Essential Qualities

Each of us is born into this world with our very own glittering Essence. You could say it is our birthright. It is always and forever who we are at our core.

We know this as the “Ground of Being.” When we’re experiencing our own Essential Qualities as they arise in the present moment, we feel like we’ve returned home.

So where did we go? What took us away? And why? These are the questions that the Enneagram seeks to answer.

Our personalities develop in response to what we psychologically and spiritually need and want.

Type One – Conscientious Reformer – Your Essence is Goodness and Sacredness. Your true nature is Alignment with what is.

When you lose touch with this aligned sense of goodness and sacredness, your personality comes to the rescue, putting your energy into being virtuous.

You believe you must be responsible, conscientious and reliable.

Type Two – Warm Hearted Helper – Your Essence is Love and Nurturing. Your true nature knows love to be Unconditional.

When you lose touch with unconditional love and nurturance, your personality comes to the rescue, putting energy into the effort of loving.

You believe you must be caring, supportive and helpful to others.

“We are blinded to the fullness and magnificence of our ultimate nature by the trance of our personality. Our true nature exists only now, in this very moment. It includes all of the concerns and motivations of our personality while also transcending all of them.”

Personality Types, by Riso & Hudson

p. 457

Type Three – Self-Posessed Achiever – Your Essence is Value and Radiance. Your true nature is Being True to Yourself. When you lose touch with value and radiance, your personality comes to the rescue, putting energy into being valued.

You believe that achievement and accomplishment are necessary your self-image.

Type Four – Self Aware Individualist – Your Essence is Beauty and Depth. Your true nature experiences this as Inspiration and Realness. When you lose touch with beauty and depth, your personality puts energy into being different and unique.

You want to be tasteful, intuitive and a step above the ordinary.

Type Five – Curious Investigator – Your Essence is Illumination and Clarity. Your true nature experiences this as Contact or Reality. When you lose touch with illumination and clarity, your personality puts energy into being smart.

You want to understand, to be knowledgeable and perceptive.

Type Six – Valiant Loyalist – Your Essence is Stillness and Guidance. Your true nature feels like Being Grounded. When you lose touch with stillness and guidance, your personality puts energy into being prepared.

You want to be secure and on a solid, reliable path.

Type Seven – Free-Spirited Enthusiast – Your Essence is Freedom and Joy. Your true nature experiences this as Being Limitless. When you lose touch with freedom and joy, your personality puts energy into keeping options open and wanting More.

You want to Enjoy life, anticipating and imagining possibilities.

Type Eight – Impassioned Challenger – Your Essence is Strength and Aliveness. Your true nature experiences this as Empowering. When you lose touch with true strength and aliveness, your personality puts energy into being in control and invincible.

You want to be self-reliant, strong and in control.

Type Nine – Receptive Peacemaker – Your Essence is Wholeness and Being. Your true nature experiences this as Connection. When you lose touch with wholeness and being, your personality puts energy into harmonizing and being untouched.

You want to be agreeable, easygoing and peaceful.

The sense that we have lost our true selves, that we have lost our way in this complicated world can be excruciating.

Who am I??

Know that your Essence is never lost. Self-remembering brings us back. It is our way home.

Again and again, we come home to ourselves.

See Katheen’s Thoughts Today to read “In The Beginning,” a story of Type Nine.