9

The Ultimate Guide to

Enneagram Type 9

The Chill • Peacemaker • Mediator

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I created this guide to connect people like you with the best Enneagram teachers I know so you can understand yourself and others better. There's a lot here, so it's best that you read a little at a time and then come back later to learn more.

For Life,
Marshall Æon

New and Improved

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Table of Contents

Word Cloud of Enneagram Type 9 Characteristics
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Enneagram Type 9 Strengths

When Type Nines are in touch with their strengths–and aren’t succumbing to their Achille Heel–they bring others the gift of serenity and relaxation. These are the powers of The Chill:

Peace

Real serenity is experience in the presence of a Nine.

Relaxation

The mind and body release their tension when a Nine connects with you.

Ease

When a Peacemaker brings relaxation, everyday living becomes smoother and easier.

Harmony

Tensions are soothed between others and conflicts are resolved, creating more harmonious relationships.

Positivity

If every dark cloud has a silver lining, then Nine excel at finding it – they help others see the bright side.

Acceptance

People feel completely accepted by the Nine for who they are, without judgement.

Flow

With greater ease, and less friction, life just flows naturally.

Source: The Heroic Enneagram, by Marshall Æon

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Enneagram Type 9 Weaknesses

🤕 Achilles Heel: The fear of conflict with, and disconnection from, those they care about. When Type Nines succumb to their Achille Heel, their strengths become weaknesses.

Laziness

Nines can relax too much, going slack and becoming resistant to any kind of effort.

Inertia

Because change can disrupt their comfortable routine, Nines can become inert and resist change. They choose comfort over growth, leading to stagnation.

Withdrawing

The demands of others become too much, causing Nines to move away. This inevitably creates disharmony and conflict with those that depend on the Nines.

Neglect

Important responsibilities are forgotten as the Nine ignores anything that might disturb their inner peace. Problems snowball as the Nine tries to remain blissfully unaware.

Stubborn

Nines get sick of always accommodating others, so they can dig in their heels on the smallest matters.

Resentment

Nines often put the needs of others before their own, so their needs to go unexpressed and unmet. They then become resentful of others.

Source: The Heroic Enneagram, by Marshall Æon

🤩 Famous Examples of Enneagram Type 9

Grace Kelly Christopher Walken Penelope Cruz Walt Disney Abraham Lincoln Mariah Carey Adam Driver Ralph Waldo Emerson Marvin Gaye Kirsten Dunst Carl Jung Gabor Maté Prince William Adam Sandler Al Gore Celine Dion Albert Einstein Robert Pattinson Andrew Yang George RR Martin Bob Ross Mark Zuckerberg Lil Nas X Jimi Hendrix LeBron James The Weeknd JK Rowling Barack Obama Ronald Reagan Snoop Dogg Melania Trump Pharrell Williams Vin Diesel Simon Cowell Jeff Bridges John Mayer Ryan Gosling Scarlett Johannson George Lucas Lisa Kudrow Beyonce Knowles JAY-Z Erykah Badu Bjork Steven Seagal Keanu Reeves Billie Eilish Marie Kondo Queen Elizabeth II Notorious BIG - Biggie Smalls Ed Sheeran
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Enneagram Type 9 in Love & Relationships

1️⃣ ❤️ 9️⃣

Ones and Nines often join together in attending to detail and leading an orderly, steady life. Ones support Nines' development and Nines encourage Ones to become more accepting. Nines, however, can feel criticized and prodded instead of encouraged by Ones. As a result, Nines may end up feeling inferior. In attempting to please, they over-accommodate and build up stubborn resistance that annoys and frustrates Ones. A cycle of escalating conflict can follow, leading to further prodding of the Nine, which creates a power struggle: the two types can become stuck, internally seething, punctuated with angry outbursts. This pattern is compounded since both types have difficulty knowing their real needs and desires. Over time the relationship can deteriorate to extinction.

2️⃣ ❤️ 9️⃣

Twos and Nines get along well together because they both are sensitive, pleasing, helpful, and accommodating. But conflict arises when Twos become overly helpful and intrusive in an effort to get Nines to set priorities, take initiatives, and say what they need even though Twos have great difficulty themselves with experiencing what they need. Nines try to keep things steady, comfortable, pleasant, and focused on what the Twos need, all of which can frustrate Twos’ efforts. Then Nines may become stubborn and resistant in response to what feels like pressure and directives, and can eventually get overtly angry, distance themselves, or just “space out.” A cycle of escalating conflict can result with the Two, feeling frustrated, trying harder and eventually emoting anger to avoid feeling useless and unfulfilled while the Nine just digs in further with a stubborn anger to avoid being overwhelmed by the Two’s active and intrusive energy. When this pattern persists, the relationship can deteriorate and even dissolve.

