While there is a great deal of material in books and online about the personality traits of the nine types, finding clear understanding of the higher dimensions of the Enneagram points is not as common. There is often a great deal of vagueness and confusion on this topic, and so many simply skip it or come to see it as irrelevant. Yet, coming to terms with the higher aspects opens up real and legitimate inner work, and provides motivation for real change and transformation.
One area of confusion has to do with the lack of understanding of the essential qualities, the Virtues, and the Holy Ideas, so the three often get squashed together as if they were one phenomenon which they most definitely are not. We are born with the essential qualities, though our habit of attention may obscure our awareness of them through much of life. Nonetheless, reconnecting with these qualities and allowing them to support us in holding the difficulties of our type with kindness is the key to our transformation. Once that work is underway, we learn that the Virtues are the real and down-to-earth expressions of a transformed life--they are the symptoms of a purified heart. They reveal that an individual has actually been doing the work and has had their way of life impacted by what they discovered.
In this workshop, Russ will elucidate the ways that the essential qualities open us to the Virtues and help participants customize the ways in which this process can be integrated into their lives.
In-person events are not recorded.
One of the world’s top teachers and developers of the Enneagram, a system for psychological and spiritual personal growth, Russ Hudson has co-authored five best-selling books including the renowned The Wisdom of the Enneagram, and Personality Types. The Sounds True audiobook Nine Gateways to Presence is the most recent work.
In addition to 40 years of publishing, interviews, teaching and research, Russ developed a scientifically validated test instrument. The Riso-Hudson Type Indicator (RHETI), the leading standard test in the Enneagram field.
Russ is co-founder of the Enneagram Institute and President Emeritus, as well as a Founding Director and former Vice-President of the International Enneagram Association.
He initially encountered the Enneagram through the Gurdjieff Work and saw it as a map for personal self-awareness - more than merely a system for categorizing people.
Russ emphasizes the importance of cultivating presence and mindfulness as a foundation for authentic work with the Enneagram. The approach to aligning the study of the Enneagram with spiritual practice exponentially enhances the personal development process. It is Russ’ desire to bring these mutually compatible tools to greater public awareness.
Currently, Russ teaches mainly through his platform RussHudson.com, where you can find video on-demand classes, a free monthly practice newsletter, offerings, and upcoming events.
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