(the compulsion to mediate or peace-build as a way of keeping their minds calm and their hearts protected).

The posture is a practice in itself, but our intention reverberates with our “heart”—the organ of spiritual perception. Our intention points to what our heart needs most in order to connect with God. Our intention—whether consent, engagement, or rest—is the particular way we (like my puppy Basil) metaphorically roll over onto our back and open the

Jesus does not ask us to do through contemplative practice what he has not done himself.

When we face the lie that we are what we have and in silence learn to listen, God says, “My pleasure over you is all you need.” When we stop our frenetic activity and face the lie that we are what we do, God says, “You are my beloved.” When we withdraw into our own interior solitude to face the lie that we are what others think, God says, “My

A contemplative approach to the Enneagram invites us to resist the reductionism of inner fragmentation; to realize we aren’t as bad as our worst moments or as good as our greatest successes—but that we are far better than we can imagine and carry the potential to be far worse than we fear. Father Richard once told me, “To cast great light in the

Ultimately the goal of our journey with the Enneagram is to move from type to identity, to become rooted in dignity and reflect our essential True Self.

Ultimately, faith is learning to rest in mystery. But that invitation is a difficult one.

Since then I’ve done my best to protect rhythms that are healthy and sustainable. Today I know that Sabbath is for rest, retreats are for reflection, vacations are for recreation, and sabbatical is for renewal.

Most of us who start down the contemplative path of spiritual formation quickly realize that we will always be beginners.