The Enneagram as a Tool for Christian Transformation

This is a 5.5-hour workshop by Father William on the Contemplative Prayer site.

Enneagram as a Tool for Christian Transformation

Or start here at the Enneagram Institute to get a sense of what Ennea-type you may be.

getting past the barriers to action

Go with the flow

Let go of fear and your need to control. Relinquish anxiety. Let it slip away, as you dive into the river of the present moment, the river of your life, your place in the universe.

Stop trying to force the direction. Try not to swim against the current, unless it is necessary for your survival. If you've been clinging to a branch at the riverside, let go.

Let yourself move forward. Let yourself be moved forward.

Avoid the rapids when possible. If you can't, stay relaxed. Staying relaxed can take you safely through fierce currents. If you go under for a moment, allow yourself to surface naturally. You will.

Appreciate the beauty of the scenery as it is. See things with freshness, with newness. You shall never pass by today's scenery again!

Don't think too hard about things. The flow is meant to be experienced. Within it, care for yourself. You are part of the flow, an important part. Work with the flow. Work within the flow. Thrashing about isn't necessary. Let the flow help you care for yourself. Let it help you set boundaries, make decisions, and get you where you need to be when it is time. You can trust the flow, and your part in it.

Today, I will go with the flow.

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From The Language of Letting Go, by Melodie Beatty

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SOWING by Wendell Berry

In the stilled place that once was a road
going down from the town to the river,
and where lives of marriages grew a house,
cistern and barn, flowers, the tilted stone of borders,
and the deeds of their lives ran to neglect,
and honeysuckle and then fire overgrew it all,
I walk heavy with seed,
spreading on the cleared hill
the beginnings of green, clover and grass to be pasture.
Between history’s death upon the place
and the trees that would have come I claim,
and act,
and am mingled
in the fate of the world.

A New Story - Brian Swimme

I take to myself ~ Bill Johnston

I take to myself
my broken self:
my guilt, my peace,
my folly and joy,
my sickness, my health;
in laughter and agony,
hating and loving,
my fear and my birthing--
and I am made whole.

I take to myself
you, my neighbor,
cupping your life
within my hands:
your broken self
pure gift to me;
not burden, gift,
as mine to you--
and I am made whole.

I take to myself
you, broken Earth;
stripped and abused,
paved over and poisoned,
you mother so freely,
abundant in grace:
clasp in your mercy,
surprise into tears--
and I am made whole.

I take to myself
your broken self,
my dear, near God;
broken for broken,
for lost and for spent.
As fragmented love
and nectar of life,
you come, gentle God--
and I am made whole.

- Bill Johnston

Unconditional ~ by Jennifer Wellwood

Willing to experience aloneness,
I discover connection everywhere;
Turning to face my fear,
I meet the warrior who lives within;
Opening to my loss,
I gain the embrace of the universe;
Surrendering into emptiness,
I find fullness without end.
Each condition I flee from pursues me,
Each condition I welcome transforms me
And becomes itself transformed
Into its radiant jewel-like essence.
I bow to the one who has made it so,
Who has crafted this Master Game.
To play it is purest delight;
To honor its form--true devotion.

- Jennifer Welwood

Being Authentic - Brian Swimme