The Barrcast

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit barrcast.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit barrcast.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit barrcast.substack.com

Hello and welcome to the Barrcast.I'm your host, Nick Barr, coming to you on a sunny and breezy, April 1st.April Fool's Day.So, it's been a while since my last chapter, but if you'll remember, we're on the sexual 3, whose keyword is attractiveness.So I actually recorded this one a few weeks ago and didn't feel great about the recording.I rushed my way through it and I realized we're back to, we're at the final number, the three.We started the four, because I'm a four, and it snuck up on me.But, we're back in my neighborhood.And the sexual subtype and the self preservation subtype, these are the subtypes that I find, myself connecting with more deeply.So I realized, gosh, I think I probably breezed through this chapter in a way to avoid my own inner stuff.So I'm gonna do another pass.I'm gonna be a little bit more connected with what's happening inside me.As I read is a super long chapter.So that's.That's part of the problem.And so I'm gonna do my best to navigate this.But let's hear what, Claudio Naranjo has to say about the sexual 3.For the passion of the sexual 3, Ichaso used the words masculinity or femininity, depending on the case.I used to explain it as an excessive attempt to conform to cultural images, perhaps Hollywood style, of what it means to be masculine or feminine nowadays.He says, I believe that the fundamental pathology of these individuals lies in the fact that instead of acting from instinctive freedom, they invest all their passion into the thirst for love and the corresponding seduction, either through compliance or by projecting an image that is meant to be attractive and exciting.The result of this is that a woman being overly focused on pleasing a man, loses her ability to enjoy herself. additionally, this personality type tends to have a certain passion for family, which, while it does not appear as a flaw, represents an exaggerated need to please others, perpetuating self alienation.Among the three subtypes, the sexual three is the most dependent.They do not usually display aggression and cannot tolerate rejection.Their seduction is aimed at being embraced and validated, confusing their self worth with the attractiveness of their body.So that's the introduction, and we have Lorena Garcia de las Bayonas beautiful name with the, transformation in the sexual type 3.So before we dive into it, I really what Naranjo describes as his own evolution. when I think about his starting place for the sexual three.Well, the, the person who comes to my mind is Don Draper from Mad Men.And I'm reading, watching Mad Men now.And so you have this masculine, attractive, mysterious type. he's, he himself has reinvented himself. ?So there's that mask quality that we typically associate with the more available words for the three.The three can be chameleonic, the three can be political.The three can be focused, on success and progress.So all that Don Draper energy is there. and Don Draper certainly conforms to the cultural images of what it means to be masculine.But I how Naranjo gets even more specific, which is that their passion is to be what is desirable from the opposite sex.So to make yourself into something that is pleasurable, pleasing, desirable to the opposite sex is the passion.So it's not just Clint Eastwood, it's Clint Eastwood if and only if that is known to be what women want.And we'll have a woman's perspective for the sexual three.So we'll hear a lot more about that.You can imagine that sexual threes will be different for men and women because men and women want different things.And I just, I guess I'll say a little bit more before we get into the chapter, which is that the core types 3, 6 and 9 are for me the most difficult types to work with.The energies of them.And in part that's because they're more pure energies. we've talked about the six.The six is the, the passion of fear.And who can't relate to fear?Fear is so basic of a human mechanism. nine is trickier in some ways.I think nines are perhaps easier to type.But the nine, passion of sloth or indolence or numbing, self forgetting.Again, we all have profound amounts of self forgetting.Very few of us are really in contact with what we want, what we're about, what we're on earth to do.So self forgetting is this universal, human condition.And then three desirability, mask, falsity, covering up, with deceit, A, profound emptiness.Again, we all have that. we all look in the mirror every morning.Many of us do and dress up according to some idea of what something somebody wants.But I think the three in particular is hard for me as a four.And this is something that is useful to know about Naranjo.I don't think Naranjo really talked about the wings much.Wings have taken off in the popular framing of the Enneagram.But Naranjo really was concerned with the core types and then looked at the other types as stemming from the.So you're basically a three, six, or nine.And so a four is a three, a two is a three. you're just a three.And so the three is continually preoccupied with image.And the two has found a way to have a positive self image, and that comes with their own issues.The four has found a way to have a negative self image, and that comes with their issues.And so that would be a a brief way of Naranjo describing things.So it's interesting.One of the, names I played with when I was thinking about maybe starting, a publication just for this was Four Wing Five.And there are a lot of people who identify as Four Wing Five. and Richard Rohr has talked about that chasm between the four and the five as the hardest to cross.So there's a little bit of mystique around a four wing five. at the at the bottom, the 6:00 of the Enneagram.But if Naranjo were here, he might say, that's not really a thing.Four Wing Five, a four is much closer to three than they are to five.And I think that's interesting to play with for myself and for other fours, potentially, because, nobody wants to be a three, really.Threes get hard.They get put through it a little bit in the.In the Enneagram, again, because they have this fundamental almost universal human thing of having an image.And so it's easier for a four, I think, to take their authenticity and their creativity into the five space of, this genius area.It's in a way easier for us to hang out in that space.I'm not just creative.I'm also a hermit.But.And of course, there can be truth to that.But, I think it's healthy for any four to explore their threeness.And I think it's probably hard for a four to do that.And it might be the same with fives.Fives might, be drawn to the fourness.I'm not just a hermit.I'm also a creative artist.But, for five to actually touch the fear underneath, that feeling of maybe emptiness or solitude.Oh, yeah, there's fear there.That.That's probably juicy terrain for a five.So I'm glad I didn't call this four ring five, because I would have at this point said I've made a terrible mistake.Okay, let's get into the Transformation The Sexual Type 3 by Lorena Garcia de las Bayonas.And we will try to breeze through this while hitting the key points.So she thanks a bunch of individuals. she writes, as sexual three approaches character healing, they become free to be, to feel and to express themselves authentically without being imprisoned by the beautiful physical image, being able even to be ugly and show the ugliness of their life such as pain, anger, sadness, jealousy, envy, resentment, and everything they consider shameful or that makes them lose control.So off the bat we're talking about freedom and spontaneity.And threes are.One of the easier ways to spot a three or differentiate a three from other types is threes are a little, held in.It's a three has to pass through an image filter before doing something.They're the most image conscious.And so freedom, the freedom to be, to feel, to express isn't there for the three.So as this is helpful for me was when I'm doing my self typing, Self Preservation 4 has always been the one that spoke most clearly to me.But a self preservation four has that in common with the three, ?The self preservation four has to be contained and containment, something that three and the four, the sexual three and the self preservation four share here.Now the reasons for containment are different and we'll explore that as we get into it.In this way, they're free to be able to make mistakes without the fear that they will stop being loved.They also leave behind the dependence on approval and love from others, especially from a partner, which results from a lack of self love.What remains is more real sense of self love through which they can feel a greater warmth inside after passing through the hell of breaking through the internal numbness and the inability to love.So for the three, the self abandonment is profound, and prevalent here.The three has made this bargain early on to treat the image of themselves as their real self.And they don't know that they've made that bargain or it's not available to them.So in contrast, the four has this unlovability.The four has the presence of being unlovable.The three has the absence of being lovable.For the sexual three, if my partner isn't validating me, then that's terrifying.And I think it's even more.It's not that I'll feel bad.It's I don't even.I'm without ground.Whereas the four might say, if my partner leaves me, I knew I was bad, I knew all along they would leave me, they don't me, et cetera, et cetera.So it's for the four, the threat of separation is a confirmation of some deeply held negative belief.For the three.Then they touch emptiness.They touch not knowing what I am, who I am, if I am not pleasing to this person, I understand how my ego is destroying me and preventing me from finding love.Now at this stage of my life, love is about all the love I can feel for myself.Truly knowing myself and considering myself.That is where everything begins to be more real.Love is not a goal, nor a task, nor an achievement, nor a conquest.W

[Transcript] The Origin of Sin According to the EnneagramHello and welcome to the Barrcast. I'm your host, Nick Barr, coming to you on a Wednesday morning. Today I want to talk about sin and the Enneagram, particularly how the Enneagram explains the origin of sin.We're going to go esoteric, but I hope this will be interesting. It's certainly a way of drawing the Enneagram that you probably haven't seen before. If you watched my previous video, you saw a more traditional rendering of the Enneagram where we talk about the thinking triad, the feeling triad, and the doing triad. This is going to be a completely different approach, one that's more grounded in the origin of sin.Eastern and Western Approaches to SinLet's ground ourselves in what we mean by sin before we go any further. I'd like to reference Adyashanti, who has a book called "Healing the Core Wound of Unworthiness." In it, he makes a useful distinction between Eastern and Western approaches to sin.As I describe this, I don't want to defend any kind of actual geographic claims about East and West—that's not my project. Think of this as a spectrum of how we relate to sin. A Westerner can certainly be anywhere on that spectrum, as can someone from the East.According to Adyashanti, the Eastern approach to sin is a lighter approach. It takes the origin of sin as a kind of cosmic joke or forgetting, potentially even a game in which this sort of awake awareness—this original deity or creator or Buddha—is, to its own surprise, separated from itself. There's a forgetting that happens, and the project is simply one of remembering one's own true nature.You can see this in the Greek tradition of the River Lethe, which the dying cross. When they cross it, they fall into oblivion and their previous life is forgotten. Forgetting and remembering is the focus for the Eastern approach.The Western approach, in contrast, is more focused on a separation that has a wound associated with it. Adam and Eve is the root text here, but we see it played out in our religious institutions and culture. There's a feeling of brokenness to the human experience and a wish for healing and recovery that is more rooted in psychology, authority, and judgment. Feelings of shame, guilt, and terror are more natural reactions to this feeling of having fallen out of favor with God.Adyashanti's point is that for many Westerners, the Eastern approach alone might be insufficient for spiritual awakening. There may have to be some sort of reckoning with spiritual healing that Eastern traditions may not naturally afford.The Enneagram's Perspective on SinWhere does the Enneagram sit in this account? It turns out that the Enneagram actually has quite a lot to say about the origin of sin, though this is the more mystical, esoteric side that you're not going to see in popular resources as much.This comes from Claudio Naranjo and, presumably before him, Ichazo and Gurdjieff. As is the trademark of the Enneagram, it bridges East and West. Remember, the Enneagram itself has roots in this kind of cross-cultural mission. The Desert Fathers developed the Enneagram when they were working on missions with Egyptian tribes, trying to get them to convert. The Enneagram came out of these different cultures meeting and trying to have a shared language for describing spiritual matters.The Triangle of Sin: Three Core PassionsI'm going to quote here from Naranjo in "Character and Neurosis":"Inspection of the Enneagram of the passions shows that three of them at points 9, 6, and 3 occupy a position more central than the others. Because of the symbolism of the Enneagram, according to which the different points along it correspond to degrees and intervals in the musical scale, psychospiritual laziness at the top stands as the most basic of all, being, as it were, the 'do' of the passions."What Naranjo is saying is that laziness, the passion of the nine—which we could also call forgetting or numbing—is the first note of the Enneagram, the first note of human fallenness. That's very consistent with the Eastern approach, that the first thing that happens from the perspective of non-dual awareness is some forgetting.He continues:"The interconnections shown between these three core points constitute what we may call psychodynamic connections, so that each may be said to underlie the next in a sequence mapped by arrows between them in a counterclockwise direction. If we read the psychodynamic sequence starting at the top, we may say that a lack of the sense of being, implicit in the psychological inertia or robotization of sloth, deprives the individual of a basis from which to act and thus leads to fear."So what happens? In forgetting your true nature, you may arrive at a groundlessness to experience, a lack of basis from which to act. This contact with groundlessness initiates fear.Naranjo goes on:"Since we must act in the world, however, as much as we may fear it, we feel prompted to solve this contradiction by acting from a false self rather than courageously being who we are. We build, then, a mask between ourselves and the world, and with this mask we identify."From forgetting to fear, we move to falsity or a cover-up. I come into contact with something completely surprising for which I have no basis to act. That triggers fear, but I have to act. So I invent a solution—I make something up. What I make up is a false other and simultaneously a false self, and I attribute things to that false self and false other.But for that to actually work, Naranjo concludes:"To the extent that while we do this, we forget who we truly are, however, we perpetuate the ontic obscuration that, in turn, supports fear, and so on, keeping us in a vicious circle."In other words, the cover-up doesn't work unless I cover it up even to myself. To do that, I have to forget my true nature or further forget my true nature. Thus, the cycle continues: more forgetting leads to more groundlessness and fear, which leads to more falsity and covering up.Thanks for reading The Barrcast! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.Bridging East and WestThis provides a dynamic system that contains both the Eastern and Western traditions. From the Buddhist perspective, it clarifies the dual meaning of ignorance in the East. There's small ignorance (the forgetting that happens in a moment, a divine mistake) and big ignorance (the willful perpetuation of obscuration, what Buddhism calls samsara—the whole world instantiated by efforts to maintain the obscuration).So ignorance isn't just at point 9, though that's the starting place from the Eastern tradition. Ignorance is this dynamic system, this continuity of forgetting leading to groundless experience. Then, rather than awakening to groundlessness, we try to fix groundlessness through falsity and obscuration. To pull off that heist, we have to further blind ourselves.Over time, we develop a massive evidence base that we're sure is real and solid, but it's completely groundless—just a huge knot built up from this circle repeating. That's ignorance, that's samsara. That's the Eastern story.In the Western story, while I think the West ultimately has its home base in point three (the falsity and shame triad), it's not so simple. In the Adam and Eve story, you see them go through this cycle a few times. Eve already isn't quite able to repeat God's instructions verbatim—a little bit of forgetting. There's also the numbness of Adam, who is right there while the serpent is convincing Eve, yet seems asleep to the situation.After they eat the fruit, their eyes are opened—there is this open-eyed quality to groundlessness, this fear. But what happens so fast is that rather than seeing the actual groundlessness, they see the threat. They quickly move to covering up and obscuration—both literally hiding from God and covering themselves with fig leaves.The Three Home BasesThe Enneagram teaches that humans find a home base in one of these three energetic nodes:* The Forgetting Node (Type 9): We're ultimately cut off in our gut, not connected, roboticized or numb to our true self. This is the gut triad or anger triad.* The Fear Node (Type 6): Our home base is in the fear of groundlessness, so we experience continual panic or anxiety and see the world as threat. This is the thinking triad or fear triad.* The Falsity Node (Type 3): We experience profound loneliness that is never remedied by our efforts to build up our image. We're fundamentally confused and self-deceiving. This is the heart triad, the shame or image triad.This is an alternate way to construct the Enneagram. If you think about it as a laser beam that starts to go a few degrees off, that's when you get the other numbers. Naranjo actually has a similar way of constructing those other numbers, which is the origin of the "stretch and release" points.ConclusionOne of my favorite things the Enneagram offers is this diversity of human experience that we can find a home in. The Eight Evil Thoughts, or later Seven Deadly Sins, seem to originate as a handy way of helping somebody discover their home base—their passion, their addiction, their default way of sinning—and give them a personalized trailhead for healing.Whether it's the Doshas in the Ayurvedic tradition, the Elements, or the Realms, there's plenty of material to work with. That kind of personalization makes sense—when debugging your own personal ego structure, it makes sense to use language familiar to you.I hope you enjoyed this dose of Enneagram wisdom, and I'll see you next time. Thanks.Nick Barr is a founder-turned-coach helping mission-driven leaders navigate inner and outer transformation. Learn more at nsbarr.com.Thanks for reading The Barrcast! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit barrcast.substack.com

