What do you think?
Rate this book
Beyond the Enneagram: An Invitation to Experience a More Centered Life with God
Step into the transformative life God invites you to enjoy, using the wisdom of the Enneagram paired with fresh tools and insights.
“If you long to be free from the coping mechanisms that keep you stuck, this is the book for you!”—Amy Wicks, Enneagram life coach for female entrepreneurs
For more than thirty years, Marilyn Vancil has studied, written about, and taught the Enneagram. She knows full well how using this system of nine personality types in combination with deep scriptural truths can lead people to a life of freedom. Now Vancil offers a way to deeper wholeness beyond the classic Enneagram.
Vancil proposes an enhancement, called The Drawing, which includes the Enneagram’s wisdom “but also focuses inwardly toward the center space and extends beyond the existing circle. . . . As with other spirals and circles to illustrate the spiritual life, the primary movement of The Drawing is toward the middle space, our Spiritual Center, the transcendent way of knowing beyond the more commonly recognized Centers of the Gut, Heart, and Head used to categorize the Enneagram types.” The Drawing depicts the holy attraction of our spirits toward God’s spirit as our ultimate destiny.
Vancil presents these sacred shifts to lead us from debilitating self-orientation to God-centered
• from What I Am to Who I Am
• from Reactive to Responsive
• from Bondage to Freedom
• from Wounded to Whole
• from Shakable to Unshakable
• from Burdened to Rested
The wisdom and practical steps that Marilyn Vancil provides will lead you to places of profound spiritual discovery and help you chart a course toward the wiser, more spiritually attuned person you long to become.
“If you long to be free from the coping mechanisms that keep you stuck, this is the book for you!”—Amy Wicks, Enneagram life coach for female entrepreneurs
For more than thirty years, Marilyn Vancil has studied, written about, and taught the Enneagram. She knows full well how using this system of nine personality types in combination with deep scriptural truths can lead people to a life of freedom. Now Vancil offers a way to deeper wholeness beyond the classic Enneagram.
Vancil proposes an enhancement, called The Drawing, which includes the Enneagram’s wisdom “but also focuses inwardly toward the center space and extends beyond the existing circle. . . . As with other spirals and circles to illustrate the spiritual life, the primary movement of The Drawing is toward the middle space, our Spiritual Center, the transcendent way of knowing beyond the more commonly recognized Centers of the Gut, Heart, and Head used to categorize the Enneagram types.” The Drawing depicts the holy attraction of our spirits toward God’s spirit as our ultimate destiny.
Vancil presents these sacred shifts to lead us from debilitating self-orientation to God-centered
• from What I Am to Who I Am
• from Reactive to Responsive
• from Bondage to Freedom
• from Wounded to Whole
• from Shakable to Unshakable
• from Burdened to Rested
The wisdom and practical steps that Marilyn Vancil provides will lead you to places of profound spiritual discovery and help you chart a course toward the wiser, more spiritually attuned person you long to become.
- GenresNonfictionAudiobook
272 pages, Hardcover
Published October 18, 2022
20 people are currently reading
1270 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 27, 2022
While I did enjoy this book and the information provided, it was a bit of a surprise that there wasn’t more regarding each enneagram type.
August 9, 2022
Although this book has bible quotes, it is contradictive in Christianity. Trying to combine a numerology system, such as the Enneagram with Christianity and the Bible is like trying to mix witchcraft with the Bible. It cannot be done. Why can't it be done? Because God does not approve of numerology.
According to Oxford dictioary, an Enneagram is defined as, "a nine-sided figure used in a particular system of analysis to represent the spectrum of possible personality types."
"There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee." Deuteronomy 18:10-12
God created us in His image and we all have the power to choose right or wrong, good or evil. These choices have nothing to do with a number system or our "personality types", but the free will of humanity. This book is enabling the minds of the readers to blame some unresearched number system on choices they make in life because they are categorized as a certain number.
To each their own, but I don't think any person who wants eternal life for their soul should rely on a number system, but instead they should be relying on prayer and faith in God. Writing a book on the Enneagram is one thing, bringing in God and changing bible quotes is another. Vancil actually went as far as to put a "twist" on a bible quote to replace the word "scriptures" with the word "Enneagram" The original quote from this book reads, "You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." John 5:39-40. She CHANGED THE BIBLE QUOTE FOR HER OWN USE by stating, " "You study the Enneagram" diligently because you think it will bring you life, but you don't come to Me to find the life you are looking for" She used the NIV, also--which is not a clear translation, when compared to the ESV, KJV, or Geneva Bibles (which are worded a bit differently but say the same thing overall).
