There are so many pathways to knowing. My last post was about the I Ching, an ancient Chinese system of finding one's way regarding a problem, situation, or question, and now people are asking me, "What does this have to do with the Enneagram or the 12 Steps?"
Spirituality is about journeying into the self and finding love, unity, truth, and ultimately holiness there. In my experience, any map that assists in the journey is welcome. The Enneagram, the 12 Steps, the I Ching, and any number of other personality/spiritual systems are exactly that; they are maps. Sometimes my inner compass points to a different map from the one I'm most accustomed to using -- just like we may know that there are certain features of Google Maps that are especialllly helpful at times, even though we are generally well served by MapQuest and stand by what it has done for us.
All of these personality/spiritual maps require that we settle into the depth of ourselves in order to take in what they have to offer. Sure, they can be used superficially, for fun, or even for manipulative purposes. But when we truly open ourselves to self-discovery, then whatever tools we use are likely to provide us with something which is personally meaningful. That's because internal inquiry is what really matters; the maps just guide us in the inquiry.
