The Occult History of the Enneagram

Introduction

The thinker, the advisor, the mediator; a positive personality type for everyone! It was perplexing to me just how captivated the vast number of people were in being able to accurately label themselves and others through the Enneagram “personality” test. With self-proclaimed experts of this system assigning attributes to individuals based on a set of questions that result in the revealing of a person’s dominant personality represented by the numbers one through nine. If the expert is unsure and cannot provide a diagnosis, they will be sure to lock you in with the quickest and likely free test that will tell you all about who you are; what your strengths are, what your deepest, darkest traits are, allowing you to focus energy into overcoming those qualities you no longer want to be associated with.

This practice brought forth memories of a similar system that emerged in the early 1980s, one that has once again started to gain traction. The Zodiac signs and Horoscopes, or better known as Astrology. Now, this article is not here to prove that Astrology is occult and used within New Age mysticism, Eastern religions, and pagan practices; we already know that it is and was developed in Babylon from which Astronomy followed after. If you are involved in any form of astrology, research its origins and current uses before embracing it as a lifestyle.

The unknown history of the Enneagram system is one that needs to be addressed and observed with a critical mind. Growth of any trend or system like this is not natural and is in all probability manufactured. Instead of adopting the system simply because it is what peers are doing, discernment needs to be harbored, casting aside the willingness to accept it as a way of understanding “ourselves” and “God” better.

Terminology

To understand this article in its fullness, certain terms need to be defined before the reader begins. These definitions are defined by the Oxford English Dictionary:

*[added by author]

Spiritualist – A believer in modern spiritualism or spiritism; a spiritist.The belief that the spirits of the dead can hold communication with the living, or make their presence known to them in some way, esp. through a ‘medium’; the system of doctrines or practices founded on this belief.

Occult – Of or relating to magic, alchemy, astrology, theosophy, or other practical arts held to involve agencies of a secret or mysterious nature; of the nature of such an art; dealing with or versed in such matters; magical.

Esoteric – Of philosophical doctrines, treatises, modes of speech, etc.: Designed for, or appropriate to, an inner circle of advanced or privileged disciples; communicated to, or intelligible by, the initiated exclusively. Pertaining to a select circle; private, confidential.

Gnosticism – The system or principles professed by the Gnostics. The designation given to certain heretical sects among the early Christians who claimed to have superior knowledge of things spiritual, and interpreted the sacred writings by a mystic philosophy. [It is believed that all humans have the ability to be a god by awakening their “Christ-self”.]

Sufis – One of a sect of Muslim ascetic mystics who in later times embraced pantheistic views.

Mysticism – A belief system based on the assumption of occult forces, mysterious supernatural agencies, etc. Belief in the possibility of union with or absorption into God by means of contemplation and self-surrender; belief in or devotion to the spiritual apprehension of truths inaccessible to the intellect.

New Age – A new era of human history, or of the history of a particular society or nation; spec. a name given to the Age of Aquarius which, according to astrological progression, the world entered in the late 20th or early 21st century, and which is believed to signal the beginning of a new spiritual awareness and collective consciousness. [An alternative take on religion concerning spirituality, environmentalism, mysticism, and other occult practices.]

Divination – The action or practice of divining; the foretelling of future events or discovery of what is hidden or obscure by supernatural or magical means; soothsaying, augury, prophecy. With a and plural, an exercise of this, a prophecy, an augury.

Numerology – Divination by numbers; the study of the occult or hidden meanings of numbers. [A study of numbers and their relation to the universe and God. Can also deal with the paranormal and astrological practices].

History of the Enneagram

George Ilych Gurdjieff was a Russian mystic and spiritualist who grew up in Alexandropol, Armenia and was the first known “spiritual leader” to adopt the use of the Enneagram. Growing up, his parents longed for him to become an Orthodox priest, however, Gurdjieff had no interest in pursuing this goal. Contrary to the warnings from those around him, Gurdjieff decided to follow his passions dealing with the occult. Examples of occult practices that Gurdjieff found particular interest in were fortune-telling, astrology, telepathy, spiritism and table-turning, as well as demonic possession.¹¹ Realizing that he could not grow in his passion for the occult while staying near to home, he picked up and left for Eastern countries which included Asia, the Mediterranean basin, Egypt, Tibet, and India. These five areas are well known for mystical and occult practices within their religions, with Egypt and the Mediterranean being a focal point for the occult where both the Egyptian and Chaldean mystery religions were carried on after the fall of Babylon. However, what Gurdjieff had been searching for was the Sarmoung Brotherhood, a mystic Islamic society that practiced esotericism and occult arts. These members are also known as Sufis and were located in central Turkestan. According to Tell Me Who I Am, O Enneagram, the article states,

