It is early Sunday morning, my favorite time of the week. I brew a cup of coffee and open the Tribune to the editorial section. I go to the refrigerator to get my breakfast -- a piece of apple pie topped with whipped cream. (This may seem weird, but I need new sources of joy during this pandemic.)
Reading the paper, I become aware I am eating, but not enjoying my pie. I stop. I realize that Efficient Ed, an often unconscious part of me, has taken over again. To be efficient, I am reading the paper while eating the pie. I put aside the paper and enjoy each small bite with a dab of whipped cream. A little bit of heaven.
I discovered Efficient Ed at an Enneagram workshop. The Enneagram is the greatest tool of self-discovery that I have found to assist my growth toward more spiritual and emotional wholeness. I started using it over 30 years ago; it has helped me as recently as last Sunday.
The Enneagram has its roots in Jewish, Christian and Muslim mystical traditions. It comes from a world where there is no separation between the secular and spiritual. Everything is sacred. We are not human beings on a spiritual journey; we are spiritual people on a human journey.
The Enneagram tool refers to nine basic personality styles through which people see the world (the Greek word ennea means nine). The style, which is often unconscious, affects what we see as important and how we act in relationships.
The Enneagram teaches that we all look at life through our own glasses. We each have one of the nine basic prescriptions. We can easily assume that we see the world as it is, and everyone should see it as we see it. Such is not the case.
Each viewpoint has its gifts and challenges. No one view is better than the other. Each has its blind spots, or unconscious shadows, that can lead us into trouble and make relationships difficult.
Being efficient, I get a lot done, am often chosen for leadership and able to summarize succinctly. But Efficient Ed caused many blind spots, especially when I was young. I was an efficient leader, yet sometimes failing to respond to the fears, maintenance needs, and the time needed by some to process my decisions. I traveled efficiently, driving the interstate, never more scenic routes.
Ed drove me to be successful. I didn’t take typing in high school because I thought it would lower my grade point average. When I retired at age 71, I had to learn to type. (It would have been much easier at 16.) Throughout my life, I always had an administrative assistant who did my typing. Retirement put an end to that.
When a particular project I worked on was failing, I just worked harder to be successful. Once it led to an episode of depression. Now when I notice I am riding a dead horse, I get off of it. There is a time to let go.
The Enneagram has helped me tremendously in my human relationships. I used to be frustrated when “they just didn’t get it.” Now I try to understand the motivation of others, and how it can be much different than my own.
A standard complaint is that the Enneagram puts people in boxes. It does not. Rather, it shows us the box we are already in and the way to get out of it. We are not told what box we are in, we discover it personally.
Learning the Enneagram is not incremental learning, like learning to type. It can be transformational learning that can bring about deep-seated change. It has a truth that can set you free. At first, though, it might bring some pain. It may require people to acknowledge that what they are doing isn’t working that well, and face up to things about themselves that are at odds with their self-image.
One of my greatest joys was teaching the Enneagram at Franciscan Spirituality Center. It was delightful to see light come over someone’s face which said, “Now I understand me!” Long ago, that happened to me at a workshop in St. Louis. The Enneagram is still taught by trained staff at FSC. In January, FSC will offer an introduction to the Enneagram via Zoom. If you would like more information, visit www.FSCenter.org.
The Enneagram is insightful and will give you greater freedom. You might even find yourself enjoying a piece of pie with whipped cream for breakfast.
Vince Hatt has been a spiritual director for over 40 years. He has a master’s degree in religious education from Catholic University and a master’s degree in theology from Aquinas Institute.
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December 04, 2020 at 09:00PM
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Vince Hatt: Having pie for breakfast - La Crosse Tribune
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