3️⃣ ❤️ 9️⃣

Nines naturally support Threes’ goals and accomplishment agenda. In turn, Threes help to mobilize Nines into action. This can proceed harmoniously when the Threes pay attention to Nines’ needs and neglected priorities and when Nines encourage Threes to slow down and “smell the flowers.” A cycle of escalating conflict,, however, can arise when the Three experiences the Nine as indecisive, unfocused, and off-track. Getting frustrated and impatient, the Three may pressure the Nine to make decisions. Feeling discounted and controlled, the Nine can become anxious, stubborn and resistive. This then may escalate into angry exchanges and debilitating, prolonged stand-offs that threaten or may even dissolve the relationship.

4️⃣ ❤️ 9️⃣

Fours appreciate Nines’ attention going out to them, ability to defer to others, and desire to please. And Nines appreciate Fours’ creative flair, intensity, relationship orientation, and depth of feelings. But Nines can get swept up in Fours’ “drama.” Then when the Four expresses a desire for more intensity, spark, and initiative, the Nine can feel discounted by the Four’s demands for more and swings in mood. From the standpoint of the more openly emotional and self-focused Four, the Nine gets diverted into inessentials and doesn’t show enough pizzazz. A cycle of escalating conflict can ensue if the Nine responds by feeling deficient and digs in, becoming stubborn and resistive. Both types can resist influence, become angry, and blame the other for their difficulties. Both can then withdraw and fall into inaction and manifest feelings of deficiency and sometimes depression. In time, this cycle can threaten or even result in termination of the relationship.

5️⃣ ❤️ 9️⃣

The Five-Nine relationship can be a comfortable, supportive one because both types can be steady and non-demanding, and both types want to get along and avoid conflict. Yet the Five can get impatient with the Nine’s lack of clarity, indirectness, merging quality, and seeming dependency. In turn, the Five’s dispassion, aloofness, and seeming indifference and superiority can upset the Nine. A cycle of increasing conflict can unfold with the Nine, wanting more connection and involvement, complaining, and getting stubborn or dug in and the Five retracting further and withholding. Both can escalate the conflict by trying to avoid conflict. And both can fall into angry withdrawal and inaction. Ultimately, this may result in not enough contact to sustain the relationship.

6️⃣ ❤️ 9️⃣

Sixs and Nines often harmonize through their efforts to create a predictable, supportive, and secure relationship. Both tend to go along to get along, but the Six can experience the Nine’s distractibility and passiveness as a lack of caring or an inability to see potential hazards. A cycle of increasing conflict may ensue with the Nine, experiencing the Six’s anxiety and worry as excessive and reproachful and then may try to convince the Six that the concerns are irrational. The Nine may dig in, getting stubborn and oppositional, and not do what he or she seemingly agreed upon especially when the Six becomes provocative and even questioning to the point of becoming bitingly critical. This can end in stalemates, angry blaming, and withdrawal that threaten the viability of the relationship.

7️⃣ ❤️ 9️⃣

Sevens and Nines complement each other in their relationship. Sevens provide the agenda, take the initiative, and pursue multiple interests, and Nines go along with the Sevens’ agenda, amiably supporting the Seven’s diverse activities. In addition, both types like keeping life pleasant and free of conflict. Nevertheless, a cycle of increasing conflict may arise when the slower-paced Nine feels run over by the Seven’s plans or overlooked as a person. The Seven, in turn, experiences the Nine as indecisive and distracted by little things. If the Seven pushes for more action, attention, and interest, the Nine can get stubborn and oppositional. Since both types are conflict-avoidant, gradual disengagement and withdrawal can take place interrupted periodically by angry outbursts associated with unaddressed conflict. Ultimately, there may not be enough connection to sustain the relationship.

8️⃣ ❤️ 9️⃣

In this relationship, Eights will typically lead the way and Nines will go along with Eights’ agendas. Nines promote harmony by following Eights’ lead and sharing in the Eights’ activities. However, the Eight’s exuberant energy and associated excessive behavior can evoke resistance in the Nine who may experience the Eight as being too pushy or too demanding. A cycle of increasing conflict may occur when the Nine, feeling intimidated, pressured, and discounted, digs in and gets oppositional and stubborn. Thus, the Eight’s efforts to mobilize the Nine can be experienced by the Nine as overbearing and confrontational. A cycle of “attack” and resistance, hurt feelings, and withdrawal can ensue. This pattern may ultimately lead to alienation.

9️⃣ ❤️ 9️⃣

Nines have the potential for a comfortable, mutually supportive, and caring relationship with each other, but their mutual desire for harmony may lead to an unhealthy avoidance of conflict and a deadening of the relationship. In addition, their mutual tendency to defer to others and avoid focusing on their own priorities can lead to procrastination and indecision. These patterns can then lead to complaining, subtle blaming, and passive resistance. One or both Nines may try to get the other to initiate with “what do you want” type of statements. With neither being comfortable with taking the lead in the relationship, they may have a difficult time finding a direction and moving forward in order to deal with the accompanying distress. A cycle of increasing conflict can ensue as neither one tends to view himself or herself as causing the distress. So both may gradually find substitute interests aside from the relationship. Ultimately the relationship can fall apart when both individuals not feeling fulfilled withdraw in anger. There just may not be enough shared energy left to sustain the relationship.

