Enneagram SIX Spiritual Practices

Develop and enhance your natural gifts: fidelity, obedience, trust

Work on your main problem area: becoming dependent on something outside yourself for support

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • engage in centering prayer or meditation practice;

  • find a middle path with authority; remember the Wesleyean Quadrilateral – Scripture, tradition, experience, and reason; see to what extent you are able to ensure that your personal experience guides you as much as the authority of Scripture and tradition;

  • if you find that you are a creature of habit, try breaking a routine for a bit and see how it feels;

  • examine the “social security” systems you have created for yourself; have they made you more secure?

  • keep a journal of your decisions, paying attention to how you overcame your fears or doubts

  • practice accepting compliments;

  • limit your exposure to negative information sources;

  • learn to distinguish real from perceived or merely potential threats;

  • watch your level of doubt with relationships;

  • spiritual practice:

    • Follow Jesus as loyal

    • The compulsion of the SIX is fear, where fear is a stance that clings to a negative expectation of all reality including God. It is the opposite of faith. In Luke 11: 37-53, Jesus confronts oppressive authority. His inner authority is our inner authority, the presence of the Holy Spirit.

    • Gospel contemplation: “Jesus and the lilies in the field”

    • memorize and repeat Julian of Norwich’s prayer “All shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well”;

    • pray for the gift of faith; consistently grade your level of fear or anxiety

    • in Gospel Contemplation, follow Jesus into the Jordan to be baptized; do likewise, and hear God say “This is my beloved child in whom I am well-pleased”; the experience of unconditional love is the one thing that, in the long run, can be stronger than fear .

    • Count the number of times Jesus (or an angel) says to people “Fear not,” “Do not be afraid.”

    • “Love is letting go of fear.” Repeat this as mantra, and see if it can change the way you approach things.

  • watch out for warning signs that you are too stressed as a SIX:

    • you experience intense anxiety and panic attacks

    • you suffer from acute inferiority feelings

    • you live in constant fear of losing support from others

    • you find yourself being extremely suspicious

    • you are unable to let go of abusive relationships or organizations

Examples to emulate: Robert Kennedy, Gloria Steinem, Princess Diana, Jack Lemmon,