Typology

I think there are truths which reveal the limitations of human language. And when this happens we have to rely on artists to express these great spiritual insights through an alternative language--like music or film or the visual arts or dance--to say clearly what the rest of us only feel vaguely.  So, when I heard Ryan O'Neal, otherwise known as Sleeping At Last, was writing songs from the perspe...

On last week's episode of Typology, I had an amazing conversation with my friend, Fr. Richard Rohr, renowned Enneagram expert and Franciscan Priest, and Executive Director for the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  We discussed the difference between the true-self and the false-self and explained how the Enneagram can guide us on our journey toward identifying our own...

I first encountered the Enneagram when I was a graduate student at a conservative seminary. While on a weekend retreat I came across a copy of Fr. Richard Rohr's book,  Discovering The Enneagram: An Ancient Tool for a New Spiritual Journey . In that book Richard describes the traits and the underlying compulsions of each of the nine basic Enneagram types. Based on my life experience and what I'd l...

Recently I came across an intriguing article in the Huffington Post about a group of Harvard researchers who undertook a longitudinal study to answer the questions, "͞What are the secrets to a happy and purposeful life?" and "How do we grow and change, what do we value as time goes on, and what is likely to make us happy and fulfilled?" What do you think the researchers said was their most importa...

A few weeks ago, renowned Enneagram teacher and author Dr. Beatrice Chestnut joined me on our show to discuss how Enneagram Twos see and relate to the world. Beatrice was so great that we were flooded with requests to have her on again, and thankfully she agreed or we would've had a mutiny on our hands! On this episode Beatrice and I tackle the question "How do I use the Enneagram as a tool for pe...

The more I know about life and people, the more I love Enneagram Sixes. Called Loyalists, Sixes are the most faithful and dependable people on the Enneagram. They keep a watchful eye over us. They safeguard our values. In my opinion, they're the glue that holds our world together. And, by the time this episode is over, you're going to understand why Enneagram Sixes have a reputation for being some...

Enneagram Twos are some of the most caring, kind, supportive, upbeat, and tenderhearted people on God's good green earth. Three of my closest friends are Twos, and together they radiate enough love and generosity of spirit to heat a metroplex. In Enneagram-speak they're called The Helpers . On today's episode, I'm joined by renowned Enneagram teacher, author, consultant, and Enneagram Two, Dr. Bea...

In 1991, tennis superstar Andre Agassi appeared in a television ad for a camera called the Canon Rebel. On the set, the fashionably dressed Agassi steps out of a white Lamborghini sports car, lowers his ray bans halfway down the bridge of his nose, gazes cockily into the camera, and says, "Image is everything."   I watched that old commercial on YouT ube the other day and thought to myself, "Wow,...

I'm not kidding when I say Enneagram Nines (The Peacemakers) are well represented in my universe of relationships. My wife Anne is a Nine. My daughter Maddie is a Nine, and as you'll soon learn, a disproportionate number of my friends are Nines as well. On this week's show we decided to try something new. We invited not one but a panel of FOUR Enneagram Nines into the studio to describe what it's...

Enneagram Eights (The Challengers) are hard driving, tough, decisive, innovative, and resourceful people who make things happen. They're larger than life presence and boundless energy instills confidence in others, and people follow them. As long as they're a man, that is. Our culture reveres male Eights. People admire men who "kick ass and take names." Sadly, we all know the word folks use to des...

"Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people," writes author Anne Lamott in her beautiful book, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Whether you struggle with perfectionism in general, or in just one or two areas of your life, you know how draining and torturous it can be. Are there ways to overcome the tyranny of perfectionism? Is it possible to quiet or t...

Most Enneagram teachers I know say Enneagram Nines are the least complicated of all numbers on the Enneagram, while Fours are the most complicated number on the Enneagram. With Fours, what you see is never what you get. There's always layers and layers of stuff going on beneath their surface.   On today's episode of Typology, I talk with popular blogger, podcaster, author, and fellow Enneagram Fou...

Can you pursue a life of success and enjoy a growing sense of 'shalom'--the Hebrew word for a sense of inner harmony, wholeness, and ultimate well-being we all long to experience? Listen into my conversation with Rabbi Evan Moffic, a renowned author, Jewish scholar, and Enneagram Three (AKA The Performer). A high honors graduate of Stanford University and the youngest rabbi of a major Jewish congr...

Bob Goff is a 7. His wife, Maria, is a 9. This is an episode about how two very different types can love and compliment each other. We learned a lot about 7's on last week's episode with Rob Bell, and while we'll dig more into the 7 as we talk to Bob, we're going to get a great understanding of the 9 as Maria joins today's conversation.    Be sure and check out Bob's book,  Love Does , and Maria's...

When I launched this podcast, I knew Rob Bell had to be my first guest. Discovering the Enneagram was a game-changer for Rob. His knowledge and enthusiasm for the Enneagram runs deep, and as you'll discover while listening to this episode, Rob is an Enneagram "7 with a 7 wing."   Check out Rob's latest book,  What Is the Bible? , and visit  RobBell.com  for speaking dates and other events. To keep...

Who are we? Why do we act, think and feel the way we do? How does the lens through which we see the world shape the way we live our lives?   Welcome to Typology, a podcast that explores the mystery of the human personality and how we can use the Enneagram typing system as a tool to become our most authentic selves. Hosted by author, speaker, and counselor, Ian Morgan Cron, Typology features interv...