What a wing is, and whether you can have both
Your type sits on the circle between two neighbors, and each of them can lend you something. Either neighbor is called a wing. A wing doesn’t change what you want most; it changes the style you go after it with.
The Muse sits between the Trailblazer and the Scholar, so a Muse can be a 4w3 or a 4w5. Whether you can have both at once is one of the most common questions about wings, and teachers answer it in different ways.
Three ways to hold your wings
A leading wing · 4w3
Don Riso and Russ Hudson describe one neighbor that colors most people more than the other. A Muse with a 3 wing borrows the Trailblazer’s drive, polish and wish to be seen.
You might notice this when a friend shares your type, yet you can’t picture them doing anything your way.
Both wings in play · 4w3 and 4w5
Helen Palmer and others see both neighbors as available, with one stepping forward in different settings. A Muse might bring the 3 wing to a stage and the 5 wing to a long evening alone.
You might notice this when you are bold and expressive at work and private and analytical at home.
The core underneath · Type 4
On every view, the wing adds color and the core keeps the motive. A 4w3 and a 4w5 both long to feel truly themselves and to be seen for who they are.
You might notice this when two people dress, talk and work differently, yet lose sleep over the very same worry.
Try it in your own life
Think of the last time someone told you that you weren’t acting like yourself. What did they see, and what were you really after in that moment?
Neighbors you can visit
Your wings live next door. You can borrow from them, and over time they shape how you show up, but you still go home to your own motivation.
How do you read a wing like 4w3?
The first number is your core type and the number after the w is the wing, so 4w3 reads “four with a three wing.” Wings are always the two points beside you on the circle. Type 9 sits at the top, so its wings are 8 and 1; a Muse can never have a 7 wing.