In this episode of the Barrcast, we meet the Social Three, a personality structure driven by prestige, the need to shine, and the relentless pursuit of social validation. This subtype, the most chameleonic of the Threes, is deeply tuned in to the gaze of others, shaping their identity around admiration, applause, and external markers of success. Talking Points:🔍 The Inner PR Machine: Performing for ApprovalThe Social Three operates as if it has an internal public relations department, constantly curating an image that garners admiration. This endless pursuit consumes an excessive amount of energy and inhibits genuine spontaneity.💔 Breaking the Illusion: The Pain of Seeing the VoidWhen the Three begins to awaken, a deep existential nausea sets in. They realize that much of their life has been built on vanity—on performing rather than being. This moment of crisis is painful but necessary for true growth.🛑 From Applause to Pause: Learning to Be Instead of DoGrowth for the Three involves stepping out of the performance loop, embracing uncertainty, and relinquishing the constant need for external validation. A crucial shift happens when they transition from seeking admiration to seeking presence—learning to value stillness, self-connection, and relationships beyond transactional gain.🎭 The Jester’s Redemption: Laughing at the False SelfOne of the most powerful tools for the Three is self-awareness with humor. When they can see their own impulse toward falsehood and laugh at it, rather than being trapped by it, they gain true freedom. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit barrcast.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit barrcast.substack.com

