39 | Why I Don't Use the Enneagram to Build My Writing Life

Have you ever taken the Enneagram test, labeled yourself a Type 3 or Type 9, and tried to use it to grow your writing career?

I used to think it could help me become a better, more productive Christian author—until I dug deeper and realized just how misaligned it is with biblical truth.

In this episode, I’m sharing why I no longer use the Enneagram in my author journey and why I believe it could be pulling us away from who God says we are. We’ll look at its origins, how it shapes identity through the lens of self over Scripture, and why that matters if you're a writer called to build the Kingdom.

Here’s what I unpack in this episode:

• Why personality labels like “Enneagram 4” or “Type 1” can keep you stuck in false identity
• How the process of sanctification in Christ reshapes who we are—daily
• The difference between automatic writing and writing in the Spirit
• And a call to stop trying to “fix” yourself with worldly frameworks, and start walking in the truth that you are an anointed scribe, called and equipped by God

If you’ve been relying on tools like the Enneagram to guide your writing journey, I hope this episode challenges and encourages you to root your identity in the Word, not a number.

Let’s talk about what it really means to write with purpose, power, and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

👉 Listen now to uncover the secret to becoming an anointed scribe!

Transcript

Is it just me, or have you noticed how the Enneagram seems to be everywhere again lately?

Books, courses, coaching programs, even in Christian writing circles. You've probably seen the posts telling you how knowing your type of whether you're a three, a six or a nine can help you become a better,

more successful author.

Maybe you've even taken the test yourself, as I did back in 2022.

And honestly, at first I was all in.

I got my results and thought, yes,

this is it.

This explains why I struggle,

why I get stuck,

how I can finally grow as an author and sell more books.

Did it help me?

Not in the slightest.

But what's more is that something kept nagging at me.

Something just didn't feel quite right about building my identity,

my calling around a number.

And that's when the Holy Spirit started stirring this question in my heart.

What if the framework I was using to fit fix myself wasn't designed with God in mind at all?

What if the Enneagram isn't helping you grow,

but subtly boxing you into an identity that isn't yours to carry?

And what if,

without realizing it,

you've allowed a number to shape your calling more than the word of God?

But here's what I now know as Christian writers, we don't need a personality label to tell us who we are, Right?

We don't need a secular framework to help us overcome fear or doubt.

The living Word of God tells us exactly who we are,

why we struggle, and how to overcome it.

We are not static personalities.

We are ever changing reflections of Christ being refined daily.

So in today's episode we are going to talk about why I don't use the Enneagram to build my writing life,

what it means to write with the Holy Spirit instead,

and how to reclaim your true identity as an anointed scribe called equipped in and set apart for kingdom work.

This is episode 39.

I'm Urcelia Teixeira, ex real estate agent turned award winning Christian fiction author.

When I wrote my first novel on a bucket list whim, I had no idea it would spark a spiritual journey that would redefine my calling.

But you know what friend? Self publishing wasn't easy. I got caught in the hustle, chasing rankings and sales while desperately trying to stay rooted in Christ.

Now, by God's grace, I'm building my author business his way. And now he's called me to help you do the same.

Welcome to the Anointed Scribe Podcast where faith meets business for Christian writers. Let's write, publish and grow our author business God's way. Are you ready? Well then, let's get started.

Hey, it's your author friend, Urcelia, and welcome to another episode of the Anointed Scribe Podcast.

Whether you've been with me since day one or just discovering the show, I am super grateful you are here today.

So thank you for joining me. I hope you'll find today's topic useful and informative to guide you toward the freedom and clarity you've been seeking as a writer.

Now, if this is your first time here, make sure to hit, follow or subscribe right now so you can join me every week as I talk about moving beyond the hustle and stepping into the abundant author life God has planned for you.

One built on His Word,

not the world's ways.

Alright, let's get into it. And just a heads up though,

I'm about to challenge something that's pretty popular in the author community and it might even make you feel a little bit uncomfortable,

but I believe it's what the Lord wants us to hear today.

