Enneagram Spirituality: From Compulsion to Contemplation

by Suzanne Zuercher

Enneagram enthusiasts will welcome Suzanne Zuercher's exceptional understanding of the enneagram system. Drawing on many years of experience she develops a fresh, deep and advanced discussion of its theory while effectively making connections to spirituality that other enneagram experts have not made. Enneagram Spirituality is a responsible and competent look at an ancient system of conceptualizing the human person, a system that has captured the modern imagination. Even those who are unfamiliar with the enneagram will find this book speaking to their experiences.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology

172 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 1991

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the way this book takes stories of new testament Bible figures, Mary Magdalene, Thomas and Peter and overlays the enneagram on their actions and presentation.

I also very much like the focus on contemplation in this book. I find it affirming and nourishing.

[Sian Nicholas · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, you've read books on the Enneagram, and you've found them interesting, but perhaps they leave you thinking so what? Suzanne's book takes the Enneagram one step further and explores more of the compulsions that drive each personality, and looks at what techniques are most useful for helping you to change these shadow experiences into recognised, and helpful experiences for yourself.

I found the short chapters, broken down into the three different enneagram types, easy to read and insightful. Once more I found myself saying 'I never told anyone that about myself' and also found resonance with the exercises that enable us to move forward from the habits and attitudes that bind.

This is not quick-fix self-growth book, but it does give a strategy for personal growth and development for the remainder of our lives. It is realistic and pragmatic - both features that I appreciate. But you have to have read some more basic 'Introduction to the Enneagram' type books first. However as a 'What next?...' book, it is brilliant.

[John Klooster · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a tough one for me to engage. It took the 9 types and broke them up into groups of three and seemed to make broad generalizations about how those groups respond to life’s circumstances. More often than not, I didn’t identify with the characteristics or responses that my type was grouped in.
It spent a fair amount of time correlating the enneagram to biblical figures, so it may resonate more with readers that are looking for connections between the enneagram and their religious beliefs.

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

The enneagram provides a helpful lens for contemplation, returning to ourselves, and reaching wholeness.

***
The outline of this book may now be my preferred framework for introducing the enneagram. Zuercher grounds her exploration of the enneagram in a need to confront our vices for the sake of returning to ourselves. She explains the various stances of the enneagram by pointing out how they journey through the two tasks of life. She concludes by giving recommendations for the best ways that people in each stance can connect with God through contemplation.

[Jon Adler · Rating 4 out of 5]

liked it! was surprised that it was a. deeply christian and b. focused mostly on the types by triad (head/body/heart). was my first time seeing that concept explored so thoroughly.

was well written & professional. lots of insight into how different the internal lives are for different centers. this book helped me realize that i’d been mistyping myself for years. it was a slow realization compiled from a few different resources, and this book’s stable/compassionate takes were instrumental.

[Nhien Vuong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one's tricky. I absolutely LOVED Zuecher's spiritual/contemplative perspective on the Enneagram and her treatment of the different Centers of Intelligence. I'm excited to teach Enneagram classes referencing this book! At the same time, I didn't much connect with Zuercher's Bible character references and skipped/skimmed those sections.

[Aileen Bernadette Urquhart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jury's out on this one. DIfficult style to read, and I didn't agreee with a lot at first. Then, I wondered if she was right, just said it in a roundabout way.
The final chapter was great as she went through Leonard Cohen's song about Joan of Arc, relating it to our spiritual journey.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enneagram Spirituality is quite different from most of the enneagram books out today. It resists defining and categorizing types and wings, instead focusing on the major categories of heart, gut, and mind (though not named as such here) and how each triad connects with itself and with God.

[Jan Johnson]

I'm still thinking it over. It doesn't go over the same old territory of the types, but helps each triad move from a place of compulsion to contemplation. That's what I want.
It helps with the "inner observer" that Helen Palmer teaches so well. Another thing it does is link up the triads with biblical issues: heart triad (Mary Magdalene); head triad (Thomas); gut triad (Peter). I found the Peter/gut connection ghastly, then intriguing. Me Peter? Not on your life. Interesting.
Maybe the best thing (for me, but not for others) is her info on the first task of life (self-development/building the armor we need for life), then the second (dismantling that armor). It reminds me of comment by a spiritual director friend who says that doing the enneagram with folks in their 20s almost backfires. They say, "wow, this is who I am," rather than, "wow, I have to do something about this."

[Bernice · Rating 3 out of 5]

zuercher takes on the enneagram primarily through the lens of the triads: 2/3/4, 5/6/7, 8/9/1. I found it only slightly helpful, as some of her writing gets a bit abstract. admittedly, i could just be an enneagram novice, and hence unable to glean all the jewels from it. oh well. it's the kind of book i can read again for reference. she does have three chapters that i really liked on the Biblical characters of Mary Magdalene, Thomas, and Peter, as examples of these triads. Each one encounters Jesus following his resurrection, and Jesus meets them exactly as they need to be met, as representatives of those triads.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this tiny book in even tinier bites. It's the kind of book you can read once and glean everything from. Sister Zuercher has integrated true experiential transformation from God with biblical context. Such a deep examination of the three broadest areas of compulsion and their contemplative counterparts. Because she only speaks in the generalities of the three centers I had to stop often and translate her assertions into the three unique expressions of each compulsion within the center. Halfway through the book she provides a cheat sheet for doing this. I wish that had been earlier. But her message became clearer and clearer throughout the read. Relationship. Perception. Boundaries

[Leanne Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book requires some basic knowledge of the Enneagram. It does not go into great detail about the nine personality types but rather focuses on the three triads; 2/3/4, 5/6/7 and 8/9/1. Much of the content was abstract but the sections on the Biblical characters - Mary Magdalene, Thomas and Peter - were helpful. Certainly, the main thrust of the book fulfilled its subtitle, providing guidance on how to move from compulsion/basic instinct to contemplation/gift. In this, then, the book proved most valuable.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book for anybody who already has read/learned about the Enneagram and is looking to deepen their understanding of it. I may be too young to fully appreciate this book as the author says the book deals with a "second half of life" spiritual journey.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found some parts of this book very helpful, but on the whole I thought the author tended to over-generalize a little too much. She groups the Enneagram numbers into three groups (2/3/4; 5/6/7; and 8/9/1) and addresses them broadly, which I didn't find terribly helpful.

[Donovan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found that this mended together the ennegram ideas to a usable spiritual journey.