The Inner Lines of the Enneagram (3 Week Series)

Take a deep dive into the Enneagram and its “Inner Lines” with Nicholas Collura!  The Enneagram, a system of nine archetypal personality structures and its accompanying diagram, contains “inner lines” that have long been thought to represent directions of “integration” and “disintegration.”   In fact, the inner lines speak to a much more mysterious and powerful reality: the fact that our own psycho-spiritual complexes are linked in a special way to those of another type.

This 3 part series will draw on the wisdom of Enneagram teachers like Sandra Maitri. Considering the inner lines as tunnels into layers of the psyche that underlie our superficial personality structures, we will explore the “soul child” theory of how our personality style came to be, as well as other contemporary approaches that suggest how the inner lines chart paths to healing.

Our time as a learning community will include teaching, group and partner work, mindfulness practices, and demonstrations of the “panel” method of exploring participants’ own experiences of their Enneagram type structure. By the end of this course, participants will:

• Understand the history of Enneagram theorists’ attempts to conceptualize the inner lines of the diagram;

• Become familiar with the true meaning of the inner lines beyond ideas of “integration” and “disintegration”; and

• Experience and practice concrete methods for personal growth and integration.

Here is an outline of the sessions:

          Session 1 –The Inner Lines: What They Are, What They Are Not

          Session 2 – The Soul Child: At the Origins of Our Type Structure

          Session 3 – Midwifing Our Virtues: Growth Through the Inner Lines

A solid, introductory level understanding of the Enneagram and its nine types is a prerequisite for this program.  Those who attended Cranaleith’s The Enneagram: A Tool for Spiritual Growth during Fall 2022 or viewed the on-demand videos from it will meet this requirement.  Those who have acquired their own understanding of the system are invited to contact the instructor to see if this current program is appropriate.

Private sessions with the instructor are possible for those who wish to develop further clarity on their own personality type prior to the course.  Write to programs@cranaleith.org to inquire.