What associations does the word *“Enneagram”* conjure up for you? Five-pointed burning symbol, used for some cryptic ceremonies or rituals? If this is what comes to your mind, you're mistaken. It's a pentagram — a completely different thing. The Enneagram, in turn, comprises nine points and has nothing in common with occultism. Yet, both pentagram and enneagram are dating back to antiquity.

The Enneagram of personality is rooted in Christian theology. Yet, we still don't know its actual origin. Some assume the Enneagram's connection with Evagrius Ponticus, a fourth-century Christian monk, ascetic, and one of the most influential theologians. However, the Enneagram relates not just to Christianity. Similar symbols are also present in religions like Taoism, Judaism, and Sufism.

During the 70s, Oscar Ichazo, a Bolivian-American philosopher, combined ancient wisdom traditions into a unified Enneagram structure we recognize today. Ichazo founded the Arica School in Chile in 1968. His student, American psychologist Claudio Naranjo, would be the one to bring this Enneagram structure to the USA. In California, Naranjo’s student, Robert Ochs, an educator and Jesuit Catholic pastor, would later pass the Enneagram knowledge on to other spiritual leaders and priests.

What does the word Enneagram mean? The name derives from the Greek words "ennea" and "gram," which mean nine and figure, respectively. This nine-pointed symbol helps one explore oneself. There are nine personality types. Each has a specific number on the diagram representing how a person acts and perceives the world around them. The main idea of the Enneagram is to help you pay attention to your character defects. This will help you start working on personal enlightenment.

In addition, you can get a better sense of the behavioral patterns of your loved ones. Grasping their worldview allows you to improve your communication with them.