In this episode of the Barrcast, we encounter the Self-Preservation Two, a personality structure deeply connected to privilege and the power of exhibiting childlike traits. This is a structure that seeks love and validation without the effort of achievement or responsibility. Transformation for this type involves embracing maturity, responsibility, and self-sufficiency, ultimately breaking free from the seductive, childlike persona.Talking Points:🔄 Egocentrism and the Need for LoveThe core desire for this type is to be loved simply for existing. Ichazo’s concept of “me the most important” reveals a neurotic longing for adoration, similar to a child’s instinctive egocentrism.💔 Facing Rejection and the Pain of DependencyThe self-preservation Two’s fear of rejection is profound, often driving them to manipulate relationships to maintain a sense of security. Confronting the possibility of rejection and the lack of control in relationship is key to their transformation.⚖️ Transformation: Growing Beyond the Golden ChildGrowth for the self-preservation Two involves “growing up”—accepting responsibility, breaking free from the compulsion to charm and seduce, and embracing discipline, accountability, and most importantly limits.💡 Practical Tips for Growth* Build routines and practice discipline to ground yourself in adult responsibilities.* Face rejection and discomfort instead of avoiding them.* Seek therapeutic relationships that challenge, rather than indulge, your childlike tendencies.* Accept and nurture relationships as mutual and dynamic rather than controlling or transactional. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit barrcast.substack.com

