The Enneagram of Discernment: The Way of Vocation, Wisdom, and Practice

Longing and belonging are linguistically similar, deriving from the same root. And, the only difference between belonging and longing is “be.”9 Longing conveys desire. Belonging conveys affinity. Longing is directed toward that which is beyond our grasp. Belonging is experienced in that which is in our midst.

In this way Ones can, with care, experience the type of rest that the poet David Whyte describes: “Rest is a conversation between what we love to do and how we love to be.”

Fours may receive the extraordinary gift of calling and “hide it under a bushel,” (a bowl or basket), rather than let light shine throughout their world.8 Receiving the gift and committing to the practice of vocation are intertwined and interdependent.

As we consider how our dominant enneagram type impacts our employment of the three centers of intelligence, two specific triadic groupings are helpful: triads and stances. Triads are enneagram types that share a common dominant center of intelligence. Stances are enneagram types that share a common repressed center of intelligence.

We have more than enough information to make decisions. What we often lack is proper understanding, application, and purpose. Consider this: Information is purely content Knowledge is content understood Wisdom is understanding applied for what truly matters

Discernment: What am I feeling? For those who lead from the Aggressive Stance, restless hearts must become authentic places of emotion and connection. In a word, they must OPEN their hearts with vulnerability. Types Three, Seven, and Eight can intentionally form Wise Hearts to discern well. This requires intentional work exploring their emotional w

We think about our experience, we feel our way through our experience, and we act upon our experience. Here’s how: Thinking intelligence is used for retrieving and organizing information. It also helps us plan and analyze. Feeling intelligence is used for observing emotions in ourselves and others, interpersonal community, and relationship. Doing i

“fathom” came to mean the way in which we understand a difficult problem or situation. We take the time to penetrate the surface, and, bit-by-bit, come to a place of comprehension.

Rather than anxiously looking ahead, we discern with depth our present trajectory.