Hello, beautiful humans and welcome to the mental Wellness. Wake up, show a weekly podcast where growth minded creative people, come to learn, best practices from both spirituality and psychology that create lasting well-being. I am your host mental Wellness, expert improvised acting teacher therapist and Coach, Don McMillan. Let's get to it. It. What I want to talk about today is the Enneagram. So if this is your first time here first of all, thank you.
There's so many things that you could be doing with your time a so your willingness to share it here right now is a true gift. So thank you. Second of all, we're talking about the Enneagram which is a wisdom system. Most commonly used as a personality typing system that includes nine basic ways. Of relating to the world nine, basic personality types. And my thesis is that we human beings are way too fascinating way to facet, Ed to be limited
to just one anything. And that what we're going to use the Enneagram for is, as a way of integrating all the different aspects of ourselves. I believe that we are made up of so many He different parts. And each of those parts belongs in each of those parts has something to offer us. So as we're seeking to grow as we're seeking to become the best version of ourselves, we can take a look at each Enneagram
type for two purposes. One is to identify ourselves to to understand our families and friends and colleagues better but three is to look for ways to take the best of that personality. Ality type and see if we can't add it to our own Suite of behaviors and resources. So, we're really about the big picture. We're really about making a circle, hope not dividing ourselves up into little parts or little numbers. But thinking about things in terms of being holistic, and
that's where we are headed. So, we will begin with Enneagram 8. But wait, you might be saying to yourself aren't the numbers 1, through 9, Why not start with number one. And here's why the Enneagram is divided into three segments called centers of intelligence. So, there are three different centers of its intelligence.
The gut or Body Center, The Heart Center, and the head Center. So the gut Center is comprised of Enneagram, 8, 9, and 10. So we're going to begin with the beginning of the gut Center and not the first number. I don't fully understand. Although I'm sure there are people who do why we don't number?
The Enneagram differently. Once you discover the gut centers, I suspect it has something to do with one's being the perfectionist, but I digress because 8 is the beginning of the gut Center. We are going to start with Enneagram 8. So what do I mean by centers of intelligence? So you may hear me clicking around and flipping papers because I am looking at notes. So for centers of intelligence, we're basically just looking at a primary orientation for Aging with the world.
So people in the gut Center or the Body Center tend to go with their gut. They're more instinctual, they're more centered in the body and people in this Center, have a complex relationship to anger. So, the first center 8th 9th and ones are a body or gut Center, and it's that notion of being really grounded in the body and
moving, A lot from instinct. Twos, threes and fours are in the Heart Center. So heart-centered people tend to go with emotions, they tend to be led by their feelings and two, threes and fours, have a complex relationship with shame. Then we get to our fives sixes and sevens, so five, six and seven are considered the head or the intellectual Center. So these are the people who are living life from the right and living life from the left neck up for the most part.
Think their way through life, five six and seven stink their way through life and five six and seven have a complex relationship with fear. So those are the intellectual centers. Pardon all the noise. If you can hear it, that's just people coming and going. I'm consistently the beginning to believe. I need to build a studio but we'll get to that. Okay. So we have the intelligence centers gut heart and mind are head. Actually not mind head so we're starting with Enneagram 8.
So any G eights are called the assert ER the boss or the Challenger. So eight tend to be motivated by The need to be self-reliant and strong and to avoid feeling weak or dependent. So, AIDS are really interested in control. They are not interested in controlling others or situations or though even though they will if it's required but they are primarily interested in not being controlled. So they're not wandering around just looking for power in order to have power.
But in order to not be controlled, they will step into a position of power if needed. So eight at their best are direct authoritative, loyal energetic earthy protective, self-confident. Now the eights that I know personally, if they believe in something they will, Fight tooth and nail for that something specifically, those eight who are involved in causes, like you definitely want them on your
side. There's some people who believe that Martin Luther King jr. And Mother Teresa were Enneagram 8. Like they are, you know, Warriors for the causes that they believe in they are loyal. So if your friend is an eight and they are loyal to you, They will fight by your side. Like just I always think of Enneagram mates as like these. These warriors with, with sword straps to their back, right? And if you're ever in a pinch, you want an 8 because they will definitely, they definitely have
your back. So, what's great about being an 8 is a rates like about themselves often Is being independent and self reliant being able to take charge being courageous and straightforward and honest and in some systems eights are considered to have the sin. I hope you can hear the air quotes of lust lust meaning a deep attachment and passion towards physical experience. It's not necessarily sexual, it's just really wanting
physical stimulation. You like you're very likely to find eight jumping out of a perfectly good planes. So that's that's like eights are just really see sort of seizing the day. Often 8 Source can be very supportive and empowering and protective of those close to them and as I implied before, if there's a just cause they will put themselves on the front lines to stand up for that.
