Discovering Your Enneagram Wings: A Guide to Personal Growth
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Understanding the Enneagram
The Enneagram serves as a powerful instrument for personal development. It unveils the falsehoods you may believe about yourself, highlights your fears, and uncovers emotions that often remain unexpressed. By utilizing this tool, you can identify areas in your life that require healing and discover a pathway to growth.
Once you identify your Enneagram type, your journey truly begins. This type reflects how you react under stress and illustrates behaviors that occur automatically, without conscious effort. It represents your default responses when you feel overwhelmed.
Determining your type can take time—months or even years. While various online assessments can assist in this process, none are flawless.
Why Explore the Enneagram? Recognizing your type and wing can lead you to your true self. After identifying your core type, you can explore the wings adjacent to it. It's uncommon for individuals to fit perfectly into a single type; instead, choose the wing that resonates most with you.
Your core type remains constant, but your wing may evolve over time. For personal fulfillment, it’s beneficial to cultivate both wings effectively.
Wings can influence your unique traits, merging the behavioral patterns of your core type with those of your wing. Identifying your core type alongside your wing may prove challenging, especially if you exhibit strong traits from both. If both wings belong to the same triad, the process can be even more complex.
Don't stress if discerning your core type and wing takes time; the key is to utilize the Enneagram as a tool for daily self-reflection. It helps you recognize the internal narratives you create, the falsehoods you accept, and various ways you may hinder your own growth.
What combination of type and wing aligns with you? Read on to start your exploration.
Exploring the Enneagram Wings
Want to dive deeper into the Enneagram? Check out the insights below about the wings of each type.
Type One:
- Wing 9: This wing promotes a calmer, more peaceful demeanor, allowing Type Ones to adopt the strengths of Type Nines by appreciating diverse perspectives.
- Wing 2: This combination fosters a friendlier and more helpful nature but can also lead to critical or manipulative tendencies, drawing on the altruistic qualities of Type Twos.
Type Two:
- Wing 1: This pairing enhances idealism and fairness but may lead to self-criticism, as Type Ones bring a sense of higher standards.
- Wing 3: This combination encourages confidence and creativity, making Type Twos more outgoing and competitive, traits often associated with Type Threes.
Type Three:
- Wing 2: This wing encourages self-reflection and sensitivity, but can also lead to a belief that love must be earned, a notion prevalent in Type Twos.
- Wing 4: This pairing fosters creativity and emotional depth, yet may also introduce mood swings reminiscent of Type Fours.
Why the Enneagram? It can liberate you from your fears.
Type Four:
- Wing 3: This wing enhances sociability and motivation, often leading to an increased desire for recognition and success, traits of Type Threes.
- Wing 5: This combination can make Type Fours more introspective and eccentric while retaining the observational skills of Type Fives.
Type Five:
- Wing 4: This pairing brings creativity and empathy, yet can also lead to self-centeredness, influenced by the emotional depth of Type Fours.
- Wing 6: This combination fosters reliability and caution, mirroring the vigilance typical of Type Sixes.
Type Six:
- Wing 5: This wing encourages reclusiveness and a deep need for understanding, traits associated with Type Fives.
- Wing 7: This pairing promotes an outgoing and adventurous spirit, drawing on the joy-seeking nature of Type Sevens.
Why the Enneagram? It can help you discover your courage.
Type Seven:
- Wing 6: This wing enhances loyalty and charm, balancing the carefree nature of Type Sevens with the security-seeking traits of Type Sixes.
- Wing 8: This combination results in a more assertive and competitive demeanor, as Type Eights' drive for achievement influences the spontaneity of Type Sevens.
Want to uncover the transformative power of love through the Enneagram? Click Here.
Type Eight:
- Wing 7: This pairing leads to a vibrant and inventive spirit, channeling the enthusiasm of Type Sevens into Type Eights' assertiveness.
- Wing 9: This combination tends to create a more approachable and calm demeanor, drawing on the peaceful qualities of Type Nines.
Type Nine:
- Wing 8: This wing enhances confidence and assertiveness, allowing for a blend of conciliatory and commanding traits, depending on circumstances.
- Wing 1: This pairing fosters a more systematic and critical approach, reflecting a desire for order and improvement characteristic of Type Ones.
Why the Enneagram? It can guide you toward finding the right career path.
Identifying your type and wing aids in pinpointing what may be obstructing your growth. Once you recognize your dominant wing, consider developing your weaker one; both wings are essential for personal elevation.
Beyond the Enneagram, practice is necessary to connect with your inner self, physical sensations, and emotional responses. Acknowledging and feeling the emotions tied to what holds you back is the first step toward liberation.
Why the Enneagram? It provides a roadmap toward a more fulfilling and joyful existence. The question remains: Are you ready to embark on this transformative journey?
Roland Legge can assist you in shedding unproductive habits and guiding you toward a path that allows your best self to shine. As a Certified Identity Life Coach and a minister within the United Church of Canada, Roland offers valuable resources, including a newsletter for advice, a free E-book, and opportunities for personal coaching sessions to delve deeper into the Enneagram.