"Who in the world am I?"The Enneagram is like a mirror, reflecting dimensions of ourselves that are sometimes hard to see. In this helpful guide, spiritual director and Enneagram teacher Alice Fryling offers an introduction to each number of the Enneagram and their respective triads. More than just helping us discern our number, this book relates the Enneagram to our spiritual journey, as a way to identify our gifts as well as our blind spots. With Scripture meditations and questions for reflection and discussion, Mirror for the Soul offers a new perspective on our unique temperament so that we might know and extend God's grace more fully. Knowledge of the Enneagram leads us into more authentic self-awareness, richer relationships, and deeper places in the soul where we can worship God in truth and grace.
"This will be a most helpful resource for all who are seeking deeper levels of transformation through the narrow gate of self-knowledge and self-examination. Having worked with the Enneagram as a tool for transformation for many years, I love everything about this book--the concise descriptions of the history and theory of the Enneagram, the penetrating commentary on the spaces themselves, and the wise and gentle encouragement for how you can move from the bondage of the false self to the freedom of living as your true self in Christ. The personal meditations, discussion questions, and guidance for utilizing the Enneagram in spiritual direction make this enormously beneficial for personal and ministry use."--Ruth Haley Barton, founder, Transforming Center, author of Sacred Rhythms
Alice Fryling's valuable insights from the Enneagram and Scripture invite us to experience God's grace more deeply through greater self-awareness and spiritual companionship. This book is a rich and unique contribution to Enneagram literature and to personal transformation.
--Richard Rohr, OFM, author of The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective
This is the Enneagram book I've been looking for. It's written from a depth of experience, a depth in Scripture, and with an eye for the formational possibilities of this ancient wisdom. Fryling serves as a seasoned spiritual director, guiding the reader into the rich growth in spiritual formation that the Enneagram offers.
--Alan Fadling, president and founder, Unhurried Living, author of An Unhurried Leader
Table of Contents:
Introduction: The Puzzle of Ourselves
1. What Is the Enneagram, and Where Did It Come From?
2. The True Self and the False Self
3. The Triads of the Enneagram
4. The Heart Triad: 2, 3, 4
5. The Head Triad: 5, 6, 7
6. The Gut Triad: 8, 9, 1
7. Looking for Your Home Space
8. Understanding Wings and the Arrows
9. Biblical Truths Reflected in the Enneagram
10. Addicted to Ourselves
11. The Enneagram and Transformation
12. Continuing the Journey
Epilogue: Answering Alice
Acknowledgments
Appendix 1: Using the Enneagram in Spiritual Direction
Appendix 2: Additional Resources
Notes
Alice Fryling is a spiritual director and the author of nine books, including Seeking God Together: An Introduction to Group Spiritual Direction. She has been giving Enneagram workshops for fifteen years, teaching participants how to usethe Enneagram to know God and themselves more deeply. She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren.