Structure of the Enneagram

Ennea, comes from the Greek word for nine. Gram means point.

     The triangle                                                           The hexagon

The circle symbolising the whole

The triangle symbolises the active, passive and neutral elements which comprise the Law of Three and are said to govern the universe. According to Gurdjieff, all events result from the interaction between these three forces. In Taoist philosophy the triangle could be shown to represent Heaven, Earth and Man; in Hindu philosophy Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer; in Christianity the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. In other cultures such similarities are also found.

The hexagon, according to Gurdjieff, shows that nothing is static: everything changes, mutates or metamorphoses for better or for worse.

When the triangle is superimposed on the hexagon it reflects the nine points of the Enneagram.

The circle around the diagram symbolises Zero, which is the zero of our decimal system, and represents the philosophical whole.