Rumi is a 13th century Persian poet who has captivated the minds and touched the hearts of the modern day Enneagram community, among others. In this 6th blog of the series, the focus is on Enneagram type Five, using the Rumi poem above. As for all of the Rumi poems in this series, the message, hopefully, speaks to all of us, no matter what our enneatype.

Fives are mysterious and curious. Their quest for privacy, to be left alone, and to not be intruded upon makes them mysterious to many people. Fives are curious individuals, wanting to know as much as they can about what matters to them, but they are also curious about life itself. However, they keep themselves apart and aloof, unconsciously choosing to observe life rather than to engage in it fully. People are often curious about them; their private and mysterious aura can be compelling and attractive. Still, others can’t figure out exactly how to enter the world of Fives, who keep themselves apart.

All of the above has Fives keeping themselves small, far smaller than they actually are. Fives take up very little energy in a room, draw into themselves, and retract rather than move forward toward others. It can also be said about Fives that they don’t actually know how big they are, both literally and figuratively. And it is quite common for Fives to be very reluctant to talk about themselves very much, a way of keeping themselves smaller interpersonally than they are. In addition, Fives often have many talents and interests that they rarely discuss with other people. For many Fives, there is no need to discuss what they are good at; talking about their talents feels as if they are bragging or boasting. However, this pattern of non-disclosure keeps them smaller than they actually are. Physically speaking, Fives come in all shapes and sizes, but they are so self-contained and so physically still – rarely, for example, expressing animated facial cues or physical gestures – that Fives don’t take up very much space from a somatic perspective.

The above description illuminates the value of this particular Rumi poem for Fives. The poem is an attempt to enlist them into being as big as they really are, and to allow the strength of emotions to run through them instead of cutting off their emotional and physical sensation by vacating their bodies when they are with others in real time. In private, many Fives let themselves re-experience their myriad of feelings, often intensely, and when they are with others whom they trust, Fives can be spontaneous, silly, and effervescent. This is a state of being similar to “the universe in ecstatic motion.” Bring this forward, outward and onward. Be as big and energetic as you actually are.

Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, the author of five best-selling Enneagram-business books, is a speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach. She provides certification programs for professionals around the world who want to bring the Enneagram into organizations with high-impact business applications, and is past-president of the International Enneagram Association. Visit her website: TheEnneagramInBusiness.com. ginger@theenneagraminbusiness.com