Source: David Daniels

Enneagram Type 9 at Work

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High Side
Empathic, available, unaffected, steady, reliable, humble, warm, salt of the earth
Low Side
Too accomodating, apathetic, lazy resistant to change, indecisive, boring, wedded to habit, lost in space, stubborn
Leadership Style
Collegial, participatory, inclusive, reactive, sharing credit; and – sometimes – passive-aggressive and stubborn
Communication Style
Sagas, epics (lengthy, rambling, repetitive narratives), maundering
Good Work Setting
Stable and predictable, with clear delineation of responsibilities, collegial, mutually supportive, low conflict
Difficult Work Setting
Authoritarian, high pressure, low human relations component
Books
On Becoming a Person by Carl Rogers
The Functions of the Executive by Chester Barnard
Confessions by Saint Augustine

Nines are the most easygoing of all the Enneagram types. Able to compromise easily, they're so in tune with the intentions of their fellows that they lose sight of their own intentions, desires, purposes, and needs. Their selflessness and their sensitivity to other people's often-irreconcilable views makes them naturals for mediating, counseling, consensus building, and calming things down.

Nines are deliberate and slow moving, ("Never run for a bus," advised Mel Brooks as the two-thousand-year-old man, a Nine. "There will always be another.") Nines resist succumbing to pressure, especially pressure for closure. "It'll happen when it happens," says a Nine. They take the time to listen to your story, to discuss your project's pros and cons, and to allow the proper direction to emerge naturally. At the same time, this laid-back attitude sometimes means Nines lack a sense of purposefulness. Co-workers may see them as spacey and neglectful, slow-talking and slow-walking bureaucrats who are easily overwhelmed and don't do what they say they are going to do.

If the go-getter Three is a typically American style on both coasts, Nine is a characteristic social style of the country's middle. Many modern presidents who were Nines came from such middle American stock: Eisenhower, Ford, and Reagan were all beloved, with sunny dispositions and a healthy respect for traditinion, quintessentially folksy men, amiable fence-sitters who were tranquil and warm amid the tumult that swirled about them. Nines tend to be decent, persistent, "the salt of the earth." They can be beguilingly self-effacing, as was Gerald Ford in his first speech to Congress as president. To the many doubting his ability to perform magic in post-Watergate times, he emphasized reliability over flash. "I'm a Ford, not a Lincoln," he said unassumingly, like a true Nine.

At their best, Nines are the philosopher's stones of the Enneagram. The magical philosopher's stone had the power to change base substances into pure gold, without itself changing. Nines can see your gifts, your real needs, and your calling, and they naturally have the empathic skills to bring these forth, often without your realizing it.

What Nines sometimes give up for their ability to bring out the best in others is the ability to do the same for themselves. Nines lose their own way when they get swept up in other people's agendas and projects. They may wake up hours or days or years later and feel betrayed, frustrated, and furiously angry for having lost themselves.

Source: The 9 Ways of Working, Michael J. Goldberg

Enneagram Type 9 Parenting & Children

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Nines as Parents

  • are supportive, kind, and warm
  • are sometimes overly permissive and nondirective

Source: The Enneagram Made Easy, Baron & Wagele

Ten Common Problems with Enneagram Type 9 Children

Getting to School on Time

Nine-ish children have difficulty telling you directly what's wrong. If they can't get to school on time, make an effort to find out why. Are they getting enough sleep? Are they taking unexpressed anger out on you or the teacher? They may have inertia and may not want to stop doing what they're doing, whether in motion or at rest. It might help to play their favorite music while they're getting read for school. Have a delicious breakfast ready for after they've done everything else. Remember, if you nag, these children become very stubborn.

Study Habits

Some Nine children get right down to business and study with enthusiasm. Encourage those who don't to do their homework at the same time every day, for Nine-ish children often get more done when they're in a habit.

Manners

Nine children like to behave well to keep life pleasant and on an even keel. However, when they haven't expressed what they want (or don't know what they want), they may become stubborn or even aggressive. Help them feel confident and comfortable around others by providing a safe atmosphere within your family and letting them know they're important.

Getting Along with Others

Nine-ish kids are not often social leaders, though they have great value as mediators. They often like to work behind the scenes. These children are biased toward seeing things positively. Nine children make generous and supportive friends and can be fun to play games and sports with. They're good companions on walks or long-distance runs, and they like sharing hobbies. And they're known as the greatest to just hang out with. When they have problems with other children, it's more likely coming from overaccomodating than from aggression.

Sleeping and Eating Habits

Nine-ish children enjoy sensual pleasures such as lying in the sun, sleeping, and eating. If they seem stressed or unhappy, a good time to talk about it is while tucking them in bed. Give them plenty of time to tell you stories about their day. Nine children tend to be unhurried. Don't criticize or tease them if they're the last to leave the dinner table. Keeping things pleasnt, which Nine kids like to do, can itself create tension.

