Type 5 is drawn to the unusual, the overlooked, the bizarre, the fantastic and the unthinkable.
Type 5 is unknown territory.
TYPE 5 MANIFESTO Type 5 will never be bound or restricted, its aim being to encourage freedom of interpretation.
Nothing will ever be too strange, obscure or out of the ordinary for Type 5.
By observing and dissecting, Type 5 will explore the mind and all that exists within it. It will always be open to new ways of thinking.
Type 5 will never seek approval and will remain true to itself and its beliefs.
Type 5 will be clear, uncluttered and introspective to allow the mind to wander freely.
KNOW YOUR TYPE. KNOW YOUR MIND.
ΓΝΩΘΙ KNOW THYSELF ΣΑΥΤΟΝ
WHAT IS TYPE 5 ? Type 5 is one of the nine personality types defined by the Enneagram, a nine sided diagram designed to represent the varying spectrum of human personality types. All nine types connect with each other and so it is likely that we will all recognise a small part of ourselves in each one.
Type 5 is often known as the observer or the investigator. They are perceptive, knowledgeable and informed, yet their private and solitary nature means that they will usually step back and view the world from a safe distance. Always searching, questioning and delving deep, Type 5s are innovators with a strong desire to test the truth of most assumptions for themselves, creating unexpected and original outcomes in the process.
3 Levels of Type 5
I
II
III
3 LEVELS OF TYPE 5 1
At their best, Type 5s are visionaries, seeing the future and making pioneering discoveries. They think differently and see possibility where others do not. They are open-minded observers of the world, gathering knowledge and interpreting information in insightful and inventive ways. Always alert and curious, their minds are eager to overturn accepted ideas and doctrines.
2
Average Type 5s challenge accepted ways of doing things and conceptualise every thought before acting on it. As they become preoccupied with the world inside their heads, their private visions and interpretations begin to take over and they become detached from the world.
3
At their worst, Type 5s become reclusive and isolated. Obsessed with their ideas, they are secretive and unstable. Completely disconnected from the outside world, they are disembodied minds, out of touch with their physical forms.
Fortress Fortress Fortress
Fortress
T
he steep staircase leading to my tower welcomes me with open arms. A dim
light forces its way through the tiny slits that have become the only windows to my world. I lock myself deep inside my fortress and position myself as an observer. The high walls surround me and I am safe. I am a wilful prisoner. Unlike those crippled by the demands of extroversion, I revel in my ability to thrive in the dark silence of the night. Here, the coldness that dominates my exterior being is exchanged for the vibrant colour of my internal monologue.
Beneath the thick black cloak that envelops my body I am alive with thoughts, always watching and always searching. I know that here, within the battlements of my mind, I can grant myself the time I need to refuel and reconnect. One day I will release myself from this self-inflicted coma, fully prepared for what the universe has to offer. I know I must shed this rough coat of introspection if I am to sleep and to dream, but I find it stuck to my skin - it has become a part of me.
Fortress
As blackness continues to descend on the normality of life outside, I watch the shadows dance around me and let my hopes and fears dance with them. I
Daybreak arrives. Upon my reluctant release
reflect on the events of the day, the people I have
from the secure confines of the keep, I stagger at
seen and the things I have heard from underneath
first before regaining my composure. I see myself
the opaque veil that hides me wherever I go. Even
from above. I am naked, stripped of all but the
as I finally feel myself drifting into a deep slumber,
knowledge inside my own head. Protection being
my mind keeps ticking, dissecting and analysing in
my first priority, I wrap myself in layer upon layer
minute detail.
of heavy cloth, desperate not to reveal myself before I am ready. Encased in a tomb of imaginary glass, I can see out but no one may come near. I continue to watch as the world keeps turning. I am there but not quite. My physical self is never engaged with the physicality needed to be human. My whole world is locked in the fortress I have built for my mind.
As blackness continues to descend
Secret Secret Secret
Shroud
Of myster y
Curiosity Curiosity Curiosity
Under Under Under the the the Skin Skin Skin
Under the Skin
M
y body lies dor mant. Disconnected from the complicated emotions of the mind, it is my lifeless shield and impenetrable protector. I
must peel away layer after layer if I am to reach the centre, the centre that I know has so much to offer if I could only find my way there.
The first and outer most layer is by far the hardest to crack. Cold and grey, its sterile surface glistens in the light. I chisel away at it slowly. I know that I must take care but, as the laborious task continues, frustration sets in. On the verge of giving up, I strike one final blow, breaking open the shell of stone with unexpected force. Despite this breakthrough the jour ney is young and all I see is the long and arduous road ahead.
With the tough exterior defeated, the second layer looms. A dark and heavy coat so cumbersome, I fear that all may be lost. Hidden amongst the deep, mountainous folds are a complicated array of buckles and zips. They are deter mined to keep me out and I fiddle anxiously, all too aware that I have already come too far. I am not welcome here. When the final buckle is at last prised apart, I quickly move on, fearful that my hard work may somehow be undone and I will find myself on the outskirts once again.
