Episode Description

There might be a lot going on in your head, but that does not mean that you are making good use of it. In this episode, Michael, Rasanath, and Hari Prasada discuss the Head Center’s essential role in managing the complexity of life and the flood of information we face each day. They explore how awareness of thought, not thinking itself, is the hallmark of presence in the Head Center. They unpack the inner worlds of the Head Center Enneagram Types (Type 5, Type 6, and Type 7), exploring how each seeks to find something that it can trust in its own way, and what is at stake for all of us in becoming more present to what’s happening in our heads.

Podcast Hosts: Michael, Hari Prasada Das and Rasanath Das

Listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform

Highlights

• [00:50] A meditative portrait of the Head Center

• [05:50] The litmus test for presence in the Head Center: awareness of thought

• [07:20] The head’s role in managing the other centers, and the danger of letting it rule

• [09:10] Chaos, entropy, and the “chaotic manager” within

• [12:40] Calmness as the real indicator

• [14:30] The courage and patience required to face the mind’s endless activity

• [16:10] “Chewing the chewed”

• [17:30] Type 5, The Investigator

• [21:30] Type 6, The Loyalist

• [28:10] Type 7, The Enthusiast

• [35:30] The other six Types of the Enneagram

• [42:00] What we stand to gain by being present in the Head Center

• [45:30] Distinguishing among the Body, Heart, and Head Centers

• [51:40] Advancing in our spiritual life through presence in the Head Center

Quotes

• “ In our culture especially…there is a lot of emphasis on how the head is used…the head becomes a place where the sense of competence is most heavily relied upon and exercised, which is why we can see many of other Types also talking about how ‘Yeah, I'm in my head all the time.” -Rasanath

• “  The head is the operating system that takes into account the uncertainty that we deal with and comes out with a certain conclusive direction. So when the head is functioning well, we feel lucid, clear, and filled with wonderful knowledge and insight.” -Rasanath

• “Thinking…is not indicative of presence in the Head Center, just like feeling is not indicative of presence in the Heart Center, just as movement is not indicative of presence in the Body Center.” -Michael 

• “ Whatever type we are…the heart is the key.” -Hari Prasada