A Labyrinthine Journey

What are some of the basic spiritual questions we all share? Does my life have meaning? Am I left alone and helpless or do I have enough for life? Where do I find wholeness?

As I started studying the Enneagram I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to keep track of all the various traits and characteristics of the different types. I also come to the enneagram from the perspective that it helps provide an orientation map to the energies of life, the spiritual and emotional system that helps to motivate us and form our living.

At a certain point I began to see patterns. Patterns of 3 that interwove themselves together to give us our own particular place in the world. I found looking at 3 patterns of 3 to be most helpful. The first is the 3 archetypal corners of the Enneagram. The second brings in the work of Karen Horney and her strategies for coping. The third comes from Don Riso and Russ Hudson and present our preferred ways of dealing with conflict, what they call the Harmonic Response Triad. More on the latter two triads, but I want to begin with what I see as the Core Corners of the Enneagram: the Archetype Corners.

I use the term archtype to show these 3 Core questions or energies as universal. Every one of us as  we embark on our spiritual journey keep dealing with these 3 Core energies throughout our life in various forms. Yet, we each have a Core question that we keep returning to again and again. Almost as if it becomes a tether for the kite of our spiritual life, we never leave it (or any of the other Core energies) behind. It is almost like an area of greatest vulnerability and sensitivity.

If you look at the Enneagram symbol you will see it contains a triangle that points to types 3, 6, and 9. Those are the archetype points. From Christian scripture they have been named Hope, Faith, and Love. Within the Enneagram tradition they are the Heart area, the Head area, and the Gut or Instinct area. As I tried to sort through them, I see them as Desire for Meaning, Search for Sufficiency and Connection, and Seeking Wholeness.

The 3 corner affects the Enneatypes 2-3-4. It is seen as the Heart/Hope center, where we seek contact with the Essence of life through feelings (mostly other people’s). This archetype expresses the desire to both find meaning in life or to express that meaning in life. So the energy of this corner (and the archetype) is related to issues of significance, success, acceptance, and value. If one is connected to a sense of value in their life they seek to express it through beauty (4), love (2) and action (3). If one is missing that then one struggles with hopelessness and become driven to prove one’s value through doing good (2), through creativity and drama (4), or through doing whatever is needed to be seen as a success (3).

The 6 corner affects the Enneatypes 5-6-7. It is seen as the Head/Faith center. This corner is focused on the desire to Have enough or to be enough. This can be related to having enough energy and strength (6), enough variety and options (7), or enough information or resources (5). There is a strong aspect of being sensitive to connection in this corner of the Enneagram. With that sense of connection and sufficiency there is great courage and a sense of security and safety. However, if that is shaken by a sense of fear or a perception of scarcity, the defenses go up (6), and one becomes driven to seek and to hold onto all that is needed to regain that sense of security. For the 5 that comes through as the idea that More is always better. For the 7, the drive is toward greater diversity and options.

The 9 corner affects the Enneatypes 8-9-1. It has been seen as the body/gut center, but as an 8 myself that had no meaning to me. I did like the idea of seeing it as the Instinct/Love Center with something to do with Will and choosing. As I was first trying to get a handle on this corner I saw it related to a desire to choose and to be chosen. Yet, I am currently moving more toward the idea of this center being related to wholeness and balance. The instinct and will certainly are a part of it, but that seems to relate to more of what is going on. When one is simply engaged with life, one lives out the good naturally. Our outer lives are lives in integrity and harmony with our inner experience of the Essence of God (9). We find ourselves choosing and living the right things (1) or a life that is grounded in creative and just power (8). However, when one loses touch with one’s own self and life is no longer One but broken and split we seek to restore that balance by working to be on the winning side (8), by maintaining and enforcing the purity of righteousness (1), or by trying to will oneself back into Being (9).

When I get to writing about the individual types (especially the home types of the corners) I will expand more. Also, ask questions. What may be clear to my mind will not come clear through these words.

Next will be the Hornevian Movement Triads.

Did some thinking last night about renewing and reorganizing the blog. So here it is! Can you tell the difference?

Probably not.

I am intending it that way. Our society is very image conscious. We look primarily at the form of things and the packaging. You want to renew your product in the marketplace? Don’t change it, just change the name, or change the package. Put out a new ad or begin a new advertising campaign. It sounds kind of silly, but companies do it because it works.

The other thing we can get caught up in doing is changing structure or role titles. Corporations somehow buy the idea that comes from consultants that a new chart, or a new name for the same job will actually make things better and smoother. You don’t change the people or how they actually do the job, but a new name makes everything better. That too sounds kind of silly, and we who are in management find ourselves caught in the trap.

The Church is not immune to that. We change titles and structures and try new church growth programs thinking that is the answer. We then find it doesn’t really work so we think that we need to keep on trying new things and changing things until we somehow find the right package for the church and the ministry.

I think we get caught in that trap because what is really needed in our churches and our spiritual lives is deep down transformation, we could even call it conversion. We have to change the way we view our reality and we have to surrender our lives to be changed by God’s transforming Spirit. We have to allow God to change the substance of our lives.

I’ve been doing a lot of study in the enneagram lately. One of the biggest things that comes through my reflection on that tool is how all pervasive the ego is – the Sin Self that wants to remain in control. All the change in forms and packages and images are all things that the ego can maintain control over. They are all activities that we can spend money and time and energy on which on the one hand fools us into thinking we are doing something good, but on the other hand fools us into thinking we doing something good. (think about that a moment)

The Spirit is always calling us to go past the package and find in the depths of our soul the still small voice of God inviting us to a daily faithfulness. God doesn’t want spectacle. God wants our living.

So my reorganization of the blog will not be a change in the look, but comes as a new commitment on my part to have these writings be a part of my daily faithfulness. If anything, I want to be more focused on what is the substance of Abundant Life that God is calling us each to be a part of.