How we change

The most important part of the Enneagram is not what Type we are but an understanding of the Level of Development at which we are operating. One way of looking at the levels is as imagining them as a tall building. The lower down the levels we are, the more restricted the view because the more caught up we are in ego. What does being caught up in ego mean? It means that we have an idea of ourselves which we cannot see beyond. This idea of self is attached to a certain story we have of ourselves ie: 'I am a victim' or 'I am a person who makes things happen', or 'I am selfless' - each with its own particular vision of the world. Being caught up in it, however, we do not see this. We think the world is a certain way when in reality we are simply seeing it through our own tinted glasses. The lower down the levels we are the more invested we are in getting others to support the idea we have of ourselves because we feel vulnerable and so cling on to it. As a result we expend a lot of energy promoting, proving and defending ourselves. We take everything personally and are more reactive, acting out in repetitive ways that do not help us because we do not have a perspective on ourselves and so fail to see our distortions. The higher up the levels we are, the farther the view. Metaphorically there is more light. We have an ability to see beyond our own self to see that we are actually not the narrow idea we have of ourselves, that we are more than that. In turn we feel less vulnerable and therefore do not cling on to our idea of self so strongly. We are more open, with an understanding that we have choices as to how we behave and, with that awareness, an ability to be able to choose differently. In turn we are able to access different behaviours and so create, in other words, a larger palette of colours, if you like, with which to paint our lives. And so we change.