The Enneagram is a system that exposes the belief — or lie — that we each are independent, separate personalities, (represented by one of nine types or “9 Lies”). These lies form the belief in the false self — the cause of all human suffering.

“The 9 Lies” are common beliefs in society represented by the nine Enneagram Types. For example,”You’re nobody till somebody loves you,” has Type 2 striving to be connected at its core, and “Only the strong survive,” has Type 8 striving to be powerful at its core. This talk demonstrates that all nine types exist in us as different parts or voices, and that our belief that we are one, specific type is based on unawareness, and what Gurdjieff, the father of the Enneagram, referred to as being “asleep” to the truth.

We will explore the 9 Lies, and learn a process that will (1) expose the lie that the self is a static, separate structure that must always be one, specific way, (“I gotta be me”), and (2) demonstrate that the True Self is a free-floating process, responding appropriately to life’s situations with freedom, creativity, and joy.

Robert Tallon is an executive coach and corporate trainer. He has been a student of Christianity, Zen Buddhism, and Sufism, for over 35 years. He teaches the Enneagram in North America and Europe and is the co-author of Awareness to Action: The Enneagram, Emotional Intelligence, and Change, and author of Working Together with the Enneagram: Nine Practices to Transform Teams.