Subtypes, also called instinctual variants, add another layer of complexity to the Enneagram. A subtype is our survival instinct or our default mode when moving through the day. It's going to be what we focus on the most as we make decisions, both big and small. Each of the nine types will have one of three subtypes. So, if your main type is 8, you can be a self-preservation 8, a social 8, or a sexual 8.…
First, read about the Enneagram and its nine core types here. The Enneagram has nine core types that can be further broken down into groups of three, or triads. People also call them centers of intelligence. What this means is each triad makes most of their decisions using one area: their body or instincts; their heart or emotions; or their head or thoughts. Gut/Instinctive Center: 8, 9, 1 Types 8, 9, and 1 most often use the…
If you know me, you know I love the Enneagram. My husband often says, "Oh, she's talking about the Enneagram again." A few years ago, I wrote about the Enneagram and how it helped me reframe and accept the parts of my personality that I didn't like, such as my weaknesses and my fears. Although there is a wealth of information about the Enneagram available online, in books, in schools, and in seminars, I wanted to write…
Mindfulness is the practice of seeing things just as they are and accepting them without judgment. The first step toward seeing things as they are is practicing presence. Presence is the practice of anchoring ourselves wherever we are and shedding limiting beliefs, obsessive thoughts, or overwhelming emotions about the past or the future. This is what will eventually lead us to accepting thing without judgment, but it can be difficult, especially when someone is just beginning to…
I'm currently going through the twelve-week course laid out in The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. It's a "spiritual path to higher creativity." Every morning, I write three pages of stream of consciousness writing to get out any blocks that may be preventing me from creating. Those chores I know I need to do, frustration at something small that happened the day before, my plans for the weekend. I usually end up forgetting about the pages one…
I love the origin story of books. The way books come to us as readers can be as varied and numerous as the books themselves. I found one of my favorite books at a little free library. Others were assigned to me in classes, stuck out to be at a bookstore, or were recommended by a friend. I found My Body, My Home: A Radical Guide to Resilience and Belonging by Victoria Emanuela and Caitlin Metz on…
It's Friday, and results from Tuesday's US presidential election are still coming in. Many people feel tense as the last of the votes are counted. The president claims there's been election fraud. In Oregon, our governor activated the National Guard in case there were any riots in cities like Portland. Many worry that no matter who wins, their opponents will react with violence. How can mindfulness help us in times like these? I recently listened to an…
I've been reading The Gift of Wonder: Creative Practices for Delighting in God by Christine Aroney-Sine over the last month or so. The book is about recapturing the joy of God, not the "very serious, workaholic type of God" many of us are used to hearing about in church. At the end of each chapter, she has a small practice for the reader to participate in to tangibly connect with joy, imagination, playfulness, and more things that…
Do you sometimes have thoughts pass through your mind that start with, "If I was a completely different person..." or "If I had a different life..."? I'm a daydreamer, and I see the possibilities in everything. So, these thoughts come often for me. In one case, I was at an outdoor concert watching some friends play in a band in an emptied out barn. I sat on a three-person van seat that had been placed on the…
Recently, I've been having dreams about people I haven't seen or spoken to in a very long time. I wake up feeling disoriented, wondering why they appeared again. I try to conceptualize the meaning, but also tell myself it's only my brain misfiring, tying together memories and sensations in the haze of sleep. Usually I forget the dreams soon after I get out of bed and start my day, but they often return to me late in…