“ he [Gurdjieff] learned their mystical dancing, psychic powers, and the enneagram. For the Sarmounis the enneagram was important as a means of divination to foretell future events as well as a tool to represent life processes, such as personal transformation”.¹¹

Not only this, but it was used to represent the human’s conscious and unconscious states, serving as a representation of the cosmos. The end goal of this practice was to learn the self better, overcome negative traits, and become an enlightened man. Also known within the occult beliefs as the “Superman”.

Once Gurdjieff left the monasteries, he traveled to many other countries accompanied by a group of followers with the end goal of reaching “full consciousness”. It was during these travels where Gurdjieff stumbled upon the Naqshbandi Sufis, mystics who claimed to be the “World Brotherhood” who control the evolution and history of man while also holding secret knowledge.¹¹ Upon completion of his travels, Gurdjieff returned to Russia to spread his new discipline known as the Fourth Way, a combination of the practices of the Fakir (Islam), the Monk (Buddhist), and the Yogi (Hindu).⁶ Due to the restrictions placed on citizens by the Bolshevik revolution taking place at the time, Gurdjieff moved to Paris where he established his first institution in 1922 to share his mystical experiences and teach occult spirituality to the common people. The institution, “Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man”, was where Gurdjieff’s ideas blossomed throughout Europe and into the Americas under the title of esoteric Christianity, a form of Christianity that focuses on Gnostic doctrines and the awakening of the “Christ-self”. Two years later, there was a second learning center established in New York in 1924. However, as World War II came about, Gurdjieff’s teachings were strained due to the stresses of war, resulting in him retiring to write books on his disciplines instead. These books include Beelzebub’s Tales to his Grandson, Life is Real Only Then, When “I Am”, and In Search of Being: The Fourth Way to Consciousness.

What this Fourth Way doctrine taught was that at birth, the human is born with an essence and a personality, believing that the consciousness is known as the particle of god within all humans. Yet, the personality is what covers the human’s godly aspects and as humans, there is a need to overcome the personality to release the true “god essence”. To reach this level, there had to be a balance between the three centers Gurdjieff determined. These were the path (head), oth (heart), and kath (stomach). This represented the mental, emotional, and physical. In Tell Me Who I Am, O Enneagram,

“The enneagram figured prominently in Gurdjieff’s teaching, as seen by its frequent appearance in his disciples’ books (though not in his own). The Sufis had used the enneagram for numerological divination… The Sufis searched for the mystical meanings of the decimals .3333…, .6666…, and .9999… (based on dividing the number one by three), and of the decimal .142857… (based on dividing the number one by seven and containing no multiples of three). The multiples of three correspond to the triangle inside the circle, and the decimal .142857 (derived by dividing seven into one and resulting in a repeating decimal that never contains three or its multiples) corresponds to the points on the circle that connect the six-sided figure. Through these two figures inside the enneagram circle, each based on the decimals of three into one and seven into one, Gurdjieff was able to manifest the great numerological laws of the three and the seven. He taught that ‘all things in life work on two laws — 3 and 7.’ All psychological laws fall within the law of three — as with the three personality centers, and all material things fall within the law of seven’… Piotr (or Peter) D. Ouspensky, a mathematician, writer, and Gurdjieff disciple, quoted Gurdjieff as saying: ‘Only what a man is able to put into the enneagram does he actually know, that is, understand. What he cannot put into the enneagram he does not know.’ In other words, any information that cannot be assigned its numerical value and then run through the enneagram diagram could not be understood in terms of its true cosmic significance. The process of knowing something through the enneagram meant distinguishing between the functional steps of a process, which must always follow the nine points around the circle, and the ‘will cycle,’ which follows the inner figure along the lines between points 1, 4, 2, 8, 5, 7.¹¹”

What Gurdjieff taught was a repackaging of old pagan religions and practices from the ancient mysteries with a substantial focus on occult doctrines. The Enneagram was taught to be a symbol of the cosmos and could be used to better understand the vastness of the universe through numbers, otherwise known as numerology, a form of divination. One of the disciples of Gurdjieff, John Bennet wrote in his book Enneagram Studies, “enneagram is more than a picture of yourself, it is yourself….the enneagram is a living diagram and…we can experience ourselves as enneagrams…[during a lecture session on the enneagram, Bennet] felt myself going out of myself and entering the diagram”.²

