The Enneagram of Devotion - Enneagram Dimensions

As this poem relates, even the most powerfulamong us is not powerful enough to defeat the passingaway of everything we think we control. That controlis, at best, temporary. That’s the “bad news.” And it’sterrifying to that not-so-grownup part of us that thinksit’s in charge. The good news is that when we let goof the false sense of control, we discover that we don’tneed so much control to be content. In fact, just theopposite. We find that nature really does support andnurture us, if we allow it. But it can only happen whenwe stop trying to boss it around! [example: Somewherein Africa natives were poor because the tsetse fly waskeeping their herds thin. DDT was used to knock outthe tsetse. The herds multiplied and the natives werethrilled until the herds ate more grass than could bereplenished and what grasslands there were before,now turned into a dustbowl. The herds starved leavingthe natives with less than they had when they sharedwith the tsetse…On the other hand, a well placed dam and irrigationsystem achieved good results]The problem is that many of us are completelyterrified by this prospect, especially in highlytechnological cultures. We rely so heavily on scienceand technology in daily life that we’ve forgotten thatthese are not our only sources of support. Nor arethey the most powerful sources of support. In times ofreal trouble—like the aftermath of 9/11 or the Pacifictsunami—people drop the pretense of control, becausethey can no longer maintain it. We ask for help, andit comes; it always comes when we aren’t too proudto ask. And often, the help has a quality about it thatinspires and elevates us.Acceptance and DevotionHelp comes once we come to a place of acceptance.In that acceptance, we gain perspective. We discernwhat is really important in life.This idea was poignantly brought home to merecently when I watched a TV program on lotterywinners. One of the people interviewed for the showwas the daughter of a woman who won several milliondollars. The daughter was pleased for the win, but notnearly as excited as you would expect. She quietlyobserved, “Well, yes, it’s nice. Of course, it’s not likehaving good health.” It turns out that her mom hadrecently been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.It may seem strange to think that acknowledging ourlimitations is a starting point for a more harmonious wayof life. But it’s not really. In Twelve-Step programs,everybody rejoices when a newcomer is able to admittheir powerlessness over the circumstances of their life.This is the moment when we become dis-illusioned,when we finally see our false ideals, destructiveemotions, and spiritual illusions for what they are. Thiswillingness to see what is false in ourselves becomesour first step toward recovery.And just what is it that we are recovering? It’sour innocence—our “inner sense.” Regaining ourinnocence is what happens when we let go of selfdefeatingillusions. This results in the realignmentof the masculine and feminine sides of our being, sothat we become balanced human beings. The outcomeis threefold: mentally, we acquire discernment;ontologically, we experience a zest for life; andemotionally, we feel quietly happy.[this sounds oddly transsexual. I believe thatwithin the relative the masculine and feminine hasto persist to the end. Balance would then be differentfor males and females. To become balanced wouldbe harmonizing those properties but maintaining thehierarchy among them. Males will still have a spatialengineering edge over women who’d keep theircommunication/empathizing edge.]Of course, theseare eventual outcomes; they don’t happen right away.And the process is seldom painless. That’s why it’susually a “one step forward, two steps back” sort ofscenario for most of us. But it’s easier to persevere ifwe see that, in a very real sense, Life is on our side—itwants us to win, not lose. It’s supporting our effortsand cheering our successes. Maybe not in the way wewant, but certainly in the way we need.When life doesn’t tell us what we want to hear, itcan be difficult to stay open to the process. But staying4