Check this page regularly for timely announcements from
The Enneagram Institute
 
 
  Don Riso's 2008 Health Updates  
 
  September Update: We are happy to report again that Don's health is still continuing to improve and he is getting stronger by the week. He is not only seeing Western physicians, but is experimenting with a wide array of non-traditional supplements and healing techniques to accelerate the regrowth of his nervous system, which was severely damaged by the arsenic poisoning. His full recovery will probably take another six months to a year, but he was well enough to teach in Greece in May and will be teaching in Japan in October. Don thanks you for your well-wishes.

January Update: Since my last communication to you about my health, many things have happened. First, I would like to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart who sent me "get well" e-mails or cards. It was overwhelming to experience the hundreds of well-wishes that have come in over the past months, and wonderful to take in your love, caring, and support. Be assured that I appreciate everyone who has written to me—as well as feeling the prayers and good wishes of those who did not communicate directly. All of this makes me want to continue to work with you to teach the Enneagram to more people, as soon as my health permits.

I last reported that I was deeply poisoned by arsenic, almost certainly contracted while I was in China, and probably when I was in Hong Kong for two weeks. Amazingly and coincidentally, there was a front page article in the New York Times on December 15, 2007, which featured the dire situation in China about their pollution and, in particular, about their practices of raising fish for their domestic and foreign markets. You can see this information (as well as several harrowing short documentaries) here. Be sure to see the short documentary entitled "The World''s Fish Basket.” You'll note that in the first 39 seconds of this mini-documentary, the author mentions specifically that arsenic is one of the major pollutants in the fish farms of China. Unfortunately, I ate enough shrimp and fish in Hong Kong (especially at the venue where we were teaching on Lantau Island) to become deeply affected by the arsenic.

After I returned to the US, I began to notice serious symptoms—most particularly, neuropathy starting at my fingertips and moving steadily up my arms. Within about four to six weeks, I began to be deeply paralyzed—more than I realized at the time. It also turns out that spinal taps revealed that I had contracted the Epstein-Barr virus (which causes mononucleosis, and extreme fatigue), the rare combination of which is why the doctors had such a difficult time figuring out what was causing my symptoms. By the time I got treatment in the hospital in mid-August, 2007, I was deeply paralyzed and able to walk only with great difficulty with two canes and help. Fortunately, through chelation shots, the arsenic was largely removed from my system, although the results of the paralysis and underlying damage to the nerves throughout my body continue. It will be another six months or more before I am healed and can walk and move normally. I am also still dealing with the Epstein-Barr virus, which makes me tired very easily. However, my spirits remain positive, as I have approached this entire experience as "an adventure"—something new, which would be full of interesting surprises and experiences.

Needless to say, there is a lot more to add to the story, but I''m slowly getting better week by week. I am now able to walk without a cane, although slowly. (To tell the truth, if someone saw me who did not know what had happened, they would probably think that I was a stroke victim—my movements are very unsteady and I have lost a great deal of coordination, as well as strength.) My doctors and I hope that in the next 6 to 12 months, I will recover—although it is difficult to know exactly how complete the recovery will be. The paralysis from the arsenic is deep and extensive, and the weakness from the Epstein-Barr virus is equally deep and all-encompassing. On the positive side, by not being on the road teaching, I have been able to finish overseeing the completion of The Barn, as well as other projects, which would have been impossible to do had I been on the road. Of course, I have to thank Russ and Gayle Scott for stepping in to teach for me, as well as producers and students who were very patient and understanding about the impossibility of my being able to travel at this time. Reviews of Russ and Gayle's teaching have been extremely positive and it seems that despite my absence, the Part I Training has been as good as it has ever been. In fact, they're doing so well, it's testing my Passion of Envy!

I am spending a substantial part of every day doing physical therapy, getting more rest, and trying to rebuild my health so that I can once again travel, at least minimally. The overall objective, however, that Russ and I have is that we eventually cut back on travel so that people will come to study with us at The Barn. We also hope to have the time to write more about the Enneagram for you and future generations. Thus, in so many ways, I feel that this incident has been a "blessing in disguise" to make me refocus my energy in a different direction.

One last thought: we've all heard so many times that apparent disasters can be thought of as "learning experiences." During this time of the arsenic poisoning and Epstein-Barr virus. I found a way to reframe this "learning experience" in a more specific way—that we can see everything that happens to us as (1) either an adventure, or (2) an experiment, or (3) a challenge and opportunity to change something in ourselves. Usually, of course, significant changes in our lives involve all three elements, but certain events emphasize one element more than the others.

