New Year’s Meditations For Each Enneagram Number
Enneagram Meditations For 2022
As we enter a new year, the Enneagram has much to teach us about ourselves and how we move through the world. As an Enneagram 4, I’m focusing on building community with new friends this year rather than allowing my fear of “being misunderstood” to keep me from relationships. The below meditation is one I plan to revisit throughout 2022 whenever I’m feeling like my fear is getting the best of me.
For you and your Enneagram type, these mini-meditations offer affirmations, as well as encouragement for growth and balance in 2022. Please feel free to add your own hopes and desires for this year in the comments below.
Not sure what your Enneagram type is? Here’s an overview of the Enneagram, as well as a description of each number. Additionally, these Enneagram tests and books can help you discover your number. ✨
Type One: The Reformer
“You Are Good”
Dearest Ones,
In the words of Mary Oliver, “You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.”
You are a reformer, a leader, an advocate for justice—someone who is always looking to improve the world and make it a more fair and equitable place. And this is a remarkable gift; may your commitment to virtue always be protected and nurtured.
“You are accepted as you are, imperfections and all.”
But just as you seek to better the world, you too are trying to be a “better” version of yourself, to succeed the highest bar (set by you).
You do not have to keep trying to perfect the world though, and you do not have to perfect yourself. You are accepted as you are, imperfections and all. Now is the time to rest, be present, and lean into the messiness of life and all its turns.
Embrace the imperfections. Hold them closely and ask them what they can teach you. But also let them slip like water through your fingers. Loosen your grip, for these shortcomings, as seen by your eyes, are not worth pondering for too long.
This year, may you find that you are no longer fueled by your need for perfection but by the spirit you’ve cultivated within. In the weeks to come, may your loud inner critic finally be put to sleep, no longer active without invitation, as you choose instead to look in the mirror and say:
I do not have to try to be “good.” I just have to be me.
Type Two: The Helper
“You Are Loved”
Dearest Twos,
They say you cannot pour from an empty cup, so I ask you: When was your cup last filled?
You are a genuine and warm spirit —a host and friend to strangers and loved ones alike. People feel safe and seen in your presence; you know how to care for others and to meet their needs.
Thank you for loving us all so well, especially now, especially in the past two years. You’ve helped us all to remember the importance of caring for our neighbors as you’ve cradled us in comfort when we’ve needed it most.
“Now is the time to shut your front door, to turn off your phone, to draw the shades, to make yourself inaccessible for a period of time. It doesn’t have to be for long, but just enough for you to rest.”
But who cares for you? Please take this as a permission slip as you enter this new year. Now is the time to shut your front door, to turn off your phone, to draw the shades, to make yourself inaccessible for a period of time. It doesn’t have to be for long, but just enough for you to rest.
In 2022, may you carve out space for yourself more often. Be greedy about alone time, for it is sacred. Care for your own needs as you would a loved one’s, wrapping your body in blankets, brewing tea or cooking a meal for only you. You do not need to keep giving yourself to the world to be loved. Your hospitality is something we all greatly appreciate and even need, but it is only a bonus, and it is not why we love you.
Your value is not equated with the care and kindness you offer to others. No, dear Twos, you are valued and loved for just being you.
Type Three: The Achiever
“You Are Enough”
Dearest Threes,
Our achievers, our fighters, our leaders who are deeply committed to their work and creations—thank you for all your persistence, for the countless hours you sacrifice to make the world a better place. You inspire us all to reach for our dreams—to never stop reaching—and to always set our sights on the furthest horizons.
“Pause at the temptation to prove yourself. You are enough—as you are, without an award or trophy.”
Your success is inspiring and your achievements worth celebrating, but those accomplishments pale in comparison to the gift that is the real you.
Welcome to the year where you take off your many masks, where you finally step off the stage, free to stop performing for others and also for yourself. Resist shape-shifting, the urge to morph into what the world needs from you at a given time. Pause at the temptation to prove yourself. You are enough—as you are, without an award or trophy.
Vulnerability can be scary, but it’s worth leaning into our feelings and not creating a narrative that we believe makes us look like “we have it all together.”
This year, may you memorize a new script instead, reciting it to yourself daily:
I am enough as I am, without action or accolade. I am loved for simply being me.
