Shameless New Blog Promotion

See that? That's my new blog.

That's right; having totally proven my inability to update this one on a regular basis, I decided to start another.

Basically, it's a place to stick some photographs. Here at the Enneagram Agency blog, my photos tend to be journalistic in nature, as in this post where I needed a picture of a hand flicking a spinner, so I took a picture of my hand (duh) flicking a spinner, or in this post that mentioned a pumpkin and was illustrated with (duh) a picture I took of a pumpkin.

Over at the All and None Designs blog, I can be a bit more, ahem, artistic. Nonetheless, if you liked that picture of those cookies (above), or this picture of that action figure, perhaps you'll enjoy this.

Again, that's http://allandnonephotos.blogspot.com/.

Russ Hudson is the Boyfriend of the Universe

A few years ago, Mary Beth and I attended the Psychic Structures workshop, taught by Russ Hudson. The experience greatly deepened our understanding of the Enneagram; it also convinced us that Russ is a being of light who is also totally cute. He would probably be (adorably) annoyed by our recent decision to declare him our god.
Anyway, if you would like to become similarly enthralled, he is teaching a workshop on the instincts at the Mountain Area Health Education Center in Asheville, North Carolina later this month. More details are here.

Hello Again

Hello again.
You may have noticed that Mary Beth and I don't blog much lately. The main reason is our jobs. You see, we work at the same place, and it's the kind of place where half the year is like "Hmmm... whatever will we do with all this extra time?" and the other half is like "Clear a path; I don't have time to step around you, much less talk." It's been a little close to the latter lately, although frankly, not as terrible as all that. Laziness and distactibility were also to blame.
Nonetheless, there is a Philip Larkin poem I like to reference at times like these. Indeed, the toad is squatting on our lives. (About Philip Larkin, by the way: Tom Condon apparently thinks he is a 4, but I believe Mr. "Nothing, like something, happens anywhere" is a 5.)
... But... we haven't outright abandoned the blog. We'll get back into it, I'm sure, especially now that blogging has been scientifically proven to be good for you.

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

Unsurprisingly, there is a quiz to help you find out. Here are my results:

You Are a Colon

You are very orderly and fact driven. You aren't concerned much with theories or dreams... only what's true or untrue. You are brilliant and incredibly learned. Anything you know is well researched. You like to make lists and sort through things step by step. You aren't subject to whim or emotions. Your friends see you as a constant source of knowledge and advice. (But they are a little sick of you being right all of the time!) You excel in: Leadership positions You get along best with: The Semi-Colon

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

Now, you take it.

Total Eclipse of the Enneagram Autobiography Class 6 Recap

Once upon a time, I was falling in love; now, I'm only recapping the final class.

We started off with most people talking about saying yes when they mean no and how it's best if you don't let drunk and/ or controlling people make your decisions for you.

Then, we briefly touched on type 1 (see pages 97 - 124 of The Wisdom of the Enneagram) before rushing out to see the moon looking like this:

and then this:

I thought the eclipse would have progressed further by then, but I misunderstood the time at which it was to occur. A perfectionist, I am not.

We did a relaxation meditation and learned that, like cubes, we are six-sided.

We talked about the "Seven Tools for Transformation" given on pages 345 - 347 of the book and also here and handed out copies of "The Stages of the Work" from page 383.

At last, we looked at the moon again. It was doing this:

and this:

We watched until the earth's shadow briefly blotted it out of the sky.

Up next: this Wednesday, Mary Beth and I will lead a session of informal chat and meditation. All are welcome to join.

The Penultimate Recap: Enneagram Autobiography Class 5

We had twice as many people as the time before!
We talked about boredom, how it feels, and the need to keep the energy in a room pumped up.
We introduced the gut triad; it's all about anger (for type 8), tension (for type 1), and banana bread (for type 9).
We talked about how 8s have to have it out before they can let it go, their effect on the family dog, and their capacity for leadership.
We talked about the 9's suitability as a spouse, their forgetfulness, and their love of proverbs and aphorisms (see page 330 in The Wisdom of the Enneagram.) We visited Moronland.
We suggested the consideration of the following questions from the big book:

"Explore the various circumstances in which you have put yourself under pressure [to provide for others, to be strong for them, to never cry, show weakness, doubt, or indecision]. Who were you doing it for? Was the outcome worth the effort? What do you think would have happened if you had been a little easier on yourself?"

"Think of times in which you went along with the plans, preferences, or choices of others and submerged your own choices. What did this do to your sense of involvement?To your contact with yourself and your experience? Did you resent having to go along? How did you dispense with your own choice? What did you hope to gain by doing so?"

"Notice how many times a day you are dissappointed with yourself or others. Keep track of this for a few days. What standards are you measuring everything against? Question and examine the nature of these standards and their effect on you and the people in your life."

Next time:
Type 1 gets equal time, we learn to relax, and we write with, of all things, our hands. And, oh yeah, spiritual growth. See you then.

The Enneagram Will Help You... Teach Flute Lessons?!!!

Well, I knew The Wisdom of the Enneagram was a good book, but...
Check out the following link: http://www.jennifercluff.com/teach.htm, then click on the topic "helpful info for new flute teachers" and read item #5.
Thanks to flautist Amy D. for this tip.