For example, when I was admitted to the hospital for the first time in my life for an MRI, spinal taps, and chelation for the arsenic poisoning, I accepted the situation as an adventure. It was as if I were going into an unknown world that I had only heard about—everything would be new and interesting. Moreover, there was a time in the hospital when I needed to take a shower— how can I get out of my bed and walk to the bathroom when I can hardly sit up in bed much less walk at all? I thought of it as an experiment—would I be able to get to the bathroom and take a shower by myself? How in the world would I be able to do that? And, of course, there were times when I was challenged about my deepest beliefs and instinctive preconceptions about myself.

But the challenge of the illness led me to see that indeed, I was "not my body" and that I was supported in so many different ways by so many different people that it was difficult to feel sorry for myself or to feel alone. The illness, challenged my ordinary routines and identity of being a healthy, robust, productive, independent person. I saw that I was these things, but that I was also more than these qualities. Thus, every apparent disaster can be an opening to new way of experiencing ourselves and the world.

Thank you once again for your thoughts and prayers for my return to health. We will continue to keep you updated about developments and how they will impact The Enneagram Institute.		  
 
  New Gurdjieff Book and CD Set  
 
  This set features Gurdjieff playing the harmonium, speaking, and telling stories to his students. It includes many, many previously unpublished photos, and dozens of these extraordinary impromptu recordings—as well as a priceless short 8mm film of Gurdjieff and students on several car trips on France.

Grahame Morgan-Watson, one of our Faculty in Training, found this wonderful new book and CD set in a metaphysical bookstore on Long Island and sent it to us. The book is called Harmonic Development–The complete Harmonium Recordings 1948-1949, compiled and produced by G. J. Blom, published by Basta Audio Visual, The Netherlands.

The list price is $65—well worth it, but you can get a 20% discount (and the same discount on other Gurdjieff items) by mentioning “Don at The Enneagram Institute” to the owner, Joe Benzola. Order it at Metaphysical Books and Tools at (634) 725-9393 or at metabooks@optonline.net. Thanks to Grahame and Joe for this treasure!

  
 
  Johanna de Bont's Enneagram Work in Brazil  
 
  Since becoming a certified teacher I have now given about 100 workshops mainly in Brazil, although I have also given 3 in Taiwan. The number of participants varies from 10 to 50 people. I have lots of work and am already fully booked up to March of next year with at least one workshop per week.

Each year now I am invited to teach the Enneagram to the Jesuit novices of the Province and to various other Religious Congregations, as well as teachers and community leaders. This year I have also given a workshop to the Seminarians of the Salvador Diocese. For me, this is very important as these men are in a very privileged position here in Brazil, and we meet many a priest who is very caught up with his own agendas instead of pastoring the people. If I can help them to become a little more free, it will have a positive effect for many others.

  
 
  Jacquelin Cheung’s Enneagram Work in Business  
 
  I have worked with a manufacturing client, who is a business leader of the Taiwan operation. She expects to strengthen the influencing skills of top teams as they have a lot of conflicts with the junior staff. They have also found it difficult to inspire changes in the operations.

I designed a two-day programme for them and started the programme with the Hornevian groups. The participants realised that the way they approach their tasks is the source of many conflicts. I then introduced the Harmonic groups so that they could see how they respond to conflicts. I developed a conflict-resolution model to include all three elements in the harmonic group. I included a lot of discussions, case studies, and role-plays which helped the participants to understand and apply the Enneagram at work.

After the workshop, the participants told me that they have a better understanding about themselves and others. They also better understand the impacts of their personalities on others.

 
 
  Don Riso's Illness--August Report  
 
  As many of you have heard, I contracted a serious case of arsenic poisoning, most likely while I was teaching China during June (Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing.) The symptoms started while I was in China, but really didn't become significantly worse until mid-July, after I was back home. The main symptoms are neuropathy (a numbness in the hands and feet, paradoxically with "pins and needles" tingling), and a severe lack of coordination. Some days it's difficult to stand up, much less walk around, and in the last couple weeks I've been having to use two canes just to get around the house.

Things got so bad that I not only saw several doctors but several neurologists as well, had 3 MRIs, 2 spinal taps, and an EMG (to test nerve conduction.) I was hospitalized from August 20–23, which was the first time in my life that I've ever been hospitalized, which was, in itself, an interesting experience! Never have I seen so many needles with smiling faces. Despite all these tests, they're still not entirely sure that the arsenic poisoning is the entire problem, but it seems to be the main one in the foreground. I'm nearing the end of a 10-day course of arsenic chelation therapy (injections), and when that's finished, we will re-test and see where we go next either with more of the arsenic chelation or other types of therapies.