Get-Up-and-Go

Having too many possibilities can nearly paralyze Nine children. When appropriate, help them clarify what they want. If they have clear goals, they'll go after them with great energy.

Standing Up for Himself or Herself

Nine children tend to give in. Their powerful Eight or One wings can alter this considerably, though. Parents can help them with self-assertion by encouraging a change in their belief that they won't be liked if they put themselves forward. Create opportunities for Nine kids to speak their minds, and set an example by speaking yours in a direct but nonthreatening way. Champion them, especially when they're young.

Decision-Making

Sometimes Nines are afraid people won't love them if they have needs, so they put off decisions and wait around to see what will happen. When they do make decisions, they usually consider their options deeply and seriously and don't shift their positions easily. To build their confidence, take an interest in their opinions, starting when they are very young.

Emotional Maturity

Many Nine-ish kids report that people say, "You're really sweet!" after they've known them only a short time. Nine children can be funny, comfortable to be around, and very warm. Be sensitive to how all styles of children react to you, and be aware of their moods–whether quiet, soft, upset, or anxious. If they're crying, gently try to find out why. If they're engrossed in building something, don't interrupt them. If they look unhappy, especially when very small, they are unhappy. Encourage them to snuggle up to you, and show them you enjoy watching them and listening to their feelings and ideas.

Responsibility

Nine children usually want to do what's right and be responsible. A strong One wing can reinforce this tendency. Sometimes they procrastinate, get side-tracked, or get stuck doing what they're doing. Don't always protect Nine kids. Experiencing the consquences of their actions will help teach them to be responsible for themselves.

Source: The Enneagram of Parenting, by Elizabeth Wagele

Instinctual Variants of Enneagram Type 9

⛰️ Self-Preservation 9

Self-Preservation 9 is the passion of sloth applied in the Self Preservation Zones. Self-Preservation 9 is an interesting contradiction–at once the most easygoing 9 but also the most stubborn. Self-Preservation 9s tend to be grounded & to appreciate simplicity. They generally prefer to keep their lives uncomplicated as possible.

The Self-Preservation variant of each type tends to introversion, and Self-Preservation 9 is no exception. Self-Preservation 9s enjoy solitude & are particularly attuned to nature. They have a live & let live attitude but are also the 9s who can most easily tell people off if offended. They like to go at their own pace.

They can be very practical & are often valued for their common sense. Of the 3 zones, they tend to have problems with self care and are the 9s who can get caught in ruts--becoming resistant to new experiences. They can be brilliant & creative, but are also genuinely humble.

Claudio Naranjo called Self Preservation 9 "Appetite"–referring to one way this type may try to narcotize. I call this combo "The Comfort Seeker"--noting that there are many ways we humans try to be comfortable, and the healthy side of Self-Preservation 9 is the capacity to relax & simply be. Self-Preservation 9s help others land too.

☀️ Social 9

The passion of sloth in the Social zones. "I can't get what I really want socially, but this will do." Social 9s can be outgoing, positive and purposeful--they can resemble 3s and 7s. While externally engaged with others, they can maintain an internal aloofness, a safe distance emotionally.

Social Nines are the mediating 9s–the 9s who easily see different sides of a conflict & help people come together around an issue. They're often trusted as leaders because people sense they will be fair. They have a gift for making others feel welcome and included–they seek consensus.

Social Nines focus on the bonding and reading zones of Social. They sometimes struggle finding their purpose but can pursue goals when they feel someone believes in them. They want to belong but get annoyed with themselves when they lose their identity in relationships or group dynamics.

When troubled, the usually energized Social Nine become flat & listless. They are prone to depression & a sense of futility, surviving through basic routines. At their best, they are wonderfully sensitive & inclusive, inspiring leaders, & profoundly supportive friends & partners.

Claudio Naranjo called Social Nine "Participation": deciding what to participate in is important, because Social Nines are deeply influenced by who and what they engage. I call Social 9 "One Happy Family", because of their wish to be inclusive. Helen Palmer's name for Nines, The Mediator, also works well here.

🔥 Sexual 9

The passion of sloth in the Sexual zones. For me, this is "I can't have what I really want in the sexual energy, but this will work." Sexual Nines are often highly romantic, creative, & sensual. The Sexual energy brings more volatility to feelings so they are often mistaken for 4s.

Sexual Nines combine an earthy sense of enjoyment with an ethereal quality that is difficult to describe. They attract with a presentation of innocence and openness–even though they may be highly experienced in the ways of the world. They have a rich fantasy life and love stories and symbols.

Sexual Nines emphasize the merging zone as well as the attraction zone, although their desire to merge can clash with the 9 wish for autonomy. Thus, Sexual 9s may go back and forth with the objects of their attraction--becoming intensely involved them moving away to restore themselves.

When troubled, Sexual Nines can feel torn between the need for space and the need to merge. They may resolve this through triangulated relationships but can also lose themselves in fantasies about a perfect partner coming along. At their best they are brilliant, sparkling, and passionate.

Naranjo called Sexual 9 "Union" and I call Sexual 9 "Merging." Here Claudio and I are quite close in our observations. Many Sexual Nines do not easily recognize themselves as 9s. They can be adventurous, free-spirited, & creative in many ways. They express their passions more openly than Self Preservation or Social Nines.

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Source: Russ Hudson on Twitter

Typing Enneagram Nines

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Type Nines want peaece, harmony, and mutual positive regard; avoid conflict, and don't readily access or express their own points of view; embrace multiple perspectives; preefer a rrelaxeed demeanor or "going along to get along" rather than to potentially create tension between themselves and others.

Type 1 vs Type 9

The confusion between type 1 and type 9 does happen, most likely because type 1 and type 9 are adjacent to one another on the Enneagram and, therefore, are wings of each other. A person might be a 1 with a 9 wing or a 9 with a 1 wing. In addition, both 1s and 9s can be stubborn, although in two different ways. For example, 1s can be firm and stubborn about their way being the right way, whereas 9s become highly stubborn when they perceive someone else telling them what to do. Even suggesting a course of action that a 9 doesn't want to take can activate the "Don't try to control me" response in 9s; however, 9s rarely say this out loud. Instead, they are more likely to appear compliant, but have no intention of following through on what was suggested.

Type 2 vs Type 9

The confusion between type 2 and type 9 is one of the most common, and there are many reasons for this. Even though 2s a Heart Center type and 9s are a Body Center type, 9s can be very healtfelt, people-oriented, and relational, much like 2s. In addition, both 2s and 9s are part of the "optimistic triad" – along with Enneagram 7s – so both 2s and 9s smile quite a lot and are adept at interactions that cause others to feel good.

Type 3 vs Type 9

Because 3s and 9s are connected by an arrow, many 3s feel familiar with aspects of 9 and vice versa. For example, when 3s get quite stressed, they may move to some qualities of type 9 and engage in a distracting activity to relax them such as video games, watching TV, or whatever takes minimal effort. And some 9s, particularly social subtype 9s, can get very active on behalf of gruops or teams as they attemp to merge with a group or with work as a way to fit in or belong to the group. In addition, some 3s appear mellow and relaxed, like 9s. However, this at-ease demeanor in 3s is more a result of their attempt to create a "cool" image and to not appear as driven as they actually feel inside.

Type 4 vs Type 9

Enneagram type 4 and 9 don't usually cause confusion when people are trying to identify their Enneagram type accurately, though it does happen occasionally. The most common reason is when a 9 has a particular affinity for the more robust emotionaly that goes with type 4. Because 9s merge with people with whom they feel an affinity–that is, they lose themselves in the energy of the person with whom they are merging–the 9 could mistake him-or herself for a 4 from having previously merged with other 4s.

Type 5 vs Type 9

5s and 9s do, on occasion, get mistaken for one another, even though they are very different in Ego structure. This can come as a surprise to many who know the Enneagram, but it happens enough, particularly with a highly introverted 9. 5s and 9s show the least emotion of the nine enneatypes, and a highly introverted 9 may appear less accessible and more remote than most other 9s and slightly more 5ish. In addition, social subtype 9s tend to be the most intellectual of the three subtypes of 9. Highly intellectual social subtype 9s – especially if they are introverted – can have a very challenging experience sorting out whether they are 5s or 9s. And social subtype 5s, who connect with groups of people who share common values and interests and may work hard on behalf of this group can, initially, think of themselves as social subtype 9s rather than 5s.

Type 6 vs Type 9

6s and 9s are arrow lines of one another and, in this sense, there may be some elements of type 9 in every 6 and some aspects of type 6 in every 9. For example, 6s may enjoy nature to "space out" and relax, and 9s may be quite insightful and/or internally tense, although they tend to not share their insights outwardly and their internal tensions are often masked by a calm demeanor.

Type 7 vs Type 9

7s and 9s are sometimes confused with one another because both belong to the "optimistic triad," along with type 2. What this means is that 7s, 9s and 2s have the most optimistic or positive view of people, and the world, with 7s being the most optimistic, 9s being the next most optimistic and 2s being less optimistic than 7s or 9s. Another way of understanding this is that these three types embellish reality more than the other types, perceiving things as better than they actually are. One way to think about the difference between 7s and 9s is this: 7s are energetic optimism; 9s are relaxed optimism.

Type 8 vs Type 9

8s and 9s are wings of one another, and as a result, there can be some 9 qualities in many 8s and some 8 qualities in many 9s. They are also two of the three types formed in the Body Center of Intelligence, along with type 1–all three Body Center types have issues with anger and control–which can make them seem similiar.

Source: The Art of Typing by Ginger Lapid Bogda

Enneagram Type 9 Harmonics (Handling Conflict)

Positive Outlook

People whose dominant Harmonic approach is the Positive Outlook approach are generally optimistic and tend to avoid negative thoughts or situations. Under stress, they seek to avoid the problem, distract themselves with something else, or minimize the problem. These types want to feel good and want others around them feel good. They would rather have everyone happy (including themselves) than to deal with problems or negativity (especially in themselves). Unfortunately this approach can lead them to deny the existence of their problems and therefore delay addressing them.These types also have issues with finding a balance between meeting their own needs and meeting the needs of others.

