Happy April from Enneagram Life!
Write a review & be entered to win a mug, favorite spring things and "Enneagram for Changemakers" conversation.
Happy April from Enneagram Life!
Have you read one of the devotionals or the book, Enneagram Life that Elisabeth has written? If you have, would you write a review of that book on Amazon? Sharing your honest thoughts in the form of a review is one of the best ways to support an author. And when you do, you’ll be entered to win an Enneagram mug of your choice!
Not sure what to say? Here’s a few ideas:
1. What drew you to the book and what you were expecting: "I wanted to learn more about X. I was hoping this book would help me with Y."
2. How the book met your expectations or pleasantly surprised you: "I was surprised to discover that this book was so much more X than I was expecting!""This book was everything I hoped it would be."
3. What lessons you gained from reading the book or what about the book inspired change in your life: "I loved learning about X + Y about myself. Because of what I've learned in these pages, I'm beginning to do X differently."
4. Why you think it would help people in a number of circumstances: "I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to grow in X ways.""I think this book would help anyone who is looking for Y."
After you leave your review, you’ll be entered to win an Enneagram mug! Just screenshot your review and send it to Enneagram.Life on Instagram to be entered anytime this April.
This month, we asked the hosts of our sister pages, “what is your favorite part of spring?” We certainly aren’t assuming that everyone of that number will love the same parts of spring, but we love seeing the flavor of each number in the responses.
▪ From Peter, our 1ishandiknowit host: Rain/dew on all the flowers.
▪ From Charity, our 2ishandiknowit host: My favorite part of spring is how it reminds us, every year, that new life can come after the longest, coldest time of darkness. Every flower pushing up through the hard earth, every leaf unfurling, reminds me to never lose hope. And as a 2, it reminds me how important those periods of rest, or hibernation, between periods of work and growth are!
▪ From Courtney, our 3ishandiknowit host: Any reflection about the seasons tends to draw me into thinking theologically about the progression from death to new life. Spring, most of all, reminds me of resurrection. Especially as a three, I am more comfortable in Lent's practices of discipline and longing. Leaning into my four-wing (where we are comfortable with all the emotions and getting a little dark), I appreciate meditating on how God descended and "harrowed hell." We often forget that Easter is not just a day, but, in the Christian calendar, Easter is a whole SEASON... lasting 50 days, culminating at Pentecost. Our culture can sometimes be better at "Lent-ing" than resurrecting; maybe that's why we forget Easter is a whole season! This time of year, in my part of the country, dogwoods are in bloom and always seem to bloom during Holy Week. Spring is a visible reminder of Jesus' resurrection and our calling to be a resurrection people. I think of Mary Magdalene, who mistook Jesus as a gardener. I love this image by Dutch artist Janpeter Muilwijk titled "New Gardener." Jesus' wounds are depicted as butterflies, symbolizing new life and transformation. We see a dogwood blooming in the background and a shovel that points to Jesus at work restoring creation.
Speaking of this art, Victoria Emily Jones says, "Jesus-as-gardener points to the redemption of the whole creation: Jesus' "resurrection broke ground in this garden marking the beginning of a massive restoration project." Indeed, this season of restoration and redemption hits right to the heart for type threes striving to grow and blossom. As I tend to my garden at home and snap photos of the blooms in my neighborhood, I am reminded of the Gardner who cares for me. Whatever we are facing, we know the Gardner is at work tilling the soil of our souls... may we be good ground.
▪ From Elisabeth, our 4ishandiknowit host: This aesthetic specially is what I daydream about in the spring. The lush feels are calling and I want all the pretty dresses.
▪ From Beth, our 5ishandiknowit host: I love the warmth and the sunshine most!
▪ From Luke, our 6ishandiknowit: Might be odd for a 6, but spring means that summer is coming up! Anticipation and excitement, but also consistent and repeated. I can count on it. Summer always follows spring. Spring also means starting vegetable and flower seeds, giving them a head start for the growing season. Feels good to get my hands in the dirt again (although today in Ohio we’ve had sleet, snow, sun, and wind)
▪ From Sarah, our 7ishandiknowit host: My birthday is in March so spring has always been one of my favorite seasons! Birthday celebrations, watching everything come back to life, the colors from flowers blooming, spring break to a sunny warm place. And it also means summer is almost here!
▪ From Jodi, our 8ishandiknowit host: I love the ability to wear sandals. I lived in AZ for nine years and miss the days of flip flops, 24/7. But I HATE being cold. So when it’s warm enough to wear my sandals, I feel so happy that my feet get some freedom. I also love the early flowers. The crocuses, the daffodils, and the tulips. They remind me of resilience! They were no where to be seen and then, POP, they appear and they seem to bloom so fast! Every spring I tell myself I’m going to remember to plant more bulbs and by fall, it’s forgotten…. lol.
▪ From Alison, our 9ishandiknowit host: Flowers! All the flowers. The first crocuses almost always surprise me with how early they come. After winter, my heart is hungry for these little bits of beauty and then it feels like before long, there's an avalanche of budding trees and daffodils and tulips. It feels like I'm just drinking in beauty and I love it so much.
And if you missed it, this in-depth “Enneagram for Changemakers” conversation Elisabeth had with Elisa Johnston of Average Advocate is a rich one! They covered growth and stress patterns, avoiding burnout, when to type your kids, why different Enneagram types lean towards specific change-making work, struggles and trauma impacting our types and more.
Warmly,
Alison
Creative Assistant for Enneagram Life