One of the main problems is lack of finger coordination -- doing everything from opening bottles to tying shoelaces to playing the piano, to typing has become nearly impossible -- although I hope that once the arsenic clears I will be gradually able to regain my dexterity. Fortunately, the arsenic poisoning has not been painful, it's just been numbing and kind of paralyzing. My mental speed remains, alas, at the same level.

I remain in very good spirits and have taken this as an opportunity to rest, work on myself, and to observe all the bizarre changes, for all the positive and negative, that happen virtually every day. It's been an adventure! It's also going to be an opportunity to get a little rest, and not do as much traveling as I was scheduled to do. Russ and Gayle have filled in admirably for the programs that I've missed, and it's allowed me to spend a little more time overseeing the completion of the Barn, which looks like it will be operational by January 2008. This summer has been absolutely beautiful, and it's been a real treat to be able to be around the house and property for a longer period of time than I usually am. I continue to work with Katy, Kathy, Donna and Laura to keep things running, and I hope to be back to "normal" as soon as possible, but it will just take as long as it takes.

Back to the question of how this came about -- I really can't say where I picked up this severe arsenic poisoning, but all indications are that it may have been through severely tainted seafood grown in China. So you may want to be aware of the source of your own food, especially seafood, since fish and shrimp can absorb high levels of dangerous heavy metals without it killing them, while passing on the toxins to you. So if you are feeling any sort of neuropathy or odd symptoms, I would urge you to go for testing right away, rather than wait, since the chelation therapy is a simple procedure, and could be a great help.

Again, thank you for your support and well wishes, prayers, and positive vibes -- work continues here at the EI, although at a slower pace for now. Please stay in touch, and get a Geiger counter for that shrimp!		  
 
  Janet Kious' Enneagram Work in Cleveland, Ohio  
 
  My company, The Enneagram in Cleveland continues to grow. I teach continuing ed at two universities and am working on teaching for an entire semester in the social work school at Case Western Reserve University. I am conducting trainings in companies and businesses, as well as my favorite activity: a monthly one day workshop for individuals, couples, and families where I present basic information and help people type themselves. I also have a personal growth group that meets monthly, consisting of people who have been through a workshop and know their type. The group has 30 members and keeps growing. I am having a weekend retreat for members of the group in November and have invited group members to conduct 1 hour sessions integrating the Enneagram and their area of expertise. I find it so rewarding to watch people's lives grow and transform with the use of the Enneagram.

  
 
  Moira Canes’ Enneagram Work in Toronto, Canada  
 
  I am the Co-Director of the Transpersonal Therapy Centre, in Toronto, Canada. We provide a 3-4 year therapy skills training program of which the Enneagram is an integral part. Also on offer are seminars, weekend and ongoing workshops, as well as counseling to help people and organizations use the Enneagram for personal and professional development. In our programs, we employ music, movement, drama and art, various Buddhist meditation practices, chanting, meditative inquiry, as well as a variety of experiential psychotherapies such as gestalt, psychodrama, bodywork, and breathwork to learn the Enneagram and connect with Essence.

I am also on the Board of Directors for Enneagram North, a non-profit organization that offers its members an opportunity to learn, explore and share the teachings of the Enneagram. A study group meets once a month, and weekend workshops or trainings are offered once or twice a year with guest facilitators.

 
 
  Really Using the Enneagram  
 
  “…without some sort of ‘spiritual practice,’ one does not get very far with the Enneagram. The Enneagram is information about personality types. It’s merely psychology. It’s good psychology—but that’s all it is. But if you want the Enneagram to make a transformative difference in your life, then you have to take it one step further. The real message of the Enneagram, the core truth that the Enneagram is conveying to us, is that you are not your personality. There is within each of us a Divine Light. Each of us shares in Being and in presence—what in this tradition, is called our Essence. Each person is an individual spark of the Divine light. But for reasons that we will examine (and for reasons that simply are mysterious) we have forgotten that. We have fallen asleep to that. We do not see ourselves that way, and we generally do not experience other people as manifestations of the Divine. We see them as cranky and angry, as getting in our way, as someone who has a lot of neuroses, and all the stuff that is personality.”-Don and Russ (transcript from a “Dallas Wisdom Workshop,” 1996), quoted in the Riso-Hudson Enneagram Teaching ResourceBook, “The Spiritual Enneagram” Module, page 2.

