i see you

I sat with my Dad this week while he took an online enneagram test.  I have been studying the enneagram for some time now, trying to learn about the 9 personality types and how they are useful for spiritual and psychological growth. What started out for me as an endeavor in self-discovery has ended up in a surprising discovery about empathy.

Huddled together over a computer, my Dad and I scrolled through the cards.  One by one, he was confirming what I had already known about him, but there was something magical in sitting with him while he discovered it too.  Calm. Peaceful. Complimentary.  Yes, I already knew this about my Dad, so it was no surprise, but watching him discover some new understanding of his personality made me teary-eyed. 

To see someone, really see someone for who they are--all the good with all the bad--is, well, holy seeing.  This type of looking/seeing begins the process of empathy and that's why I teared up. 

Human connection and heart connection is the path and practice of empathy. 

How often do we really get a chance to see another?  How often are we really seen for who we really are?  This enneagram test is just a test, merely a tool to fascilitate a discussion with my Dad about aspects of his personality.  It didn't really tell me anything new, but it generated a pool of words to name traits or habits that ultimately lead him to a better understanding of himself and a better, more solid link with humanity.

But the real magic for me in self-discovery--and in other-discovery--is how it leads to a deep well of empathy. Oh, I would so like to drink from that well as much as I can. 



If you would like to take a simple (and free) enneagram test, go to www.enneagram.net/tests/index.html. Scroll down to find the free test.