Rachel starts to share how she got started with the enneagram and her passion for it.
She first heard about it in college around seven years ago, and tested as a three then. She started learning how a three approaches their relationship with the Father which really opened her eyes and transformed her prayer life. This set her on a course of discovering and pursuing understanding the enneagram more for the sake of others and helping them. She got certified as a coach, found out she was a 6, and now she is so passionate about helping other people discover what they are and using this tool.
Rachel has a huge heart for clearing up misconceptions in the enneagram world. She loves it because it’s so fluid, actually highlighting us in any season of life. She talks about how common it is to mistype and how important it is to look at the core fears and core desires and see which one hits true the most. Ultimately we do have our one core type, and there is a process to uncovering that.
Enneagram means “a nine pointed diagram/a nine sided figure”. It is a personality typing system and has nine types as well as sub-types. You can also have your wings that are your ‘flavors’ and it also shows you what you display in times of stress and what you display in times of growth.
Rachel goes into talking about how the enneagram has the power to wake you up and get you back on track. The enneagram is made to be a tool not our destination. It will highlight our strengths and our more negative characteristics. It’s an amazing starting point and we need to know where we are starting from! The enneagram test is the starting point but there is a journey to unfold it so much more. The enneagram pulls out and highlights our motivation behind things. Its really difficult to just take the test and come to a conclusion based off of that, it allows for easy mistyping.
Rachel chats about how the enneagram can really help understand and navigate relationships. It’s an opportunity for you to connect with the Lord and ask him why you respond certain ways, and give him space to show you. When you are confident in your number around someone else who knows their number, it allows your relationship to grow immensely, especially through conflict. It gives us understanding for peoples core fears and why people respond the way they do. It has allowed Rachel and her fiance to understand so much and also avoid certain things in conflict. Ebie shares about how the enneagram has helped her navigate conflict with her husband and her closest friends. It has also given her language for how to communicate with the people in her life, realizing how she speaks in that moment will navigate a conversation so well.
The enneagram is such an amazing tool for both conflict as well as encouragement. It has the power to change a relationship and an environment, which is so powerful. It gives you some conversation points with your friends to have that you might not have known you needed.
Rachel goes into talking about how the enneagram points us back to Jesus and relates to the gospel. The enneagram has really given her insight on how to encourage those close to her and the giftings they have. We all approach the Father differently, and it was realizing how she approaches Him that really helped her see she wasn’t coming to Him open hearted, without anything in front of her or unmasking. It led her to ask, “How can I unmask myself and approach Jesus as her full self?”
Rachel then digs into each number of the enneagram for us:
1- Reformer: our true and right people, they see the world in “what can be better” which is beautiful and can also be really difficult/can come off as micromanaging. Have a fear of being bad, corrupt. Desire is balance, integrity, and stability.
2- Helper: Superpower of being able to know what people need without them telling you. They want to help and focus so much on helping people around them which then forget about themselves and caring for themselves. Their core desire is to feel loved and wanted. They are constantly giving, but also need love for themselves.
3- Achiever/Performer: Fear of failure, being incapable, not doing enough. Desire to feel valuable and worthwhile by being themselves. The ones that get things done, our motivators.
4- Individualist: Desire authenticity in situations, don’t love small talk, they want things to feel genuine. They also want to find their unique significance.
5- Investigative thinker: Introverts of the enneagram, battery each day with a certain amount of energy. Need a lot of rejoicing time, time alone to regain energy to go back out and give to those around them. Need their space.
6- Loyalist: Fear of fear itself, anxiety can be a struggle. Need to feel supported, likes guidance and security. Love to hear that they are safe and secure.
7- Enthusiast: They are never fully satisfied, core desire is to feel content and their search for that looks like the ones that are constantly doing and having fun, being spontaneous. Often avoid emotional pain and fear of being criticized. Usually very fun!
8- Protective Challenger: They embody strength. They’re out to protect themselves, great voice for the voiceless.
9- Peaceful mediator: Fear conflict and being unimportant. Loves to hear that they are seen and they matter, they are needed. Desire an inner stability, peace of mind.
Resources:
Enneagram Institute has a great free and paid for test, that is a great starting point. You could start with your top three numbers and research those.
Book:
“Road Back to You” by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile
Podcast:
The liturgist episode 37
If you’d like to find Rachel!
“Your Greenhouse Coach”
Website: yourgreenhousecoach.com
Email: yourgreenhousecoach@gmail.com
She is available for coaching, to help discover your number or diving deeper into the number you know you are, leading to ultimate transformation!
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