In this episode of the Barrcast, we get to know the Sexual Two, whose keyword is conquest. Unlike the Social Two's ambition to impress groups, the Sexual Two channels their energy into one-on-one relationships, employing seduction as a tool for eliciting affection, loyalty, and recognition. Transformation for the Sexual Two involves dismantling pride and embracing humility, vulnerability, and authentic connection.Talking Points:🌱 From Pride to HumilityTransformation begins when the Sexual Two acknowledges their limitations and relinquishes the need to be seen as perfect or irreplaceable. This journey includes learning to ask for help, accepting their shadow, and discovering the beauty in ordinary, unadorned love.💔 The Wound of AbandonmentAt the heart of the Sexual Two's psyche is a fear of abandonment. This fear often leads to patterns of manipulation or preemptive withdrawal to avoid being left behind. True growth requires facing and feeling abandonment fully, allowing it to dissolve their false sense of invulnerability.✨ Revisiting SexualityFor the Sexual Two, sexuality can often be a means of control or conquest. Healing involves reframing intimacy as an experience of mutual surrender, sensitivity, and connection, moving away from performance-driven interaction toward tenderness and trust. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit barrcast.substack.com

In this episode of the Barrcast, we get to know the Social Two, a personality structure driven by the need for ambition and recognition in the social sphere. The Social Two’s pride fuels their desire to be "above," leading them to craft an image of importance and seduction to win admiration from groups. The Social Two’s transformation work moves them from leadership to equality, in which they embrace humility, vulnerability, and genuine relational intimacy.Talking Points:🔗 Superiority vs. AmbitionEchoes of the Social One (Superiority/Inadaptability) are here for the Social Two, but the Two’s need to be above is ultimately more about relationship than it is about getting things right – a reflection of the Two’s position in the feeling triad.💰 Confessing criminalityThe journey of the Social Two includes confronting their own "criminality"—the covertly selfish motivations behind their actions—and replacing these with empathy and accountability. The practice of giving and receiving genuine feedback helps dissolve pride and deepen their relational authenticity.🐆 Reconnecting with the mammalian SelfAt the heart of transformation lies the reconnection to one's emotional and relational needs. By emerging from the "reptilian" mindset of conquest and control, the Social Two can embrace the humility and humanity that allow for true intimacy and belonging.🌱 From Leadership to EqualityGrowth for the Social Two involves moving from a position of dominance to one of humility and equality. This transformation entails relinquishing the "golden child" role, acknowledging personal vulnerabilities, and embracing the needs of others without an agenda for self-glorification. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit barrcast.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit barrcast.substack.com

