Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson was doing one of their Enneagram Part 1 in Palo Alto back in 2001
Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson are my primary teachers of the Enneagram
I attended my first international Enneagram training in 2001 and I was surprised how the duo was teaching using all kinds of old-school material all gathered in a binder containing more than 500 pages. The group was from all over the world, and today I still have friends from that first Enneagram training.
The class of 2001
Back in 1996 I was presented to the Enneagram, and reading the books of Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson I was certain, that they should become my teachers. I have never attended international training before and did not know what to expect. The Danish school culture is based on the equality between teacher and student and the student is invited to challenge the teacher’s knowledge. That you are responsible for your own learning is an essential part of how the teaching is done in Denmark. But would that also be the same internationally, and I was especially interested in the materials because I was uncertain that my English has the level, that I would understand everything in class.
I loved the teaching and the dynamic between Don and Russ, where Don was the father figure, who had a structure and a certain idea about how things should go, and Russ was the younger teaching partner who supported the teaching through a deep experience from his Gurdjieff work.
Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson 2001
The Enneagram Institute of Denmark
At the workshop, I presented the idea to Don and Russ, that I would love to represent The Enneagram Institute in Denmark and broaden the awareness of their teaching to the Enneagram community in Denmark, that at the time would consist of a couple of teachers and a small group of enthusiasts most introduced to the teaching of Helen Palmer and David Daniels. In 2002 The Enneagram Institute of Denmark was established and since then the lineage of Don and Russ’s teaching has expanded radically. With a population of around 5.8 mio. people we are one the of smaller countries in the world. Still, we have 5 IEA Enneagram Accredited Schools out of the 25 schools in the world!
Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson in Denmark
Since 2002 Russ Hudson and Don Richard Riso have been represented in Denmark by THINK ABOUT IT, and the first workshop they did were about how to use the Enneagram in leadership and teamwork. The idea was to present the Enneagram to a professional audience and therethrough expand the knowledge about this ‘new’ system or tool in Denmark. Since 2002 we have hosted a workshop where especially Russ presented some of his newest findings and models and lately Russ presented his new approach to the Instincts with hos zones and domains.
The Enneagram Institute and The Barn
The Enneagram Institute Headquarter is in Stone Ridge, NY, USA and every time I went there I was like coming home. I felt taken care of, seen, and heard, and especially Don has this direct and hard way of sharing his truth about me and my self-awareness. In the years before 2012 Don’s health weakened and he died on the 30th of August 2012. He did his last Part 1 with Russ in 2011, and we were a grand group of people who knew it would be their last teaching together and we all came to support both Don, Russ, and Don’s partner Brian Taylor. It was a difficult time, and for me, it was the first time a person who has been my teacher, guide, and supporter would leave this world.
Russ Hudson and Russhudson.com
Russ Hudson is still connected to the Enneagram Institute as president emeritus but is doing most of his teaching from his own company. When you receive teaching from Russ, you will be part of a wisdom lineage going back to Gurdjieff as Russ was a member of the Gurdjieff group in New York before joining Don in 1991. Russ is teaching all over the world, and I have participated in his teaching in Egypt where especially the Gurdjieff movement classes have made a profound impact on my own teaching and growth. Every year Russ is hosting a pilgrimage journey for three weeks visiting all the ancient monuments in Egypt where a central part of the early teaching of the enneagram comes from.
Russ Hudson explains the importance of the ancient Egyptian history
I have many things to thank Don and Russ for, and I am proud of being part of their wisdom liniage.
