Two Birds in a Tree: MBTI: House Yew

Bagan, Myanmar

[Photo by Jon Bower National Geographic]

“The Cenobites”
Functions: Fe/Ti + Se/Ni
(INFJ ENFJ ISTP ESTP)

Home: the Monastery
Patron: Badb Catha
Quadra: Beta
Vice: Truculence
Virtue: Conviction

If the Philosophers are the mind - the spirit - of the MBTI then the Cenobites are it’s soul. Michael Pierce calls the members of House Yew the “Saints,” I chose the term “cenobite” which means members of a monastic order, both male and female. In the monastery we have have both the stereotypically “saintly” types, such as the INFJs and ENFJs, as well as types less commonly thought of as religious, such as the ISTPs and ESTPs; the Cenobites understand that the sacred isn’t separate from the body or the world but is an integral part of it, and vice-versa. All cenobites are warriors at heart; ESTPs and ISTPs love testing themselves, and ENFJs and INFJs are crusaders.

Harmonizing attitude, tries to align with an outside standard of some kind. Se/Ni is a magnifying or intensifying attitude; directly experiences objects but associatively experiences their impressions of objects. Se/Ni is a black hole; it sucks objects into itself and crushes them into a singularity. Unifying and intensifying; intensive, direct, and focused; dedicated or committed to certain points of view therefore tending to appear dogmatic sometimes. Thinking in terms of a greater good or separate standard they are trying to subject themselves to.

ISTP: Mastering. Analyze reality, figure out it’s logical structure, then try to copy or align themselves with that structure. A warrior monk.

ESTP: Even though wouldn’t think of them as spiritual, ESTPs still think in terms of living according to an outside standard, which is in their personal philosophy and their concern with communicating properly with others. Epicurus; secluded himself in a garden with his friends and imposed on himself rules and laws of practical hedonism (do what feels good; eating healthily feels good so eat that way, etc.) Rules by which one can have a more satisfying experience of reality.

ENFJ: An outspoken saint; a preacher or evangelist who is concerned with communicating a vision, or persuading others to unite for a greater good or cause.

INFJ: A less outspoken and more contemplating saint; the monk who spends a great deal of time thinking or teaching in intimate settings, developing a holistic or idealistic theory of what humanity must do to be happy.

- Michael Pierce, “Function Axes Categories” (YouTube)

Socionics: Beta Quadra

Cenobites tend to prefer situations where the power structure is clearly defined… where the rules are consistent and there are no ambiguities. They’re inclined to look for general rules that explain people, politics, etc., which can be applied generally, rather than making decisions on a case by case basis. They tend to attribute traits previously observed in members of a particular group to any new individual of the same group that they may meet. Tend to feel energy by being with others who share their beliefs and express them enthusiastically. They’re often concerned with social issues and believe that apathy is a major cause of society’s ills and will fight against it.

They generally don’t enjoy discussions of personal experiences when the focus is on their inner feelings, especially when described in a subdued way. They tend to be skeptical of people’s potential for personal growth and generally dislike being the subject of such discussions. Tend to prefer vision and leadership to dealing with mundane details.

In groups Cenobites prefer group participation rather than focusing on any one individual, preferring instead to discuss topics that everyone can contribute to. Unexplained inside jokes are considered rude because they exclude others. Jokes are loud and general, often about stereotypes. Cenobites try to draw others into the group activity and will be confused and dismayed if rebuffed. Atmosphere is more important than the actual activity; they exchange fun, often loud stories to feed the energy and will only usually interrupt someone to try to help them keep the positive vibes going.

They tend to find quieter gatherings, where small groups break off and start intimate conversations, to be boring, although they do sometimes enjoy more serious, subdued conversations about meaningful topics; politics, etc. In this situation personal experiences are discussed from the point of view of their external impact, with strongly expressed views. They strongly avoid talking about personal matters in a group and can feel betrayed when someone retells in public that which was spoken in private, or when someone discusses them or criticizes them in front of the group. They also dislike it when people tell long, slow stories, though they will generally try to be polite and listen.

Close relationships are characterized by emotional intensity - relationships are felt to be lacking if not accompanied by intense demonstrations of emotions. Cenobites tend to be the most emotionally intense of all the quadras, which is probably why they so dislike exposing their inner feelings in public.

