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There can be little doubt that we are living into a time of great changes and transformations in our world. Many old and familiar structures are no longer working adequately, and we face challenges on many fronts: the aftermath of the pandemic, wars and conflict, our climate, our economy, global politics, and so on.

So it is not at all strange that these major shifts and events can create fear and uncertainty in us. This is where true self knowledge and practice can be enormous help.

At this point, we may see that simply knowing the descriptions of the nine personality types of the Enneagram is a good beginning, but does not go far enough in helping us live the kind of lives that we are seeking. We need to understand the deeper background of the Enneagram and we need to learn practices we can use in our daily lives to support us when there are challenges and when we have the opportunity to be of help to others.

One of the ideas that Gurdjieff brought about the original purpose of the Enneagram was the concept of "shock points." Shock points are events in life that challenge our usual way of being—that disrupt "business as usual." In such moments, we may fall into more reactive and damaging beliefs and behaviors, or we may rise to the occasion with an expanded sense of our capacities and our ability to respond intelligently.

But shock points do not allow us to stay the same. Life brings big shock points and little ones, but knowing how to navigate them so that we respond with the best part of ourselves is one of the most important elements of wisdom we can have.

The fixated personality is focused on comfort—on maintaining what is familiar. While this is a normal thing for humans to do, comfort is not the same as wellbeing, and wellbeing includes the dedication to development. Anything that helps us develop is usually not comfortable—whether we are starting a new program of exercise or meditation, or learning a new language or skill, it is generally not comfortable.

Growth and development much depends on having shock points in our lives and learning to use them well. In this way we free ourselves from the traps of "comfort" and begin to live a life more of wellbeing and development. And in this way, we become more able to respond to the challenges of the world with more courage and grace.

All of us have areas of ourselves we have denied, hidden, or been afraid of. The great psychologist Carl Jung called these areas our shadow. Most real Enneagram work is working with our shadow material, and learning to meet our shadow brings us in touch with parts of ourselves we actually need. Further, turning toward our shadow rather than away from it, creates a shock point, and opens up a new potential portal to growth.

In this new workshop, Russ Hudson will invite us to explore the different kinds of shock points, and particularly those that are connected with our Enneagram type. We will also learn how to create shocks for ourselves—to engage in new ways of thinking and behaving that will keep us opening up to new growth possibilities and new inner resources.We will learn ways to use our own Enneagram type and the types connected to us by the inner lines of the symbol to recognize the shock points in our lives, and to learn to create new opportunities for ourselves to grow.

The workshop will include meditation, music, and exercises to help us customize the material we are learning, and to see how it applies to the realities of our lives. We will learn to recognize some of our shadow issues, but more importantly, to have an experience of the strengths and gifts that those shadow issues can hide. Hopefully, we will all emerge from the weekend with more energy and confidence to respond to the changing forces and trends in our world, and to be a force for good in our lives.

Workshop, 2019

We recommend that you read "The Wisdom of the Enneagram" by Don Riso and Russ Hudson for better understanding of the workshop.