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Submissions over the 50-word limit will be deleted unread. Count “Egocentrickarmic- conditioning/self-hate” as one word. Do not include “R/L” in your word count.
Zen and the Enneagram: We Are All Nine Types
Tuesday, August 15
Class 6
Practicing with the orientation of Enneatype 5 reveals how limiting it is to identify with ego. People, emotions, and interactions that take too much of “my” time, energy, and resources are relegated to the category “To Be Avoided.” By compartmentalizing life, ego ensures that the life force maintains and feeds it rather than being available to the human being.
With practice, we learn to step out of the limits of identity and not allow ego to have our life force. Now we have the ability to enjoy all aspects, flavors, and frequencies of the Intelligence That Animates.
Let’s move to Enneatype Six.
Type Six – The Loyal Skeptic
Worldview: The world is a dangerous place; most people have hidden agendas.
Belief: If you relax your vigilance, you become prey. Authority is not to be trusted. People say one thing and mean another. If you plan for the worst-case scenarios, you can keep yourself safe.
Focus of Attention: Worse case scenarios and hidden motives
Characteristics
Scanning the environment for clues that explain their inner sense of threat
Distrust of authority
Suspicious of other’s motives
Analysis paralysis – thinking replaces doing
Heightened fear when things are going well – when is the other shoe going to drop?
People of this personality type essentially feel insecure, as though there is nothing quite steady enough to hold onto. At the core of the Skeptic is a kind of fear or anxiety that manifests in worrying, and restless imaginings of everything that might go wrong. This tendency makes Sixes gifted at troubleshooting, but also robs the Six of much-needed peace of mind and tends to deprive the personality of spontaneity.
Fundamentally, there are two different strategies that Sixes adopt to deal with fear, phobic and counterphobic. Phobic Sixes are generally compliant and cooperative, while remaining inwardly distrustful and hyper-vigilant. Counterphobic Sixes move toward what they fear, taking a defiant stand against whatever they find threatening, and consequently appear unafraid.
The central issue for type Six is a failure of self-confidence. Sixes come to believe that they do not possess the internal resources to handle life’s challenges and vagaries alone, and so increasingly rely on structures, allies, beliefs, and supports outside themselves for guidance to survive. If suitable structures do not exist, they will help create and maintain them.
Sixes attempt to build a network of trust over a background of unsteadiness and fear. Wanting to feel that there is something solid and clear-cut in their lives, they can become attached to explanations or positions that seem to explain their situation. Because “belief” (trust, faith, convictions, positions) is difficult for Sixes to achieve, and because it is so important to their sense of stability, once they establish a trustworthy belief, they do not easily question it, nor do they want others to do so. The same is true for individuals in a Six’s life: once Sixes feel they can trust someone, they go to great lengths to maintain connections with the person who acts as a sounding board, a mentor, or a regulator for the Six’s emotional reactions and behavior. Therefore, they do everything in their power to keep their affiliations going. (“If I don’t trust myself, then I have to find something in this world I can trust.”) The loyalty of the Six is something of a two-edged sword however, as Sixes are sometimes prone to stand by a friend, partner, job, or cause long after it is time to move on.
Exercise
How are you an Enneatype Six? How do some of the qualities, processes, and characteristics of the Loyal Skeptic show up in you? Do you see yourself choosing ego’s promises of safety over what Life is offering? How does a focus on worrying about or imagining what could go wrong rob you of being present?
In 50 words or fewer, write to us about your process. Here is the link to use:
https://www.livingcompassion.
Submit your response after 9.00 a.m. PDT on Friday, Aug. 18. Submissions received before 9:00 a.m. PDT on Friday, Aug. 18 will not be accepted.
All submissions and responses will be posted as Cheri finishes with them. As we begin posting Cheri’s responses for each class, we will send a notice. All of the assignments can also be found here: https://www.livingcompassion.
NOTE
When writing your responses, please pay attention to spelling and punctuation. This will help Cheri to more easily discern your meaning.
We recommend recording the class, listening to it, responding, and recording your response before submitting it. Remember to include “R/L” with your response to indicate that you are Recording & Listening.
Gassho