The Enneagram of Personality offers profound insight into our tendencies and patterns. It helps us make sense of ourselves and our actions - why we are the way we are. But even more than that, it also allows us to see where we are sabotaging ourselves, limiting us, and preventing us from becoming the best and healthiest version of ourselves. 

The most beautiful and helpful illustration I have come across about how the Enneagram helps us in our self-discovery and growth journey is the Seed Coat illustration Marilyn Vancil wrote in her book ‘Self to Lose, Self to Find.’

We will dive into this illustration, and I hope it helps you understand how the Enneagram works and why it’s such a valuable healing and personal growth tool.

The Seed Coat Illustration

In her book, Marilyn used the seed coat illustration to help the readers understand how the Enneagram helps us in our journey of self-discovery and growth. 

In nature, we understand that seeds come from the mother plant, so whatever the mother plant is, the seed will be also. A tomato plant will bear seeds that will grow and become tomatoes, not apples. A corn plant will bear seeds that will grow and become corn, not soybeans. 

Each seed is protected with a layer called a seed coat. In a favorable condition, in this case, in healthy soil, with the appropriate amount of water and Sunlight, and a suitable temperature, the seed coat will soften, open up, and fall off, making room for the seed to germinate, take root, and eventually grow to become what it’s meant to be.

Using this illustration to understand ourselves, the seed coat represents the early strategies we adopted to survive our early years of life. Throughout our lives, nature and nurture have shaped us into the person we are today. The people that we spend time with and the things that we witness and experience help us make sense of who we are, how the world works, and how to gain love and safety. May they be positive or negative experiences or strategies, they form the personalities that help us to survive and thrive in the world.

However, these strategies can also become a trap. At a certain point in our lives, we realize that the strategy that helped us in the past has now become the very thing that limits us. Is the seat belt we put on still keeping us safe, or is it now making us stuck? 

In order for us to grow and reveal our fullest potential, the seed coat must fall off. We must let go of our old patterns and tendencies that no longer serve us. We need to let go to grow.

How The Enneagram Helps Our Personal Growth Journey

This is why the Enneagram is so valuable. Firstly, the Enneagram helps us to see what our tendencies are. There are nine different Enneagram types, and each type has its own unique tendencies or patterns. As you learn more about your type and the Enneagram, it will help you to become more self-aware about your tendencies, especially the unhealthy ones that limit you. Limit you from having a healthy relationship with yourself, limit you from building deep and meaningful relationships with other people, limit you from pursuing your dreams and calling, and limit you from living a joyful and fulfilling life. 

Secondly, the Enneagram shows you your personalized roadmap towards healing and growth. It’s like your inner personal GPS to take you from where you are today to become the best version of yourself. A healthier version of yourself where you are free, living with joy, purpose, and fulfillment.

TL;DR

The Enneagram offers us profound insights into our patterns and tendencies, especially the unhealthy ones that limit us from living a joyful, meaningful, and fulfilling life. However, it doesn’t stop there. It also offers a personalized roadmap for each of us to grow, unleash our fullest potential, and become the best version of ourselves. Whether you want to become a more loving partner, a more effective leader, a more present and patient parent, or have a better relationship with yourself, I’d love to help you get there!

If you are ready to let go of your old patterns and become the best version of yourself, shoot me an email today!