October 2025 – Enneagram and Encaustic

Story Enneagram of Season One of “Moon Knight”

As a pre-Halloween treat I looked over my review of the MCU’s 2022 release of Moon Knight. I realized I never gave an overview of the season’s Enneagram. I’m a completion freak, so obviously I need to do that. Also, I thought the review was pretty chaotic. I began by liking the show, became more disgruntled as I wrote the review, and liked it all even less when I read back over what I posted three years ago. I really want to look at the whole thing again and see if I now hate it. Heh.

Alrighty, then. Let’s make it a Halloween post. If all else fails, I can still recommend the soundtrack scored by Hesham Nazih.

ONE

Introduce Steven and his sleep ritual. Although he seems to know more about Egyptology than his boss at the museum, he works in the snack shop.

TWO

Steven wakes in an Alpine meadow and faces Arthur’s judging ritual. He’s chased, he swaps bodies with Mark (although we only see Steven’s perspective), and he’s demeaned by Khonshu’s voice, unidentified at this time.

He finds the scarab in Mark’s coat pocket.

Steven notices more inconsistencies: the goldfish is wrong, and he misses his steak date, which devastates him. The hidden phone leads him to discover Layla.

THREE

In the museum, Arthur confronts Steven. Your scales won’t settle, he says, because you’re more than one person. He wants the scarab.

When Arthur’s beast attacks, Steven willingly turns control of the body over to Mark. The Moon Knight costume is revealed.

The Cursed Girl

Sebastian has asked me to visit his sister with him to cheer her up. She’s been cursed, and it appears to be incurable. She’s left Hogwarts to live in the village of Feldcroft with their uncle.

Throughout my time knowing Sebastian he’s been looking for a cure, and he’s very determined to get his sister back to the way she used to be.

The uncle is strict and abrupt. Anne is sick and that’s the end of it. (He’s an unpleasant, angry fellow.) He has no patience for Sebastian’s curiosity and determination.

Sebastian takes me to the nearby, ruined estate where Anne was cursed. We fight through Ranrok’s Loyalists, and then look for clues. The home has been abandoned for years, although rumor says a Hogwarts professor once lived here.

Now I recognize the view from the yard. This was Isidora’s house when she was a child. It’s the scene I saw in Rackham’s memory. On the other side of the village is Rookwood castle.

MICHAEL, FOUR

Please don’t read about Michael if you want to avoid spoilers.

In order to judge Michael’s Enneagram, we need more than Season One. He only begins to change in later episodes. Eleanor thwarts him, which opens up personality options to him. Of course, an argument can be made that Michael should have no Enneagram at all because of what he is. Throughout Season One he tricks us into thinking he has a character. It’s all play-acting, though, as part of his Good Place fake. The real Michael doesn’t appear until the last episode of that season.

During Season Two we begin to see genuine traits. He has an identity crisis. At first he’s only concerned with saving his job, but later he gains an emotional connection to the gang. His victims become his friends. He learns about morality. He tries to do the right thing.

So if Michael is to have an Enneagram, it must be a number that encompasses his beginning as an active demon. For some reason my mind goes immediately to a Five. Fives can have a cold disconnection from others that can seem cruel if you expect a more emotional person. Until he’s taught ethics by Chidi, Michael may have been a competent demon with no qualms. The way Michael is won over by logical arguments also suggests a Head Type.

However, I’m more persuaded that Michael is a Four. He has an emotional breakdown when he no longer knows his role in the fake Good Place. And part of him genuinely wants to connect with the gang. His goofy ability to make mistakes is not completely a ruse. It’s an exaggeration of his true personality. A Four could take pleasure in the dark aspects of hell, and could just as easily switch to longing for a community of friends.

Also — to be frank — a Four is a better liar than a Five. No judgment. It can be a useful trait.

Hippogriffs and Monkeys

I attend Beasts Class, where I learn how to feed and brush magical (and adorable) critters.

Who’s a good girl?

I meet another student, Poppy, who seems to be a beast whisperer. After class she wants to introduce me to a special friend, Highwing.

Since Fig and I are trying to learn more about Ranrok, I ask Sirona at The Three Broomsticks about her goblin friend, Lodgok. I meet him over at the Hog’s Head.

Rackham’s Trial

I meet with Fig as soon as he returns from the Ministry. He wants to go right away to see the room I discovered under Hogwarts.

In the empty Map Chamber, Fig places the book on the pedestal. The entire floor becomes a glowing map of the surrounding countryside and landmarks. For a moment Fig is sad that Miriam isn’t here to see it.

After introductions between Fig and Rackham in his portrait, Rackham explains that the map will highlight four areas indicating four trials I must pass. The Keepers want to make sure that their knowledge doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. This will take time, Rackham says, but Fig respectfully interrupts. Ranrok wields a powerful dark magic. Rackham becomes alarmed when he learns Ranrok was in his Gringotts’ vault. The first trial will proceed immediately. Fig recognizes the spot on the map; we’ll meet there. He can help me find the location, but he can’t follow me into the trial.

(Up until now I’ve only been pursuing main mission quests and avoiding side quests. The game won’t let me proceed until I gain another level! I wondered if I’d come up against a hard check of some kind.)

Sad Cart

I apologize for the lack of encaustic content lately.

My cart, although small-ish and portable, is in a lost corner of the property right now, waiting for a new location. I’m looking for reliable power (the heat gun combined with the griddle that melts the wax are a strong draw) and proper ventilation.

I have all kinds of ideas and can’t wait to get back to work. Please bear with me.