I know. It totally sounds like we’re at a bar and I’m trying to hit on you.

What’s your number, little lady?

But here’s the thing – I’m a Five, and knowing that I’m a Five has changed my life for the better in innumerable ways.

For those of you who still think we’re in a bar and I’m trying to pick you up, let me just say that, while you are very attractive, that’s not what this is about.

This is about the Enneagram.

The Enneagram is a super awesome personality system.

And not just any personality system.

It’s a spiritual personality system.

Yes, it’s been used in the corporate world to help people be more effective and get along better with their coworkers, but that’s not where it started and that’s not what interests me about it.

Here’s why I like the Enneagram so much:

Working with the Enneagram is like getting a secret magic blueprint of your personality structure.

For spiritual purposes, this allows you to know what you’re dealing with.

The process goes like this:

First, the Enneagram shows you who you are.

And by you, I mean your ego. Your personality.

This is really helpful in working with blind spots in your egoic structure.

Like, for example, with Fives, my type. (There are nine types in all, labeled One through Nine.)

Fives are super smart.

This is really cool and all, but Fives can get caught in their heads, refusing to stay in their bodies or experience the world in a grounded, tactile way.

The go-to strategy for Fives is to be alone, in their minds.

They may even get lots of kudos for this strategy from the world.

But the Enneagram reminds them this this approach isn’t going to serve them in the long run.

See, this is where the Enneagram gets really interesting.

Because ultimately, we’re not our egos.

The Enneagram shows us who we are, on a personality level. But it also points out that, ultimately, we’re not our personality.

The system shows us how to move beyond the personality level into something much richer.

It also points out how each type can access Spirit in its own unique way.

Although I’m referring to the Enneagram as an entity, it’s a bit more complex than that.

I was trained in the Enneagram back in the early nineties at JFK University in the San Francisco Bay Area. I trained with teachers in the Helen Palmer school. Her book, titled The Enneagram, was one of the first books that brought this tool to the mainstream. I’d highly recommend it.

At the time, the other main Enneagram school was that of Don Richard Riso. He and his partner, Russ Hudson, have written lots of books, but their Bible is a book entitled The Wisdom of the Enneagram. I’d highly recommend it as well.

A fabulous book for those who want to get a quick overview is called The Enneagram Made Easy, by Elizabeth Wagele.

Wagele is a Five, so she’s a brainiac and a minimalist (another Five trait). She’s pared down the essential information about the Enneagram in a clear and elegant way.

For those of you who still think we’re at a bar and I’m trying to pick you up, let me just say this.

If that were true, I would probably be able – because of the Enneagram – to ask you a few key questions and pretty quickly ascertain several key aspects of your personality. This would have you thinking I was either psychic or really sensitive to who you are. Or both.

And I would probably be able to pick you up as a result.

Bottom line, check out the Enneagram if you haven’t already.

Knowing your number will:

1. Free you in ways you can’t even begin to imagine and

2. Allow you to pick up strangers in bars.

Or fend them off.

What’s your experience with the Enneagram? Share your comments below!