One of my favourite Christmas presents is a perpetual calendar in a little cardboard box that contains a card for every day of the month with just one word on it. I love this because it gives me some direction and focus. For example, the word "praise" kept me from being critical and actually changed the way the day went for both me and my husband.
The word for today is "plant." What? This is January in Manitoba and the deep frost has hit us. Plant what? Out there?
I think about it ... I guess I wouldn't have to take it so literally. I could plant my feet in the snow and go for a nice brisk walk. Or it could be an indication for me to plant an idea and watch it sprout and grow.
I'm reminded of Jesus' parable in the Gospels in which a sower sowed seed by the wayside, on rocky ground, and among thorns, and the seed was lost. But when the seed fell on good earth it grew -- yielding thirty-, sixty-, and a hundredfold. Jesus told them about the mustard seed which is the smallest of all seeds and yet grows to become the greatest of all shrubs. Jesus took an illustration from the daily life of the people to whom he spoke and gave it a deeper meaning. The stories he told were simple stories yet had profound meaning about change and growth. He was a master storyteller.
An excellent tool to help people on their way to spiritual and mental growth is the Enneagram. I first learned about the Enneagram in 2008, when we moved to Manitoba from Ontario. The main idea of the Enneagram is that we develop an illusionary self in the first half of our lives. The Enneagram helps us to unmask this illusionary self so that we can become our true selves. Lately, I have been thinking and reading about the Enneagram again. Richard Rohr and Andreas Ebert first published The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective in 1989 (in German: Das Enneagram: Die 9 Gesichter der Seele). The English translation of the revised and expanded German edition was published in 2001. This is an excellent resource, if you are interested.
My sisters and I receive daily Enneagram messages electronically. They remind us of changes we need to make so that we can discover who we truly are. In order to be more transparent and accountable, we share our messages with each other. This is a growing experience for each of us.
"We are not human beings on a journey toward Spirit, we are already spiritual beings on a journey toward becoming fully human, which for some reason seems harder precisely because it is so ordinary." [Richard Rohr]
I appreciated the point you make about the different interpretations we can make - or take - from a word like plant. The words encourage you to think deeper, which is perhaps the best gift, Elfrieda.
ReplyDeleteI had the opportunity to discover more about myself through an Enneagram workshop some years ago. Great insight. I subsequently bought a copy of "The Wisdom of the Enneagram," which profiles each of the Enneagram types. It has proven useful time and again as a vehicle for helping build three-dimensional characters for my novels. How would this character behave on her best day? What happens when she is stressed?
Thanks for another thought-provoking post.
Carol, I have had that thought as well (about character building for writing). Hope your writing is going well in your newly renovated office. Mine is such a mess after Christmas! Tomorrow is a good day for me to do that!
DeleteI love that idea of a word every day. I had an idea as I was reading your blog - what if, along with your Enneagram thought each day, you sent us (your sisters) the word you chose for the day as well. I would love that. It also might get some interesting conversations going. Just a thought.��
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, Marge! Today's word is "envision" (I wrote my blog post yesterday, but only posted today). It also happens to be our 48th anniversary. My mind has been playing with that word all day!
DeleteSingle words do have power to shape what we see and hear and also how we react to what we experience. I just selected one word to take with me throughout the year.
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see what the cumulative effect of a new word for every day will be for you, Elfrieda. Will you think about words from previous days as you enter a new one?
I am also interested in the Eneagram. I hope I'm deepening into my true self Richard Rohr talks about. One of the reasons to think mindfully about a word every day is that it keeps us from just blundering though life. If it reduces one argument, it was worthwhile.
One word for the whole year! Wow!
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