In this episode of The Barrcast, we wrap up the One with the Self-Preservation One, whose keyword is concern, a constant worrying. Unlike the other subtypes, the SP One accesses perfectionism through being painfully attuned to their own imperfections. Talking Points:🫵 The Inner CriticUnlike the Social or Sexual Ones, the Self-Preservation One internalizes their imperfections acutely. This fuels an obsessive cycle of self-improvement that masks their anger with benevolence and service, often at great personal cost. 🎭 Acceptance and pleasureThe path to growth includes reconnecting with instinctual life and allowing space for pleasure. This involves letting go of guilt and embracing moments of silence, leisure, and sensory enjoyment—freeing themselves from the grip of self-denial.💡 Perfection as a gift, not an attainmentUltimately, perfection is revealed not as a result of effort but as a gift that arises when one accepts life as it is. In the words of St. John of the Cross, "I no longer tend my flock… my only practice is love." This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit barrcast.substack.com

In this episode of The Barrcast, we explore the Sexual One, whose keywords are vehemence and zeal. Unlike the other One subtypes, the Sexual One channels their anger into a passionate pursuit of justice and righteousness. The result is a personality whose trust in the instincts of their body overrides other inputs.Talking Points:⚔ The CrusaderThe Sexual One feels a fiery, embodied urge to address injustices and “make things right.” Their instincts become a vehicle for justice, resulting in a confident and determined approach to life.🛡️ The Warrior's PactFrom an early age, the Sexual One may forge an inner pact with their “warrior self,” prioritizing confrontation and strength over vulnerability. While this leads to a commanding presence, it can come at the cost of spontaneity and playfulness.⚖️ Between Aggression and BenevolenceThe Sexual One oscillates between passionate anger and genuine warmth. As they soften and transform, their vehemence gives way to serenity, and their perfectionism shifts to a tender acceptance of life as it is.🎭 Pleasure and PlayFor the Sexual One, a significant part of growth involves accessing sensuality, spontaneity, and play—experiencing pleasure for its own sake rather than tying it to ideals of justice or righteousness. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit barrcast.substack.com

In this episode of The Barrcast, we learn aboutthe Social One, whose keywords are inadaptability and superiority. Unlike the other subtypes, the Social One asserts their correctness and moral high ground through a subtler, more withdrawn approach. Talking Points:🧍 Sitting at the grownups tableFrom a young age, the Social One often assumes a grown-up role, gravitating toward adults rather than peers. This early sense of responsibility reflects their drive to distinguish themselves and avoid the perceived mess of childhood.🏔️ Moral High Ground as RefugeThe Social One’s need for superiority often manifests as a retreat to their “moral high ground.” Maintaining this ground, and separating it from the rest of the environment, requires constant effort – resulting in rigidity, isolation, and tension in relationships.🔥 Anger Beneath the SurfaceUnlike other subtypes, the Social One rarely displays anger outwardly. Instead, their frustration transforms into a quiet demand for perfection—both from themselves and others. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit barrcast.substack.com

In this episode of The Barrcast, we introduce the Enneagram One, known as the Reformer. As part of the doing triad, the One is characterized by the passion of anger— not the fighting instinct, but something more primordial, rooted in the frustration caused by the friction between what is and what ought to be. The result is an internal, fiery drive to correct what is perceived as wrong or imperfect.Talking Points:🎄 The Divine Memory of PerfectionRichard Rohr’s account of experiencing perfection as a child—a perfectly trimmed Christmas tree—illustrates the One’s simultaneous longing for and burden of enforcing perfection.🫸 Pushing the RiverThe phrase highlights the One’s tendency to impose their will on the world, striving to reform external contexts rather than adapt to what is.🧹 Occasional PeaceUnlike other types, Ones sometimes achieve the perfection they seek, but this fleeting success only reinforces their belief in their “special access” to what is right. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit barrcast.substack.com