So if from the title and intro you're already feeling like your defenses are kicking in and your walls are going up,

I'd encourage you to perhaps just hit pause for a brief second and ask the Holy Spirit to help you year God's heart in this.

Because I never want you to feel like these episodes are about condemnation or personal attacks on you or your business.

They're about transformation.

So you can walk in freedom to do what you are called to do.

Go study the Word of God and pray about it afterwards. Because the Holy Spirit is your teacher and he'll confirm what's true and what applies to your life.

Okay, so let's get stuck in.

Let's start with something most people don't even realise about the Enneagram,

and that is that it did not come from scripture.

It didn't come from biblical wisdom or even psychology.

Its roots are traced back to spiritual mysticism,

developed and popularized by men like Oscar Echazo and Claudio Naranjo,

both of whom were heavily involved in occult practices.

Naranjo even admitted in interviews that several of the types were received through automatic writing,

a spiritual practice where a person writes while under a trance or spiritual influence,

claiming it's coming from an external source beyond themselves.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's not biblical practice. That's not God led.

And since they confessed to not being Christ followers, we know they weren't writing under the Holy Spirit's influence. Right?

Stick with me though. I'll come back to this In a moment.

Now, I want to be clear here.

I'm not saying that everyone who uses the Enneagram is practicing the occult. Please. That is not what I'm saying at all.

But what I am saying is that we need to be aware of the spiritual roots of the tools we use to understand ourselves.

Because here's the thing. The Enneagram has been repackaged,

sanitized, and marketed to Christian audiences without full disclosure of its origins.

It's being dressed up in Christian language and sprinkled with biblical verses or Bible verses, and presented as if it's compatible with biblical truth.

But foundation matters, friend.

You can't build a God honoring life on a framework that wasn't designed to honour God in the first place.

Right?

And this is why we have to be careful when something spiritual or spiritual looking,

I should say, gets repackaged for the church without its roots being exposed.

We are called to test everything,

not just accept something because it seems helpful.

First, Thessalonians 5. 21 tells us to test everything.

Hold fast. What is good?

The question isn't whether the Enneagram has helped some people.

The question is, is this tool the tool God wants you to use to understand yourself and build your writing life?

So why are writers drawn to the Enneagram?

It's not hard to see why the Enneagram appeals to us,

especially as creatives.

We crave clarity. We want to understand why we get stuck,

why we procrastinate,

why we fear rejection,

why we struggle with imposter syndrome, why we can't seem to finish that manuscript or publish that book.

So when something promises to help us figure ourselves out,

it's tempting, right?

You read your type and it feels like someone's finally put your inner world into words.

And in a way, that's comforting, right? It feels like power,

like finally having a roadmap to navigate your creative journey.

You think to yourself, now I understand why I'm always anxious about my writing.

I'm a type 6.

Or, now I know why I procrastinate. Because I'm a type 9.

Or how about this one? This explains why I'm always hustling and never satisfied. I'm a type 3.

We proudly wear it like badges, almost.

But here's the catch, and this is crucial.

What you claim over yourself becomes the ceiling you live under.

The Enneagram says you are this type, and here's how to cope with your limitations.

But the Gospel says you're a new creation, and here's how to be transformed beyond your limitations.

That's a completely different promise, friend.

One keeps you managing your dysfunction.

The other offers you complete freedom from it.

One gives you strategies to work around your weaknesses.

The other gives you the power to be transformed at the root level.

And as Christian writers, we shouldn't be satisfied with management when God offers us transformation.

Earlier I told you that the creators of the Enneagram said that many of the types of were received through automatic writing.

And if that raised some alarm bells, it should.

Especially for those of us who describe our creative process as writing in the Spirit. Which I do.

Because the term automatic writing is often misunderstood,

some Christians assume it's the same thing as Holy Spirit inspiration. It's not,

and this distinction is crucial for us as anointed scribes.

So here's the difference.

Automatic writing involves surrendering control of your mind and body to an unknown or impersonal spirit.

The writer becomes a passive vessel, often entering a trance like state,

channeling whatever comes through.

Often without full awareness,

understanding or discernment,

the person essentially checks out and lets something else take control.