 
 
  The Enneagram Comes to Edinburgh Festival  
 
  The Scottish capital is famous for its summer festival but for the past three years Edinburgh has been host to a different kind of international celebration—the Middle Eastern Festival of Spirituality & Peace. The festival brings together people from a wide range of spiritual backgrounds, educators, teachers and scholars, people from artistic and cultural backgrounds and from diverse cultures and traditions. It is a forum for people to listen to one another more deeply to create peace from an open mind and heart.

In a discussion on spirituality and the path of relationships, representatives from the Muslim community, the Jewish faith, Shamanism, Sikhism and Christianity were united in their belief that the Divine Spark was in every human being and how we had somehow lost connection with this as a lived reality.

This set the scene for an introductory workshop on the Enneagram led by Janette Blakemore to a large audience in a church in the heart of the city. The workshop focused on the Three Centres of Intelligence and included chants and prayers designed to support our reconnection to the higher aspects of the Centres.

 
 
  Enneagram Supports Leadership & Professional Development
in UK Learning & Skills Sector		  
 
  Lynne Sedgmore CBE, Chief Executive of the Centre for Excellence in Leadership (CEL), a long-time avid student of The Enneagram Institute, recently invited Janette Blakemore (EI Faculty Trainee) to introduce the Enneagram to 30 staff within her organization including colleagues from Lancaster University and Ashridge Management College.

CEL’s remit is to foster and support leadership development, reform, and transformation across the learning and skills sector at both the individual and organizational level. Lynne’s aim in introducing the Enneagram was to support CEL staff in their ongoing professional and personal development and to encourage and support distributed leadership throughout CEL.

The introductory workshop, entitled The Art of Inner Freedom, caused a tangible buzz in the office. “People can’t stop talking about it…once again the Enneagram has worked its magic,” said Lynne. “As a result of the workshops and coaching, staff are sharing deep experiences of feeling more liberated and are feeling empowered to act more effectively within the organisation. They are also experiencing profound personal shifts and improvements in their personal as well as work lives.”

Follow-up coaching with Janette has proved especially powerful for some:

"I couldn’t believe how much I got out of that 1.5 hrs. I came out of it feeling refreshed, spirited, and alive. I find myself mentally (and physically) stronger and more able to cope with things in my life. I have become more focused on the present rather then dwelling on the past or what could be. I also find myself operating at a better level, much more focused on what I am doing…even my recall seems to have become better…” - Costas Dakoutros, CEL (type 4)

“As Janette and I worked through the Levels, I gained an understanding of myself I had never had before. I have spent my life asking myself the same questions over and over: ‘Why do I feel like this?’ ‘Why did I react like that?I left my coaching session feeling as if the box I had put myself in many years ago without realising it had now been opened”. - Nicole Mozzi, CEL

“I have started to feel really free of a lot of essentially destructive or misplaced fear and anxiety, and to target real issues and goals in my life and work, altogether feeling happier and more balanced. I am enjoying the moment, things that I hated (or avoided) are becoming part of a process and more importantly I realise that I have wasted a lot of energy analysing everything. When I breathe and feel, (rather than overthink,) what were once mountains become molehills and everything is easier to tackle. - Trisya Roberts, CEL

While the coaching continues over the next few months, a second workshop, The Enneagram–Deeper and Wider, will focus on practical applications in the areas of effective influencing, decision making,and the creative use of differences.

  
 
  Free Download of the new Enneagram Writing Style Sheet  
 
  Download a free pdf file of the new RH Writing Style Sheet. We developed this Style Sheet as a guideline for your Enneagram writing. The Style Sheet is a codification of the conventions we use ourselves—such as capitalizing the word “Enneagram,” spelling out the numerals for the types (such as “Threes, Fours, and Fives…”) and so forth. We hope you find the Style Sheet clarifying and useful!

  
 
  Some Pictures of Stone Ridge Headquarters and the Grounds  
 
  I thought we would post a few pictures of the grounds here at Stone Ridge from last summer instead of more winter scenes! It’s good to remember the summer, especially during winter!

