Gratitude for Community

In order to truly benefit from the enneagram, we are required to stay present to how we behave, how we react, and how we respond to people and the world around us. Our ability to observe ourselves is never to be undervalued. 

Often, people begin working with the enneagram and interpret the teachings as things “we should do” and things “we should not do”. But we soon discover that there is no ‘right’ way of behaving. There is only the way that is truly right for us in the moment. 

Knowing what is right for us is not easy. It requires us to be present to our life, internally and externally. By being present to what life gives us, along with what we value inwardly, we can find our path to living a truer life. 

There are no shortcuts, because each moment we live is different and what we value changes. So, we are required to stay awake to how we live each moment. This takes a lot of personal effort as well as external support. 

We can find this external support in communities of people who are also trying to be present to their own lives. Groups of people who are looking to pay attention to their reactions and their own habitual behaviour. Groups of people who are willing to share their struggles and listen to ours with great care. Groups of people we feel accountable to and who truly understand the importance of knowing yourself.  

These are the people who will come to matter most to us and if you have not found your group of people yet, keep searching. They are also searching for you.

As we all celebrate this weekend of giving thanks, may we remember those in our lives who are supporting us in our efforts to become the truest expression of ourselves.  Those people who help us to grow, not through criticism, but through their own efforts to live their lives more truly.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Dale