What we expect and what we really want

Palm Sunday Expectations of a Savior

         

The journey of Holy Week starts with the joy and party spirit of Palm Sunday.  The expectations at the start of the journey will go quickly downhill to the cross and on to the dark tomb before Easter morning shines. 

There is no way to the empty tomb but by way of the cross.  Psalms 23 long ago reminded people that you must travel “through the valley of the shadow of death” before you can reach the other side.  We travel from Vice to Virtue.  But the journey to the virtue can never be reached except by letting go of the vice to take hold of a new life in Jesus.  Our vices will never get us to our deepest desires; in fact they make it impossible.  We must go through the cross, by surrender of our self-imposed control to God’s will.  We have to learn to let go of the need for what we have determined we must have. 

The turmoil that blocks us comes out of our own expectations.  When we discover how to let go of our habitual belief in what we think we know, then we begin the road to freedom. What we want, what we deeply desire and what we settle for leaves us longing for authenticity in our life.

 

EXPECTATIONS

If your deepest Desire (Virtue) is -       You may try to get there by (Vice). . . .

Serenity, a peace that passes understanding – you may try to get there by enforcing a pseudo-peace with rules and regulations.  Being a perfectionist you will not get to Serenity until you learn to let go of resentment and realize your focus on seeing faults must open to allow yourself to see the good that is present. 

Humility, to be loved for your true inner self – you may try to get there by gathering idle praise and affection.  Being full of pride that you don’t need anyone else, you won’t get to Humility until you see that you are as needy as others; it is not a failing to need someone or something.  You can express your inner self with a freedom of the spirit of Humility. 

Honesty, to be loved for who you are – you may try to get there driven by an energy that you must succeed and earn approval.  As you perform one task, you continually need another task to feel worthy; so stop and see that you do not have to earn another’s love, it is freely given.  You are loved for “being” who you are, not “doing” who you are.

Balance, the perfect relationship – you may continue to work to deserve what you can’t truly see, longing for what is always out of reach.  The envy of always missing out will drive you to grief, if you would only stop, look and appreciate what you have in life instead of focusing on what you don’t have.  You stand in the midst of holy if you will only open your eyes. 

Nonattachment, valuing true abundance – you may try to get there by hoarding the intellectual riches and ideas you believe will give you security in what you have. The greed that drives you to collect and keep needs to perceive that less is often more fulfilling. 

Faith, that everything is alright – you may try to get there by living without fear.  You either run from situations that cause anxiety, or you run toward it to rise above such puny dread, defying life to hurt you.  Faith breaks through when you recognize fear is more in your mind than in the world that touches you.  Then you can courageously step forward in true knowing. 

Satisfaction, that you have enough – you may try to get it by always doing, seeing, planning for more to fill in a perceived emptiness.  The fear of missing out and being limited by life only exacerbates your need for more.  The need for more is a race to avoid pain and boredom through rationalizing your motives.  What is needed is recognition to stop, cut back and enjoy the beauty of commitments and sober work. 

Justice, for yourself and others – you may try to impose your own sense of justice on everyone.  There is a rush to make things work, to protect and take revenge for the innocent.  Recognizing and accepting your own vulnerability is key to finding the road to justice and grace endowed from within. 

Harmony/Unity, a sense of belonging to all – you may accept a false sense of harmony by ignoring the problem, going to sleep to let time make the decisions.  Dropping the comfort of false unity empowers you to take right action and participate in your own transformation. 

So how do you reach your deepest desire?

·         Let go of the methods you are using to keep your vice in place. (Spiritual Disciplines)

·         Recognize how you are settling for second best. 

·         Practice opening your eyes to see life from a fuller realm of possibilities

·         Ask God to help you see and perceive personal habits that cause you harm. 

·         Live in the present moment; not in the past, not in the future, and not in your imagination. 

Type and False Identity: a small group workshop

Type and False Identity: A small group workshop with the Enneagram led by Rev. Andrea Andress

April 3 through May 1, 6:30 - 9:00 pm, Room H-7

Type and False Identity

Personality is “who I think I am.”  It is a self-concept that builds in childhood and, once formed, is so much “who we are” that we do not recognize it as a highly sophisticated construct built from imagination, imitation, and a need to be appreciated.  Our identifications protect us from feelings of anxiety, discomfort and uncertainty about facing the unknown, yet limit our freedom to experience and act from a truer, inner self.  Jesus talks about dying to self and it is this false self he is referring to so that we can live to the true person we are meant to be.  