As time passed, the teachings of the Fourth Way started to advance throughout the world, with institutions being established based on the occult teachings of Gurdjieff. One of the most profound, well-known practitioners and promoters of the Enneagram is Oscar Ichazo, the leader of a New Age cult following in Chile known as the “Arica School”.¹⁵ According to the Enneagram Institute, what was taught at this school was “a vast, interwoven, and sometimes complex body of teachings on psychology, cosmology, metaphysics, spirituality, and so forth, combined with various practices to bring about transformations of human consciousness.” It is from Ichazo’s teachings that the modern-day systematic use of the Enneagram was developed and based upon, attributing personalities as well as positive and negative behaviors to each of the nine numbers. Each number was then additionally assigned an animal with a one-word description of the negative personality that was to be overcome by the disciple; this included the titles of resent, flattery, go, melancholy, stingy, coward, plan, venge, and indolent.¹¹ Claudio Naranjo, another of Gurdjieff’s disciples, had heard of the work being performed in Chile and had doubts as to whether the true doctrine was being taught. As a result, Naranjo took a trip to Chile and upon meditating in the presence of Ichazo, believed that he was fit to continue leading this school and helped develop the Enneagram to a further status by providing elegant descriptions to each personality type and applying Freudian defense mechanisms to each; this may be a reason for the claim of “scientific accuracy” for the Enneagram system; There has never been confirmed scientific foundations or support for the Enneagram. After the visit, Naranjo brought the teachings back to the United States and had his disciples learn the ins-and-outs of the Enneagram at the “Esalen Institute” in California around 1970. These students include Helen Palmer, Kathleen Riordan Speeth, and Fr. Robert Ochs who are the spearheads of the movement currently being taught at Enneagram sessions throughout the nation. Now that the roots had been planted in the United States, the only thing left to do was spread this New Age occult teaching to the masses.

Claudio Naranjo has since gone on to admit that the tale of the Babylonian and Suffi roots of the Enneagram were nothing more than a marketing campaign. This, however, does not negate the spiritual and occult similarities that it has to Babylonian and mystery religions; the origins of the Ennegram are still based in the occult. What Naranjo admits is that the true descriptions and types that were used for the Enneagram came from his own personal “automatic writing” experiences, a practice where the writer empties his/her mind and allows a demonic spirit to take control of the writing utensil, using the body of the human participant as the medium through which occult knowledge can be channeled from the spiritual world to the physical world. Below is the interview in which Claudio Naranjo admits to the information listed above.

Breakdown of the Enneagram Shape

This next section will contain a breakdown of the significance of the Enneagram as it is related to and used within the occult. I highly recommend that even if you do not fully understand the material being presented, that you still read this section and follow up the reading with individual research as to what has been discussed. This section will include information partly based on prior knowledge from research that has been conducted over the past year. Certain aspects of this information may seem far fetched, however, when put under the light of how numerology works within mathematics, science, and the occult, this explanation will not seem so.

Starting off, let us look at the layout of the Enneagram chart. Every shape, number, angle, and symbol holds sacred meanings within esoteric and occult teachings.

Nine-Pointed Star

On the Enneagram chart, there is a nine-pointed star with each of the nine points being placed an equal distance from each other all connected by a circle. This circle is a representation of the interconnectedness of all of the nine personality types within the universe, showing that humans have aspects of each personality type making us all one being intertwined with the cosmos; a collective consciousness.³ Through a series of questions presented to the user, the dominant personality is revealed along with “wings” which represent the outside influencing personalities.

The nine-pointed star is not limited to the Enneagram, it can be found across many other faiths and occult practices.

Alchemy and Sacred Geometry

In the occult practices, such as alchemy, sacred geometry is practiced. This is the belief that a God is the ultimate creator and did so through the use of geometry. As discussed earlier, occultists believe that the world is understood through numbers and patterns. Below are some sacred geometric patterns recognized to contain a form of supernatural power or knowledge. These all represent a form of cosmic energy.

Alchemy is one of the main practitioners of sacred geometry. The representation of the Philosophers Stone is a circle within a square, within a triangle, within a circle. As the reader can see, the common theme between all occult symbolism involves the use of the circle, the triangle, and/or the square. The significance of these shapes will be explained in due time.

Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn is a secret society devoted to the study of esoteric Christianity, metaphysics, occult, and interactions with the paranormal. Within their polygram and polygons used to represent esoteric meanings of the cosmos and used within occult rites, there are three examples of the Enneagram figure that can be traced from the Enneangle, a base for the following Enneagrams. The Enneangle can be traced in three different ways to reveal hidden knowledge concerning the cosmos as well as alchemical principles.⁵ The meanings of these symbols are not fully known and can only be revealed upon initiation into the order.

Baha‘i Faith

In the wave of the New Age movement, multiple religions and cult followings are developing. One of the many is the Baha’i faith, founded in 1844, which is the belief that all religions and paths lead to God. Baha’i is the second-largest spreading religion around the world.¹⁰ Although the nine-pointed star is not the official symbol of the religion, the faith claims it fully represents what they believe; that all nine true religions are interconnected to the one true God.

The Gnostic Circle

The Gnostic Circle is a teaching that was brought about in 1975. Within this doctrine, according to the Gnostic Circle,

“The Gnostic Circle presents the unity-vision of the Vedic Rishis in which the division of the Earth’s 360° year into 12 months and our 0/9 number system/enneagram are seen to function simultaneously rather than as separate systems of measure and knowledge. With this simple vision of the oneness of the zodiac and enneagram, the Gnostic Circle invites viewers to consider how they can begin to outgrow the fragmented consciousness that is the foundation of our current civilisation. The image of the Gnostic Circle presents the supramental or solar consciousness by which all divisions of the circle and all divisions proper to the process of the creation of life, are eternally One.”¹⁴

The Vetruvian Man

As it has been established, the use of these systems has been around for thousands of years stemming from Babylonian science and mathematics. Surprisingly, many of the early scientists were involved with the occult; Francis Bacon, Issac Newton, John Dee, Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler, and even Carl Jung. Two time periods where the occult sciences and mathematics were prominent were during the Enlightenment and Renaissance periods. If one simply looks at the works of science and math that were a result of these periods it is plain to see the relation to the occult. Let us take Leonardo DaVinci for instance. The Vetruvian Man is one of his most significant pieces of work.

With the layout of the man, inside the circle, there are nine points. According to The Vitruvian Man, “This image provides the perfect example of Leonardo’s keen interest in proportion. In addition, this picture represents a cornerstone of Leonardo’s attempts to relate man to nature. Encyclopaedia Britannica online states, ‘Leonardo envisaged the great picture chart of the human body he had produced through his anatomical drawings and Vitruvian Man as a cosmografia del minor mondo (cosmography of the microcosm). He believed the workings of the human body to be an analogy for the workings of the universe.¹³’” This is an image of the perfected man, or the superman, placed within a square to represent earth, placed within a circle to represent perfection. Given the nine points, nine being the highest single-digit number representing perfection throughout all occult and mystic beliefs.

Vortex Mathematics

Vortex mathematics was created by Marko Rodin, a man who claims he has discovered the geometry of the universe and has the keys to its secrets through the use of numerology and the teachings of Nikola Tesla. Tesla believed “If you knew the magnificence of the 3, 6 and 9, you would have the key to the universe.” Although this article will not include the life of Tesla, there is suspicion amongst scholars that Tesla had some “assistance” in the visions and development of inventions throughout his lifetime. With vortex mathematics being based on this claim by Tesla and the beliefs of the occult as seen earlier, Rodin claims that he has discovered a method to produce free energy by unlocking the universe through his invention called the Rodin coil.¹² As can be observed in the diagrams provided below, Rodin is heavily rooted in New Age practices and occult doctrines. Uncoincidentally, Rodin’s mathematical fingerprint of God strangely represents the Free Masonic Compass.

The Triangle

The occult places an unrelenting belief in the numbers 3, 6, 9, and 13. What is believed is that through understanding these numbers and their relation to nature, the earth, and the universe, one can fully grasp a full understanding of God and His creation, potentially unlocking the “god” that is within each of us. This is known as numerology, a form of divination as discussed in the history of the Enneagram.

As seen in the triangle which is found in the middle of the Enneagram, the angle degrees between the three sides are:

60 degrees

This is also known as an equilateral triangle. As is a common practice within numerology, the user will drop the second number or void the zero, which will result in three 6’s, or 666. Although this may seem far fetched, bring your attention to what happens when the triangle is split down the center. The resulting angles are:

30 degrees

60 degrees

90 degrees

Following the same rule of numerology, the resulting numbers are 3, 6, 9. Now some may claim this to be a coincidence; there is no such thing within the occult! Now let’s turn to the Enneagram and trace the corners of the triangle.

