Thinking about the Gurdjieffian Enneagram Phenomenologically: The Case of a Phenomenology of Relationship

Abstract

Partly because it offers guidance for successfully completing any intentional activity or effort, the enneagram is a central symbol in the Gurdjieff Work. Gurdjieff went so far as to claim that all Work principles are present and discoverable through enneagram study. In this article, I overview its symbolic, psychological, and practical value, and discuss its potential insights for exploring phenomena phenomenologically. Drawing on narrative evidence from African-British novelist Doris Lessing’s 1984 The Diaries of Jane Somers, I illustrate how the enneagram helps to explicate a phenomenology of relationship. I highlight the personal use of the symbol by developing an enneagram of the process of writing this article.