As a Catholic Jesuit priest and educator, Ochs spread the spiritual teachings of the Enneagram to fellow clergy, other spiritual leaders and his own congregation. Naranjo, in turn, taught the Enneagram to his students in California, one of whom was Father Robert Ochs. Later, it was imported to America by one of Ichazo’s pupils at the Aric school in Chile – an American psychologist named Claudio Naranjo. These traditions of ancient wisdom were brought together in the 1970s by the Bolivian philosopher Oscar Ichazo to form the modern Enneagram structure. Judaism, Sufism and Taoism feature similar nine-pointed diagrams used for spiritual guidance. But Christianity isn’t the only religion to include the Enneagram. Its precise origins are unknown, but some people believe it can be traced back to Evagrius Ponticus, a fourth-century Christian monk and theologian who is also often credited with having created the concept of the seven deadly sins. The Enneagram of personality types is an outgrowth of ancient Christian theology.

The Enneagram, in contrast, has nine points and nothing to do with the occult like the pentagram, however, it does have roots in ancient history. What comes to mind when you hear the word “Enneagram”? If you immediately imagine a five-pointed symbol being set aflame in some Wiccan ceremony, then you’ve made a forgivable blunder.

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