Positive Outlook of Nines

Nines can get into conflicts by being too complacent, inattentive, and stubborn. Nines tend to focus on their positive and harmonious relationships with their environment. Nines have a difficult time dealing with conflict or change because it disrupts their peace and stability. Nines, therefore, try to deny or avoid these problems by strengthening their attachment to the status quo. These problems will take care of themselves, so why bother dealing with them. Nines focus on the needs of others, often accommodating to others. Nines try to balance the needs of others with their own needs of autonomy.

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Source: Rob Fitzel

Enneagram Nine with Eight Wing (9/8 or 9w8)

8️⃣

Average 9/8

Average 9/8s are gentle, simple, unsophisticated people. They tend to be a bit impulsive because of the lusty eight-wing, and they have the ability to push hard enough to get their way, but they back down easily in most cases if others resist their impulses. 9/8 is more likely to ignore a challenge than the more power-oriented 8/9. Unlike the more refined 9/1, 9/8 feels rough around the edges. There is often almost a clumsy feel to their childlike ways. They are like puppies, eager to be happy and eager to forget unpleasantness.

Healthy 9/8

When they begin to wake up, 9/8s almost always use their lusty, powerful eight-wing to pull themselves out of the dream. For them, the expansiveness and energy of eight is a direct antidote to nineish apathy and resignation. When eight begins to pull in the benevolence of two and nine finds the ambition of three, there is no stopping these powerful, generous people.

Highly integrated 9/8 carries both the goodness and generosity of two and the deep self-actualization of three, without any trace of pride or vanity. People feel positively uplifted in the presence of such completely humble, giving, magnificent, fully self-created beings. Somehow just being in the presence of such a person can generate tremendous confidence and healthy self-regard. It is not what they do, it’s how they are. They simply are — without trying to be anything in particular. The utter naturalness is astounding.

Unbalanced 9/8

Stressed 9/8 tends to fall into an unselfed dream state. If the dream deepens, apathy gives rise to sixish suspicion while eightish defensiveness leads to fiveish paranoia. Nine‘s primary defense of withdrawal is enhanced by both tendencies, and 9/8 becomes a reclusive, lazy, mistrustful, hermit.

In the worst cases, the tendency to escape by going to sleep leads to total avoidance of any kind of real interaction. Bills go unpaid, the phone rings without being answered, and the lawn goes unmowed. Somnolence leads 9/8 deeper and deeper into self-negation, resulting in a paranoid sort of comatose sloth. No one is home in the body, and the body is powered down. There cannot be said to be any life at all in such a dead state.

Source: Intuitive Enneagram, Nick Turner

Enneagram Nine with One Wing (9/1 or 9w1)

1️⃣

Average 9/1

Average 9/1 has a sort of cloudlike softness. The one-wing adds a flavor of intellectuality, but nine is more powerful, so the 9/1‘s thoughts are not likely to receive much reality-testing. As a result, 9/1 often has a set of beliefs about the world that may seem superstitious or magical to others. For 9/1, this is no problem, because, strange as it may seem, these magical beliefs often seem to actually work for them. Unlike 9/8, 9/1 has a kind of refinement and poise, because of the one-wing’s desire to be perfect. But 9/1 is more likely to lie down and take a nap than the more workaholic 1/9.

Healthy 9/1

Balanced 9/1 somehow becomes more present. Now there is really somebody home, a genuine being with actual goals and self-interest who happily starts creating results in the world. Nine begins to show some threeish ambition and the one-wing begins to loosen up its perfectionism. While such a person might still be involved in activities that are non-threatening and might not be particularly visible in the world at large, the results often affect others in ways that are surprisingly useful and subtle.

Advanced 9/1 finds deep sevenish joy in the accomplishment of personal goals. Usually the goals involve teaching or otherwise empowering others. Oneish intellectual rigor finally assumes real importance when the desire for withdrawal diminishes, allowing 9/1 to risk genuine involvement. Thoughts and internal images finally correspond to actual reality and 9/1 is able to transmit to others a special and powerful kind of integrated self-actualization.

Unbalanced 9/1

Under stress, nineish emotional withdrawal increases, accompanied by oneish judgment of self and others. 9/1 retreats into a fantasy world inhabited by comfortably fuzzy generalities and stereotyped images of other people. These are the people 9/1 wishes could inhabit the real world, wishful, perfect images of real people. Unfortunately, because 9/1 is convinced of the reality of these internally generated images, real-life interactions suffer when people do not live up to their idealized images. But the 9/1 tries very hard not to notice.

