Stumbling to Enlightenment

February 2009 Issue

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Feature Article: Do you ever feel
yourself ‘stumbling’ along on your personal journey? You’ll enjoy
this month’s feature article, “Stumbling to Enlightenment”.

Events & Programs: Roxanne has a lot happening! Check out her
upcoming programs, courses and events!

Roxanne Recommends: Experiencing stress? What does your
personality have to do with it? Learn about Roxanne’s newest product
under “Roxanne Recommends”. Get a special discount by
getting it now.

How do you like the new ezine format?

Email me and let me know what you think!

What a year 2009 has started out to be!
While we’ve been riding the waves of big change for some time, there is now
nowhere its quickening pace is not felt and experienced. I hope that you are
using your tools and inner resources to move with it. Those who resist are
the ones who will have the most difficult challenges in the times ahead.

It’s important to have real friends who you can share your ride with. In our
Enneagram programs, we call these “Essence Friends”. Here, real
conversations are characterized by a depth of understanding, support for
growth, openness (honesty and less self-protection) and compassion for the
places where we get tripped up.

How are you creating these kinds of friends in your life? If you are
looking to create more authentic relationships, consider registering for one
of the upcoming programs below. Connecting with others who are doing their
inner work is both a necessity and a gift.

Wishing you heartful month filled spiced with soulful connections,

Roxanne

Stumbling to
Enlightenment

by Roxanne Howe-Murphy, , Ed.D., Teacher,
Author, Coach

"We stumble and fall constantly even when we are most enlightened. But
when we are in true spiritual darkness, we do not even know that we have
fallen".

– Thomas Merton

I love this quote! It speaks to the
pervasiveness of our automatic conditioning, even in the midst of waking up
to our truer nature, to the Light that We Are.

Those of us on a path of psychological and spiritual evolution can be caught
having an ideal view of ourselves as having outgrown certain limiting
patterns. It seems that once a troublesome issue is recognized and
addressed, that it is ‘supposed to go away.’ But this is not how life works.

I remember finding myself in a most humbling situation. I realized that I
had been arguing, trying to have ‘the upper hand’ with one of the people I
most love. I was very clear with what I was asking, and he ignored that. I
said ‘no’. I asked him not to continue, I demanded to have him listen, and
he didn’t. I felt myself get mad and madder yet.

Who was I arguing with? Are you ready for this? My beloved little grandson.
Of course, he was doing what little three-year olds do: he was asserting
himself and challenging limits set by those having responsibility for him.
And here I was, the so-called ‘adult’ having my buttons pushed. Can you
relate?

Thankfully, through a moment of grace, I was able to see that I’d been
hooked by something that had nothing to do with my grandson. Once I had
enough presence, I was in a position to ask myself, ‘what in the heck is
going on here’?

As I stayed with my internal experience of this situation, I recognized that
one of my core issues had been ignited. At the time of this incident, I
thought I had worked out this issue. Wasn’t I DONE with it already!??!
Apparently not.

The spiritual myth at work here is that the more awake one becomes, the less
that old emotional hooks and automatic reactions will occur. What actually
happens is that the more awake one becomes, the more we recognize how
pervasive these patterns are. They show up in many arenas and dimensions of
life. What IS different is the degree to which we identify with the
reactions. We tend to recognize that they are there, but we don’t
necessarily get hooked or don’t take them as seriously. That is, we are less
likely to act them out.

You may have seen the movie, A Beautiful Mind, and will remember this
scene. John Nash (played by Russell Crowe) has just accepted his Nobel Prize
and delivered his acceptance speech. He walks with his wife into the foyer.
Nash’s three internal ‘characters’ (his roommate, the niece, and CIA agent)
wave to him from a distance. Noticing that he is distracted, his wife asks
him if he is ok. He looks back at her, waves off the characters, and
indicates that all is fine.

It’s a powerful scene, and one that we replicate every time we recognize,
“Oh, there’s the pattern again,” but THIS TIME, we don’t get caught by the
pattern, or at least do not get caught as long.

So, when you recognize that, “yes, I did that again”, celebrate that
you wouldn’t not have recognized it if you were in the spiritual darkness.
Rather than sit in judgment of yourself, let yourself be touched by the
grace in this moment of presence.

Deep Coaching Bookclub Member
Teleconference

Feb. 19, noon-1:00 pm, PST

Free to Members of the Deep Coaching Bookclub! You are invited to join
Roxanne for her next Author’s Day teleconference.

Spend an hour exploring a fascinating and important topic that provides a
vital key for transformational work, as Roxanne offers: Accessing the Body’s
Intelligence and Why It Matters

Registration required! Sign-up here at least 24 hours in advance:
http://www.lifewisecoaching.com/deep-coaching-bookclub/

Do you have Roxanne’s book, but are not yet a Bookclub member?
Register here. It’s *FREE* and you’ll receive even more benefits:
http://www.lifewisecoaching.com/deep-coaching-bookclub/

_________________________________________

Next Deep Coaching Teleconference Series, April 1-June 30 (Wedsnesdays,
9:30-11:00 am/PT; 12:30-2:00 pm ET)

This telecourse program is the foundation for the Deep Coaching
Certification Program.

