The Present Moment and the Enneagram Part 1
June 16, 2026
The Present Moment and the Enneagram Part 1
You are warmly invited to share in this week’s Reflections on the subject of “The Present Moment and the Enneagram.”
In making the pivotal shift from ego to soul, all nine of the Enneagram energies require us to live in the now. The now is also called the present moment.
On a hurried day, I was in a traffic back up. Caught between cars, I couldn’t move forward. This was frustrating as I had an appointment soon. Under this stress, I assumed the familiar ego stance of picturing the worst-case scenario and all that would go wrong due to my tardiness. I was fuming under the collar. But the stress reminded me, “I have felt this before. Now what do I do to alleviate this frustration? Oh yes, these are the times when I most need to shift into soul.”
I immediately dropped into my soul, and the tense traffic before me lifted like a curtain. My soul’s eyes landed on a "For Sale" sign in front of an old church to the right of me. My eyes traveled to the top of the church where there was a white cross. I imagined how many Sundays that building had housed congregations and services and how many weddings and funerals there had been. I realized my car was right beside consecrated ground. I noticed the venerable church’s stained-glass windows, its architectural detail and wondered if it would become home for another congregation or raised to make room for a gas station. My eyes traveled upward again to the cross that had looked over the historic structure for decades. In awe of the building and its past, I couldn’t help but say a prayer that it would be redeemed. Yes redeemed, just as so many of its people in its walls had been redeemed over the years by the sacraments, the community, and by the Almighty.
I had no way of knowing what the present moment would show my soul. I had no idea that it would remind me of hallowed ground, of sacred spaces, or of communities of yesteryear. All I know is that the stress of traffic, the ruminations of the future, and the frustration in being trapped all evaporated in the Holy Present. Before I knew it, the traffic began to move. Each moment of each Enneagram type reveals another story, another insight, and another way to experience the Divine.
Spiritual Practice
The next time you are caught in traffic or in a situation that prevents you from continuing with your plans, stop and think: “How can I use this delay for my spiritual wellbeing?” Take a deep breath and see what arises as the curtain is lifted to reveal the present moment.
Inquiry
Would I rather rush to make it on time rather than wait and see what unfolds in the moment?
Prayer
Dear God, I pray to have the curtain of every present moment lifted to show me the Holy Present. Amen.