Under the Skin
With the appearance of the third layer I am confronted with something of far less bulk. My relief at this is palpable and I believe my perseverance has rewarded me. Despite its initial thin and delicate appearance, on closer inspection I find its texture to be rough and uneven. My intrusion is perhaps too much and, as I weave my way through the thor ny fibres, I am pricked and prodded in a desperate attempt to make me tur n back.
I am now so close that I find myself holding my breath in nervous anticipation. The fourth layer is so light and smooth to the touch that I can glide my hand over it slowly without a single snag. It possesses a new transparent quality, enabling me to catch a small glimpse of what might be hiding under neath. I can feel the bumps and ridges of the human for m, but the fluid silk rippling quietly over the surface softens them. They become tranquil waves lapping silently against me; the rough sea has calmed.
Under the Skin
I n ow beg in t o peel away al l that’s l ef t, the f i na l l ayer, w i th i ts b a re s k in s o cl ose to the bone. I sense the vu l ner a b i l i ty bu t I a m d r aw n to i t. O n ly thin threa ds remain, so l oo se that I a m a bl e to p u l l them a p a r t a nd away f rom the body with l ittl e m o re tha n a g entl e tu g. T he ski n b eneath is p ale and pure. Protected for so l o ng w i tho u t a b reath o f a i r, i t ha s year n ed for the day when it wo u l d see the su n. B o th f ea r a nd l o ng i ng h ave p layed their par ts and they now b eg i n to f a d e, ex p o s i ng a sec ret lif e to the revea l ing br ightness o f the d ay.
I f eel the bl ood pumping and t he tem p er atu re r i si ng. E ver y l a st l ayer h as b een str ipped away a nd I have rea ched the c o re. Insi d e l i es the cen tre of wisdom a nd emotion , so r aw a nd p rec i o u s that my f i r st sm a l l s te p s are timid and apprehensi ve. I c o nf ro nt my a r r i va l w i th d a zed b ewild er ment but soon come to ter m s w i th a l l that I have overc o m e. T he d e p th s of secl usion a re unl ocked a nd u ng u a rd ed , the i nter na l ex i stenc e f ree to manifest itsel f in mor tal fo r m .
Enlighten Enlighten Enlighten
Cocoon
Cover
Preserve
Emerge
Refresh
Expose
Reveal
Hidden Hidden Hidden
Lurking in the
shadows of my
mind
Waiting for my
moment to
arrive
Light rises
and darkness falls
Oracle Oracle Oracle
Oracle
I
see myself as a Pythian Priestess of old, perched high upon my sacred
tripod above a chasm in the rock. Vapour rises and shrouds my vaguely female for m.
I have arrived at the place I know best
Divine mist glides across my face, my eyes
and yet still find myself astounded by the
growing wide as their colour fades to
richness and depth of what I see. The
white. I feel myself slipping in and out of
many days spent seeking out truth and
consciousness as the poisonous gases take
knowledge have led me to this. I have
hold and put me under their hypnotic spell.
examined every inch of my physical and
The other world has taken me, possessed
mental states and am blinded by the light
me and rid me of my earthly vices. My
that shines from within me. Unable to see
mind is clear and I can see far beyond the
anything but the intricacies of my own
realms of my everyday existence.
mind, I focus on the colours bouncing around my psyche, creating intertwining patter ns and shapes. Emerald greens and exotic sea blues swirl calmly through my thoughts while fiery oranges and reds appear in short bursts, providing me with an underlying blazing strength. Darkness always lurks but I can recognise its murky shades and banish them from my sight.
Oracle
Every utterance that escapes from my lips feels real and right. No matter how difficult some may find them to interpret or understand, I know that they come from a place that has
I adorn myself with loose, flowing sheets
fought for so long to break free. As my insights
that sway serenely in the warm breeze. I will
are revealed to those who wish to listen I feel
never be content with revealing too much
validation and peace. With my newfound
but feel this light covering provides me with
solace comes a willingness to transform my
the perfect balance. My robes are plain and
external display. From the inside out I now
clean while underneath my worldly presence
work, bringing my fresh internal hues to
resides. Pared down in appearance, they are
the attention of those surrounding me. The
the perfect antidote to the chaotic spectrum
mysterious ambiguity that has always hovered
that exists inside my head. They sweep along
above the surface remains, but its previous
the earthy ground as my movements begin
impenetrable nature has been replaced with
to flow, occasionally catching on a jagged
a mesmerising aura of wisdom and warmth.
stone but quickly releasing themselves. I still watch myself from above but have embodied a grounded spirit. I am embraced by openness and self-actualisation. My mind and body almost function as one. The eternal searching and quest to know myself will never cease but I have finally found the key to their world as well as mine.
Reveal Reveal Reveal
I remove my mask
I feel the world
I am