Join Roxanne for a grounded and deeply insightful application of the
Enneagram in coaching and other growth-oriented professional practice.
Roxanne is known for her ability to translate the complexities of the
Enneagram into meaningful personal and professional life.

Find out why this has been called the Best Teleconference Program ever
offered!

Space is limited to allow for individual participation and engagement. This
series is expected to sell-out, so register now to ensure your space!

For more information and to register:
http://www.lifewisecoaching.com/deep-coaching-teleconference/

_________________________________________

WORKSHOP: Wisdom of the Enneagram: The Joyful Experience of An Awakening
Life

May 15-17 at Mercy Center, Burlingame, CA

with Roxanne Howe-Murphy, Ed.D. and Ronna Phifer-Ritchie, Ph.D.
Sponsored by Mercy Center

Beyond the study of personality types, the Enneagram is a powerful tool for
supporting the work of awakening to our Essential Nature. This introduction
to the psycho-spiritual approach to the Enneagram will enable you to
"remember" aspects of your true self, and will help you to more rapidly
recognize the "wake up calls" in your life that you can use to move toward
higher levels of health and wholeness.

For more details on the workshop, go to
http://www.lifewisecoaching.com/the-wisdom-of-the-enneagram/

To register now, go to:
http://www.mercy-center.org/Flyers_2009/0515Enneagram/enneagram1.html

_________________________________________

NEW!
DEEP
COACHING BOOK GIVE-AWAY

Still don’t have Roxanne’s Deep Coaching book? Or would you like to give one
as a present?

New! We are giving away one book a month! No strings attached (other than
the legalities of having a give-away program). Register and perhaps a book
will be coming your way for *FREE*. We’ll announce February’s winner in the
next Awakening Wisdom ezine.

http://www.lifewisecoaching.com/deep-coaching-book-giveaway/

Good luck!

I am excited to announce the availability
of my newest publication:

Decoding the Nine
Hidden Blueprints of Stress eBook!

Look
around—stress seems to be everywhere! People respond to life
circumstances in the only ways that they know how. Think about it…we
generally behave in the same ways over and over. We act, think, feel in the
ways that our personality structure unconsciously dictates!

You may think that your stress is coming from the turbulence of the world,
from the behavior of your loved ones, from your boss, or even from the
aggravating attitude of the guy in front of you at the check-out stand. Can
external factors affect us? Of course! But there’s another source of stress,
and it is the one that we have the most capacity to transform. When we
become aware of this internal source of stress, we begin to recognize that
the external challenges do not have to affect us negatively to the degree
that they do.

There is no other time better than now to learn more about ourselves, and to
begin to identify the internal causes of stress, of suffering, of
unhappiness and dissatisfaction.

What is it worth to discover how your personality’s structure contributes to
your stress and to keep you in repetitive patterns that do not serve your
well-being?

In this ‘hot-off-the-press’, professionally written eBook, you’ll
find information that helps you gain clarity on what gets in the way of
experiencing more satisfaction, even in these uncertain times. And you’ll be
given some specific strategies to begin using right now that will help you.

The book is offered for $17.00 online, however, for
my ezine list only, it is available for only $12.00 for just this month,
until February 28. To get your savings, write DECODE STRESS in the special
discount box.

Order your copy online now:

http://www.lifewisecoaching.com/decoding-the-blueprint/

I am confident that this book will make a difference in your thinking, in
what is possible for you!

Veteran Enneagram Coach, Teacher,
Author

Dr. Roxanne Howe-Murphy has directed LifeWise Learning Institute, an
Enneagram-based coaching and education company since 1997. In 2007,
Roxanne’s breakthrough and internationally acclaimed book, Deep
Coaching: Using the Enneagram as a Catalyst for Profound Change was
published. As an expression of her commitment to inspiring awakening in the
world, she teaches her signature work, Deep Coaching, to coaches and other
growth-oriented professionals who are committed to integrating the robust
and life-changing work of the Enneagram into their practices. She also is on
the faculty of the Core Strengths Coaching Program at San Francisco State
University.

Roxanne is certified as a coach and Riso-Hudson Enneagram teacher. She also
directs the Enneagram Institute of the San Francisco Bay Area, an affiliate
of the acclaimed Enneagram Institute, a global leader in Enneagram studies.
She is authorized to offer workshops created by Don Riso and Russ Hudson,
preeminent Enneagram teachers and authors. She is also among the first to
receive the designation of IEA (International Enneagram Association)
Accredited Enneagram Teacher.

She continues to pioneer and teach new applications of the Enneagram to help
increase individual and collective consciousness. To contact Roxanne for
interviews, articles or talks, write to info@lifewisecoaching.com.

Stumbling to Enlightenment

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