How Cenobites see other houses:

Alpha (Ash): Cenobites tend to find Philosophers to be fun and creative - pleasant company - but also goofy, lacking focus and ambition, and too concerned with refining ideas and having fun. They see them as needing to be led. Groups of Philosophers and Cenobites generally get along better than individuals as Fe activates; Cenobites start telling loud stories, and Philosophers make goofy suggestions for entertainment.

Gamma (Oak): Can find Aristocrats to be stand-offish, judgmental, morally stiff and emotionally hostile. They often feel that Aristocrats are unable to see the big picture, whether at work or in politics and society at large; kind of socially boring, unable to take a joke, and vindictive. They often don’t do well in groups: Cenobites enjoy making general jokes, while Aristocrats tend to make extremely sharp, personal jokes. Cenobites want to stay together, Aristocrats want everyone to take care of their own needs as they move from group to group, leaving Cenobites feeling that the Aristocrats are trying to break up the fun group. On an individual level, however, they often get along very well; they both see general trends and enjoy comparing predictions.

Delta (Rowan): Cenobites tend to find Explorers to be noncommittal and unwilling to support goals decided in a group, lacking drive and ethics. Explorers prefer not to get involved in group efforts, instead preferring to work on personal projects that are meaningful to them.

How other houses see Cenobites:

Ash: They tend to find Cenobites to be fun, but with a bit of an edge, and inclined to be a bit bossy. They usually give in to Cenobites because they feel the Cenobites care more. They can find Cenobites to be overly rigid and single-minded.

Oak: Find Cenobites to be driven, ambitious people with a sense of purpose, and who get things done. Aristocrats often find the Cenobites’ strong views to be ideological and lacking factual support. They may also feel that they’re are overly concerned with social status and sometimes disingenuous when pursuing their goals.

Rowan: Explorers tend to see Cenobites as people who dream big, and always want to turn everything into a grandiose undertaking, even though they struggle to manage their day-to-day affairs. They tend to dislike what they see as a mean-streak resulting from the Cenobites unwillingness to consider other points of views on topics they feel strongly about.

Yew

Transference, Passage, Illusion

The yew tree is the symbol of immortality and everlasting life; rebirth, changes; regeneration after difficult times; and protection. It’s very strong making it a preferred wood for crafting into bows, spears, and other items. It’s a potent symbol of vitality; its branches grow into the ground so that when the trunk dies the Yew is able to continue living.

It’s quite toxic, often being called the “death tree;” every part of it, except for the red membrane surrounding the seeds, is poisonous. The alkaloid causes effects ranging from vivid hallucinations to death, although this death is viewed as a transformation and rebirth into the other world. The Yew represents both death as well as eternal life. It's imbued with qualities such as power, honor, mystery, strength, and leadership, but also milder traits such as silence, illusion, holiness, and introspection.

The tree is associated with the goddess Badb Catha, goddess of life, enlightenment, wisdom, and inspiration, as well as the goddess of war. The dark, sagacious crow is her animal; Badb Catha means "Battle Crow." She and her two sisters fought on the side of the Tuatha De Danann, the gods of light, against the monstrous Fomorians, turning the tide with her fearful, terrifying magic. In battle she often takes her crow shape, screaming, striking fear into her enemies. Following the Fomorians defeat, instead of predicting doom Badb sang a prophecy of peace:

Peace up to heaven.
Heaven down to earth.
Earth beneath heaven,
Strength in each,
A cup very full,
Full of honey;
Mead in abundance.
Summer in winter.

Enduring realities and legacies as well as that which abides unchanged; the lessons of experience. The union of body and spirit. Age in youth and youth in age; death in birth and rebirth in death. Yin and Yang. Love and death. The wisdom of knowing when to hold on and when to let go. On the deepest level, the Cenobites’ task in the world is to explore the most profound mysteries of the universe, and then, when they find their ideals, fight righteously for them.

In the monastery the ISTP is practicing swordsmanship and writing down techniques and strategies; in the inner gardens are the ESTP and their followers, making a pleasurable and simple life for themselves; in front of the monastery’s doors the ENFJ is speaking to a large gathering of people to hear persuasions to the monastery’s ultimate cause; within the monastery is the INFJ, teaching classes and individuals, but more often taking long, silent, solitary walks to ponder ideas before presenting them.