Forty Days on Being an Eight

Enneagram Daily Reflections #8

by Sandra Maria Van Opstal, Suzanne Stabile (Series Editor)

What is it like to be an Enneagram Eight? " Fósforito! The explosion happened so quickly there was no stopping it. My mother called me 'tiny match' when she would see this fire exploding from me." This is how Latina pastor, activist, and worship leader, Sandra Maria Van Opstal, describes her experience as an Eight. There came a point in her life when she saw how her fiery explosions were undermining her leadership. A wise spiritual director helped her discover how the Enneagram could reveal more about both her gifts and her weaknesses. Sandra offers insight from her ethnic journey alongside Enneagram wisdom. Each of these forty readings concludes with an opportunity for further engagement such as a journaling prompt, reflection questions, a written prayer, or a spiritual practice. Any of us can find aspects of ourselves in any of the numbers. The Enneagram is a profound tool for empathy, so whether or not you are an Eight, you will grow from your reading about Eights and enhance your relationships across the Enneagram spectrum.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality, Christian

128 pages, Hardcover

Published November 23, 2021

Reviews

[Abigail Woodard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, it had a decent impact on guiding me through some personal growth through this season. I think the impact it has on the reader is highly dependent on chance and just whether the anecdotes are what the reader needs when they happen to pick it up. I wouldn’t call it a must-read for all enneagram eights, but I do think if you need some help looking inward with more honesty this could really help!

[Kaytee Cobb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great. I love Sandra, but I do wish there were more research in here rather than it just being personal observation. I'll take what I can get.

[Jonathan Crabb · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an Enneagram 8, I was really excited about this book as a devotional to walk through days of living more deeply into my Enneagram nature and faith, and even bought it in hardback. While there were some handful of really helpful days, I found the large majority of reflections to be overly based in the author's personal experience of being a POC woman involved in social justice work. While I value different opinions and perspectives immensely, this focus made the book seem more like a personal journal for the author, and thus wasn't nearly as helpful to me as a fellow Enneagram 8 who is living in a different context.

[Ryan Motter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was grateful to use this book as a companion to my devotional journey through Lent, and it helped deepen my experience of the holy season by inviting deeper introspection. Within enneagram literature, this book occupies a unique place- not particularly interested in reflecting on the theory or formation of each number, Van Opstal functions as a friend who has “done their work” and is ready to talk about it with wisdom and grace. These were easy readings and invitations to reflection, and their accessibility is something I can see other Enneagram 8s taking confidence and comfort in.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely little devotional. The devotions are easy to consume in the morning if that is your devotional time, but the lack of scripture means this can't be a solo book in your practice. There was some more potential for Biblical references, but overall the content was helpful.

[Silvia Escobar]

Insightful and practical. I enjoyed working on the assignments at the end of each chapter.

[Katelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful. I loved Van Opstal's Latina perspective; it added so much flavour to the type 8 reflections! As with all type 8 information, there was stuff I resonated with and stuff I didn't so much. It would be great to have a devotional/reflection written by an 8w9 sometime. We tend to be a little less flamboyant than the 8w7.

All in all, I loved it. Really valuable.