The objectives of this course are to clarify and deepen our understanding that personality is a structure which is formed and held in place by habits of attention, and to develop and strengthen one’s awareness and experience of their inner observer.  The format is highly interactive and includes exercises, practices, and dialogue on the habits of attention, idealization, identification, secondary gain, stress and security points that reinforce the structure of type.

This is the first class in a series on reducing the barriers to spiritual freedom.  It is presented in five 2½- hour sessions. Check with Rev. Andress if you want more information about the Enneagram as a basis for the course or scholarships contact Rev. Andress at andrea@pvumc.org or 602-840-8360 ext 142.  

Cost:  $100 includes class materials. Scholarships are available 

Registration:  online at www.azenneagram.com  or by phone at 480-367--1998 with Diane Shevlin.  If applying discounts you must register with Diane and not online.

Location:  Room H-7 at Paradise Valley United Methodist Church, 4455 E. Lincoln Drive, Paradise Valley, AZ  85253.  Park at the far south parking lot to enter the Hobbs building. 

TheNature of God - to empty one's self

The nature of God is often declared in words of power, wonder and glory. God's multifaceted nature is bequeathed to us as our creation in the image of God.  How marvelous to be powerful, right and mighty.   But God also gifts our very nature with creativity, compassion, love, self-emptying - it is in our make-up.

If God's nature is to self-empty, then so is ours.  We struggle with the giving up of things, how much more we struggle with the giving up of ourselves especially when it reaches to our core.  Today I came across a section from Elizabeth Johnson, She Who Is, p. 234 that spoke to me.

"Within the Christian story it is possible to see that divine self-emptying in the incarnation and passion of Christ is not an uncharacteristic divine action.  Rather, this historical moment discloses the pattern of Sophia-God's love always and everywhere operative.  Divine freely self-giving love did not begin with God's personal entering into human history but is so typical that it plays out at the dawn of creation itself."

The butterfly's cocoon is wound up so tightly in itself, it doesn't know (mentally) what is coming.  But time reveals the deeper instinctual knowing that lies within of how it can break through and spread it's wings to fly. How do I claim the power of God to empty myself so that I am ready to receive and move into what I dared not believe was even possible - a transformation and resurrection into new life.   

We often cause our own pain

An amazing prayer I would share with you: 

"God of justice, God of mercy, bless all those who are surprised with pain this day from suffering caused by their own weakness or that of others. Let what we suffer teach us to be merciful; let our sins teach us to forgive. This we ask through the intercession of Jesus and all who died forgiving those who oppressed them. Amen" - p. 59 People's Companion to the Breviary

I read this in the morning and experienced the truth of it that evening.  God have mercy to us all.  

A Gift to those who Give

"Humanly speaking a genuine gift is given freely, out of love and not out of necessity; its reception is occasion for gratitude and joy.  In the divine freedom to be present to all creatures, empowering them to birth and rebirth in the midst of the antagonistic structures of reality, the Spirit is intelligible as the first gift, freely given and giving.  Her loving in the world is gracious and inviting, never forcing or using violence but respectfully calling to human freedom, as is befitting a gift."

I came across this fabulous quote from Elizabeth Johnson, She Who Is, during devotions.  With the force of a hammer hitting a nail, it helps me understand the relationship between gift and freedom of will which I don't always connect with.  So many times I give out of duty, but true gift comes from love.  What a gift of freedom that the Twos share with us. So my gift to all the Twos I love is this passage.  Enjoy!

The Power of Positive Thinking

I never thought much about positive self-talk until last year.  It always seemed artificial to “talk yourself into something”.  I’ve changed my mind.  The habits of thinking, feeling and doing that make up our personality are created by our rehearsing what we think, feel and do largely on an unconscious plain.  So if we are going to successfully break into our habits and change them, becoming conscious of those old tapes helps us pierce through the frozen ice of old habits.  Beginning to rehearse in our selves the different action we want can only be beneficial.  Replacing old tapes with new tapes that serve me better in this day and time help me navigate my life today.  Brain research shows we like to repeat old patterns because they are easy to fall into.  But the brain also likes to create new avenues of working and continues to do so all of our lives.  Balancing the two integrates old and new into satisfying ways of being.

