014: Richard Rohr, Finally Getting Over Your "Self" with the Enneagram, Pt. I (Enneagram 1)
I first encountered the Enneagram when I was a graduate student at a conservative seminary. While on a weekend retreat I came across a copy of Fr. Richard Rohr’s book, Discovering The Enneagram: An Ancient Tool for a New Spiritual Journey. In that book Richard describes the traits and the underlying compulsions of each of the nine basic Enneagram types. Based on my life experience and what I’d learned in my training to become a counselor, Rohr’s description of the types blew my mind. They were uncannily accurate. I felt sure I had stumbled on an amazing resource, not only for Christians but for all people. Little did I know, that 25 years later, Richard and I would be friends and the Enneagram would become the central focus of my work.
In this episode, you will learn:
How Richard discovered the Enneagram
How to break the shackles of self-doubt with self-compassion
What exactly is the true self vs. false self
Why the Enneagram can help to identify the true-self
Richard is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province and he is the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is the author of numerous books, including Everything Belongs, Adam’s Return, The Naked Now, Breathing Under Water, Falling Upward, Immortal Diamond, and Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi.
“There’s a self that’s bigger and it’s more solid, and most of all, it’s a shared self. Once you find your absolute special-ness, your absolute dignity, you don’t have to waste a lot of time trying to assert it yourself. ”