practices are ways of saying “yes” to our journey to the divine heart. At the threshold of what has been and what can be, Ones’s conversion process will be supported by these practices. Keep in mind, that these practices are designed to bring up the very thing that our ego tells us to resist. You will experience discomfort; please allow these feelings. Sooner than later, they will dissipate. What we resist, persists. So allow feelings of discomfort, sitting with them with open heart.
These practices are designed to assist in the creation of new neural pathways in order that new patterns of behavior can be birthed, patterns that allow us more creative options and that deepen our heart’s capacity to give and receive love.
• Delegate some of your tasks and responsibilities.
• Discern what really is your responsibility and what is another’s.
• See yoga, reading, gardening as play. Own playfulness without hiding it behind duty.
• Is your heart in your work or does work seem more like duty? Find ways to include fun in your work and to engage your heart in the work.
• Recall a moment when you made a mistake and didn’t lose yourself. How did you separate yourself from the mistake? Stay with the memory and the feeling.
• When you feel the intensity of a serious tone, add a measure of lightheartedness and feel both.
• Routinely stop before a task is done. Rest in the lack of completed order.
• Find ways to engage the body in the midst of work. Take a quick walk or stretch.
Sabbath
This day’s rhythm is designed to lighten Ones’s inner critic by having a “demandless” day. Resentment arises from constant duty to the shoulds of life which leave little time for wants to be fulfilled. Ones feel controlled by time and there is never enough time for both work and play. Sabbath day is a day of no responsibilities and no guilt for not being responsible. There are no e-mails to respond to and no phone calls to make. What fun activity have you been wanting to do and put off engaging? Ask someone to help you get what you want. (Requesting this can be difficult for Ones who think of themselves as the “responsible adult.”) What would please you? Staying in bed all day with a book and cup of tea may be just the right thing for you.
Experience the “soft animal of your body” as natural and free, rather than out-of-control. Notice what feels good to your body today. Be tactile. Allow your instinctual energy to emerge and feel its inherent goodness. Throw caution to the wind! Welcome disorder. There is no wrong way today.
Finally, allow your Sabbath to be a time to cultivate awe, to delight in Creation. Awe allows us to yield to the flow of life rather than opposing it, helping us to cultivate acceptance for what is. In this state of wonder and acceptance we can sense the inherent perfection in God’s creation and in ourselves, realizing nothing needs to be improved or to resisted.
Prayer for the Journey
Great I AM, with no memory of the past and no eye on the future, You, Gentle God, hold me in this perfect moment. Thank you for your acceptance of who I am and loving me because of who I am, not in spite of who I am. Empty me now of my judgment and guilt. Teach me forgiveness, so that I may forgive myself for not forgiving myself. Journey with me on this path toward self-acceptance as I loosen rules and lower standards that prevent me from fully loving. May I come to know, deep in my marrow, my inherent goodness so that my earning and efforting may end and I can rest in your boundless grace and mercy.