Fields of consciousness in which the Enneagram has historically been taught
In the previous article in this series, we discovered a field of consciousness which weaves wholeness by embracing all in love—the field of Loving Integration or the Sophia Field. Now we turn to look at some of the other fields which have surrounded the Enneagram, shining a light on the symbol’s ability to be of value in diverse spiritual contexts.
Historically the Enneagram has been taught in the context of different fields of consciousness. George Gurdjieff taught the Enneagram in the context of a distinct field, for instance. We could call that field “The Fourth Way,” the same name given to its contents. In The Fourth Way as a field, the aspect of will is of central importance, more so than softness, for example. Students of The Fourth Way – that is, individuals who engage with this field by way of doing practices and studying the teachings that arise from it – will tend to have more insights that have to do with developing the will. For example, “the personality is mechanical and in order to keep a state of wakeful self-remembering, I have to be vigilant and disciplined.” That would be an example of an insight that could arise within the field of The Fourth Way, cutting through layers of confusion with sharp clarity.
When Gurdjieff taught the Enneagram, which was not the Enneagram of Personality that emerged from Ichazo’s visions and investigations, but a symbol of cosmological laws, one way he taught it was through dance. Dance was powerful because it brought the Enneagram alive in dynamic motion, just like the dynamic movement of the universe which the Enneagram mirrors with its knowledge. In Gurdjieff’s dance-teaching, the symbol came to life in a certain way. This is a unique way the Enneagram was transmitted by Gurdjieff. However, in a different teaching, it gets expressed differently. The same symbol can be used in the context of different fields of consciousness. When it migrates from one to another, it can be experienced in a very different way.
Ichazo’s Arica School teachings are different from Gurdjieff’s Fourth Way teachings. They are giving form to a different field of consciousness, one which overlaps with the Fourth Way, but is distinct. The Arica School has its own unique flavor. Part of Ichazo’s teaching is that the soul’s entrapment in the egoic state could be liberated through a very clear understanding of the patterns it was getting caught in. However, this understanding wasn’t developed just through intellect or study; that is only part of the process. One arrives at clarity through disciplined practice. This is just an example to illustrate how a student approaches inner work in the Arica School.
Through this description, we can start to distinguish these two fields, not just on the level of what their teachings say but how it feels to participate in them. Both paths utilize will and understanding, but Gurdjieff's emphasis is more on awakening through conscious effort, whereas Ichazo’s is on liberation through systematic clarification of psychological structures. Why is that important?
The details are less important for us than the larger point, which is that different fields of consciousness express themselves differently. A system, such as the Enneagram, will come to life differently depending on the field of consciousness surrounding it. I mean “come to life” in a literal way. It’s the living wisdom – the field or logos – around an esoteric system that takes it from being a static symbol on a page to a vehicle for the soul’s transformation. The soul is being impacted by the field, and the field makes use of the system – the Enneagram – in that sacred process of initiation.
One final example of the Enneagram being used within the context of a particular field would be its employment inside of A.H. Almaas’s teaching, the logos of the Diamond Approach (DA). There, like in the other two paths, clarity and understanding are highly prized, and yet, there are different practices. Also, different aspects of our True Nature are regarded with different attitudes. “Union with the Divine” might be seen as the goal of the Arica School practitioner, for instance, whereas the Diamond Approach encourages a goalless orientation that’s as open-minded as possible while inquiring into the present experience. When a DA practitioner inquires with the Enneagram being part of it, they might have experiences of the jewels and diamond vehicles that are particular to the DA’s logos. The takeaway point, however, is that the Enneagram can migrate between logoi or fields of consciousness.
Enneagram Parts Work is the Enneagram landing in a new field
Since it contains knowledge of all of humanity and illuminates all spiritual teachings, the Enneagram can’t be confined to one field of consciousness. Different people are drawn to different logoi, but no matter what path someone is drawn to, the knowledge of the Enneagram can be supportive on that path.
Spirit reveals to humanity different logoi. She celebrates uniqueness instead of mere repetition. She contains inexhaustible mystery. There will always be another way she can reveal herself, since she is infinite. Whatever that new way it is, it will also be an expression of truth because Spirit is the underlying truth of things. In Almaas’s language, True Nature is the reality behind all the appearances – the “philosopher’s stone” that manifests in ten thousand different ways but always remains itself.
When we do Enneagram Parts Work, the field of consciousness it’s happening inside of is this field of Loving Integration. This is what makes Enneagram Parts Work different from, yet complementary to, other presentations of the Enneagram. It’s the field that surrounds the work.
That’s why in EPW sessions, there’s an atmosphere of embracing all the Enneagram types as valuable parts of oneself. No matter what type they’re engaging with, people intuit “There’s value in this part of me, too,” not just because they understand that intellectually but because the field influences them to see that. In turn, this appreciative way of regarding parts of ourselves welcomes them to unfold more of their essence, like budding flowers. Sometimes our Enneagram parts display wounded sides of themselves – “parts within parts” – but they may equally display wise, benevolent, or compassionate sides of themselves, too. The field has an intelligence that guides the process, and knowing that allows us to be more receptive to it, which opens the door more widely to transformation.
The field of EPW is a sub-field within the larger field of Loving Integration, in the same way that Zen’s field of consciousness would be a sub-field within the larger field of Buddhism.
Experientially, the field of EPW can be felt as if the practitioner is immersed in a fluid medium. In doing Enneagram Parts Work, there can be an intuitive sense the whole soul is made up of fluid consciousness and that we can go anywhere within the soul without obstruction. There’s no resistance to flowing anywhere – in, or out of, any Enneagram part – since all parts are regarded in a positive way. This is a way the field can be sensed once we have had some practice in contacting Enneagram parts and moving between them. The openness to any part’s experience allows the soul to openly reveal her inner treasures. The absence of resistance is a noticeable feature of the field.
What Are You Drawn To?
What we are drawn to spiritually is not, at root, a rational decision. It’s much more so about resonance and calling. A resonance with a path, or a calling to do a certain practice, are not rational phenomena. The soul feels them. It hears a calling. That phenomenon is not coming from the mind — it comes from beyond the mind. A deep part of the soul, one that has not forgotten its Divine origins, innately knows the intelligence in that resonance or calling and responds to it. The resonance has more to do with the nonphysical than the physical world, but the resonance with the field of Loving Integration is interesting because this field includes the physical plane as another aspect of itself. The integration of the physical dimension is part of this field’s vast intelligence.
I hope that this article has helped to provide you with head-level clarity about the philosophy behind Enneagram Parts Work and how it makes use of the Enneagram within a different field/logos than the fields in which it has historically been shared. But, in the end, resonance is something we feel. In light of that, I’d like to end by giving you three questions – one for each center – that support you to walk away from this series feeling more connected to yourself:
Head center: How does understanding that different teachings have different fields of consciousness help you make sense of experiences you’ve had in the past?
Heart center: What fields of consciousness are evoking resonance within you now?
Gut center: Going forward, what fields of consciousness are you choosing to engage in a more committed way, as a brave response to what is resonating with you?