In the extreme, it becomes nearly impossible not to notice the discrepancies between the perfect inner images and the outward reality. Total isolation becomes the only way to avoid seeing that the world is populated by disturbingly imperfect, unpredictable, demanding, untrustworthy beings. Life falls apart at the seams and psychotic 9/1 eventually may reach a state of catatonic pseudo-coma. Even eating and drinking can become too much work. No one is home in the body, and the body itself is allowed to fall into ruins.C

Source: Intuitive Enneagram, Nick Turner

Enneagram Type 9 Music

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Enneagram Type 9 Fictional Characters

Frodo Baggins - Lord of the Rings
Frodo Baggins • Lord of the Rings
Jon Snow - Game of Thrones
Jon Snow • Game of Thrones
Queen Amidala - Star Wars
Queen Amidala • Star Wars
Jake the Dog - Adventure Time
Jake the Dog • Adventure Time
Garfield
Garfield the cat • Garfield
Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch - WandaVision
Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch
WandaVision
Kenny McCormick - South Park
Kenny McCormick • South Park
Homer Simpson - The Simpsons
Homer Simpson • The Simpsons
Shrek - Disney's Shrek
Shrek • Disney's Shrek
Luke Skywalker - Star Wars
Luke Skywalker • Star Wars
Harry Potter
Harry Potter • Harry Potter
Dorothy Gale - Wizard of Oz
Dorothy Gale • Wizard of Oz
Patrick Star - Spongebob Squarepants
Patrick Star • Spongebob Squarepants
Will Byers - Stranger Things
Will Byers • Stranger Things
Phoebe Buffay - Friends
Phoebe Buffay • Friends
Luna Lovegood - Harry Potter
Luna Lovegood • Harry Potter
Rue - Hunger Games
Rue Hunger Games
Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump • Forrest Gump
Mr. Miyagi - Karate Kid
Mr. Miyagi • Karate Kid
Cindarella
Cindarella • Disney's Cindarella
Hawkeye - Marvel Cinematic Universe
Hawkeye • Marvel Cinematic Universe
Hulk - The Avengers
Hulk • The Avengers
Edward Ferrars - Sense and Sensibility
Edward Ferrars • Sense and Sensibility
Winnie the Pooh
Winnie the Pooh • Winnie the Pooh
Sans - Undertale
Sans Undertale
Jane Bennet - Pride and Prejudice
Jane Bennet Pride and Prejudice
Prim Everdeen - Hunger Games
Prime Everdeen Hunger Games
Black Panther
Black Panther Black Panther
Jim Halpert - The Office
Jim Halpert The Office
Marge Simpson - The Simpsons
Marge Simpson The Simpsons

How Enneagram Type 9 Can Level Up (Personal Growth)

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☑️ Value Yourself

Your life matters and your needs are important. Make sure that you get what you need and you’ll be more effective at caring for others.
To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.
Oscar Wilde

☑️ Speak Up for Yourself

Let your voice be heard. When others know what you think and how you feel, they can take your views into account so that everyone is served (including you).
It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.
Madeleine K. Albright

☑️ Embrace the Negative.

Learn to honor and be with all of your feelings, both positive and negative. By not acknowledging your negative feelings, such as pain, anger, and anxiety, those feelings go underground and come out at the worst times. This undermines the peace and harmony in your relationships.
Do not resist the pain. Allow it to be there. Surrender to the grief, despair, fear, loneliness, or whatever form the suffering takes. Witness it without labeling it mentally. Embrace it.
Eckhart Tolle

☑️ Make Peace With Anger.

Getting in touch with your anger will help you develop real strength. Instead of pushing your anger away and then acting it out inappropriately, learn to just be with the feelings. The energy of anger, when not acted out, can be quite invigorating!
Get mad, then get over it.
Colin Powell

☑️ Get Into Your Body.

Hiking, running, Tai-Chi, martial arts, dancing – whatever gets you into your body and moving is going to keep you grounded and present. These activities will also give you a healthy channel for your aggression.
Dance first. Think later. It's the natural order.
Samuel Beckett

☑️ Make Efforts.

When you don’t feel like doing anything, make an effort to make an effort! Getting in the habit of exerting yourself will help keep your life moving forward, rather than getting stuck in the mud.
Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times.
Aeschylus

☑️ Focus on Self Care

When you’re not sure what to do with your time, focus on ways to care for yourself. Things such as basic hygiene, paying the bills, or cleaning your house will help you value yourself and get your life back on track.
You can’t really be present for the people in your life if you aren’t taking care of yourself.
Kerry Washigton

Source: The Heroic Enneagram, by Marshall Æon

Enneagram Type 9 Spirituality

"The Enneagram is a lens that can be used independently of any spiritual, religious, or mystical belief. Both religious and non-religious people can find immense value in using the Enneagram. However, some people find value in examining their spiritual lives through the lens of the Enneagram. This brings greater objectivity and self-awareness to the spiritual path. Many Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, and atheists have found the Enneagram complementary to their unique views and beliefs."  –Marshall Æon