It's weaknesses tend to be. They can be a little overwhelming that can be very intense and for some other types like that intensity can be a little off-putting. The thing to remember is that that's just them being them, they just feel things, very deeply and I'm very passionate about the things that they believe. And then sometimes they can put way too much pressure on themselves, ignore their own pain. And just keep pushing through regardless of what it costs
them. So being an eight has so many advantages so much going for it. Now you said that the gut centers have a complex relationship with anger. Its relationship to anger is usually to act it out. There are other types that will suppress it, ignore it or passive-aggressive, passive-aggressive. It you're a Average eight will aggressive aggressive.
It like a fan. If 1/8 is a riled up, you will know it. And the thing to keep in mind about your average, Enneagram 8 is that, that Fierce passion is always in service to something worthwhile, unless they're an unevolved eight, right? You know what I'm saying? Like, It's it's not it's not anger for no reason. It's usually anchor at or wrong. It's anger at a wrong.
An unevolved Enneagram 8 will see wrongs everywhere and just walk through life angry but if you're in the presence of an Enneagram a who's riled up reframe that as just Real and True passion. Okay. So that's a bird's eye view of the Enneagram 8. Passionate strong-willed. Loyal willing to willing to go head-on into danger if it's for someone they love or something that they believe in, how can we learn from the Enneagram 8? How can we learn from the Enneagram 8?
So I want to go back to that list of some of the eight best qualities. It's our Direct. Authoritative loyal energetic earthy for that. I read grounded, you know. And sometimes, when I think our theater, I think of people who smell of Patchouli and where bamboo clothes, but I think, I think more of her talking about, like grounded and the gift of the eight is that they're
actually in their body. They're actually in their body am like, five, six and seven, who are sometimes, not even in their head, sort of floating of five feet above. So eights are Are grounded protective and self-confident. So in order to integrate that Enneagram 8 energy, we have to begin to be willing to notice and process anger. So many of us, especially those of us who are socialized in assigned female, we think anger is bad.
What a healthy Enneagram 8 does, is take that anger, acknowledge it and use it as fuel to take action. So our challenge This week, as we begin to think, how can I integrate and support? My inner Enneagram 8 is in what ways can I get in touch with my passion? In what ways, can I be more in my body that could look like
going to yoga or Tai Chi? That could look like doing breathwork that could look like punching a boxing bag that could look like doing a cold dip that could look like just giving yourself a little pets on your body, how can I be more in my body? How can I notice those kernels of anger Within Myself and use them as As fuel. How can I be more direct in my communication?
Can I mean what I say? And say what I mean, So as you go through this week, maybe listen to this last few minutes a couple of times or jot down some key questions that you want to use in your morning routine to begin to unearth that Enneagram 8 within you as you move through space so that we can add that beautiful courageous willingness that Enneagram eights bring to life in.
Ourselves and if my description of an Enneagram 8 made you think oh I think someone in my life is an Enneagram a man. Appreciate the heck out of them. It can be rough being in any Grand made, especially for Enneagram mates. Who were women. People are not always as receptive to direct forthcoming passionate women, as they are two men with the same personality type. So your Enneagram 8. If they love you, they love you hard. Never take that for granted.
Never take them for granted. All right. I have to at this point, do something. Important. And that is to remind you that regardless of what your Enneagram type is or is not you. Are amazing. You are like a smorgasbord of awesome and do penis you just as you are in this moment at this time our whole perfect and complete and you are worthy and deserving of a life, so remarkable. That you wake up with a grin on your face everyday.
Thanks for being here. I am so honored that you share time with me. If you've listened this far, then something here was a value to you. Would you please be a friend of the podcast and share it with at least one other person? The podcast is available on most platforms including YouTube and I need your help to get the word out. So please like, subscribe, and share, and a five star review on iTunes, would be glad chefs kiss. Thank you so much. See you next time.