The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth

by Christopher L. Heuertz

The traditional Passion of the Eight is lust, not necessarily sexual lust but more like a lust for intensity, which is aimed toward everything. Sometimes this lust is manifested in self-destructive behaviors, which is ironic in light of their Basic Fear. Because Eights fear that they will be destroyed, they overdo everything to make themselves feel alive—even overdoing things that are harmful to themselves. This often leads to tremendous pain for themselves and those they love. Eights are frequently feared in community because of the havoc they wreak. Yet the messes they make are part of how Eights grow: like a catapult for growth, the farther backward they stumble, the farther forward they fly in their revival of recovery. Traditionally, the Fixation of the Eight is vengeance, which is first aimed at themselves. No one can be harder on Eights than themselves, and in turn Eights can be extremely hard on others—demanding more than is fair or realistic and making people pay for the ways Eights feel betrayed by them.