This book is designed to be used as a handbook for participants in an introductory Enneagram course. The text can be equally helpful for anyone seeking a basic introduction to, or a review of. the Enneagram system. The book is divided into three sections. Although readers can move back and forth among the chapters, I would recommend that those unfamiliar with the Enneagram read Parts I, II and III in sequence.

Part I - Broad Strokes provides readers with an opportunity to consider the nine Personality Types as a whole before moving on to the more detailed presentation of the individual Enneagram Types elsewhere in the book. Chapter 1 explains the history of the transmission of Enneagram wisdom and its development through the centuries. The same chapter responds to questions often raised by participants in the Enneagram courses in Taiwan. Throughout the book, as in the workshops, an effort is made to present each Type in ways that balance the negative/unhealthy facets with the positive/healthy aspects. In this spirit, Chapter 2 reveals the best face of every Type, namely its Divine Image and Reflection of the Divine Image. Thus, early in the text the giftedness and potential of each Type is highlighted to encourage continued exploration of the Enneagram's treasures. Chapter 3 uses symbolic graphics to contrast the Effective and Ineffective Manifestations of each Type. In this same chapter a model is introduced, associating each Type with one of three basic Centers - the Head, the Heart and the Gut. This simplification - moving from nine categories to three - is offered to help readers who are unfamiliar with the Enneagram narrow their focus to the three Types where they are most likely to identify themselves within the Enneagram framework. Chapter 4 includes a one-page outline of each Type plus a set of diagrams which name contrasting elements of each of the Types. This can serve as a comprehensive reference to which readers may easily return when considering the more detailed material in subsequent chapters.

Part II - Seeking Understanding, consists of nine chapters - one for each Type. The Types are explained in the order presented in Chapter 3, where each is assigned to one of the basic Centers. The reader may wish to begin this section by first looking at the chapters on the three Types associated with the Center s/he has identified as most related her/his own experience Each of these chapters contains an extensive explanation of the individual Type supplemented by concrete examples. Every Type is introduced first through a look at its engaging characteristics, what people generally see as its desirable aspects. Jerome Wagner has identified these as each Type's Resourceful State. This is followed by a presentation of the Type's problematic aspects, the unappealing characteristics that drive others away. Wagner calls this the Type's Non-Resourceful State. The material found in this section of the book is rich in detail.