Mani Feniger

May 26th, 2011 by admin Edit |

hello

Sep 2nd, 2009 by admin Edit |

Welcome, friends, to Sat’s Enneagram Blog. My given name is Michael Gardner, but about 30 years ago I was spiritually initiated with the name Anand Satyam (“Bliss of ultimate truth”) by my teacher Bhagwan Rajneesh. Of course, the grandiosity soon faded and I became just Sat (pronounced “sot”, no jokes please). In the pursuit of truth about the Enneagram, it seemed like a good idea to dust off the old handle and apply it here.

Let me begin by addressing the question: Why would anyone be interested in a blog by me? I cannot guarantee that everything here will be scientifically proven truth, but at least it won’t be regurgitated tripe from other web sites, books or blogs. I was introduced to the Enneagram in Claudio Naranjo’s Sat (Seekers After Truth) Group in 1971, and have been working since then deepening my understanding. Hopefully, Mani and I have arrived at a perspective that is practical, helpful, and penetrating. Over time a community has grown up around our work and we are constantly amazed at the depth of insight and nuance of understanding shown by our students. However, you don’t have to be profound to give feedback on these blogs. We like hearing from you. There are no dumb questions.

One of my favorite hobbies is watching (as a “Five” I am always watching) the unfolding of celebrity egos in the public domain. While most Enneagram authors pay lip service to “famous people”, it is like an afterthought to their theoretical exposition—and the problem with the Enneagram world is too much ungrounded theory, and not enough real life examples of the behaviors and tendencies that define the personality types. The advantage of observing public figures is that it can help fill in our knowledge of the ways egos are expressed with a shared experience. If we are all agreed that William Shatner, for instance, is a social Three, it allows us to know one way that social threes present themselves. Through this kind of sharing the Enneagram becomes alive and present in our immediate world.

So one of my purposes is to help correct the lack of consensus on typing and the confusion about different types. With a little practice you can develop a good “gut sense”, or feeling for different types. Many of our students are excellent typers (sort for ego-type identifiers), and sometimes challenge us and change our opinions on particular celebrities. The fact is that no one is perfect at this art, but through collaboration and discussion we can all get better. And it is important to get better. The Enneagram is only helpful to the extent that we type correctly. Otherwise, we will misinterpret the motives and behaviors of those around us and add to the confusion rather than to the clarity. Future installments will deal with specific aspects of the Enneagram, as illustrated by real people. Please join me in this as an ongoing exploration.

Jul 27th, 2009 by admin Edit |

Have you ever noticed that when you are away from home in an unfamiliar environment, you feel more free? Of course, when you travel, you might be uncomfortable, or tired or get lost. But you are more willing to accept those things and understand that you are in a different culture and can’t expect the same responses and don’t have control over many situations.

When we were on a train in India, the train stopped in the middle of the night and just sat there for two hours (and of course we couldn’t figure out how to turn down the bright bare light glaring at us). Tired as we were, we just had to laugh and say, oh well, that’s India. But here in California, if the BART train is delayed, there is not only a sense of impatience, but also a feeling that it is wrong. Trains should run on time. There are reasons that we believe that, and of course, justification because people expect us at a certain time. But watch what that attitude sets in motion.

How can you spend this very moment, when the train is delayed, your friend cancels at the last minute, you forgot the chart that was supposed to go with your presentation, or they run out of vegetarian lasagna when you are out for your birthday dinner? How does it affect you when things are not as you wished, or expected? How do you breathe? What do you see? What do you hear?

Can you recall a time when you were on a journey and responded to a difficult situation differently than you would have in your home community? What came of it?

Just some food for thought for today. Responses are welcomed.

Jul 22nd, 2009 by admin Edit |

Jul 21st, 2009 by admin Edit |

In the middle of winter, I got a call from my dear friend Theresa, asking me if I ever heard of the Camino de Santiago. I hadn’t, and I listened, fascinated, as she told me a little about the 500-mile pilgrimage across Northern Spain. She had been invited to be the director of one of the film crews working on a documentary about the people who walk the Camino now. I was surprised at how compelling I found her story. I hadn’t ever used the word pilgrim to describe my own life journeys, so later that week, I picked up a book called The Art of Pilgrimage by Phil Cousineau. To quote from that book,

“Centuries of travel lore suggest that when we no longer know where to turn, our real journey has just begun. At that crossroads moment, a voice calls to our pilgrim soul. The time has come to set out for the sacred ground—the mountain, the temple, the ancestral home—that will stir our heart and restore our sense of wonder. It is down the path to the deeply real where time stops and we are seized by the mysteries.”

Yes, I thought, I know that longing that won’t be silenced, and the willingness to set out on a path to the unfamiliar. And that was the beginning of a challenging and incredible trip to Spain, and a growing sense that I have always been a pilgrim.

Perhaps you have been on a pilgrimage, whether inner or geographic. Let’s talk about looking at our lives through the lens of pilgrimage, with an openess to learn from whatever appears on our path.

Jul 10th, 2009 by admin Edit |

Welcome to this blog. I am so excited about being able to stay in contact, create dialogues and exchange ideas. I am new at this technology so bear with me as I get up to speed. I will start by choosing insightful quotes and offering them as a way to observe your own life over the week, another lens for discovery.

So we’ve started.