The Enneagram of the Body
An Interview with Alan Sheets
by Jerome Freedman, Ph. D.
©Alan Sheets & Barbara Tovey 1995
REPRINTED FROM THE ENNEAGRAM MONTHLY AUGUST - NOVEMBER 1995
PART IV
TYPES 6, 3 & 9
This is Part IV of the "Enneagram of the Body", a series of articles about the inherently different bodily expression in each of the enneagram types. Barbara Tovey and I have cataloged how this bodily expression indicates a unique type-specific ability to take in and process information about the world. In this article we will be discussing types 6, 3 and 9. The energy for each of these three types originates in the area of the sternum. 6, 3 and 9 all have an ability that is directly associated with the process of living life.
A NOTE ABOUT TYPES 6, 3 AND 9
The enneagram types are separated into two groups: 1, 4, 2, 8, 5, 7 and 6, 3, 9. On the traditional enneagram diagram these two groups are not connected to each other.
When we were exploring where the energy seemed to be coming from when a 6 or 3 or 9 assumed his or her posture of strength, much to our surprise, the energy for the 6, 3, 9 group all came from the region of the sternum. The location for each of the other six types is distinctly separate. We also noticed a fundamental difference between these two groups. Types 1, 4, 2, 8, 5, 7 each specialize in a particular area: type 1 provides the overview and organization to ensure our survival as a species; type 4 creates a connection with another person to facilitate the flow of emotions; type 2 creates a connection with another person to facilitate verbal communication; type 8 creates a connection to determine safety; type 5 provides an overview, and type 7 gathers information for the purpose of innovative problem solving. Types 6, 3 and 9, on the other hand, are generalists rather than specialists. 6, 3 and 9 each represent one part of a three-part process. They each practice one aspect of the process which we repeat over and over every moment of our waking lives: the process of evaluating, doing and being.
THE INTERVIEW (continued)
Jerome Freedman: I have come up with a theory over the last couple of days that I thought I'd run by you to see what your comments would be. I have a feeling that somebody is born into essence . . . that what you're measuring, what you're accessing, is the enneagram of essence---the Enneagram of the Body as it is at birth. Social, economic, educational, environmental and other causes can shift the point from the natural point at birth to the enneagram point that can be determined through self-observation and appropriate study, and by going through all of the mechanisms that I was trained to use. So we have sort of a natural point and an inherited point or a developed point - nature/nurture. This has always been an argument in enneagram circles. Maybe what you're seeing is the nature point and what the traditional people who use the enneagram are seeing is the nurture point, and sometimes they're the same, if the person is not terribly damaged. This is totally conjecture on my part and I just wanted to hear what you had to say about it. For example, if you take an 8 and weather it with a lot of 2 energy, you know, "Jewish mother" type energy, maybe you get a 4! I don't know. It's just that the whole area is wide open, and I'm just conjecturing here.
Alan Sheets: Part of what you say I 100% agree with. That is that I think you are born with a point, and it seems to be an inherent bodily function. Some women who have had more than one child have said that their children behaved differently from the moment of birth. The second thing that you said I would partially agree with, but I would put a different spin on it. I think that society does a lot intentionally and unintentionally that doesn't reinforce or assist the essence to grow. So I think what you have is a complicated picture by the time people get to be adults and by the time one person attempts to type somebody else. You have two problems going on. First, you've got the person who's doing the typing, who is only as pure as they are enlightened, so to speak...they are only as pure as they understand their own essence. And secondly, you have the person you're trying to type, who has all these overlays. So I think that typing has been a very inexact science in the sense that even the best get it only 70% or 80% or 90% of the time.
JF: I would say about 80%.
AS: Yeah! So there is noise in the system because of that, which of course means that there's noise in the truth because the mistyped ones sort of make everything not quit fit together as neatly as the system allows for. I think that typing is also inherently difficult because people aren't in their essence a good deal of the time. They don't know what their essence is. They don't even necessarily know that they have an essence. There are various things that can happen in life that point a person toward a certain kind of outward appearance that sort of fits with a type different than what they are.
JF: OK! Let's continue this series with an overview of types 6, 3, and 9.