Any author that changes the words of the bible is not a Christian, and they should not be using God's words to make their own opinions seem valid.
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:” Revelation 22:18
Freedom of speech is a wonderful thing in America. We all have the right to write anything we wish, and we all have free will to choose to read it or not. Let's be honest enough about our topic to not try to combine God with numerology, though. Write what you want, but is it really worth your soul? This book is using God to spread non-Godly beliefs. I'm just glad I am not easily influenced. Many people believe whatever they read. This book is not the truth of God's word, nor should it be classified as "Christian". I do not recommend this book for any true Christian.
According to Oxford dictioary, an Enneagram is defined as, "a nine-sided figure used in a particular system of analysis to represent the spectrum of possible personality types."
"There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee." Deuteronomy 18:10-12
God created us in His image and we all have the power to choose right or wrong, good or evil. These choices have nothing to do with a number system or our "personality types", but the free will of humanity. This book is enabling the minds of the readers to blame some unresearched number system on choices they make in life because they are categorized as a certain number.
To each their own, but I don't think any person who wants eternal life for their soul should rely on a number system, but instead they should be relying on prayer and faith in God. Writing a book on the Enneagram is one thing, bringing in God and changing bible quotes is another. Vancil actually went as far as to put a "twist" on a bible quote to replace the word "scriptures" with the word "Enneagram" The original quote from this book reads, "You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." John 5:39-40. She CHANGED THE BIBLE QUOTE FOR HER OWN USE by stating, " "You study the Enneagram" diligently because you think it will bring you life, but you don't come to Me to find the life you are looking for" She used the NIV, also--which is not a clear translation, when compared to the ESV, KJV, or Geneva Bibles (which are worded a bit differently but say the same thing overall).
Any author that changes the words of the bible is not a Christian, and they should not be using God's words to make their own opinions seem valid.
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:” Revelation 22:18
Freedom of speech is a wonderful thing in America. We all have the right to write anything we wish, and we all have free will to choose to read it or not. Let's be honest enough about our topic to not try to combine God with numerology, though. Write what you want, but is it really worth your soul? This book is using God to spread non-Godly beliefs. I'm just glad I am not easily influenced. Many people believe whatever they read. This book is not the truth of God's word, nor should it be classified as "Christian". I do not recommend this book for any true Christian.
December 15, 2022
Vancil takes us on a journey out of our human weakness and into living a more full life with Jesus as she invites, persuades, and encourages us through scripture and story. Using the Enneagram as a launching pad, she engages her work as a spiritual director to help each of her readers to deeper understanding of themselves and the Lord they follow.
September 13, 2023
The author has written other works to introduce the Enneagram and many of its core concepts (to which she refers liberally in this work), yet believes the Enneagram is not sufficient in and of itself.
The author situates the Enneagram in a greater whole she describes as “The Drawing.” In “The Drawing,” the Enneagram is imagined as reflecting the “adapted self,” our personality type and behaviors rooted in our fears and how we have compensated for them. She encourages movement from this “adapted self” toward the “authentic self,” in which a person gets beyond the negative voices and accusations and values and recognizes one’s inherent worth and standing. The “authentic self” is able to be well connected into the life and love of the Triune God.
She speaks of this transformation process in terms of a set of stages and a movement from “what I am” to “who I am,” from reactive to responsive, from bondage to freedom, from wounded to whole, from shakable to unshakable, from burdened to rested, and from glory to glory.
A lot of the substance here generally aligns with other frameworks in understanding the process of being made holy, sanctification, or entering more fully into the life of God; to that end it is mostly unobjectionable. I would be interested in knowing how well other students and specialists in Enneagram studies have received this proposal and its understanding of the Enneagram in the grand scheme of things.
How much and thoroughly can one move beyond one’s tendencies manifest in the Enneagram. It is healthy to grow and mature beyond one’s anxieties and fears, but at the same time, a lot of our growth in Christ comes from experiences which have caused us grief and distress. Are our positions in the Enneagram something from which we need to move, or are they our tendencies of which we must be aware and can be redeemed?