"Nine is the part of us that values ease, peace, groundedness, and flow. People who are Nines are people who value simplicity. Nines have a natural capacity to see other people's perspectives and points of view. They're always seeking to create harmonious situations. That doesn't mean that's the only side to them but it's a big value. At their best, Nines help other people find peace and groundedness and a sense of unity. Nines are very oriented towards holism, things coming together, synthesizing. The downside for Nine is that sometimes when I'm not so present, the way I get peace is by kind of shutting out the world by shutting down, shutting out, closing up shop, and kind of going into myself. I might still be out there with people, but I'm not available. And of course that can make things hard for me and certainly can be hard on my loved ones. "

Russ Hudson, The Enneagram Institute

The Holy Ideas of Point 9: Holy Love

Holy Love is not the feeling of love, nor the essential aspect of love. Holy Love is a quality of existence that makes that existence lovable. Its loveliness and lovableness is what generates in our hearts sentiments of love, appreciation, value, enjoyment, pleasure, and so on. So we are talking about the quality of lovableness of reality when it is seen without distortion, rather than through the filter of the ego. In other words, Holy Love is the fact that objective reality has an intrinsic quality of being wonderful and pleasing—it is intrinsically lovable. This is Holy Love— whatever it is that makes it lovely, enjoyable, lovable, whatever it is about it that we can’t help but appreciate. When reality is fully perceived, one cannot help but enjoy and appreciate it. One cannot but respond with awe when the Holy Truth is fully apprehended, and one cannot but be full of wonder when Holy Perfection is realized. One cannot but melt in appreciative sweetness when beholding Holy Love. Holy Love brings you the experience of love, but it is not the love itself; it is something much more comprehensive. It is a quality of reality as a whole and is very difficult to fully define. We could say that Holy Love is the intrinsic quality of the reality of Being that is nonconceptual positivity. It is pure and unalloyed blissfulness. It is the value-saturated quality of truth. It is pure goodness, the Good of Plato.

Source: A. H. Almaas, Facets of Unity, page 162

Sources

Marshall Æon

Marshall Æon

The Heroic Enneagram

I originally intended for this page to be a curation of my favorite Enneagram resources, but I discovered that I had much of my own to contribute (Strengths, Weaknesses, Personal Growth). In fact, soon I found myself actually writing a book! It's still a work in progress.

If you'd like to support my book project, you can become a supporter and receive a special early supporter offer:

Become a Supporter

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The Heroic Enneagram by Marshall Æon
Russ Hudson

Russ Hudson

"I met Russ at a Diamond Approach event, which eventually led to me working for the Enneagram Institute for 3 years. During that time, I received multiple trainings from Russ and we made the below video together, which I've transcribed for the Spirituality section. You can follow Russ on Twitter, which is where he posted the info that I reproduced in the Instinctual Variants section."

Elizabeth Wagele

Elizabeth Wagele

"I had lunch with Elizabeth Wagele a few times and we were planning to collaborate on a project. But sadly it never happened because she passed away a short time later. 😔 She wrote what is probably the most popular Enneagram book of all time, The Enneagram Made Easy. It's been translated into 17 languages! While it's not perfect, this is a great book for beginners, and makes ample use of cartoons so that even children can enjoy it. The Parenting section of this page comes from her book, Enneagram of Parenting.

Nick Turner

Nick Turner

"Nick was one of the first people to become certified to teach the Enneagram by the Enneagram Institute in 1992. When I first began studying the Enneagram over 15 years ago, Nick's type descriptions were my favorite on the internet. I've reproduced parts of them here for the Nine with Eight Wing and Nine One Wing sections. Back then, he published them on a whimsical website that he called Curiosity Junction. His new website is called Intuitive Enneagram, which you can visit for his full type descriptions. Nick offers an Enneagram Discovery Retreat at the Willowspring retreat center in northwest Oregon."

A. H. Almaas

A. H. Almaas

"I consider A. H. Almaas one of the greatest spiritual teachers of all time. That's why I joined his inner work school and I've been a student of his Diamond Approach for 13 years. The Holy Ideas part of the Spirituality section of this page comes from the book, Facets of Unity, which goes into the different non-dual perspectives of unity that the Enneagram reveals. This is an advanced spiritual teaching for those looking to deepen their understanding of unity consciousness."

Facets of Unity Book
Ginger Lapid-Bogda

Ginger Lapid-Bogda, PhD

"Ginger is no fan of Enneagram tests but she has been recommending my Enneagram test for a few years now. She's been teaching the Enneagram for decades around the world and now she trains coaches. Ginger recently published an excellent book on the Art of Typing (which I've excerpted in the Typing section, but there's much more in the book).

The Art of Typing Book
Michael Goldberg

Michael J. Goldberg

"I'm featuring Michael's excellent work applying the Enneagram to the workplace, but Michael also has traced the Enneagram back to Ancient Greece, in Homer's Odyssey, which I find utterly fascinating."

David Daniels

David Daniels

"David Daniels cofounded The Narrative Enneagram with Helen Palmer and was clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University Medical School for over 30 years. He passed away on 2017 and you can watch a memorial video made by Suzanne Dion. The Love and Relationships section on this page comes the Enneagram Relationships Matrix on David's website."

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