As we can see here, the triangle forms through the numbers, 3, 6, and 9. The perfect balance between instinct, feeling, and thinking. The true form of an enlightened man.

The Hexagon/Hexagram

After the triangle has been traced, the user is left with six more points. These points when interconnected form an irregular hexagon.¹⁵ Hexagon means the figure is a polygon with six sides and six angles. It does not matter the shape as long as the polygon fits this description. Now let us look carefully when breaking down the use of the hexagon within the occult and witchcraft, known as the hexagram. Take into consideration the Star of David as a point of reference. However, what if I told you that the Star of David is found nowhere in the Bible? You probably wouldn’t believe me until you did a quick search yourself and realized there is no such thing as the Star of David mentioned or even alluded to in the Bible. That is because it simply does not exist and is only used in occult magic, science, and mathematics. However, there is one area where conclusions can be drawn as to the origin of the hexagram. In Acts 7:43, there is a mention to the Jewish people bringing with them the “star of Remphan”. “Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon” (KJV). From this observation, it can be concluded that the Star of David is not a symbol of God or the true nation of Israel.

The hexagram is used in the occult to represent the duality of their god. This is displayed with the upright triangle intersected with the upside-down triangle representing “As above, so below.” This belief stems from the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus, the founder of Hermeticism and occult teachings. The hexagram is a true representation of a balance of opposites, similar to that of the yin-and-yang. What the occult believes is that not only does every human have aspects of good and bad to them, but that God has a balance between both good and evil, a representation of both the male and female aspects of the androgynous god, or also known in the Wicca (Pagan Witchcraft and Luciferianism) religion as the Baphomet. Draw your attention to the picture on the left at the upper left-hand corner.

The balance of the opposites is a staple belief across all occultic orders, secret societies, and Eastern religions. In Hinduism, it is used to show the balance between Shiva and Shakti; a perfect balance between male and female, good and bad, the combination of soul and god.⁸

Within the realm of witchcraft, the hexagram is one of the strongest symbols used to cast spells and perform dark magick. With this being the case, saying “someone has placed a hex on you” or “you’ve been hexed” provides context to these phrases. A hexagram is also used to conjure spirits and used for divination given its six 60 degree angles and six points on the star. When put into view, the 6 points, the 6 angles, and the 6 sided hexagon formed in the middle results to 666. Drawing the lines in the middle will create an infinite pattern of hexagons; a never ending loop of six.

Even though the roots of this mysterious symbol are not fully known, the reason it is often linked to Judaism is the use of the hexagram in the Kabbalah. This same symbol is also referred to as the Seal of Solomon in the mysteries. According to reformingjudaism.org, “Kabbalah (also spelled Kabalah, Cabala, Qabala)—sometimes translated as ‘mysticism’ or ‘occult knowledge’—is a part of Jewish tradition that deals with the essence of God. Whether it entails a sacred text, an experience, or the way things work, Kabbalists believe that God moves in mysterious ways. However, Kabbalists also believe that true knowledge and understanding of that inner, mysterious process is obtainable, and through that knowledge, the greatest intimacy with God can be attained. The Zohar, a collection of written, mystical commentaries on the Torah, is considered to be the underpinning of Kabbalah. Written in medieval Aramaic and medieval Hebrew, the Zohar is intended to guide Kabbalists in their spiritual journey, helping them attain the greater levels of connectedness with God that they desire.¹⁶” As we can see in the Kabbalistic “tree of life”, the two interconnected hexagons, when traced to reveal knowledge, can result in the Star of David. It is highly recommended to research this information to a further degree due to only scratching the surface level of the significance behind the six-pointed star and the occult.

Although the hexagram within the Enneagram is not identical with the true form of the hexagram, Enneagram teachers admit that the Enneagram contains an irregular hexagram and follows the “Law of Seven”, a pattern and explanation for the world as well as what can be observed throughout nature. Irregular hexagons are used within Wicca known as the “Unicursal Hexagram”. Esoteric meaning is an aspect of the occult one will never fully understand unless initiated in as a member. Everything holds meaning, is done intentionally, and is not presented unless carefully thought through. Remember, it is not only based on shapes, it is also based on angles, patterns, and energy flow.

