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 5th blog of the series, the focus is on Enneagram type Four, 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.

Of all the Rumi poems used thus far in the Rumi series, this poem speaks for itself if you are a Four or know type Fours very well. Fours are on a continuous and never ending search for what is missing and what has been lost. And for this perceived loss, Fours grieve both for specific losses – a lost love, parent, possibility, pet, relationship, time of life, and more – but also for deeper, unnamed and unable losses. This is because Fours, of all the enneatypes, are most in touch with the loss of our deepest connectedness to ourselves, to each other, and to our pure being. It is called original source, the place of these deep and immovable roots. And Fours, like the rest of us, have lost touch with this deep-level, unending connection.

As a result of this sensitivity, the loss of the sense of original source, Fours are attuned to all that is, was, and can be lost, and they grieve about it. The Rumi poem is a reminder that there is no real reason to grieve because, while the form of what was lost may change, the loss itself is simply a moment in the flow of time. And if we grieve what is lost and hold onto the grief, we may not perceive the newer form. The reason is that our internal suffering has us focus internally rather than externally, and because our tears, wet or dry, disable us from seeing clearly.

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