In this episode of The Barrcast we wrap up the Nine with the self-preservation subtype, a character shaped by “appetite.” Unlike the overt hunger of other types, the Nine’s appetite is a more instinctual desire for comfort, stability, and numbing pacification. We discuss how this appetite manifests not just physically but as an unconscious strategy to avoid the deeper question of being. Talking Points:🍽️ I Eat, Therefore I Am The unique Cartesian expression of the self-preservation Nine reflects a substitution of being with physical satiation. We explore how this subtype’s appetite goes beyond food, encompassing a craving for the mundane comforts of everyday life—sleep, routine, and possession—that mask a deeper existential void.📺 Life on Standby: The Remote Control Metaphor Emilia Ligi’s metaphor of living life like a TV on standby mode captures the essence of the self-preservation Nine’s strategy. This subtype often hands over their metaphorical remote control to others, allowing external influences to dictate their experience while they remain passive and disconnected from their true desires.🪞 The Elusiveness of Presence Despite their grounded, physical presence, the self-preservation Nine often lacks a metaphysical depth, presenting as elusive or hard to pin down. We explore how this subtype’s tendency to retreat into comfort leads to a life lived on the surface, with little engagement in the deeper currents of self-awareness or transformation. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit barrcast.substack.com

(This is an edited transcript of the video)I’m going to do something a bit self-indulgent here and just riff for a few minutes. I’ve been asking myself: what is this project I’ve been working on for the past 18 months? It started with implementing Internal Family Systems (IFS) in ChatGPT, and now I’m translating Naranjo’s book on the Enneagram subtypes. What connects all this? It’s not like I have a tidy answer. I’ve been doing the work without naming the project, which is the beauty of independent work—you just do stuff and figure out why later. But it feels like it’s time to start naming it.I think it begins with describing the moment we’re in and the energy behind it. Dreyfus is my guide here, specifically his book What Computers Still Can’t Do the follow-up to his first critique of AI. Dreyfus isn’t around anymore to comment on the current state of affairs, but two quotes from his work frame the urgency I feel right now.The first quote:If we are on the threshold of creating artificial intelligence, then we are about to see the triumph of a very special conception of reason. If reason can be programmed into a computer, this will confirm an understanding of man as object, an idea Western thinkers have been moving toward for 2,000 years. But if AI turns out to be impossible, we will have to distinguish human from artificial reason, changing our view of ourselves. Thus, the moment has come either to face the truth of the tradition's deepest intuition or to abandon the mechanical account of man's nature.The point here is that things are coming to a head. We’re either about to prove that reason – the supposed essence of human nature – is mechanical, or we’re going to have to throw that intuition away. This is 2,000 years of Western philosophy culminating in this moment. It’s a big deal.But Dreyfus goes further. He argues that this isn’t just a spectator sport where we wait to see who wins. He highlights the deeper issue: our nature is malleable. This malleability, according to Dreyfus, is in fact more core to our nature than pure reason. Here’s the second quote:Man’s nature is indeed so malleable that it may be on the point of changing again. If the computer paradigm becomes so strong that people begin to think of themselves as digital devices on the model of artificial intelligence, then, since machines cannot be like human beings, human beings may progressively become like machines. The risk is not the advent of superintelligent computers, but of sub-intelligent human beings.So this isn’t a spectator sport where we observe the outcome from a safe distance. The stakes are existential. We could end up reshaping our own being to fit the machine model, essentially lobotomizing our human faculties to commune better with AI. This self-fulfilling prophecy could have us saying, “Look, machines can reason just like us,” when really we’ve just reduced ourselves to fit their capacities.I’ve long wanted to play some role in refuting the notion that human nature is mechanistic. But the irony is, I’ve also seen just how mechanistic we already are. So much of our behavior runs on automatic patterning. This is something I’ve encountered thanks to my training in Buddhism, initially through Ken McLeod’s Wake Up to Your Life, and also through working with the Enneagram.In IFS, we talk about parts—sub-personalities that act like little machines, each with their own job. They have a kind of programmed logic: if they don’t do their job, something terrible will happen. They work tirelessly, often in conflict with each other, like subroutines in a computer program. Despite their human-like qualities, they’re built on stories and instructions. There probably aren’t even that many of them—maybe 200 possible parts, give or take. Through their combinations, we get the full spectrum of human behavior. It’s super programmable.The Enneagram offers another lens. It’s an architecture of the psyche that lays out nine core ego patterns—or 27 if you include subtypes. Each represents a distinct “pattern imperative,” a kind of automatic rule we live by. For example: Must fit in, can’t stand out. These imperatives drive our thinking, feeling, and doing, and they operate in a mechanistic way. Human reason can’t be pulled out and dropped into a computer program, but much of our reasoning is automatically produced by these stories.And yet, there’s a non-mechanistic element—the awareness piece, what IFS calls the Self. This is the spacious, loving capacity within us that isn’t ruled by any part. The work in IFS is to become increasingly self-led, to identify more with this capacity than with any single part, no matter how urgent its job feels. When awareness touches a part, something shifts. It’s this non-mechanistic awareness that brings me back to the Enneagram’s spiritual dimension, the upward motion that points to a non-mechanical, mysterious, embodied reality.We’re at a psycho-spiritual crossroads. Freud’s model of a libido-driven psyche gave way to attachment theory and object relations, focusing on the early templates set by our primary caregivers. But there’s a third stage emerging, one that the Enneagram speaks to more directly. It acknowledges that our character structures—these patterned imperatives—are built on flimsy, ungrounded stories. They persist because part of us maintains the illusion that they’re real, that they stand on solid ground. This is what Naranjo calls the ontic vacuum—a kind of emptiness or void at the core of our character structure.The inner work is about dismantling this, facing the void, and discovering that there’s more to us than these stories. It’s scary, sure—it feels like looking into the abyss. But both IFS and the Enneagram create a framework for this exploration, helping us see that there’s an abiding presence capable of being with and holding the most intense experiences.So what’s the project? It’s about creating an architecture of the psyche that can be mirrored by machines in a way that helps us see our own automatic processes. By holding up this mirror, we can reclaim our true, non-mechanistic nature. The goal isn’t to program humanity into machines but to use the reflection to help us break free from our conditioned behaviors and stories.“Buddha nature is what remains when the confusion of samsara is cleared away.” -KM This is a public episode. 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In this episode of the Barrcast, we explore the Sexual Nine, a character defined by their drive for “symbiosis” or deep fusion with others. The Sexual Nine’s yearning for union stems from a profound sense of disconnection within themselves, leading them to seek a complete merging with others as a way to feel whole. Topics include: the difference between true connection and codependent fusion; the neurotic game of symbiosis as a substitute for true selfhood; and the Sexual Nine’s journey toward reclaiming their autonomy and discovering genuine intimacy.Talking points:🕶️ The “Nowhere Man” – how the Sexual Nine’s tendency to fade into the background, becoming invisible in relationships, stems from an unwillingness to occupy their own sense of self.🦁 The “lion’s roar,” in which the nine incorporates their eight wing to pronounce No to some way of life that cannot go on any longer, creating space for the Yes. 🌱 Reclaiming Self in Relationships. The shift from seeking union through others to building self-worth independently, allowing for real partnership and mutual respect. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit barrcast.substack.com

