It’s been over 7 months since I’ve reached out to you and, yet, there has not been a day that has passed that I haven’t thought about you.  In so many ways, when writing a weekly newsletter, I felt a strong sense of community and I’ve missed that, greatly.  Yet, this time of silence has also been a time of great healing and clarity. And, now it’s time to reach out, once again, and share what I have learned and, hopefully, hear from you about your own journey.

Throughout my life, I’ve been faced with a variety of changes and transitions (as you have)- including the loss of loved ones, career changes, geographical changes, health challenges, aging, children coming and going, going from single to being married or vice versa, you name it.  With each transition, I’ve managed to navigate these situations of anxiety and confusion and learn about “who I am” at a deeper level.

This time has been different.  Instead of learning “who I am”, I’ve been learning “who I am not” and I have been left with the knowledge that I am not who I thought I was and I am not what role I had given myself or others had given me to play out.  Instead, I’ve been left with a sense of peace that is not defined by roles assigned by myself or others but is defined by being present with what really matters in the moment.  It’s been frightening and exhilarating, sobering and joyful, all at the same time. So, how did this happen? In a nutshell, I let go.

I mentioned in some of my previous emails that my husband, Michael, and I have been working on an online course focused on the Hero’s Journey. I decided to also include information about the Enneagram and weave that knowledge throughout the course.  So, in preparation, I delved deep into both subjects even though I had been teaching them for many years. Well, what seemed like a pretty straightforward project has become my own (S)Hero’s Journey with the Enneagram as my companion.

I knew that I had answered the “call to journey” – the first stage of the Hero’s Journey – when I decided to take on the project of sharing my life’s work with a wider audience through technology.  But, what I didn’t know is that by answering the “call”, I would be challenged on a level that I’d never been challenged before. For example, being a “1” on the Enneagram is not an easy path when faced with truly letting go of perfectionism or when dealing with a life partner who becomes very ill and unable to participate fully in the project for periods of time. I tried to use some of my old ways of dealing with challenges. But, the old ways didn’t work anymore.

Can you hear the drum roll? So, I called on my knowledge of the Enneagram and realized that in this second half of my life, I am being invited to learn how to express some of the unexpressed parts of myself – such as slowing down, being patient, finding compassion, loving what is, not trying to control the outcome…  I want to yell, “enough already”! But, because I’m committed to my own personal growth, I’ve been consciously slaying dragons on my (S)Hero’s Journey and making peace with change using the Enneagram as my companion and pathway to awareness.  It’s comforting to know that I’m not alone.

I’d love to hear from you about what you’ve been learning on your personal journey. Soon, these newsletters will be on a blog and you can respond there but until then, you can reach me at beverly@lifepathmasters.com.

Blessings on your journey, Beverly