Well, syncretism and type six.
Sixes, as you may know, are the skeptics of the enneagram. Often referred to as "Devil's Advocates," they're the type that questions everything, including themselves. There is an underlying existential anxiety that drives them which manifests as an overwhelming doubt and corresponding desire for certainty. This certainty manifests in a variety of ways. Sixes are most known for their orientation towards groups, particularly the safety and identity of the group, but I suspect this may just be the Social Six, and not always then. Sixes can seek to find things to believe in, and this is usually systems of reference, which can be anything from bureaucratic guidelines and religious texts to tarot cards to mentors.
The "need for something to believe in" gets overplayed a bit, I think. Not that it isn't there, but just that it paints a "fanatical" picture which may not be limited to type six. Fanaticism seems to be more of a collective thing, a movement that occurs in certain places at certain times, and is more indicative of a wounding in the psyche of a culture, nation or even a world which, ironically, has been projected onto type Six. I say ironically, since the chief defense mechanism of Sixes is projection. The operative phrase is "chief" as we can all use any of the defense mechanisms at any given time. Sixes use projection the most, but I suspect that this, too, is the result of the doubting mind of Six. When you doubt everything, including your own thoughts and impulses, it can be unclear exactly what is going on: does she desire him or does he desire her? Who exactly is angry at whom? Thoughts go from oneself to others and, based on just how unacceptable the impulse is, may return to oneself only to be boomeranged again.
It is this state of constant thinking, constant questioning, that drives one to try to find security in a thought, person or belief system. When one's thoughts are in the perpetual motion of questioning, concluding, reversing and questioning, finding a "first principle" is an understandable reaction. I see the type Six need for security as more akin to Descartes' search for a first principle to escape skeptical doubts. In the skeptical tradition, all sources of knowledge are brought into question and the position becomes asserted that one cannot say anything with certainty. Descartes' Meditations were intended to escape this problem by finding one foundation, or principle, that the person could rely upon. I see the Six desire for something to believe in as a first principle: the Six wants some foundation, some truth of which she can be absolutely certain, to build upon and remove doubt.
However, I do not think that Descartes' Meditations is the solution for type Six. Since what Sixes really need is faith, Descartes may fuel, rather than alleviate, the fixation. Instead, I would suggest Pico's 900 Theses. The Theses were an attempt at syncretism--the synthesis of numerous different schools of thought--in which he explored multiple traditions with the intent of integrating Plato and Aristotle. Towards the end of the Theses, he introduced occult philosophy by way of Kabbalah and integrated it with Christianity. Probably one of the more shocking Theses (this was 1486, after all) was:
There is no science that assures us more of the divinity of Christ than magic and Kabala. (900 Theses, 9>9)
Not surprisingly, it was deemed heretical, and Pico had to flee, though the condemnation was later lifted. Most known for his occult philosophy, Pico not only talks about Kabbalah, but well known medievalists like Aquinas, as well as Greek philosophers, Islamic philosophers, Chaldeans and so forth.
The benefit Pico presents for type Six is that he has integrated a number of different philosophers from wise (and in some cases, arcane) texts that have stood the test of time and therefore can represent a mediation between the Six's need for a reliable frame of reference and the ability to appreciate many different kinds of truth.
My exercise for Type Six would be as follows: pick up a copy of 900 Theses, either for purchase from a site like Amazon or from an academic library, if you have access. Read as much from the Theses as you can, but be sure to sample at least some of the different schools of thought. Then, pick three philosophers that he talks about who strike your fancy, but make sure they're each from a different school of thought. Read their work, either online or through a library. As you explore their thoughts, keep a record of your impressions--your thoughts, reactions and what in particular you find persuasive. When you're done, write your own syncretic account of what you've learned and how it can pertain to your life. (It can be as long or as short as you'd like.)