The Circle

After breaking down the figures inside the Enneagram, the remnants consist of the circle which surrounds the occult shapes in the middle. As mentioned earlier, the circle represents the self, psyche, and ultimate wholeness⁸; the interconnectedness of all personalities to the complex infrastructure of the cosmos.

This same circle of interrelation is found within the Mandalas of Buddhism and Hinduism to aid in meditation. Within the occult, alchemy, and specifically Wicca, the circle is used to create a magic circle that is believed to trap energy and purify the area to carry out a spell that is placed within it. This provides an explanation as to why there are always circles around pentagrams, hexagrams, and all other alchemical and witchcraft symbols.

Relation to the Bible

After examining the history, prior uses, and its current role in occult and New Age teachings, I hope there is at least an inkling of suspicion as to the true use and purpose of the Enneagram personality test. Now many will say, “This is not how I use it, I use it for the purpose of understanding myself, others, and God better.”; but is this not what the very people who established the Enneagram system believed as well? Through understanding themselves and the workings of God, they were able to unlock their true human potential, to spark the “god particle/essence” within all humans; awakening the “Christ-self”.

I can sit here all day and provide my views on these systems, but all of that is vanity; there is no substance to my speech unless it is supported by Truth. As a Bible-believing Christian, Truth comes from the inspired Word of God which is revealed through the Holy Spirit. As a result, let us take a look at what Scripture says specifically about divination, astrology, witchcraft, and worldly systems of worship.

Deuteronomy 18:9-12
“When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee” (KJV).

2 Kings 17:16-17
“They abandoned all of the commands given by the Lord their God, crafted for themselves cast images of two calves, constructed an Asherah, worshipped all of the stars in heaven, and served Baal. They passed their sons and daughters through fire, practiced divination, cast spells, and sold themselves to practice what the Lord considered to be evil, thereby provoking him” (ESV).

Isaiah 47:13-15
“You are wearied with your many counsels; Let now the astrologers, Those who prophesy by the stars, Those who predict by the new moons, Stand up and save you from what will come upon you. “Behold, they have become like stubble, Fire burns them; They cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame; There will be no coal to warm by Nor a fire to sit before! “So have those become to you with whom you have labored, Who have trafficked with you from your youth; Each has wandered in his own way; There is none to save you” (ESV).

Galatians 5:16-20
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (ESV).

Jeremiah 10:2
Thus says the LORD, “Do not learn the way of the nations, And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens Although the nations are terrified by them;” (KJV).

2 Chronicles 33:4-7
Also he built altars in the house of the Lord, whereof the Lord had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever. And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger. And he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:” (KJV).

Jeremiah 14:14
“And the Lord said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds. Therefore this is what the LORD says about the prophets who are prophesying in my name: I did not send them, yet they are saying, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ Those same prophets will perish by sword and famine” (ESV).

Leviticus 19:31
“Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God” (KJV).

1 Samuel 15:23
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king” (KJV).

Acts 16:16-19
“And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers” (KJV).

2 Thessalonians 2:3-17
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work” (KJV).

Identity

As Christians, our identity is in Christ and Christ alone. Identity is not what can be foretold through a series of questions that provide results given how one is feeling during that point in time. Simply because you lack a sense of identity and do not fully understand who you are does not grant you permission to turn to worldly systems to discover your self-worth. Get into the Word of God, learn what the Scriptures say, and allow God to reveal who you are in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (ESV) and 1 Corinthians 6:17 states, “But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit” (ESV). As believers, our sense of identity does not come to us through what can be prescribed through worldly diagnoses.

The Enneagram places people in boxes which have been predetermined as to how they will behave. Not only does it set people into stereotypical prisons, it enables the justification of sinful behavior claiming that people are born a specific way and cannot help the way they act. With Christ all things are possible, and this cannot be used to rationalize being sinful.

The argument “the Enneagram brings to light the areas of life that one needs to work on” is brought about quite frequently and needs to be addressed. Allowing the Enneagram to reveal these areas to you simply contradicts what Scripture says about receiving knowledge. The Holy Spirit is the revealer of all things and that which needs to be overcome. It is not through our own strength that we overcome but by the power of the Holy Spirit. John 4 says “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded… those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (ESV). It is not truthful to ourselves or to God to substitute worldly practices for the lack of the Holy Spirit in our own lives. For when we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us 1 Corinthians 2:12-14 states, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (ESV).

