Online Gathering on
Gurdjieff’s EnneagramMarch 10 – 15
Join us to explore the connection between celestial bodies and human temperament. This cosmic knowledge originated with ancient Mesopotamian priest-astronomers who first observed planetary movements as divine patterns influencing human affairs. The seven celestial bodies—Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn—were each considered to govern distinct aspects of human character, creating recognizable psychological types. These types are still embedded in our language as “mercurial,” “jovial,” or “saturnine.” The understanding of these patterns brings the seeker of self-knowledge face to face with their chief psychological traits.
The gathering will be at a cost. The meetings will be recorded and made available for viewing afterwards. Read more below:
Types and their Features
Our psychological patterns revolve around a central axis—what Gurdjieff called Chief Feature—that generates our habitual thoughts, emotions, and impulses. Ordinarily, we see only the feature’s effects but remain blind to the source. This ignorance becomes part of the mechanism that keeps our psychological wheel turning.
The Tibetan Bhavachakra, a form of mandala, incorporates this blind repetition and presents two possibilities: either we remain chained to the mechanical rotation of the wheel, or we use it to elevate our state. During the six days of our gathering, we will explore specific approaches for recognizing our chief feature and understanding our type. We will use practical methods of introducing the necessary friction to momentarily halt the wheel’s automatic spinning, allowing us to glimpse its central axis and establish a foundation for deeper self-observation.
“What is important is not to be of this type rather than that, but to be sound of one’s type, recognisant of others, and uncrystallised in any.” – Rodney Collin
Wheel of Samsara| Tibetan Thangka 1800-1900 C.E.
The Moon with Lady Fortune | Illuminated Manuscript 1465-70 C.E.
Common Features Across Types
Some features are common to all, others are type-specific. The four features common to all are:
- Vanity
- Fear
- Tramp
- Lunatic
These traits can manifest in any of us, regardless of our body type. Though distinctly different, each one generates an illusory sense of identity. “I am special,” says Vanity, “therefore I am.” “I am about to risk something real,” says Fear, “therefore I am.” We will use these features as springboards to understand the mechanism of chief features. Since we all share them in common, any example from one practitioner can instruct the rest of the group. We will aim to observe the prevalence of these features in our everyday interactions and recognize their repetitive nature.
“If a man has one big weakness, from one point of view it is an advantage, because if he can conquer this feature he can, in one stride, achieve many things.” – Peter Ouspensky
Specific Features of Individual Types
Alongside the features common to all, our psychology harbors features specific to our types. The following features correspond to the seven traditional planetary types:
- Lunar – Willfulness
- Venusian – Non-Existence
- Mercurial – Power
- Saturnine – Dominance
- Martial – Destructiveness
- Jovial – Greed
We will trace the origins of these Body Types, from the Greco-Roman gods that lend them their names, through their passage through medieval times until their appearance in later classical texts. Experienced practitioners will share their personal insights into these features and help those new to this teaching to learn how to detect their manifestations in their own psychology.
“The study of the chief fault and the struggle against it constitute, as it were, each man’s individual path, but the aim must be the same for all. This aim is the realization of one’s nothingness. Only when a man has truly and sincerely arrived at the conviction of his own helplessness and nothingness and only when he feels it constantly, will he be ready for the next and much more difficult stages of the work.” – George Gurdjieff
The Planetary Types | Illuminated Manuscript 1465-70 C.E.
Online gathering on
Gurdjieff’s EnneagramMarch 10 – 15