One of the wonderful things about Stone Ridge is that there are four very distinct seasons, each with its own extraordinary beauty. The soil here is extremely rich—this was farmland since the Revolutionary period—and you can sense Nature constantly stirring, even when everything is serene on the surface. Actually, there are many micro-seasons here—the trees and fields change subtly about every two weeks, so nothing is ever the same for long. Awakening, budding, growing, blossoming, ripening, declining, decaying—constant renewal is among the lessons of the land itself.
The work on the Barn as the Advanced Training Center continues with interior framing of walls; a large deck will be built on the back of the Barn shortly, the electrical wiring will be laid in, and other infrastructure will be put in place. We hope that the grounds here in Upstate New York will make working and studying memorable and restorative—a beautiful place to walk, study, and contemplate. We look forward to having students study with us here at Stone Ridge starting in the Fall of 2006! -Don

  
 
  Copyright Information  
 
  See this article for useful, clear information about copyright, for how to use Riso-Hudson materials, for free materials, and for how to protect your own original materials.

 
 
  Successful Teaching Trip to South Africa!  
 
  Don and Russ just finished up a very successful Part I Training for 43 people sponsored in Johannesburg, South Africa, sponsored by Gareth and Joni Peddie, The EI of Johannesburg. This was their first trip to South Africa, and participants there were eager for them to return as soon as possible to complete the Training Program.

Like China, South Africa is exploding with business growth and there is also a very strong spiritual orientation to many of the people there. Don and Russ were able to help bridge the gap for participants between the practical applications of the Enneagram and the personal and spiritual dimensions that people were also eager to address.

Because of the unique sociopolitical history of South Africa due to Apartheid, there is a strong awareness of social justice and the desire to help individuals of all races. At the same time, there are many unresolved personal and social issues concerning guilt, forgiveness, acceptance, and responsibility still to be resolved on both sides.

As you know, the Enneagram can be a powerful tool for reconciling differences by teaching people to interact with each other first as human beings, rather than as stereotypes of any kind. The Enneagram is a powerful tool for building understanding and compassion, which is much needed there as it is here and everywhere else in the world.

  
 
  New Audio Talks on www.BrainSlam.com  
 
  BrainSlam.com is a new site that brings you short talks by leading edge thinkers and writers on a wide range of personal growth topics. Organized by areas of interest, you can download these 4-5 minute "slams" (insights and inspirations) from today’s thought leaders that can help you think more positively and act more intentionally in your life.

Don and Russ are the only Enneagram authors featured on this new site, and they join the company of other authors such as Howard Bloom, Joe Dispenza, and Michael Gelb. Don offers three talks on: The Three Centers of Essential Intelligence: The Instinctive Center, The Feeling Center, and The Thinking Center. Russ has three talks about What is the Enneagram?, Enneagram Personalities Defined, and Cultivating Awareness and the Enneagram.

You can sample the Slams and then subscribe for 10 downloads for $9.95/month, or 20 downloads for $14.95/month.

 
 
  SHL Research Aims (Background)  
 
  For research to begin, there needed to be a "gold standard" for the selection of participants so that all those who took the validated SHL test, the OPQ32, had correctly found their Enneagram personality type. To this end, all participants taking the OPQ32 were self-typed and/or typed by Don Riso and Russ Hudson; in addition, they have taken one or more Enneagram courses with Riso and Hudson, they have taken the Riso-Hudson Enneagram Type Indicator (RHETI, Version 2.5), and they have also read one or more of the five Riso-Hudson Enneagram books. Riso and Hudson screened participants with the above criteria and further asked that only those who were 99% sure of their type participate, which participants agreed to do.

First, SHL researchers (Bartram and Brown) investigated if people who identified as each Enneagram type demonstrated a similar pattern of the OPQ32 sets of traits. In other words, was there a clear and consistently different pattern of the 32 traits of the OPQ32 for each of the nine Enneagram types? For everyone who said that they were a type One, for example, did their scores on the 32 OPQ traits produce a similar pattern? Were the patterns for each type statistically similar to each other? The research showed that the nine types of the Enneagram are internally consistent (in the Riso-Hudson model), with a high degree of statistical probability.

Second, was there a significant statistical difference between types? In other words, were the nine types discrete and show distinct, statistically valid differences from each other? For example, were Enneagram type Ones clearly different from each of the other eight Enneagram types or was there some conceptual "overlap" or other distortions among the nine Enneagram types? The research showed that the nine types are clear and distinct, with a high degree of statistical probability.

Third, did the nine Enneagram types respond to the 32 traits of the OPQ in a statistically meaningful way according to what was predicted by Riso & Hudson for each of the 32 traits? For example, Riso and Hudson predicted that "conscientiousness" would be a high-scoring trait for Enneagram type Ones and that type Ones would also score low on a trait such as "adaptability," and so forth. Riso and Hudson predicted which of the 32 traits of the OPQ32 would be highest and lowest scoring for each Enneagram type, and these predictions were borne out by the research with a high degree of statistical evidence.