If one lacks the wisdom and discernment that comes with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, James 1:5-6 writes, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed” (KJV). It is not a complex process, it simply takes a humble spirit to admit lacking areas in one’s life; it is not an easy process but is a necessary one.

Christianity is not a made-to-order relationship with God that allows the believer to craft a set of morals around their interests, what they feel is correct, and whether they judge practices to be contradictory to scripture or not. God is a personal God, however, He is personal when His personal orders are followed which are laid out in Scripture. God will never justify your doubts, He will aid you and lead you into finding the answers through the Holy Spirit and/or provide contentedness with accepting the aspects of life unknown to man. Adopting New Age practices with a Christian twist is unbiblical. The adoption of the Enneagram into the Christian culture is no different than the current use of “Christian Yoga” or the use of tarot cards at Bethel church and rebranding them as “Destiny cards” to aid in “prophecy”. This is straight heresy and the Lord will spit out the lukewarm church from His mouth! Christians can not adopt pagan operations to meet their worldly desires simply by ignoring or negating a practice’s history. We are called to be in the world, not of it; not to scratch our fleshly itch with a “not as corrupt version” of an ungodly system. We can see in Leviticus 10 when Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, offer strange fire unto the Lord. They had adopted the use of censers and incense, also labeled as Strange Fire; pagan forms of worship from other nations to exalt Yahweh, the one True God. As a result, God engulfed them in flames at the altar and they dropped dead. Christ calls us to deny ourselves, pick up our crosses, and follow Him. There is no room for wants and desires, systems you believe in, your own wisdom, or your own knowledge. We are called to deny what we crave and dive head first into a Christ-centered life; to live life as Christ. For fear of the Lord is knowledge and fleeing from evil is understanding!

There is no scientific evidence supporting the Enneagram system; it is clearly derived from OCCULT PRACTICES. Functioning off of feelings is the mere opposite of what Christ was and is. In Greek, Jesus Christ was written Logos in the prologue of John. Christ was and is the embodiment of all logic. For “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” There is no functioning on emotions. Through the rejection of Logos, we are rejecting Christ. It does not matter what you feel about the Enneagram or how you use it. Based on factual information and the truth, there is no denying its occult origins and current day uses within the New Age movement. Be reminded in Isaiah 5:20-21, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” (KJV)

I urge you to research everything you encounter and then compare it to the Word of God. Never trust what anyone says, including myself. Accept what the person is saying and then back it up with your own research. Adopting unexamined ideologies leads to the current misunderstandings and malpractices that have and currently are taking place in the modern church.

Now that the information has been presented, if you decide that the Enneagram is, in fact, occult and used in pagan religions, a grieving process will follow. Many have spent hours learning how to best implement this system into the Christian walk through reading books, researching, and attending seminars to learn the ins-and-outs of this program. However, we must as believers accept the truth, rid ourselves of any ungodly practices, and follow the path we are called to lead and model; one not of this world. Your hard work was not in vain, use this opportunity to now spread the word and use your experience as a testimony.

If given, you have read this article and still have doubts as to whether or not you should be using the Enneagram, I urge you to pray about it first and foremost; yet, also consider the fact that Satan works in the ways of subtle deception, a stronghold that is gradually contagious. As Vox Day has said, “You cannot rationalize with the standards of good or bad; alternatively, it should be is it of God or is it of Satan?”

Please consider subscribing to the emailing list for notifications and updates on new articles being posted. If you have legitimate questions, concerns, or corrections please feel free to contact me and I will gladly answer. I hope this information has met you well and will be applicable not only to your own life, but to also be a witness unto others.

God bless.
Job 28:28

References

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Olufani, M. (2019, December 1). Baha’is believe in the essential unity of all religions. Retrieved from https://bahaiteachings.org/bahai-faith.
Pacwa, M. (1991). Tell Me Who I Am, O Enneagram. Retrieved from http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/cri/cri-jrnl/web/crj0146a.html.
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The Vitruvian Man – by Leonardo DaVinci. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.leon ardodavinci.net/the-vitruvian-man.jsp.
Tompkins, L., Gnosis, Tompkins, L., & Butler-Staten, V. (2016, April 3). The Gnostic Circle. Retrieved from https://www.aeoncentre.com/keys/the-gnostic-circle/
Traditional Enneagram (History). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/the-traditional-enneagram.
What is Kabbalah? (2019, January 2). Retrieved from https://reformjudaism.org/what-kabbalah.

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