True Self false self Has nothing to do with performance What you have done and others have done to you Non-acquired Acquired, constructed, crafted Who I am; my Being-ness, true identity Who I think I am and need to be; roles I play Basis for joy and security Insecure and defensive Still, silent, deep knowing, beyond words Talkative, wordy, proving, needing validation Indestructible and eternal Hurtable, sensitive, defensive Essence Ego Secure, unconditional worthiness and lov

"Finding your True Self, you will have found an absolute reference point that is both utterly within you and utterly beyond you at the very same time." Richard Rohr, The Immortal Diamond In Christian tradition, this is referenced as "the mystery of Christ within you, your hope of Glory." (Colossians 1:27) or as divine DNA, "made in the image of God." Outside of Christian tradition, others may call this Essence, Love, Source, Soul, Universe, Buddha Nature, Higher Power, Home.

The Lies of Ego/Identity attributed to the writing of Henri Nouwen. We have so identified with our ego/false self that it's often quite a freeing revelation to learn that what we have, what we do, and what others think/say about us is only our small "s" self and not our truest capital "S" Self. For most of my years, even deep into my faith life, I believed I was the collection of my thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. My personality was me. What a life altering experience t

As we face the threat of increasing violence and the unraveling of a democratic United States, I pulled Resmaa Menakem's books My Grandmother's Hands and The Quaking of America back off my shelf. They offer practical guidance and real life exercises for my body, as it is increasingly dysregulated in the daily chaos, cruelty, and confusion. " Whatever strategies, alliances, or activities you become involved with, they will require the same things from you: presence, discern

This is Zoe. Her human mom is a friend of mine, and Alice and I communicate often on the app Marco Polo. A few weeks ago, Alice was showing me Zoe’s new abilities. “Zoe, sit. Stay. Stay. Stay." That phrase has been running through my head for several days. When I experience something uncomfortable that is threatening to hook me, I have found myself saying, "Laura, sit. Stay. Stay. Stay." This is work for me, as my default is toward emotional reactivity, or numbing, or e

" We are imprisoned in a labyrinth of our own ego structures."   "For most of us, our lives are lived within the narrow confines of what we take ourselves and the world around us to be, which, from the perspective of those not so imprisoned, is a tiny part of what is truly available to us.” "The focus of Enneagram has primarily been on its psychological dimension, but the enneagram’s deeper function is to point the way to who we are beyond the level of the personality, a dime

I recently returned from hiking in Patagonia, Chile, through Torres del Paine National Park with 5 other incredible women. We used an app called "Photo Circle" to share our photos, and we have over 1,300 collective photos shared of our trip. As I was looking through and delighting in the photos, it became clear to me that while we were looking at the same views, everyone's camera eye was unique. I looked at the photos and thought, "Wow, why didn't I think of that angle or

We’re at a place of polarization in the United States where it might serve us well to go to ego school to objectively and nonjudgmentally see how ego structures itself, strengthens, and enlarges.  Eckhart Tolle, in his book, A New Earth , has an excellent description of ego, and I reference his teaching below. Every memory, interpretation, opinion, viewpoint, reaction, emotion is part of the egoic mind.  The ego is a bundle of thoughts and emotions and memories we identify wi

Since we have 3 centers of intelligence- our thinking, our feeling, our gut knowing- it is advantageous to check into all 3 centers to...

(photo: Laura took in Switzerland, June 2022) What if it is okay to feel disconnected and disapproval?  What if it is okay to be...

This post is an encouragement for those of you who have had any difficulty discovering which of the 9 Enneagram types from which you...

The Wholehearted Journey offers 1/2 day, full day, or multi-day Enneagram workshops aimed at introducing the Enneagram as an effective...