Enneagram – Enneagram and Encaustic

GORDON URQUHART, THREE

Gordon is the local man. Like everyone in the village, he wears many hats: hotelier, bartender, and accountant. He represents the community, negotiating the purchase deal with Mac. He’s competent and a natural leader.

Gordon is a Three. He must be. He’s good at everything he does and everyone like and trusts him. When Mac, drunk, says to him, “I’d make a good Gordon, Gordon,” it’s an admission that Gordon is already the best version of himself.

One thing I like about Gordon’s Threeness: he’s great for the village. His genius is capped by his circumstances. Mac, coming from a more ruthless community, outnegotiates him. We know from the early Knox board meeting that the town and surrounding beach is worth $600 million and that they can go no higher than $60 million in payout. Gordon feels very bold to ask for $6 million, and Mac, stonefaced as always, says he’ll consider that price.

Bonus points if you recognize Gordon’s young Denis Lawson as fighter pilot Wedge from the OG “Star Wars”.

OLDSEN, SIX

The Scottish representative of Knox Oil and Gas, Oldsen works with Mac to secure the deal. Here is Peter Capaldi (of Dr. Who fame) in his first film role, portraying an extremely awkward young man. He runs like Woody from “Toy Story”, lol.

I suspect that Oldsen is a Head Type, considering his physical and social clumsiness. He has a genuine honesty, though, that makes him endearing. (Unlike Mac, he would not make a reliable negotiator.)

Even though both men dress in business suits, which doesn’t leave much room for odd pattern or style choices, Oldsen seems like a guy who has a few strange pieces in his closet at home. I’m going with a Six for him. He has a dogged loyalty to Mac and a persistent (but not stalker) interest in Marina. When Happer mistakes him for Mac, Oldsen doesn’t care. He just wants to do the job. This is a Trooper.

MAC, FIVE

The movie “Local Hero” never gives Mac a first name, although we know his full last name is MacIntyre. He’s sent to Scotland to finalize a land purchase from a small coastal village for a Texas oil company. If you have never seen this strange, charming film from 1983, I highly recommend you try it. It’s become a Thanksgiving staple for our family for the silliest of reasons: Mac and friends deliver a meal of whiskey and beef sandwiches to a beach shack. Something about this parade of elegance across the sand speaks of food and tradition. It’s a tentative connection, I grant you, but we count it.

Mac is reluctant to leave Houston in order to secure a deal. He’s a “Telex man” (which is meaningless to us nowadays). In Scotland he wears his suits and watch, all business. His character arc changes over time, though, and he comes to love the village. It becomes his true home and Houston becomes alien.

So, we have a protagonist who’s organized and focused. As a dealmaker, he plays it very close to the vest. He never gloats, but he’s arranging a purchase price much lower than the company expected. He’s no glad-hander, and he’s not particularly good with people.

We’re looking at a Head Type.

Peter Riegert, in an early role in his career, doesn’t fit the physical dimensions of a tall Five, but I think this is what he’s playing. Although the Scotland experience makes him more fun-loving, Mac doesn’t seem like a Seven. He’s too serious, too buttoned-up at the beginning. He could be a Six, but he seems too cold at first, too distant from other people. Because he’s reserved and slow to relax, I prefer him as a Five.

Rookwood’s Trial

Remember a while ago when Natty said she wanted to fight back against Harlow? She’s found his poacher’s lair and asks me to help her get proof for the constable.

We sneak in. When we’re halfway up the castle, we see a disturbing scene. Highwing has been captured by Harlow’s poachers.

Natty sends me to rescue the hippogriff while she continues to look for Harlow’s incriminating letter.

At the top of the tower I find Highwing and another hippogriff chained to the floor. Natty arrives and breaks the shackles. I climb onto Highwing, but Natty hesitates. She hasn’t bowed to the other hippogriff and it resists her.

In come the poachers. The other hippogriff takes off. Natty runs to jump on its back, but she isn’t fast enough. Highwing spreads her wings and grabs Natty with her talons as she flies.

Poachers shoot curses at us, including Avada Kedavra.

Highwing drops Natty onto the other hippogriff’s back, and we fly away.

(The flight mechanics are the same as for the broom. It’s delightful. Fan service off the charts.)

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.)

TAHANI AL-JIMAL, TWO

Tahani’s defining characteristic is Envy, which makes her a Heart Type. After that, discerning whether she’s a Two, Three, or Four becomes difficult. She has traits that fit into any of those Enneagram numbers.

The interesting choice is a Two. Her impulse toward charity work is genuine, even though it begins as a way to prove to her parents that she’s just as worthy of love as her sister.

She’s very successful at raising money for a cause, which could make her a Three. She’s also very emotionally connected, a Four possibility.

Ah, but she considers the morale of the neighborhood to be her responsibility. This is a Two. A Four would take more personal time. A Two won’t rest if they think they can help others. Also, that self-sacrifice convinces Tahani that she’s a good person. A Two, one of the most giving numbers of the Enneagram, can avoid introspection if their work is deemed to be important. Her own motivations, something she will eventually need to examine in the Good Place, are constantly set aside so she can uplift the community.