Singing about their home away from the island, yet finding no desire to return to this home, the Lotus Eaters exemplify the Enneagram Seven’s ambivalent attitude about remaining where they are and seeking an alternative future. I am reminded of the Tarot card representing the charioteer. One remains on the chariot (home) while racing forward in flight or combat. A similar image can be found in the snail’s slow travel while carrying its “home” on its back (the snail’s shell). Each of these images conveys something about the Enneagram’s own journey through a lifetime. The Six is always on the move, dreaming of a future that is never attained. Yet the Enneagram Six is always carrying their “home” with them and insisting that they never want to leave this “home.”
The anticipations of the Enneagram Six can be just as complex and filled with ambivalence as the home they don’t want to leave—and always leave. Positive anticipations center on the realization of a dream and living in a world of rich opportunities and pleasures. Yet, positive anticipations also center on remaining just where they are right now. A bit of intoxication enables the Enneagram Seven to feel “fine” with where they are right now. What then do the Seven’s want? Something new or their current situation? Is their positive anticipation filled with this ambivalence? Yes.
What about the negative anticipations? Enneagram Sevens dread feelings associated with the failed realization of their dream. They fear a life sustained in a world that is bleak and filled with despair. The lotus leaves enable the Enneagram Seven to buffer some of this fear. Their somatic template is saturated with dopamine or some numbing chemicals. This template is required because at some level, the Enneagram Seven is fully aware of their fated dreams. They constantly seek to escape from this negative anticipation by always dreaming of a desired future (that is never realized). Or they are lingering at a sumptuous feast of food, song, escapist drama, or recall of travel to an exotic land.
Enneagram Eight: The Boss
The focus of an Enneagram Eight is on control. They wish to “take charge” of their relationships with other people and the environment in which they operate. Helen Palmer (Palmer, 1991, p. 306) offers the following vivid portrayal of the Enneagram Eight:
“Eights describe a combative childhood, where the strong were respected and the weak were not. Expecting to be disadvantaged, Eights learned to protect themselves, becoming exquisitely sensitized to the negative intentions of others. Eights see themselves as protectors. They see themselves as shielding friends and innocents by placing them behind their own protective bodies while continuing to struggle against unjust odds. Rather than being cowed by conflict, Eights find their identity as enforcers of justice, taking great pride in their willingness to defend the weak. Love is more often expressed through protection than through demonstrations of tender feelings. Commitment means taking the beloved under the wing and making the way safe. The central issue is control. Who has the power and will that person be fair? The preferred position is to take charge, to one’s own power over the situation, and to maintain control over other strong contenders.”
I can return to one of the central characters in Homer’s Odyssey to provide an even more dramatic portrait of the Eight. I refer specifically to the Cyclops. This is a powerful, single-minded (one-eyed) combatant. He uses force to influence (and compel) the behavior of other people. As Palmer noted, the Enneagram can also be our protectorate. In the game of American football, there is a large (and often fast) member of the offensive team who typically plays the position of Guard (right next to the Center). This “Pulling Guard” often races out ahead of the running back, blocking anyone on the defensive team wishing to tackle the running back. In life away from football, we often look for a “pulling guard” in our own life. This is a person who is defending us against those who wish us harm or wish to block our progress on some project. As a pulling Guard, the Enneagram Eight can be welcomed in our life, though they can also be unwelcome if they are serving as our “bossy” supervisor or as our demanding parent.
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