For all three major areas (above), the data was highly statistically significant, more than warranting further research into the Enneagram as a valid personality typology. The results of this research also warrant further investigation for further validation into the various elements of the Enneagram system, based on the Riso-Hudson model.

  
 
  EPI Intensive:
Emotional Intelligence, the Enneagram, and Brain Science		  
 
  Andrea Isaacs, Part II Faculty, is offering an EPI and Integrative Change Intensive in January of 2007. This training will go more deeply into therapeutic applications, deep personal work, and explore how to teach this work to others. This will be part of the EPI certification track, though one does not have to be on that track in order to participate.

You will experience and learn how to:
  • translate emotional energy into physical energy
  • do and teach the movement work for the nine Enneagram types
  • incorporate writing, drawing, and chi kung
  • do the one-on-one change work, and
  • create the physical antidotes that help facilitate change.

  
 
  A Christmas Message from The Enneagram Institute  
 
  Christmas is a time to remember and celebrate many things—coming together with family and friends, giving gifts to loved ones, reaching out to others who are less fortunate, creating warmth and togetherness amidst the coldness of winter, and looking forward to the return of the sun during the darkest days of the year.

At the center of the season's activities, millions around the world mark the birth of a child. Indeed, it is actually somewhat odd that the emphasis is not on the adult man and his extraordinary life (as it is with the stories of Buddha, for example), but on the birth of a baby in the highly unpromising conditions that surrounded his arrival in the world. So much is made of the swaddling clothes, picturesque mangers, sanitized donkeys, and swooping angels—all in neatly arranged tableaux that include uncomprehending shepherds and gaudily dressed Magi.

There are probably several historical reasons why Christian piety has focused on the birth of "the Baby Jesus"—despite the potential for sentimentality, trivialization, and the call to worship of an untested child. But the fact is that, at the Nativity, Jesus did nothing more than be born. Why the focus on the Baby Jesus instead of on the life and achievements of the adult? What is the inner meaning of the birth of this child? There seems to be more going on here than understandable interest in the personal history of the future Christian Savior and Redeemer.

Perhaps the unconscious power of the Nativity lies in the fact that it reminds us that whenever we are in touch with our True Nature, that we, too, are being born. This birth happens every moment we come into contact with what is most real and essential in ourselves—the eternal Consciousness that is the source of all Being. When we contact this, the eternal is once again born in the material. But—and here is why the symbol of the birth of a baby is so appropriate—like the birth of a baby, the birth of consciousness is something that happens in time and in the world of form. For virtually everyone, the birth of consciousness in us is too soon lost in a "death" of awareness, in a forgetting of our True Nature and of our own divine center.

From this point of view, the birth of the infant Jesus is perhaps an unconscious acknowledgment that the arising of consciousness in the moment is feeble and could easily be lost. For most of us, consciousness is vulnerable and without deep roots. (Whenever something this pure comes into the world, there is always the brutality and ignorance of a "Herod" to snuff it out.) But even here, happily, the birth of Jesus is also an affirmation that not only can consciousness (and our own divinity) be awakened in us—but that, as in Jesus of the Gospels—it could deepen and grow and transform the world.

No matter what else he was, Jesus was an extraordinary example of the growth of divine consciousness in the world. The wonder is that, in Jesus, unlike us, it never went out again. Even with his very first appearance in the Gospels, we see someone who always remembered who he was and who always acted from a perfect alignment with the Truth. He was always rooted in the power and dignity of his divine origin—which is why people were so affected by him, for good or ill.

From this point of view, Christmas is not primarily an occasion to become gooey and sentimental about the birth of a baby, but it is an occasion to see this birth as the archetype of a much deeper kind of birth: the birth of consciousness, the penetration of the darkness by the Light, the birth of the divine in the human, and a decisive reorientation of human consciousness, once and for all.

May the Holidays be an opportunity to remember and give time to the truths which touch our hearts. No matter what our personal beliefs about Jesus, may the Holidays (as a celebration of the light in the darkest days of the year) call us toward deeper Presence, peace, and hope in the limitless depth of Reality. - Don Richard Riso

Happy Holidays to all from Don, Russ, Katy, Laura, Donna, Jen, Brian, and Zack (the Enneagram dog) at The Enneagram Institute!!		  

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