“One way to transmit sacred teachings was by veiling them in symbolism or hiding them in metaphors. Like the spiritual lineage that preceded him, Evagrius argued that the physical reality of the manifest world displayed in the heavens, is a metaphor that reveals divine secrets.”  Helen Palmer

I’m often asked about the origins of the Enneagram.  I heard this excellent presentation by Helen Palmer and Ginny Wiltse.  Outstanding research and elegant weaving. 

The search for Enneagram origins has produced many insights but few substantial answers. Where did the diagram come from? Why just nine types? Why a star-shaped diagram with a gap at the bottom? And why this specific order of the types around the star? Answering these questions required a trail leading further back in time than the meticulous observations of a fourth-century monk Evagrius of Pontus, who codified nine distinct personality barriers that impede the experience of prayer and meditation. 

Read more here.