Sacred Kinship Part 5
March 1, 2025
Sacred Kinship Part 5
Sacred Kinship is one of the nine points of the Enneagram of Soul and is found at Point Six.
Sacred Kinship is the landing place for sacred hospitality, sacred interaction, sacred family, sacred friendships, and all matters relating to our soul and community. Without Sacred Kinship, we would have no spiritual ties to others. With Sacred Kinship, we access the human family and have more intimate connections with family, friends, and the sacred community.
Some of us wend our way through our spiritual journeys, primarily by ourselves. We do this because we think other people would not understand our challenges; perhaps we think our issues are too private or weird to share with others. Or maybe by nature, we are introverted and feel licensed to live as a “spiritual introvert.” For some of us, being with others is an energy-draining chore. Perhaps being with others on more intimate levels of spiritual Kinship has intimidated or wounded us.
Though there are many good reasons why we can become lone spiritual searchers, this can lead to hyper-focusing on ourselves and our own “interior castles” without involvement with others. Self-knowledge is essential, but we are not served well when it absorbs us to the exclusion of applying our spirituality in relationships. In short, our spirituality can become a closed, internal system apart from those with whom we share the world.
Fortunately, Sacred Kinship keeps us involved in the outer world, helping us balance our inner work and the application of our spirituality to the outer world. We can arrive at many spiritual answers and insights. Feeling at one with our inner self is incredible, and understanding our dynamics is a great spiritual gift. Yet, we each have a place in the human family and a purpose that in its unique way, contributes to the whole. Applying spiritual consciousness to our inner life and our relationships is essential in order to grow.
Yesterday was my first appointment with a new physician. The person at the reception desk was having a bad day. They did not explain the new patient forms and procedures and turned away from me when I asked for their guidance. I felt as if I was in the receptionist’s way. What was I to do? Internally, I knew that compassion for them was the way of consciousness and was the only thing that would bring harmony into the situation. But applying compassion was a stretch under the frustrating circumstances.
My ego had other ideas about handling the situation, but those would not help anyone. So, after becoming conscious of my soul and the soul of the receptionist, I applied the consciousness of compassion toward her. After all, I, too, have had bad days, and I, too, have not been as sensitive to the needs of others as needed. My mindset shifted when I became conscious that she and I share the human condition. As my mindset of compassion increased, she became more and more interested in providing the guidance I needed.
Things worked out well yesterday because Sacred Kinship moved me out of my ego and reminded me that we are all human and share the human condition. We both moved through the situation positively.
Spiritual practice: Is there a situation in which Sacred Kinship can be applied in your life’s relationships?
Self-inquiry: Why do you think our ego is so strong when we are under stress?
Dear God,
I cannot make the crucial shift without your grace. For your grace, I pray. In your name, Amen.
