Enneagram Point 8 Characteristics Still Smiling at Me
A couple of recent Enneagram conversations with new friends resulted in me observing that some of the point 8 character traits are still functioning in my psyche.
My first encounter was with someone who had attended an online webinar with David Daniels (an enneagram person I haven’t seen in 20 years or so). My conversation partner thinks they may be an 8 on the enneagram. We managed to spend several hours chatting about most things under the sun without resorting to arm wrestling or shouting – proving once again that 8’s aren’t all aggression all of the time.
The point 8 enneagram trait that was first to jump into my conscious awareness was – we’d rather have bad news than no news.
Those 8’s – are they a riot or what? Eights have this connection with truth, but that doesn’t always play out in a good way as they can be prone to “my way or the highway” and “might makes right.” The significance of which can lead to distorting the “truth” to a relative position or perception. In my case, it was simply a matter of wanting clear communication.
In my first conversation, I made several references to how important communication is to me, especially in regards to friendship. Being forthright is an art to cultivate. Just blurting things out won’t do, but it’s one place to start if that’s all we have going for us. Developing sensitivity, steadfastness and a non-judgmental attitude are essential – and it seems, a life-long endeavor on my part – that sensitivity thing, what a challenge! I may actually have to be more present in life – what’s up with that?
The second encounter with the enenagram occurred at Roast & Toast, a local coffee shop. I was sitting down at a table when I noticed a gent next to me, had a copy of Richard Rohr’s book on the Enneagram. I hadn’t seen that book in years and I said so to the gent. As it turns out, I was speaking to a local minister who is using the book to help with research on his Ph. D.
We had a long chat which ultimately left me feeling very sad. The conversation opened around the enneagram and the power of silence for transformation ( perspective on this can be found in The Void). The conversation turned toward a recent incident in the church… What was sad, was how entrenched & fixated some of the people involved were… leading to another member having to resign a position. All of this in the name of God & morality.
Aha, that 8 thing – wanting to pick up the sword in defense of the underdog and take off a few of those sanctimonious heads! Alas, all that practicing presence seems to have taken a toll on me as I simply felt sweet sadness…
I found it quite interesting to find myself in 2 enneagram conversations in one week with total strangers. Perhaps stranger things will happen.
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