The Intelligent Enneagram

by A.G.E. Blake

At last, an enneagram book that explains the full potential of this mysterious nine-pointed symbol, with applications reaching far beyond personality typology. The enneagram, an ancient diagram first popularized by G. I. Gurdjieff, represents the evolution of any process and is thus a remarkable tool for analyzing and understanding many different areas of endeavor.

Like the I Ching hexagrams or the kabbalistic Tree of Life, the enneagram is an ingenious device providing access to a higher order of information and can lead us to new and creative ways of thinking and problem-solving. Drawing on the teachings of John Bennett, a major interpreter of the Gurdjieff Work, the author shows how using the enneagram can enhance our powers of intuition, our capacity to see situations holistically, and our ability to find connections between different regions of knowledge and experience. After discussing in detail the fundamental ideas woven into the symbol, the author applies the insights in the enneagram to a series of topics ranging from the solar system to sex, from science fiction movies to the Lord's Prayer.

416 pages, Paperback

First published October 22, 1996

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an ambitious book as the author tries to argue that all knowledge and experience is reflected in the Enneagram. The book is a presentation and interpretation of the writings of G I Gurdjieff, a Russian philosopher, mystic, spiritual teacher, and composer. His writings are very esoteric and often difficult to understand (according to those who have read them). It may be that Blake, in writing The Intelligent Enneagram, has helped to explain some of these teachings. But even that is unclear.

It is true to say that The Intelligent Enneagram is an achievement. But I'm afraid I don't consider it a great one. The writing is complicated, often opaque, laborious, and filled with jargon. After getting about one third of the way through, I had to give up. There is usually something worthwhile in most perspectives. But they're hard to find in The Intelligent Enneagram because of its writing style.

The other issue is that it is easy to criticise as a work of apophenia -- 'the human tendency to seek patterns in random information'. So much of parts of the book I read seem to be a contrived effort to find patterns and force them into the Enneagram diagram.

The Enneagram has, more recently than Gurdfieff's teachings, evolved into use of the diagram as the basis for a personality profile framework. Blake doesn't mention this anywhere that I can find so I'm not making any comment on that particular use of the diagram. It has its own history which is a separate subject.

Overall, while there may be some aspects of the book that are interesting and clever, it is a drudgery to read it with its complex, convoluted detail. Others clearly have a different opinion judging by reviews of the book. I'll leave it to you if you want to check the book out and form your own opinion. But this one is not for me.

[Searchingthemeaningoflife Greece · Rating 5 out of 5]

[...]Αν υπάρχουν μόνο δύο δυνάμεις, που είτε επιβεβαιώνουν είτε απαρνούνται η μία την άλλη, τότε η κατάσταση παραμένει στάσιμη. Όταν εισχωρήσει μία τρίτη δύναμη, οι άλλες δύο δυνάμεις δε συνδέονται πλέον μεταξύ τους όπως πριν. Υπάρχει μία επιπλέον βαθμίδα ελευθερίας και ένα ανώτερο επίπεδο αντίληψης.[...]

[...]Η διαδικασία της εξέλιξης, συνεπώς, είναι ένα ξύπνημα που ξεκινά από χαμηλά και υποστηρίζεται από ψηλά. Μπορούμε να δούμε τη λεπτή και στενή σχέση που υπάρχει ανάμεσα στην ιδέα των σοκ και αυτό το ξύπνημα, σχέση που απελευθερώνει την αμέσως ανώτερη τρίτη δύναμη πέρα από τα όρια της δεδομένης τριάδας. Να τι συμβαίνει στα κρίσιμα σημεία του εννεαγράμματος.[...]

[... ]Σχεδιάστε τον κύκλο της ζωής σας και ορίστε κάποια σημεία που έχουν νόημα. Τραβήξτε τις συνδετικές γραμμές ανάμεσά τους. Δώστε στο σχέδιό σας ουσιαστική υπόσταση συσχετίστε το με ό,τι υπάρχει πραγματικά μέσα σας και όχι μόνο με λέξεις. Αρχίστε ν' ακούτε τι λέει το διάγραμμα. Βρείτε τα κέντρα βάρους που προέρχονται από την πραγματική εμπειρία αισθανθείτε, νιώστε πώς συνδυάζονται μεταξύ τους σχηματίζοντας μια σαφή κατεύθυνση την οποία μπορείτε κι εσείς να ακολουθήσετε. Βαδίστε στον κόσμο με φρέσκια ματιά. Μάθετε να σκέφτεστε ά- μεσα για καθετί με όρους του τι είναι.[... ]

[Elruin Elmsroot · Rating 1 out of 5]

Religious gibberish......