The best use of the EnneagramWho are you? You're not a number. You're magnificent and that's what the enneagram is really pointing to.When we think about who we are, we normally identify ourselves as a complex array of thoughts, emotions, fears and behaviors. We know that deep down we have negative thoughts about ourselves and its not often we look too closely just in case we discover they're true. 
What the enneagram does is point to the shadow that we think is who we are. It invites us to take a close look and see it's ONLY a shadow. When we shine a light on that shadow it disappears. But when we first take up the invitation and take a look at ourselves, or scratch the surface to see who or what's underneath, we DO see the shadow and at first it does appear dark, murky and horrible. 
Then when we look deeper we discover something extraordinary. What we've wanted within ourselves and what we've worked so hard to attain has actually been present all the time. 
The enneagram is actually a megaphone in your ear telling you you're magnificent. Its a loud reminder that we're all vital, human, loving, aware consciousness and not to believe that the shadows of negativity are real. The shadow of negative beliefs have been hiding who we are, and either because the shadow looked horrible, or we didn't know we could give it a poke and discover it was an illusion, we've busied ourselves instead with getting it 'all perfect' on the outside so we could feel good about ourselves. We can still continue to work on the external things AND we can do it from a place where we know our worst fears and thoughts about ourselves aren't real. We can live from a place of serenity and peace and if the shadow reappears it doesn't matter. Fears, flaws and weaknesses and such, are still a part of life. They can come and go but we don't have to be driven 100% by them. If you're finding that you're believing you're a number, or believing the shadow is real, then stop and take up the real gift of the enneagram and remember that who you are is magnificent (even if the shadow has reappeared or seems real). I do understand it can be confronting when we discover these nine personalities. We see all our worst strategies presented so accurately it can feel uncomfortable (to put it mildly). Yet if we continue to dwell on the shadow or try and fix the shadow we sometimes miss the aim of the enneagram, which is to come alive to our full potential. (I've seen some very strange takes on the enneagram - someone with a seven personality was told if he told jokes he was 'fixated'. Someone with the six personality was told if she was socially involved she was 'fixated' and the teacher reacted to someone being 'fixated' as if it was a punishable offense! This is not my recommendation as a way to use the enneagram. It's not a stick to punish ourselves or others. The intention was POISITIVE in that the teacher was pointing to the possibility of being free from the personality traits. Unfortunately, the approach often made the people feel worse about themselves.) The point of the Enneagram is expansion, choice and FREEDOM and this can be pointed out in ways that can be fun as well as in ways that are loving and kind. The way we learn best is through happiness not punishment. Besides, we've all benefited from people following their enneagram personality traits. We wouldn't have the technology we have today unless some very intelligent fives were obsessed about knowledge. We wouldn't have the particularly deep expressions of literature from fours, or the fabulous humor from people with the seven personality. This list goes on and on for all the nine types. With or without our shadow self, the enneagram is pointing to the magnificent presence within all of us, to what is best within all of us, to what's real within us and also to what isn't so we can know the difference. I think this is the best use of the enneagram.
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