Writing with the Holy Spirit is entirely different.

It's active partnership,

not passive possession.

It's rooted in surrender to God, not surrender of control to an unknown entity.

It always aligns with God's character and scripture.

It involves your full faculties, your mind, your will, your discernment.

When you write in the Spirit as a believer, you are not being overtaken by some external force.

You are co laboring with the Lord. You are fully present, fully aware and prayerfully seeking to glorify God through your creativity.

You submitting to God's will. But you are still you,

transformed and empowered by His Spirit.

The Holy Spirit doesn't bypass your personality.

He sanctifies it.

He doesn't override your voice. He purifies it.

He doesn't possess you. He partners with you.

That distinction matters immensely because we need to know what spirit we're aligning with when we create Right and friend, the Holy Spirit will never lead you to write something that contradicts the Word or to identify with something that binds rather than frees.

If a framework is rooted in practices that involve surrendering control to unknown spiritual forces,

we need to stop and ask ourselves,

is this really where I want to find my identity as a writer?

So let's pause and ask the most important question.

What does the Bible actually say about your identity?

Because this is where the rubber meets the road, friend.

This is where we separate worldly wisdom from kingdom truth.

So here are four foundational truths about who you are as a believer. What The Bible tells you who you are as a believer.

First it says you are a new creation.

2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us,

if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

The old has passed away. Behold,

the new has come.

This means, friend, you are not stuck in your flaws or weaknesses.

You are not defined by your past patterns or behaviors. You are being renewed day by day. The old you with all your dysfunction gone,

the new you being formed into Christ's image.

That's who you really are.

Second,

you are transformed by the truth,

not self discovery.

Romans 12:2 says,

do not conform to the pattern of this world,

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

The transformation you need doesn't come from analyzing your personality type.

It comes from saturating your mind with God's truth.

It comes from thinking God's thoughts after him.

It comes from the word of God washing over your mind and heart day after day until you begin to see yourself the way God sees you.

Third, you are a vessel for Christ Himself.

Galatians 2:20 says,

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live,

but Christ lives in me.

This is revolutionary, friend. This means your personality isn't the centerpiece of your writing life.

Jesus is.

You're not trying to fix your personality so you can be a better writer.

You are surrendering your personality so that Christ can write through you in ways that glorify Him.

Fourth,

you are being sanctified,

not typecast.

The process of sanctification means you are constantly being made more like Jesus.

You are not stuck in a box labeled Type 3 or Type 5 or Type 9.

You're being transformed from glory to glory, day by day as you behold the Lord.

Here's the truth, friend.

If you're in Christ,

here's who the living word of God says you really are.

Set apart for his people purposes,

filled with a spirit who leads you into all truth,

gifted according to his will for your calling,

empowered to do the works he prepared in advance for you to do,

and constantly being sanctified,

not typecast into a permanent personality category.

You don't have to manage your flaws.

You get to surrender them and watch God transform them.

You don't need to master coping with your number.

You need to walk in step with a spirit who is making you new.

This is your true identity, friend,

not what a test tells you, not what a number defines,

but what the living God declares over you.

So what's the danger of building your author brand on a label? Well,

let me ask you something.

Have you Ever seen a writing coach? Or course, say if you're a type 3,

market your books like this.

If you're a type 4, build your brand this way. Or if you're a type 9, here's your content strategy.

It sounds strategic, doesn't it? It sounds like wisdom,

but what it really does is trap you in a box that was never meant to contain you. When you brand yourself by number,

you give that number authority over your calling.

You start making decisions based on what your type would do instead of what the Holy Spirit is leading you to do.

You limit your obedience to fit your personality.

And as a Christian author,

only God should have authority over your message, your voice, and your identity.

Here's what I've noticed When writers build their brand around their enneagram type,

they often end up writing to their limitations instead of their calling.

They say things like I can't do video content because I'm an introverted type 4. 5.

I can't write vulnerability because I'm a type 8 and we don't do emotions.

Or I can't be consistent because I'm a type 7 and we struggle with follow through friend. That's not wisdom. That's agreement with limitation.

