Self-Care Part 3
January 12, 2026
Self-Care Part 3
Evagrius of Pontus, one of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, wrote the first known commentary on the eight major types of sins he referred to as “evil thoughts” (logismoia) in the 300s AD. But there was a ninth sin he wrote about, which is the parent of all the others— and it is love of self (philautia.) These nine thoughts were eventually reduced in number by Pope Gregory to be known as “the Seven Deadly Sins.”
Evagrius of Pontus’s early Christian psychology is one of the theological roots that helped shape the later Enneagram tradition because the truths reflected in the Enneagram also developed through the Desert Fathers and Mothers.
Evagrius’s “Evil Thoughts,” that eventually became the Seven Deadly Sins, correspond directly with the Enneagram of the Passions originated by Oscar Ichazo. The nine passions are each a distortion of love and its virtues which Evagrius spoke about centuries before. Distorted self-love occurs when divine energy turns inward, focusing on self-protection, self-promotion, and self-gratification, rather than outward toward love, union with God, consciousness of our fellow humans, and genuine self-care.
Spiritual self-care cannot occur without our being aware when a passion takes us over. For example, if I am an Ego Type Nine and no longer exert the energy for my spiritual practices, I may become forgetful of my spiritual growth. I may even be anesthetized to spiritual issues and sleepwalk throughout the day. This is when the passion of sloth has taken over, blocking me from my virtue of diligence and my soul's Sacred Action.
My region of the country has a sad history of many devastating tornadoes and massive storms about which we had no warning, and which resulted in loss of life. A devastating F-4 tornado hit Goshen United Methodist church in 1994 during Palm Sunday services. Many people, including children, were killed. After that immense tragedy, we reached a critical mass of people willing to apply pressure on the government to lessen our vulnerability to surprise tornados.
Now, alarms blast over a huge sound system in town and the countryside to warn about tornadoes and destructive storms on their way. A loud voice follows the sirens, explaining the impending danger. Such warnings save many lives because they inform us when and why to take shelter.
Knowing our passion and what makes us susceptible to it over other passions helps us become aware of our Achilles’ heel and take heed. Our passion, if unchecked, leads us into darkness. To deal with our passion, instead of taking physical shelter, we undergo an internal shift so that the passion doesn’t destroy us. Through our Holy Ideas, we shift to our Soul Type’s qualities that shelter us from the passions’ destructive energy.
Below is a chart aligning Evagrius’s eight evil thoughts (logismoi) and his ninth, “love of self” (philautia) with the nine Enneagram passions. These correspondences show how the early monastic view of the soul’s distortions evolved into the Enneagram’s map of ego fixations and passions.
Spiritual practice: Look over the chart to identify your Ego Type’s Achilles heel. Do you agree that the passion under your type is, in fact, where you are most vulnerable? If so, why? If not, why? Journal about how your virtue helps you shift from passion to soul.
Self-inquiry: What is your plan to warn you when your passion is taking over?
Prayer:
Dear God, Forgive me when I am overtaken by my passion. Make me sensitive to its appearance, anywhere and anytime it crops up. For me and our entire collective, I pray for awareness. Amen
