The Pause and Miracle of Receptivity

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The Power of Pausing, Acceptance, and the Breath

These days, we are all so active and fast-paced. It’s a hectic, modern world. Our children are “glued” to their video games and tweeting. They have a lot of homework and a lot of tasks to accomplish. Adults move endlessly from task to task, attempting to get more, or at least enough, accomplished in a day.

There are three fundamental energies we humans rely on, and boy, we need all three of these energies to really thrive in this world. But I have to say, the most neglected of these three energies in our particular society is the one known as “Receptive Energy.” Here is a brief definition of each:

• Active or Yang Energy flows outward into assertive and decisive action that is unrestricted and expansive. This energy is over-valued in achievement-oriented, success-oriented cultures. When contracted, this energy can get expressed externally as unrestrained, not unrestricted action and aggression.
• Receptive or Yin Energy flows inwardly as openness and receptivity and outwardly as flexibility and adaptability. It can also show up as stillness, even readiness, for action. When contracted, this aspect can lead to inertia and withdrawal.
• Balancing or Yin-Yang Energy represents a reconciling energy, harmonizing both active and receptive forces. It manifests as a continuous adjustment that we make to the ever-changing circumstances wherein reaction occurs if either receptive or active energy seems to dominate. When contracted, this energy collapses into a narrow and amplified rigidity.

Both Balancing and Active Energies depend upon Receptive Energy. Furthermore, Receptive Energy also provides the time and space for the Balancing Energy to fully operate. Receptive Energy function reminds me of a teeter-totter that we as children played on, where there was just no fun if we couldn’t create movement and flow. Thus, Receptive Energy allows us to thrive efficiently and effectively.

Russ Hudson and David Teaching the Enneagram Together

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Teaching Together with Russ Hudson | Phoenix, AZ | November 2013

The Arizona Enneagram Association (AEA) invited Russ Hudson and me to teach a full weekend class in Phoenix, which we did on November 9-10. Their loving effort, support, and care made all this possible. Thanks so much to everyone involved.

Russ and I have taught together before, but not for an entire weekend. Our topic was “Love, Spirit, and Relationships.” We wanted to answer the question, “How can Enneagram understandings be the path to real love, to healthy relationships, and hence, to a fulfilling life?”

For each type we explored peak experiences, which are high points in life experience (Webster’s dictionary) characterized by full presence in the moment, an imprint in memory across all senses, a sense of profound wonder and awe, often a sense of the oneness of all, and an integration of our essential qualities.