Problems

March 7, 2024

On Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, the attainment of self-actualization is near the very top.

Jungian psychotherapist Paula Reeves is the author of Women's Intuition: Unlocking the Wisdom of Your Body (1999). I was honored to have studied with Paula for years. There is a profound personal story of hers that she told to a small group of us. I refer to my notes from her talk.

"I remember this day clearly: I was riding the subway in New York City. The train doors opened, and I walked out on the platform. … hundreds of people were all around me. I saw blinding daylight and blue sky at the head of the stairs as I climbed upward to the street level. As I reached the top step, a feeling swept over me that I'd never experienced."

Paula went on to say…

"I was so over-taken by this feeling while people passed all around me. I knew clearly at that instant that I was a whole person. For the first time, I was totally aware of who I was, my reason for being, and my place in the world. The climb up the stairs into the daylight reflected my climb to self-awareness and consciousness. I stood there tall, steady, and self-aware. It was a defining moment.”

The above story is one of self-actualization, which includes making peace with who we are and moving in the world as a conscious being. The Enneagram addresses the problems we face in self-actualizing. However, the real work is accomplished by solving the problems of accepting and integrating our passions, shadow, inner critic, id, superego, fixations, traps, and avoidances. These are accepted and loved as the Divine transforms us into a self-actualized, conscious being.

Inquiry: Tell me some reasons why you would not want to become a conscious being.

Dear God,

I will never forget Paula's story. I am so thankful I could understand, at least in part, what she was saying.

Amen

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