Type Four: The Individualist
“You Belong”
Dearest Fours,
At this time of year, when the sky stays dark, and everyone turns inward to set intentions for the months ahead, you may find a wave of nostalgia washing over you. Another year has passed, and you are likely looking backward, not forward. Because, in tandem with setting your goals, you are mourning for memories, remembering past moments and wishing them back into existence.
You want to belong, to feel a part of something bigger than yourself. You fear that your wiring is different from others. This keeps you from feeling understood and fully welcomed or invited to participate in your community.
In 2022, may you find the belonging you seek, both in the world and at home, with yourself.
This year, may you discover others who have also felt misunderstood and find your community there. Create the parties you have always wished to be invited to. Your vulnerability is an invitation to so many, but first, you must choose to believe you are wanted and loved for who you are, complex emotions and all.
“Your vulnerability is an invitation to so many, but first, you must choose to believe you are wanted and loved for who you are.”
Likewise, may this be the year that you begin to name all of your feelings—not just to feel them but to recognize them and write them down.
“How do my feelings differ from reality, from what I know to be true versus how I feel?” Make this your question of the year. Celebrate the complexity of your emotions and question their place in your life. You get to decide how you respond to your feelings, not the other way around.
And create! Never cease to pick up your pen, your paintbrush, your instrument. We need your art to help us better understand this life and world. But also create with your body, move it and remember it as it houses all of your many feelings. Take care of your physical self by remaining present and grounded, not fixating on the past or present for too long.
You are here, now, in this moment. The world invites you to be here, to belong here.
Type Five: The Investigator
“You Have The Answers You Need”
Dearest Fives,
Knowledge is power, but you already know this. What you may not know is that vulnerability, community, and physical presence can also add value to our lives. Books can teach us endless lessons, but so too can relationships with others or time spent in the wonders of nature.
Your vision is a gift; always remember that. You remind the people around you to remain curious and open to learning and understanding. They call you the Investigator, after all.
But sometimes, this need for knowledge can be a bit layered. Enlightenment can serve as a shield from vulnerability, and consistent pursuit of understanding and answers can dull the wonder and magic that lives inside us all.
“In 2022, I wish this wonder and magic to come alive for you again.”
In 2022, I wish this wonder and magic to come alive for you again. May you practice appreciation for the knowledge you currently have (it abounds aplenty) and allow yourself instead to slow down and “smell the roses.” Remember, not everything has to be serious or deep. Play and laughter are gifts that can help you ground yourself to the present moment—welcome this lightheartedness into your life.
You can ask big questions while being present in the world and with others. Solitude is a beautiful practice, but we need people; you need people—to love you, to do life with you, to entertain your musings and existential questions.
This year, let others in. It doesn’t have to be many, but find a friend or two, or reconnect with a family member. When the relationship feels vulnerable, as they often do, don’t shy away.
You do not need to have all of the answers to be loved.
Type Six: The Loyalist
“You Are Safe”
Dearest Sixes,
You have made it another year! And that is a truth worth pausing for; it’s worth celebrating, as there were likely many moments in the past 12 months when you felt fearful of the unknown, uncertain about what would come next.
Perhaps you still feel this way, even now, with a fresh year ahead of you. There are few things you value more than security and assurance in this life. And that’s okay—you need to know that you and the people you love are safe. You are loyal until the end, and you just wish this loyalty would be reciprocated more often by the world.
But sometimes, as you know, risk is required for living. And your longing for security can get the best of you, keeping you frozen in time and place, unable to take small risks for fear the path you choose will lead you astray.
“There is much we can learn from the unexpected, from the new vantage point that comes with lying on the floor.”
Dearest Sixes, may the word movement be a mantra for your year. In 2022, may you put one foot in front of the other, allowing yourself to be brave as you walk towards the unknown. I promise you will not always fall—though sometimes you will. Falling is part of everyone’s journey, and there is much we can learn from the unexpected, from the new vantage point that comes with lying on the floor.
Trust yourself. Everything up until now has prepared you for this new year. You have the tools you need to make decisions, even if it may not seem that way. Repeat these words, breathe them in, and allow them to wash over your body:
I am safe. I am prepared to handle uncertainty, to make big decisions. I can do this.
Type Seven: The Enthusiast
“You Are Present”
Dearest Sevens,
They say people either view the glass as half empty or half full. Yet, for you, the glass is always overflowing. You find joy wherever you are, and you spread it like wildfire as you choose to see the good in every person, in every moment.
Life for you is endless sunny mornings, the opportunity to breathe another day. Thank you for reminding us all how powerful optimism and hope can be. You help us remember that every storm eventually ends, sometimes with a rainbow.
But let me ask you this: When was the last time you allowed yourself to feel pain before replacing it with optimism? Your vision and hope for the future are necessary, but so too is sitting still in discomfort, for this is where we grow.
“Your vision and hope for the future are necessary, but so too is sitting still in discomfort, for this is where we grow.”
Emotions are a gift, and they can teach us so much about ourselves. Consider the value of positive feelings in your life, and recognize that pain can teach us something too when we’re brave enough to face it.
In 2022, may you choose to sit with your discomfort. While it’s easy for you to switch on the optimism switch, resist doing this too soon. Don’t let this next year pass you while removing yourself from moments of suffering or while looking for sunnier days ahead. Be present. Slow down. Your community and loved ones are here to sit with you when the vulnerability feels overbearing. It’s okay to be hurt, to feel the weight of sadness on your heart from time to time. The pain will not engulf you; it will only make the laughter and joy feel more meaningful. True contentment comes with experiencing all life offers.
You are present, and you are strong for facing all of your emotions. And this moment is as beautiful and necessary as any adventure in the future.
Type Eight: The Challenger
“You Are Strong”
Dearest Eights,
You are a natural leader, a challenger, a fighter, and a fierce advocate for the underdogs. People often look to you for help and guidance—all you ask for in return is that they would be honest and true. Control is easy, and it’s how you protect yourself and your loved ones. But you cannot control the world as much as you’d like to.
If no one has told you yet, you do not always have to be the first to step up. Look for the quiet leaders around you; they are looking at you for permission to come forward. Encourage them to raise their voices so that you are not alone, always the one leading the pack.
“Be kind to yourself in the process as you shed layers and find peace within yourself this year.”
Just as you wish for others to be more honest, practice opening yourself up to loved ones too. You are not weak for this, and sometimes it takes the most strength and courage to be vulnerable. But this is what you truly long for—a space where you feel safe to let down your guard and show the softer sides of your spirit. Create the authentic conversations you desire and invite others to be vulnerable with you. Mostly, be kind to yourself in the process as you shed layers and find peace within yourself this year. We need your challenging spirit, but we also need you to find rest.
In 2022, may your perspective shift. May play and wonder guide you towards peace; may a lighthearted spirit help you relinquish control. And when it feels the world rests on your shoulders (as it often does), may ask for help and also remember:
I am strong when I am vulnerable. I find peace and freedom when I let go of control.
Type Nine: The Peacemaker
“You Are Seen”
Dearest Nines,
You are a gift to this world. Your plight for peace bring everyone together despite differences, and you know how to make each person feel heard and seen. But here is a question to ponder as you enter this new year:
When do you feel heard? When was the last time you felt seen?
It’s beautiful that you prioritize unity over your individual needs, but are not both things important? May I urge you then, in 2022, to find a balance between caring for yourself and caring for others. The latter is easy for you; self-care and advocating for your own wants, not so much.
“This is because you are seen and cared for—even when you don’t notice it.”
“But what do I want?” You may be wondering. You’ve likely prioritized others for so long that you may not know for certain. The trick is to turn inward to search for it. Notice when small desires bubble to the surface. Then practice being vocal about those desires, even when it feels uncomfortable (especially when it feels uncomfortable). I promise you will find others are as receptive to you as you are to them.
This is because you are seen and cared for—even when you don’t notice it. You will not lose your community by joining in, by choosing to remove yourself as a mediator as you voice your opinions. Going with the flow and being agreeable may feel like the easiest option, especially during conflict, but I challenge you to resist this urge and voice your truth. This is what you would want for others, and it is what your community wants for you.
Continue bringing people together this year, when unity and communal living are as important as ever. But may I encourage you also to cultivate your individuality. This makes us human; our autonomy is a gift. This year, more than anything, dear Nines, may you practice saying and believing this truth:
I am seen. My desires are worth expressing, and others will not leave me if I voice my opinions. I can be both an individual and a part of my community.
Kayti Christian (she/her) is a Senior Editor at The Good Trade. She has a Master’s in Nonfiction Writing from the University of London and is the creator of Feelings Not Aside, a newsletter for sensitive people.
