Evolving Enneagram Interspiritual Podcast

Where do you go for reassurance, and does it last? In this eighth episode of The Enneagram & the Delusion of Separateness, Rev. Nhien Vuong comes to the heart of the Head Center with Enneagram Type 6 and the delusion Almaas calls No True Nature: the conviction that there is no essential ground, in us or in reality, that we can rely on.Through an old parable of a traveler clinging to a branch all night in the dark, Rev. Nhien explores cynicism, the specific difficulty of fearful insecurity, the specific reaction of defensive suspiciousness, and the passion of fear. She shares a personal story from her early years as a young attorney in San Francisco, and how feeling small in an indifferent world gave way to a felt connection with the whole web of life. She then turns to the Holy Ideas of Point 6, Holy Strength and Holy Faith, with a guided pause feeling the earth beneath us, and an invitation to loosen our grip and discover the ground of Being that has been holding us all along.Take a few minutes after listening to sit in silence and notice what begins to arise.Chapters0:00 Where do you go for reassurance?1:03 Welcome1:56 Part 1: The heart of the Head Center3:00 The traveler in the dark4:11 No True Nature and cynicism6:35 Fearful insecurity7:06 The terror beneath the Head Center10:00 Defensive suspiciousness and fear11:39 The gift of the Six13:35 The Six place in all of us14:39 A personal reflection20:50 Part 2: Holy Strength, Holy Faith23:50 A moment to pause25:32 Part 3: Held by the Infinite32:02 Next week: Point 732:35 Closing affirmationHow might we bring more love and goodness into the world without judging or othering? Explore this with Rev. Nhien in Unity Metaphysics & the Enneagram, Part 2: Error, Forgiveness, and Seeing Beyond Judgment: https://evolvingenneagram.com/unitymetaphysics-2Learn more about our Contemplative Practices & the Enneagram (CPE) groups: https://evolvingenneagram.com/contemplative-enneagram-communitySource text for this series: A. H. Almaas, Facets of Unity: The Enneagram of Holy IdeasIf you feel blessed by this work and would like to support us in keeping these teachings freely available to all who need them, you can contribute here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6VZLKNHCGETMJWebsite: https://evolvingenneagram.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evolvingenneagram/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvolvingEnneagram

Think of a time you pulled back from life. Did that space nourish you, or did it begin to feel more like isolation? In this seventh episode of The Enneagram & the Delusion of Separateness, Rev. Nhien Vuong crosses into the Head Center with Enneagram Type 5 and the delusion Almaas calls Separate Self: the belief that we are isolated individuals, sealed off within our own boundaries.Rev. Nhien shares a remembrance of George, a founding member of the Evolving Enneagram community, along with his poem "How the Twig Is Bent" and the twig that inspired it. Through the image of a twig that has grown far out in its own direction yet has never broken off from the tree, she explores the specific difficulty of deficient isolation, the specific reaction of withdrawal, the passion of avarice, and the two Holy Ideas of Point 5, Holy Omniscience and Holy Transparency. She offers Thich Nhat Hanh's story of the autumn leaf, a guided pause with the breath, and an invitation into non-attachment: letting life's abundance move through us as both giving and receiving.Take a few minutes after listening to sit in silence and notice what begins to arise.Chapters0:00 Have you pulled back from life?1:49 Welcome2:42 Part 1: Into the Head Center4:47 A personal remembrance: George's twig8:54 The twig that forgot the tree12:07 Separate Self, deficient isolation, and withdrawal15:25 Avarice, and the gifts of the Five17:37 The Five place in all of us18:37 Part 2: Holy Omniscience and Holy Transparency21:04 Thich Nhat Hanh's autumn leaf22:55 A moment to pause25:03 Part 3: Coming home to the tree28:00 Next week: Point 628:39 Closing affirmationHow might we bring more love and goodness into the world without judging or othering? Explore this with Rev. Nhien in Unity Metaphysics & the Enneagram, Part 2: Error, Forgiveness, and Seeing Beyond Judgment: https://evolvingenneagram.com/unitymetaphysics-2Learn more about our Contemplative Practices & the Enneagram (CPE) groups: https://evolvingenneagram.com/contemplative-enneagram-communitySource text for this series: A. H. Almaas, Facets of Unity: The Enneagram of Holy IdeasIf you feel blessed by this work and would like to support us in keeping these teachings freely available to all who need them, you can contribute here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6VZLKNHCGETMJWebsite: https://evolvingenneagram.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evolvingenneagram/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvolvingEnneagram

Think about what makes you you. Now notice how often you know yourself by how you're different. In this sixth episode of The Enneagram & the Delusion of Separateness, Rev. Nhien Vuong completes the journey through the Heart Center with Enneagram Type 4 and the delusion Almaas calls Separate Identity: the conviction that we each have an identity of our own, original and apart from the Source of our being.Drawing on Almaas's image of the moon reflected in a cup of water and the Zen master Dōgen's moon in a single drop of water, Rev. Nhien explores how identity gets carved through comparison, the specific difficulty of abandonment, the impulse to control that so often follows, and the passion of envy. She shares a personal reflection on her own relationship to Four energy, offers a guided pause, and closes with an invitation into Holy Origin: remembering that we are not only a reflection of the One, but its very radiance.Take a few minutes after listening to sit in silence and notice what begins to arise.Chapters0:00 What makes you you?1:54 Welcome2:48 From Point 3 to Point 43:12 A moon in every cup3:42 The specific delusion: Separate Identity4:17 Holding this with tenderness6:47 Me, not me: identity through comparison7:59 The specific difficulty: feeling abandoned9:29 The specific reaction: control11:14 Envy and the longing for the moon13:01 The gift of the Four14:16 An invitation for every type14:39 Personal reflection: a Three and Four energy18:17 Holy Origin18:50 One moon, many cups19:36 Dōgen: the moon does not get wet20:43 Your uniqueness is real; separateness is not21:48 The whole moon in a single drop22:21 Contemplative pause24:50 Waking from the delusion of separate identity26:14 Equanimity26:58 Authenticity and letting go28:30 Letting go isn’t conforming29:12 The ordinary begins to glow30:36 Next week: Point 531:12 Closing affirmationFeeling called to deeper spiritual formation? Learn more about Evolving Enneagram Spiritual Direction, a two-year formation and certificate program with Rev. Nhien and Scott McRae: https://evolvingenneagram.com/spiritual-direction-programHow might we bring more love and goodness into the world without judging or othering? Explore this with Rev. Nhien in Unity Metaphysics & the Enneagram, Part 2: Error, Forgiveness, and Seeing Beyond Judgment: https://evolvingenneagram.com/unitymetaphysics-2Learn more about our Contemplative Practices & the Enneagram (CPE) groups: https://evolvingenneagram.com/contemplative-enneagram-communitySource text for this series: A. H. Almaas, Facets of Unity: The Enneagram of Holy IdeasIf you feel blessed by this work and would like to support us in keeping these teachings freely available to all who need them, you can contribute here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6VZLKNHCGETMJWebsite: https://evolvingenneagram.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evolvingenneagram/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvolvingEnneagram

Think of something you're proud of having accomplished. Now notice the "I" in the story. In this fifth episode of The Enneagram & the Delusion of Separateness, Rev. Nhien Vuong turns to Point 3, her own home point, and the delusion Almaas calls the Separate Doer: the belief that we can act independently of the rest of life, and that our worth depends on what we accomplish.Weaving in her own story, the poetry of e.e. cummings, A Course in Miracles, and the image of a single ripple on a pond, Rev. Nhien explores the specific difficulty of helplessness and the specific reaction of striving that live beneath so much of our doing. She offers a guided pause to sense how Love is already moving through us, and closes with an invitation into Holy Law, Holy Harmony, and Holy Hope: not by me, but through me, and even as me.Take a few minutes after listening to sit in silence and notice what begins to arise.Chapters0:00 What Are You Proud Of?2:38 Welcome3:26 Part 1: From Point 2 to Point 34:51 The Inner Triangle6:55 “I Am a Separate Doer”8:26 The Specific Difficulty: Helplessness9:29 The Specific Reaction: Striving10:24 Deceit and the Self-Made Myth12:01 Sadness in the Heart Center12:55 A Personal Share: A Season of Darkness15:48 The Myth of Independence17:34 What If I’m the Ripple?20:38 Part 2: Holy Law, Holy Harmony & Holy Hope20:56 A World of Made, a World of Born24:44 Did You Decide Your Last Heartbeat?25:31 A Moment to Pause28:02 Part 3: Not by Me, but Through Me29:17 A Game of Pool29:48 Excellence Without Applause31:56 How Am I a Ripple of the Love That Came Before Me?32:41 Next Week: Point 433:05 Closing BenedictionHow might we bring more love and goodness into the world without judging or othering? Explore this with Rev. Nhien in Unity Metaphysics & the Enneagram, Part 2: Error, Forgiveness, and Seeing Beyond Judgment: https://evolvingenneagram.com/unitymetaphysics-2New to these teachings? Part 1 is available as a self-paced course and offers a lovely foundation: https://evolvingenneagram.com/unitymetaphysics-1Learn more about our Contemplative Practices & the Enneagram (CPE) groups: https://evolvingenneagram.com/contemplative-enneagram-communitySource text for this series: A. H. Almaas, Facets of Unity: The Enneagram of Holy IdeasIf you feel blessed by this work and would like to support us in keeping these teachings freely available to all who need them, you can contribute here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6VZLKNHCGETMJWebsite: https://evolvingenneagram.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evolvingenneagram/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvolvingEnneagram

Think of someone you've been trying to help. Now notice how much of you is leaning forward. In this fourth episode of The Enneagram & the Delusion of Separateness, Rev. Nhien Vuong continues around the Enneagram to Point 2, exploring the delusion Almaas calls Separate Will: the belief that we have a will of our own, apart from the whole, and that the flourishing of those we love depends on our steering.Drawing on Almaas's teaching on Holy Will and Holy Freedom, the ancient story of the farmer who tugged on his sprouts, and a beloved prayer from A Course in Miracles, Rev. Nhien explores how this delusion lives in all of us and the particular shape it takes for Type 2, where personal will so often hides inside helping. She offers a guided pause to bring to mind someone you've been trying to help, and closes with an invitation into humility and receiving—where we stop being the source of love and become part of its circulation.Take a few minutes after listening to sit in silence and notice what begins to arise.Chapters0:00 Leaning Forward0:46 Welcome1:37 The Delusion of Separate Will3:20 The Farmer and the Rice Sprouts5:44 Pride: Giving Rather Than Receiving6:17 The Gift of Attunement8:06 Holy Will & Holy Freedom9:18 The Butterfly and the Cocoon10:25 An Invitation to Radical Faith11:49 A Prayer from A Course in Miracles13:40 True Help Trusts the Growing15:23 A Moment to Pause17:10 Waking Up from Separate Will18:09 The Virtue of Humility19:20 “I’m So Bad at Receiving”20:42 Receiving in Centering Prayer23:08 Becoming Part of Love’s Circulation23:31 Next Week: Point 323:41 Closing BenedictionHow might we bring more love and goodness into the world without judging or othering? Explore this with Rev. Nhien in Unity Metaphysics & the Enneagram, Part 2: Error, Forgiveness, and Seeing Beyond Judgment: https://evolvingenneagram.com/unitymetaphysics-2 New to these teachings? Part 1 is available as a self-paced course and offers a lovely foundation: https://evolvingenneagram.com/unitymetaphysics-1 Learn more about our Contemplative Practices & the Enneagram (CPE) groups: https://evolvingenneagram.com/contemplative-enneagram-communitySource text for this series: A. H. Almaas, Facets of Unity: The Enneagram of Holy IdeasIf you feel blessed by this work and would like to support us in keeping these teachings freely available to all who need them, you can contribute here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6VZLKNHCGETMJWebsite: https://evolvingenneagram.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evolvingenneagram/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvolvingEnneagram

In this follow-up conversation, Rev. Nhien Vuong and Rev. Scott McRae answer your questions about Evolving Enneagram's inaugural Enneagram-informed Spiritual Direction Training & Certificate Program—why we're offering it now, who it's for, and what the 22-month journey looks like.We explore the distinct journeys of ego, soul, and spirit, why we hold the Enneagram as a mirror rather than a report card, and how it's woven throughout the program as a tool for deep listening. We also share two new pathways: an Advanced Practice Certificate for those who've already completed spiritual direction training, and CEP Level II for alumni of our Contemplative Enneagram Practitioner program.Whether you're a seasoned spiritual director, a Contemplative Enneagram Practitioner, or a lifelong seeker drawn to deeper spiritual formation, you're welcome here.The Early Bird discount ($300 off) is available for those accepted and registered by October 31, 2026.🔗 Learn more: https://evolvingenneagram.com/spiritual-direction-program🔗 Apply: https://forms.gle/k2JXVMDxfnCSAWhf8📺 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bTWkQkV96wE🎧 Part one, Meet Your Co-Leads: https://youtu.be/PPee4sngWIU💌 Questions, or want to connect on Zoom? [email protected]:00 Welcome01:13 What we'll explore today01:59 Why this program, and why now03:46 Holding both joy and grief05:20 The distinct journeys of ego, soul, and spirit06:13 Maps as mirrors, not report cards07:40 Assuming wholeness: unlearning rather than self-improvement09:29 Who is this program for?10:07 A new Advanced Practice Certificate for spiritual directors11:06 Coming for your own spiritual formation12:27 CEP Level II for CEP alumni13:40 An interspiritual path forward16:08 Common threads across traditions17:07 The six phases at a glance22:22 Gentle reflection papers22:59 How the Enneagram is woven throughout27:16 The Enneagram as a tool for deep listening and program structure29:38 CEP certification included as self-study31:24 The gift of fishbowls and case studies34:26 How we co-lead together36:24 Reach out to us37:12 ClosingABOUT YOUR GUIDESRev. Nhien Vuong, JD, MDiv, is an ordained Unity minister, spiritual director, international presenter, and contemplative Enneagram guide. She is the author of The Enneagram of the Soul and the founder and lead faculty of Evolving Enneagram.Rev. Scott McRae, MDiv, ACPE, is a spiritual director, educator, and longtime trainer in contemplative spiritual formation. He served for 25 years in hospital chaplaincy and clinical pastoral education and is the founder of Sojourners Institute.

Think of something in your life you are certain is wrong. Now notice how certain you are. In this third episode of The Enneagram & the Delusion of Separateness, Rev. Nhien Vuong continues around the Enneagram to Point 1, exploring the delusion Almaas calls Localized Rightness: the belief that something is always wrong, that rightness lives in certain standards and not others, and that we must correct ourselves and the world in order to be acceptable.Drawing on Almaas's teaching on Holy Perfection, A Course in Miracles' teaching that we cannot judge, and the old Taoist story of the farmer and his horse, Rev. Nhien explores how this delusion lives in all of us and the particular shape it takes for Type 1. She shares a story from her years as a young attorney and offers a guided pause to look at one thing you are certain is wrong. The episode closes with a distinction between judgment, which is rigid, and alignment to truth, which is supple—and an invitation into the essential perfection that underlies all of existence, including you.Take a few minutes after listening to sit in silence and notice what begins to arise.Take a deeper dive into these teachings on unity and oneness in Rev. Nhien's self-paced course, Unity Metaphysics & the Enneagram: https://evolvingenneagram.com/unitymetaphysics-1Learn more about our Contemplative Practices & the Enneagram (CPE) groups: https://evolvingenneagram.com/contemplative-enneagram-communitySource text for this series: A. H. Almaas, Facets of Unity: The Enneagram of Holy IdeasIf you feel blessed by this work and would like to support us in keeping these teachings freely available to all who need them, you can contribute here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6VZLKNHCGETMJWebsite: https://evolvingenneagram.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evolvingenneagram/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvolvingEnneagram

Where do you go to find love? In this second episode of The Enneagram & the Delusion of Separateness, Rev. Nhien Vuong begins the journey around the Enneagram at Point 9, exploring what A. H. Almaas calls the delusion of Localized Love: the belief that love lives in certain people, places, and times, but not in others, and often not in ourselves.Drawing on Almaas's teaching on Holy Love, A Course in Miracles, and the Vedantic understanding of Satchitananda, Rev. Nhien explores how this delusion lives in all of us and the particular shape it takes for Type 9. She shares a personal reflection and offers a guided pause to look at your own relationship to love. The episode closes with an invitation to come home to Holy Love: the realization that there is no place or time where Love is not.Take a few minutes after listening to sit in silence and notice what begins to arise.Take a deeper dive into these teachings on unity and oneness in Rev. Nhien's course, Unity Metaphysics & the Enneagram (live October 2–3, 2026, with a self-paced recorded version available afterward): https://evolvingenneagram.com/unitymetaphysics-1Learn more about our Contemplative Practices & the Enneagram (CPE) groups: https://evolvingenneagram.com/contemplative-enneagram-communitySource text for this series: A. H. Almaas, Facets of Unity: The Enneagram of Holy IdeasIf you feel blessed by this work and would like to support us in keeping these teachings freely available to all who need them, you can contribute here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6VZLKNHCGETMJWebsite: https://evolvingenneagram.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evolvingenneagram/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvolvingEnneagram

In this opening talk of The Enneagram & the Delusion of Separateness, Rev. Nhien invites us from the theme of our fundamental wholeness into a deeper recognition of our oneness—and asks whether we actually live from that knowing when someone disappoints us, when we're afraid, or when life isn't going the way we think it should. Drawing on A. H. Almaas's Enneagram of Specific Delusions, A Course in Miracles, and the Gurdjieff–Ouspensky teaching on awakening from sleep, she introduces the nine ways we forget our unity and offers a guided pause to notice where separateness is alive in your own life today. The talk closes with an invitation into contemplative practice as rest from the compulsions of personality, so that remembering can happen on its own.Take a few minutes after this talk to sit in silence and notice what begins to arise.Learn more about our Contemplative Practices & the Enneagram (CPE) groups: https://evolvingenneagram.com/contemplative-enneagram-communitySource text for this series: A. H. Almaas, Facets of Unity: The Enneagram of Holy Ideas💗 If you feel blessed by this work and would like to support us in keeping these lessons freely available to all who need it, please make your contribution here: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6VZLKNHCGETMJWebsite: https://evolvingenneagram.com/ FB Business Page: https://www.facebook.com/EvolvingEnneagram FB Community Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2110196922427652 IG: https://www.instagram.com/evolvingenneagram/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/evolving-enneagram/#enneagram #evolvingenneagram #Nhienvuong #spirituality #CPE #wisdom #contemplation #essence #oneness #separateness #holyideas #almaas #centeringprayer

In this follow-up conversation, Rev. Nhien Vuong and Rev. Scott McRae answer your questions about Evolving Enneagram's inaugural Enneagram-informed Spiritual Direction Training & Certificate Program—why we're offering it now, who it's for, and what the 22-month journey looks like.We explore the distinct journeys of ego, soul, and spirit, why we hold the Enneagram as a mirror rather than a report card, and how it's woven throughout the program as a tool for deep listening. We also share two new pathways: an Advanced Practice Certificate for those who've already completed spiritual direction training, and CEP Level II for alumni of our Contemplative Enneagram Practitioner program.Whether you're a seasoned spiritual director, a Contemplative Enneagram Practitioner, or a lifelong seeker drawn to deeper spiritual formation, you're welcome here.The Early Bird discount ($300 off) is available for those accepted and registered by October 31, 2026.🔗 Learn more: https://evolvingenneagram.com/spiritual-direction-program🔗 Apply: https://forms.gle/k2JXVMDxfnCSAWhf8📺 Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bTWkQkV96wE🎧 Part one, Meet Your Co-Leads: https://youtu.be/PPee4sngWIU💌 Questions, or want to connect on Zoom? [email protected]:00 Welcome00:40 A bonus conversation with Scott McRae01:20 Scott's journey: from Yale to chaplaincy to spiritual direction04:37 How Scott became Nhien's spiritual director06:23 Scott's Enneagram type and our partnership07:41 Why a 22-month program, and why now10:13 Who this program is for11:32 Nhien's story: a lifelong seeker13:43 Meditation and the path of interiority15:32 The Enneagram as map and mirror18:55 Why Enneagram-informed, not an elective20:05 Scott's story: faith as a lifestyle22:40 The Enneagram in Scott's life, marriage and leadership25:38 Preach what you practice27:50 Awakening to the wholeness already here29:00 Evolutionary spirituality30:05 Teilhard de Chardin and the evolution of love33:01 Tradition and the emerging interspiritual vision35:16 Reverence and the contemplative path37:58 Liminal space and the work of spiritual companioning39:16 Spiritual direction "without the name"41:31 CEP certification and IEA hours included43:37 Nhien's Enneagram roots and the ground of wholeness44:52 Closing reflections47:18 A soul-level calling and how to applyClosingABOUT YOUR GUIDESRev. Nhien Vuong, JD, MDiv, is an ordained Unity minister, spiritual director, international presenter, and contemplative Enneagram guide. She is the author of The Enneagram of the Soul and the founder and lead faculty of Evolving Enneagram.Rev. Scott McRae, MDiv, ACPE, is a spiritual director, educator, and longtime trainer in contemplative spiritual formation. He served for 25 years in hospital chaplaincy and clinical pastoral education and is the founder of Sojourners Institute.