AS: The 6, 3, 9 triad is a self-contained unit not directly connected with any other types by the traditional enneagram lines. The energy flow for each of these types seems to originate from the same very specific region of the body: the ribcage with the sternum being the center of the activity. However, the ribcage and sternum assume a different postural configuration for each. For the 6, the ribcage stays in a neutral posture in order to accurately take in the unknown; for the 3, the ribcage is slightly constricted from side to side - like squeezing from the sides into the center in order to help focus; and for the 9, the ribcage widens, opening up from the sternum to the extent that the sternum seems to move forward to openly and fully meet the world in order to appreciate all that is before him or her. These are the only enneagram types whose energetic strengths are associated with the same region of the body.
6
6s take in information in such a way that it is easy to evaluate its integrity. Everything on this planet has an energetic configuration, even the inanimate objects such as rocks and buildings. Even though this energy is undetected by our five senses it has a definite force to it. It is this force that hits (yes, hits!) the 6.
The 6's ribcage and sternum is very much like a drum. The energy of everything hits it and causes a resonance inside their body. This resonance is so clean and pure that, compared to the the rest of us, 6s get the clearest picture of whatever they are paying attention to. In order to do this, they first momentarily make themselves still, very much in the same manner and with the same quality that you may have seen when observing a deer or squirrel in the wild. They make themselves available as completely as possible for what is coming into their senses.
This bodily process allows 6s to perceive with a level of complexity and sophistication that the rest of us frequently do not even realize exists. This stage might only last a fraction of a second, so it is easy to miss. This process gives the 6 tremendous evaluation skills. Since they sense the energy of what they are taking in, they are coming as close as a person can to sensing its essence. They can also more easily see what is out of synch or incomplete about what they are sensing. 6s, however, do not necessarily have insight into how to address the incongruity which they might find, or how to interpret the missing piece. (That is the job for the 3.)
It is important to say a little more about the kind of information 6s takes in. 6s are wide open to all of the information that is possible to sense. This not only includes seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching but also includes much that is unseen, untouchable, and unheard, etc.
Sensing the "unseen" for all of us, in our culture, is almost always discounted and ignored very early on in life and so most of us fairly quickly suppress our natural inclinations to take in information this way. However, for the 6, for whom this is a fundamental part of how they sense reality, this experience cannot be completely extinguished or completely suppressed. (This does not mean that the discounted or ignored information is not available for the other types . . . it only means that it is not given its proper importance.)
In our western culture, logic and science, i.e., that which can be concretely measured and logically interpreted, is emphasized. Some people learn aspects of a spiritual system - so they then have both scientific logic and a form of spirituality with which to take in the world. No matter what culture you are in, however, what is universally true is that some information is emphasized and some is discounted and ignored. What the 6 is able to do is take in all of the available information that is in front of them, no matter what culture they come from.
The evaluation process of the 6 does not involve the cognitive part of the brain. It involves using a template which people could also talk about in terms of intuition and insight. One of the 6s I know told me that whenever he uses his head and thinks in this comparative process, he always 'screws it up'. He said, "If I can keep my head out of the way, it works. What I do is the antonym of thinking. Thinking is described as an orderly step by step process. That is what we are taught . . . and as soon as you try to put me in it you impede me . . . mine (process) is flow and movement and rhythm, whatever you want to call it. It's a mystery to me, too. It just happens."
3
Using the information which 6s gather, 3s immediately focus on the needs, desires, goals or changes required so fully they can envision the completed picture of anything on which they are working. Then, with their tremendous focusing capability, 3s can pull together and organize the key elements needed to create the finished product.
How does the 3 do what they do? The word "focus" is the first thing that comes to mind when I think about it. The second thing that comes to mind which I'd like to point out is that unless you are a 3, although you might understand the meaning of that word, you do not have a clue of what it means to focus with the intensity and power of a 3. Relative to the rest of us, it is so effortless for them to have all of their attention riveted on someone or something, that it is not easy for us to perceive the intensity of their focus. For example, when a 3 focuses on you in a friendly manner, you just notice that it feels pleasant and good, and it could be natural to therefore assume that you could also do this kind of focusing. This is not the case.
When a 3 is lead into his or her posture of enneagram strength, they present a disarmingly pleasant expression in which their whole face is lit up. They seem vibrant and alive. People are naturally attracted to this animation and expression of life's energy. Their expression especially brings attention to the area of the eyes and cheekbones, and creates the appearance of high cheekbones, even if this is not the individual's natural bone structure. (I think the extremely appealing appearance which this creates is the reason why men and women with naturally high cheekbones are chosen by modeling and acting agencies...it's an attempt to simulate the pleasing natural image of the 3.) I believe that this compelling and powerful "3" expression naturally develops out of the act of focusing on another person.