In this episode of the Barrcast, we get to know the Social Nine, a character defined by their need for “participation” or “belonging.” The Social Nine’s longing to belong stems from a chronic feeling of not fitting in, leading them to overcompensate by taking on roles that make them indispensable to the group. Topics include: the self-sacrificing, good-natured qualities of the Social Nine; their tendency to avoid personal emotions in favor of maintaining group harmony; and the driving need to feel included, even if it means working tirelessly to earn a sense of acceptance.Talking points:🐘 The “elephant skin” of the Social Nine, a thick protective layer that shields them from responding to their environment in ways that may threaten homeostasis꩜ The existential void a Social Nine is confronted with when an anchoring relationship is removed🏋️‍♀️ How practices that build the capacity to be with anger, fear, and other emotions help in the transformation process This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit barrcast.substack.com

In this episode of the Barrcast, we introduce the Nine, a personality type often described as peaceful and self-forgetting. Positioned at the top of the Enneagram, the Nine is sometimes considered the "baseline" type, able to look down on with unique challenges in self-awareness and motivation.Key Points:* Nines possess a unique ability to empathize and see the perspectives of other Enneagram types but often struggle to assert their own identity.* The nine’s “sloth” is more than lethargy; it represents a resistance to inner change and personal awakening.* By avoiding conflict, nines may ultimately face physical or emotional burnout, especially when life calls for decisive self-awareness.Quotes from the Episode:* “Nine is the least egoic, the least motivated to change. It’s as if the nine is asleep to their own needs.”* “Self-forgetting only works for so long…eventually, life requires us to be an ‘I’ capable of making decisions.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit barrcast.substack.com