That's partnering with a lie that says you are who you've always been instead of believing the truth that you are who God is making you to be.

Don't build your career on a counterfeit calling. Don't let a personality framework dictate what God wants to do through your life and ministry.

Build it on the rock on the solid foundation of who you are in Christ and what he's called you to do.

So what do we do instead?

How do we grow and understand ourselves without relying on worldly frameworks?

We pursue growth God's way and here's how.

First,

seek God before Google before you take another personality test or seek another framework to understand yourself, pray.

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal what he wants you to know about yourself.

It's not necessarily going to come overnight,

so stick with it. Just keep praying and keep asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to you.

Psalm 139,

23:24 says,

Search me, O God, and know my heart.

Try me and know my thoughts,

and see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

That's a much better diagnostic tool than any test the world can offer, isn't it?

Second, let Scripture be your mirror. Instead of looking to personality profiles to understand who you are,

look into the Word of God.

James 1:23 24 tells us that anyone who looks into God's Word but doesn't act on it is like someone who looks at their face in a mirror and immediately forgets what they look like.

But when you consistently look into the perfect law of liberty, God's Word,

and act on what you see there,

you'll be blessed in your doing.

The Bible is the only mirror that shows you both who you are and who you are becoming in Christ.

Third,

stop claiming what Jesus died to redeem.

Don't say I'm just anxious because I'm a type 6 and that's how we are.

Say I'm learning to trust because I'm being transformed by the peace of Christ.

Don't say I procrastinate because I'm a type 9 and we avoid conflict.

Say I'm learning to be faithful in the small things because Christ is teaching me discipline.

Stop partnering with labels that limit you and start declaring that the truth of what God is doing in your life.

Fourth,

claim your true identity as a writer. You are not your Enneagram type, friend.

You are an anointed scribe called to write for his glory and to build his kingdom.

You are a co laborer with Christ.

You are a vessel for the living Word of God. You are equipped for every good work when you start from that identity. Everything else flows from a place of calling,

not coping.

Friend, I know this message may be a little uncomfortable. Maybe you've loved the Enneagram. Maybe it's helped you understand some things about yourself in the past.

And I'm not here to judge or condemn anyone who's found it helpful.

But I believe God is calling us higher.

Not to reject growth,

but to redefine growth through his eyes.

Not to box ourselves into static labels, but to walk in the freedom of being transformed into Christ's image daily.

You are not your number, you are his.

He knows and calls you by your name.

That's already written in the book of life, not death.

You have already been redeemed by the blood of Jesus. You are renewed.

You are being sanctified.

You are anointed to write words that bear fruit and glorify the King.

The world will always offer you counterfeits for what only God can provide.

It will offer you frameworks instead of freedom,

labels instead of liberation,

management instead of transformation.

But you, dear scribe, were made for so much more.

You were made to write from the overflow of your relationship with Jesus.

To create from a place of calling, not coping.

To build your author life on the solid rock of scripture, not the shifting sand of secular psychology.

If this episode stirred something in you, I'd love to hear from you.

DM me. Tag me in the Anointed Scribe Facebook group or share this with a fellow writer who might be unknowingly building their author life on something that was never meant to be to guide them.

You are not your enneagram type. You are not just a number.

You are an anointed Scribe called and equipped for kingdom work. I can't say that enough.

So this week,

before you pick up a framework or label to define your next move as a writer,

pause,

open your Bible and read Psalm 139.

Ask the Holy Spirit to redefine your identity and show you what he sees.

Then write from that place.

Friend, before I let you go, I want you to use the Send me a message link in the show notes and let me know where you need God to show up for you today so I can pray for you.

It's 100% anonymous. I can't see your name or your email or your phone number. I can't even reply to you.

But I can read your request and I can pray for you.

So I encourage you to use this feature to send me a private message to let me know what you are struggling with right now so we can come together and take this to the Lord in prayer.

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Oh and if you want more tips outside of this show, sign up to my monthly 5 minute manna emails. The link is in the show notes. Okay, so that's it for today's show.

Thank you for listening. And remember, for such a time as this,

you have been called to thrive as God's anointed scribe.