So I took the old tape of indecisiveness with inclinations to sit on the fence and began to replace it with a call to right action.  Instead of going down the highway of life with one foot on the break and one foot on the gas, I began to say to my self “right action”.  I found that “right action” almost immediately was fueled by fear of going into the unknown way too fast.  So I added to my new tape, the concept of courage.  Then with right action and courage, I realized I needed to have a direction, a goal to move toward.  I added a third concept to my new tape:  vision.  My new tape now reads right action, courage and vision.  

With no specific goal in my mind other than changing the immense unseen power of the old tapes, I begin to say to myself during times of meditation:  Right action, courage, vision.  I flood my being with the three concepts.  

First I place myself in a venue of receptivity, allowing a vulnerability of being.  I sit comfortably with back straight, feet on the floor and have several cleansing breaths.  With my hands placed downward on my legs, I allow the flow of being.  Then after a time I speak to myself the words of power:  right action, courage, vision.  Depending on which one seems to generate more pull for me at that time, I might stay with it.  I sense the new flooding into my body. 

Then I place my hands up as if to offer to share this wonderful new power with my world.  I open to let it move out into my day.  

Then I place my hands over my heart and invite the new words:  right action, courage, vision to cover my body like honey or sunshine, flowing and soaking into every pore beginning with the heart.  

And finally I outstretch my hands in a gesture of giving and hope for each person the ability to move in right action with courage and vision.

During the day is when I see specific situations arise that I have the opportunity to meet using the ability found in the delivery of my new tapes.  These concepts have always been there, but I had covered them up with the unconscious need to fear, and to become indolent about my goals and life in general. The walk is day by day, creating new habits to replace the old.

What do you think?   

Andrea Andress, March 24, 2012 

Jerry Wagner Presents Integrating Our Inner Polarities, May 5 & 6, 2012

Arizona Enneagram Association
presents 

Jerry Wagner PhD 

There is Wisdom in the Shadows!

Integrating Our Inner Polarities

12 CEU's available !!
9am-4pm       May 5 & 6, 2012
at Paradise Valley United Methodist Church 4455 E. Lincoln Drive, PV, AZ

We are so excited that Jerry Wagner is coming to the AEA May 5th and 6th!! He's new to our AZ community but a renowned author and teacher in the Enneagram world at large. Read about him at www.enneagramspectrum.com.

He'll be presenting his transformative workshop "Integrating our Inner Polarities" What the heck does that mean? Read on:

  

Do you think of yourself as right and exact? Then you probably don't want to be seen as wrong or messy. How about strong and tough? Bet you don't want to appear weak and wimpy-to yourself or anyone else. These are examples of disowned parts of our being known as the Shadow Self. We all have one. When we re-identify with our "bad", unseemly parts and re-own them, we find some valuable assets. Like inner integration and wholesome connections with other people, both of which lead to an increase of energy since we are no longer divided against ourselves and others.

For details and to register, go to:  www.azenneagram.com  

  

Jerry Wagner, Ph.D.

is the author of Nine Lenses on the World: the       Enneagram Perspective and The Enneagram Spectrum of Personality Styles: an Introductory Guide and the series Two Windows on the Self: the Enneagram and Myers-Briggs. He has also published articles in the Enneagram Monthly, The Enneagram Journal, and the IEA's NinePoints Bulletin. Jerry is a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist and consultant and is a faculty member in the Department of Psychology and the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University, Chicago.

What others are saying about this workshop:

"I knew Wagner's work from his books and classes I had taken, but this was my first encounter with his delightful sense of humor."

"He made it inviting for me to actually face and embrace my own divided nature, assured of the hope and possibility of change and integration."

"Jerry's ability to treat serious issues of human nature with wit takes the sting out of "fessing up to them."

Arizona Enneagram Association
www.azenneagram.com

Arizona Enneagram Association Email
azenneagram@gmail.com