It will be interesting to see how the field continues to advance and explore such things.
The author situates the Enneagram in a greater whole she describes as “The Drawing.” In “The Drawing,” the Enneagram is imagined as reflecting the “adapted self,” our personality type and behaviors rooted in our fears and how we have compensated for them. She encourages movement from this “adapted self” toward the “authentic self,” in which a person gets beyond the negative voices and accusations and values and recognizes one’s inherent worth and standing. The “authentic self” is able to be well connected into the life and love of the Triune God.
She speaks of this transformation process in terms of a set of stages and a movement from “what I am” to “who I am,” from reactive to responsive, from bondage to freedom, from wounded to whole, from shakable to unshakable, from burdened to rested, and from glory to glory.
A lot of the substance here generally aligns with other frameworks in understanding the process of being made holy, sanctification, or entering more fully into the life of God; to that end it is mostly unobjectionable. I would be interested in knowing how well other students and specialists in Enneagram studies have received this proposal and its understanding of the Enneagram in the grand scheme of things.
How much and thoroughly can one move beyond one’s tendencies manifest in the Enneagram. It is healthy to grow and mature beyond one’s anxieties and fears, but at the same time, a lot of our growth in Christ comes from experiences which have caused us grief and distress. Are our positions in the Enneagram something from which we need to move, or are they our tendencies of which we must be aware and can be redeemed?
It will be interesting to see how the field continues to advance and explore such things.
April 15, 2023
I found the Enneagram so powerful in understanding myself and others, helping me to be a better follower of Jesus. Marilyn's book is essential for helping us look at our adaptive behaviors and how to truly move towards being free of those crutches we've gathered along the way in order to walk more fully in the love, power and presence of the trinity.
There is a lot more to dig into than I realized at first and I'm going through some of the exercises she talks about more fully. As an Enneagram 8, I wasn't sure I could ever get past the chapter From Reactive to Responsive! I did finally move on but, as I said, continuing to revisit the exercises and suggestions she shares.
Definitely I highly recommend Beyond the Enneagram. As the title says, it truly is an invitation and a guide to experience a more centered life with God.
There is a lot more to dig into than I realized at first and I'm going through some of the exercises she talks about more fully. As an Enneagram 8, I wasn't sure I could ever get past the chapter From Reactive to Responsive! I did finally move on but, as I said, continuing to revisit the exercises and suggestions she shares.
Definitely I highly recommend Beyond the Enneagram. As the title says, it truly is an invitation and a guide to experience a more centered life with God.
October 15, 2022
In a world where enneagram memes populate social media and far too many folks use the enneagram to stereotype themselves and others this book is welcome reprieve. It focus on Beyond the Enneagram and how the enneagram can be a tool along the path. Some will take issue with the authors' premise but others will appreciate it.
This is not your traditional enneagram book with reviews of the 9 types and therefore will be better received by those who are more familiar with their type and the enneagram and are looking for a change of pace.
This is not your traditional enneagram book with reviews of the 9 types and therefore will be better received by those who are more familiar with their type and the enneagram and are looking for a change of pace.
September 1, 2022
I love the enneagram, but this book was not for me. I found this to be a basic self help book, and I kept searching for the parts of me that I would normally find in an enneagram book. The Drawing was quite complicated and without any type divisions, also overwhelming.
Thank you to NetGalley and Convergent Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you to NetGalley and Convergent Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
January 16, 2023
Thought Provoking
Marilyn did an excellent job of making the Enneagram fresh and applicable to one’s Christian walk. She also added new insights to the Enneagram. I am grateful for the contribution Marilyn has/is making to this field of study.
Marilyn did an excellent job of making the Enneagram fresh and applicable to one’s Christian walk. She also added new insights to the Enneagram. I am grateful for the contribution Marilyn has/is making to this field of study.
December 17, 2023
This book gives some practical examples of spiritual transformation practices that can lead to growth & healing, beyond the enneagram tool. I am happy I read this as I am leaving with some solid and refreshing insight.
February 27, 2023
Really loved the beginning and appreciated how Marilyn went focused the content more on what it means to draw near to Christ. Not a typical number by number Enneagram book which was great.
October 9, 2023
I was surprised at all the spiritual nuggets I got out of this. Really enjoyed it and plan to research Project 89.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews