When it turns out you're the opposite of what you think...
Hi All!
After a few days where North Carolina appeared to have transformed into the desert planet of Arrakis, we’ve finally gotten some rain and some cooler weather. Will it be too late for my camellias? I guess we’ll find out.
Last time I talked about my character Dasha’s MBTI type and a few of the Jungian features of The Singing Shore. This time I’m going to talk about her Enneagram type and how it plays out in the book. But first, a reminder that you can get The Singing Shore I: Sea and Song in the Character Focused Fantasy giveaway on Bookfunnel! https://books.bookfunnel.com/characte...
Okay, on with the analysis of my character…actually, I’m going to start with a confession about myself. You see, I’ve been interested in the study of personality and personality types for a long time (it actually featured in my dissertation, as I’ve mentioned). Naturally, this has involved a lot of self-study and self-reflection. It’s been much more heavily weighted towards the MBTI than towards the Enneagram, but I’ve had periods of interest in the Enneagram on and off for the past few years.
So I was reasonably sure I was an Enneagram Type 1 (spoiler alert: just like several of my characters). But the types can have “wings,” meaning they have traits of the types next to them on the Enneagram circle (if you’re already bored, I apologize. Go grab some free fantasy instead https://books.bookfunnel.com/characte...).
Type 1’s neighbors on the circle are Type 2 (obviously) and Type 9 (less obviously). I’ve always struggled to understand or empathize with the descriptions of Type 9s or even people who say they’re Type 9s. Clearly I have no Type 9 traits.
Except, except, except! As I was reading about the Enneagram and working on these posts, I realized that not only are some of my characters 1s with 9 wings, but I myself probably am too!!!! In other words, I was actively denying and even looking down on what may in fact be a significant part of my personality, or even my psychic totality (lots more exclamation points!!!!!).
I’ll stop with the confession there, and apologies if you found that tedious. But it just goes to show what reading and writing can do for self-discovery…If you’ve ever undergone a similar experience and care to share, by all means, let me know. I love chatting about this kind of stuff.
Anyway, enough about me; let’s talk about Dasha. Last time I discussed how Dasha is an INFJ according to the MBTI. This time I can reveal that she is most likely an Enneagram 1 (shocker). But unlike her mother (and, I guess, me?), she’s probably a 1 with a 2 wing rather than a 9 wing, meaning she’s warmer, more extraverted, and more people- and action-oriented than a 1w9.
At heart, though, she’s still a 1, meaning her core desire is to be good, pure, and righteous, and her core fear is to be corrupt, wrong, or evil. She is by nature highly critical of everything and everyone around her, especially herself, and has a strong need to make the world a better place.
The latter is in fact a motif throughout all the Dasha books: she was not only born for the specific purpose of making the world a better place, but she repeatedly says that she wants the world to be a better place because women are in it (remember, she’s in a matriarchal society where the default word for “human” is “woman.” Also, I liked the alliteration of “world” and “women”).
However, making the world a better place is easier said than done. When you actually roll your sleeves up and get down to it, other people keep getting in the way. Dasha has to deal with her cousin/adoptive sister Vladya’s firm convictions that she knows best how to make the world a better place. In the conflict between Dasha and Vladya, we see a clash between two 1s, and the danger a 1 can fall into of being overly certain and controlling. Dasha and Vladya both have to learn how to recognize what their principles are, stand up for what they believe is the right thing to do, and have the courage of their convictions, but without falling into either crippling self-criticism or overweening pride. Dasha suffers from the first vice, while Vladya suffers from the second.
As part of her sin of excessive self-criticism, Dasha spends a lot of the trilogy criticizing and hating her magical gifts. She is supposed to be a seer, but for much of the story her visions come and go at random, refusing to tell her what she needs to know, and confusing her when they do appear. She constantly berates herself for not having better control of her magic, and for not having the gift she wishes she had: that of healing. She feels fundamentally flawed, broken, and worthless because she isn’t who she thinks she should be and can’t live up to her ideal of herself.
She can only access her gifts—both of visions and, in the end, of healing—through interacting with others who are different from her in fundamental ways. Her steppe guards are largely Enneagram 7s of various stripes, with their focus on freedom and pleasure. Exposure to them allows Dasha to see the world through different eyes—and also tempts her to do things that might destroy her and everyone around her (sometimes we have standards and follow rules for a reason). She must learn how to integrate that part of herself without letting it endanger her or others.
Dasha’s final acceptance of her magical gifts comes not only from interactions with Vladya (her evil twin, from a certain perspective) and her steppe guards (the freedom-seeking, pleasure-loving part of herself she denies), but with Tuulikki, the sorceress-bard. Tuulikki possesses the artistic creativity—quite literally, as she creates both spells and physical objects—and willingness to walk on the dark side of the psyche that are hallmarks of the Enneagram 4. To be honest, I’m not sure if Tuulikki herself is actually an Enneagram 4, but she is full of both creativity and despair, so I’m going to say that for our purposes, she represents that type. To develop, Type 1s like Dasha need to integrate aspects of the Type 4, particularly artistry and creativity. Only by working together are Dasha and Tuulikki able complete their mission and save their people.
As usual, there’s so much more I could say, but I’ll finish here. I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into Dasha’s psyche, and do check out the Character Focused Fantasy giveaway! https://books.bookfunnel.com/characte...
E.P.
After a few days where North Carolina appeared to have transformed into the desert planet of Arrakis, we’ve finally gotten some rain and some cooler weather. Will it be too late for my camellias? I guess we’ll find out.
Last time I talked about my character Dasha’s MBTI type and a few of the Jungian features of The Singing Shore. This time I’m going to talk about her Enneagram type and how it plays out in the book. But first, a reminder that you can get The Singing Shore I: Sea and Song in the Character Focused Fantasy giveaway on Bookfunnel! https://books.bookfunnel.com/characte...
Okay, on with the analysis of my character…actually, I’m going to start with a confession about myself. You see, I’ve been interested in the study of personality and personality types for a long time (it actually featured in my dissertation, as I’ve mentioned). Naturally, this has involved a lot of self-study and self-reflection. It’s been much more heavily weighted towards the MBTI than towards the Enneagram, but I’ve had periods of interest in the Enneagram on and off for the past few years.
So I was reasonably sure I was an Enneagram Type 1 (spoiler alert: just like several of my characters). But the types can have “wings,” meaning they have traits of the types next to them on the Enneagram circle (if you’re already bored, I apologize. Go grab some free fantasy instead https://books.bookfunnel.com/characte...).
Type 1’s neighbors on the circle are Type 2 (obviously) and Type 9 (less obviously). I’ve always struggled to understand or empathize with the descriptions of Type 9s or even people who say they’re Type 9s. Clearly I have no Type 9 traits.
Except, except, except! As I was reading about the Enneagram and working on these posts, I realized that not only are some of my characters 1s with 9 wings, but I myself probably am too!!!! In other words, I was actively denying and even looking down on what may in fact be a significant part of my personality, or even my psychic totality (lots more exclamation points!!!!!).
I’ll stop with the confession there, and apologies if you found that tedious. But it just goes to show what reading and writing can do for self-discovery…If you’ve ever undergone a similar experience and care to share, by all means, let me know. I love chatting about this kind of stuff.
Anyway, enough about me; let’s talk about Dasha. Last time I discussed how Dasha is an INFJ according to the MBTI. This time I can reveal that she is most likely an Enneagram 1 (shocker). But unlike her mother (and, I guess, me?), she’s probably a 1 with a 2 wing rather than a 9 wing, meaning she’s warmer, more extraverted, and more people- and action-oriented than a 1w9.
At heart, though, she’s still a 1, meaning her core desire is to be good, pure, and righteous, and her core fear is to be corrupt, wrong, or evil. She is by nature highly critical of everything and everyone around her, especially herself, and has a strong need to make the world a better place.
The latter is in fact a motif throughout all the Dasha books: she was not only born for the specific purpose of making the world a better place, but she repeatedly says that she wants the world to be a better place because women are in it (remember, she’s in a matriarchal society where the default word for “human” is “woman.” Also, I liked the alliteration of “world” and “women”).
However, making the world a better place is easier said than done. When you actually roll your sleeves up and get down to it, other people keep getting in the way. Dasha has to deal with her cousin/adoptive sister Vladya’s firm convictions that she knows best how to make the world a better place. In the conflict between Dasha and Vladya, we see a clash between two 1s, and the danger a 1 can fall into of being overly certain and controlling. Dasha and Vladya both have to learn how to recognize what their principles are, stand up for what they believe is the right thing to do, and have the courage of their convictions, but without falling into either crippling self-criticism or overweening pride. Dasha suffers from the first vice, while Vladya suffers from the second.
As part of her sin of excessive self-criticism, Dasha spends a lot of the trilogy criticizing and hating her magical gifts. She is supposed to be a seer, but for much of the story her visions come and go at random, refusing to tell her what she needs to know, and confusing her when they do appear. She constantly berates herself for not having better control of her magic, and for not having the gift she wishes she had: that of healing. She feels fundamentally flawed, broken, and worthless because she isn’t who she thinks she should be and can’t live up to her ideal of herself.
She can only access her gifts—both of visions and, in the end, of healing—through interacting with others who are different from her in fundamental ways. Her steppe guards are largely Enneagram 7s of various stripes, with their focus on freedom and pleasure. Exposure to them allows Dasha to see the world through different eyes—and also tempts her to do things that might destroy her and everyone around her (sometimes we have standards and follow rules for a reason). She must learn how to integrate that part of herself without letting it endanger her or others.
Dasha’s final acceptance of her magical gifts comes not only from interactions with Vladya (her evil twin, from a certain perspective) and her steppe guards (the freedom-seeking, pleasure-loving part of herself she denies), but with Tuulikki, the sorceress-bard. Tuulikki possesses the artistic creativity—quite literally, as she creates both spells and physical objects—and willingness to walk on the dark side of the psyche that are hallmarks of the Enneagram 4. To be honest, I’m not sure if Tuulikki herself is actually an Enneagram 4, but she is full of both creativity and despair, so I’m going to say that for our purposes, she represents that type. To develop, Type 1s like Dasha need to integrate aspects of the Type 4, particularly artistry and creativity. Only by working together are Dasha and Tuulikki able complete their mission and save their people.
As usual, there’s so much more I could say, but I’ll finish here. I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into Dasha’s psyche, and do check out the Character Focused Fantasy giveaway! https://books.bookfunnel.com/characte...
E.P.
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