9
At this point, in order to complete the cycle, 9 becomes involved. 9s take into their body the fullest experience of what has been created and appreciate it by "being" with it...a tremendously important part of this three-part process because, without experiencing what is in front of us, how can we possibly know what we like or what we want to do next? If we're closed, it's hard to know whether something is worthwhile or not. 9s first take in everything non-judgmentally, appreciate it, and are then able to make these assessments.
The 9s also do something that most of us think we have the ability to do: being present in the moment. When asked, most of us will say that we are "present" in situations at least some of the time. It seems like such a simple thing, yet it is not. 9s open themselves up so much to experiencing the present moment that the present becomes all there is . . . all that is real. The rest of the world fades to the point that it becomes more of a concept than a reality. This extreme openness makes them far more receptive and able to take in what is in front of them without judging and categorizing.
Types 1 through 8 each have a preoccupation that prevents them from being present and appreciating the world as the 9 does. They can only be present in a limited way because they each continue to be connected to the literal reality of the rest of the world via their specialization or process. For example, the 5 is always searching for what is important rather than appreciating what is around them in the moment; the 7 is searching for what will solve the current problem; the 8 is constantly on alert for any changes in the environment that might signal danger; the 4 is trying to establish intimate connections; the 2 is continually evaluating how others are feeling; the 1 is always assessing how the social group is functioning; the 3 is looking for whatever is needed to finish the current project; and the 6 is sensing whatever they are paying attention to rather than to their entire surroundings. How could these people possibly fully appreciate the present moment to the exclusion of everybody and everything else?
THE 6, 3, 9 TRIAD
This information can lead one to contemplate the very philosophical question of why we are here. I am going to make the assumption that we are here to experience life, not necessarily because it is fun or entertaining, but because it is fulfilling some desire or need that we have.
Human beings seem to have a need to better themselves, whether it be materially or spiritually or some combination of the two. The method we use to achieve this, and the process for this can be described in enneagram terms as utilizing first 6, then 3, then 9, and then repeating this cycle over and over, ad-infinitum. Leaving out any part of this process will greatly diminish our capacity. (Since 6, 3 and 9 are an integral part of this process, it is especially challenging for people who are one of these three types to stay in balance relative to the other two.)
To repeat, 6, 3 and 9 each specialize in one aspect of the process we go through to function as human beings. The 6 constantly takes in information, bouncing this information off of their "energetic template" in order to identify and determine its integrity, the 3 focuses with the power of intention in order to create what is needed, and the 9 takes in and fully appreciates the new creation.
Becoming aware of this 6-3-9 process enables us to pinpoint where in the process we are weakest. This gives us an opportunity to bring more balance into our lives. For example, many of us have created such busy lives for ourselves that we have very little time to appreciate what we have already done. How can we possibly know what to do next if we have not taken the time to absorb what we have already accomplished?
CONCLUSION
The Enneagram of the Body, as taught by Alan Sheets, et. al., offers a lot of value to participants. I interviewed some of Alan's students to try to get a sense of how it felt for them to be working with Alan, and what affect the study had on their lives. All of the feedback that I received was positive, and I was very impressed with the sincerity of the people I interviewed. While this may not be the final word on the Enneagram of the Body, it is a good start and should be considered "a work in progress" in the spirit of Don Richard Riso, who said, in Volume 1, Number 1 of this journal, "If cooperation is going to take place, we all need to acknowledge the work of others and the value of their different approaches."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jerome Freedman, Ph. D., Certified Teacher of the Enneagram in the Oral Tradition with Helen Palmer, practices in Marin County, California. In addition to enneagram work, mind stories, and Buddhist meditation, he is a highly trained and experienced computer consultant with many clients in Fortune 500 companies. Questions and comments are welcome.
email - jerome@enneagram-instrument.org
phone - 415-461-6476
mail - PO Box 665
Larkspur, CA 94977
Alan Sheets & Barbara Tovey
email - AlanS31416@AOL.COM
phone - 415-459-6796
mail - 1330 Lincoln Ave., Ste. 202
San Rafael, CA 94901
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When we reprinted these articles, we updated them to reflect our current understanding of this work. We made every effort to keep the flavor, the integrity and the flow the same as it was in the originals.
Alan Sheets and Barbara Tovey
11-96
