Perpetually Pregnant

In the last issue I revealed my callous indifference to Ben and Jen's troubles. But rest assured that I do have a soft, sensitive, feminine side. In fact - I'm pregnant.

In Enneagram terms, I am a Five. And Fives (according to Kathleen Hurley and Theodore Dobson in What's My Type?) "live in a continual gestation period, rarely experiencing the wonder and joy of giving birth."

Continually gestating but seldom giving birth. Not a nice thought, is it?

When I first read that, I had an "Aha" moment. I recognized something about myself for the first time: I was much more comfortable creating things in my mind than in reality. To grow, I needed to observe and ponder less, engage more.

It took me more than a year, having first encountered the Enneagram, to hone in on my Fivehood. I was confident that I wasn't a Seven or Eight, but the other seven types all seemed like contenders. By the time I came to see that I was, for sure, a Five, I had learnt a huge amount about myself. (Not many INFPs are Fives, incidentally - which just confirms the freakdom I confessed to in the last e-zine.)

What is it with this Clark guy? Last issue he went on about INFPs. Today it's Fives. Who cares? Isn't all this Myers-Briggs/Enneagram stuff hocus-pocus?

It's easy to throw bricks at the Enneagram's pedigree. Its roots lie in ancient mysticism. Pythagoras seems to have had something to do with it; so did medieval Sufis. George Gurdjieff, the Russian Armenian who brought it to the west, was an eccentric of the highest order. (Read about him at http://www.gurdjieff.org/.)

And yet - like the Myers-Briggs, the Enneagram offers remarkable insights if you are genuinely curious about yourself. The countless personality tests used in the workplace are glib and often cynical by comparison.

If you have never explored the Enneagram, you're missing the chance for some potent learning. It can help you, as it has helped me, by lighting up the paths you need to tread to grow vocationally and spiritually.

And if you're a Five, it may show you how to spend less time pregnant.

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