In her opening class for the course titled “Know Thyself,” Dr. Reverend Aloha Smith discussed the ancient origins of the enneagram as a tool for categorizing personality. She emphasized that it has been used by communities of faith from varying traditions, and that versions of the “seven deadly sins” described by Evagrius Ponticus, a Christian mystic, appear in Sufi and Sikh writings, though the number of human weaknesses identified by different faiths varies. The use of the enneagram became of particular importance to monastics in communal living arrangements. In such communities, a deep understanding of each personality type, and the specific strengths and weaknesses specific to it, ensured that the members of the group understood how to both regulate themselves, and also appreciate the unique gifts of their peers.
To launch us on our path of self understanding, Dr. Reverend Aloha Smith had us read the descriptions of three cities from a booklet she gave us, and that is also available under Upcoming Events on the Good Shepherd website https://www.goodshepherdtryon.org in the section about this course (simply click on the item that says handouts). She then asked that we take the next few days to think about our ideal city, and perhaps sketch it out, so that we can begin to establish if we are “head,” “heart,” or “gut” types.
We will be continuing our exploration of the enneagram and of our persons for the remaining two Wednesdays in February from 4:00-5:30 p.m. at Good Shepherd Church, which is located at 814 Markham Road in Historic Eastside. Please know that you are welcome to join us for any of the remaining classes, and that we will post a summary of each class on the website.