Trinity and Economics

Originally written elsewhere in November 2005.

• People are “selves-in-communion” with other objects (people)
• When two or more are gathered together, an imago trinitarias is created. That is, people give to other people who receive from them, and then give back. To the degree that people give and receive completely, (a. selflessly, b. without their “pointness” (Enneagram) getting in the way, ) is to the degree that they “imitate” the Trinitarian life of God, the flow; and thereby participate in and with God’s love outpouring.
• Economics addresses the material needs of each person individually within the group. Each person wants their needs met (autonomy or centripatal force) but must be mitagated by needs of each other person so that the group’s needs equals the equitable givingness and receiving of the individual (centriphical force)
• Economics therefore works at the individual level, moving outward trying to get their own needs met (centripetal force: moving away); as well as at the group level (Imago Trinitas) requiring the individual to “share” with others and thereby being pulled back into others (centriphical force.).
• Resources are what the individuals in the group give and receive with each other.
• The amount of resources are akin to the degrees of healthiness in the point system of the Enneagram. If there are little resources, then the individuals fight over them and the group as a whole suffers. The fewer the needed resources there are, the “more unhealthy” the group is because disparity between individuals is created (rich get richer, poor get poorer); participation in the Trinitarian flow is lessened or stopped in the worst cases (Sin).
• As awareness for a person about their “pointness” increases can lead to a more inner movement to more health (more participation in the Trinity); awareness of group problems can lead to more trinitarian participation.

Trinity and Enneagram: some thoughts

Originally written elsewhere in November, 2005.

• Enneagram is a system of personalities based primarily on genetics, secondarily on attachment.
• Each point on the Enneagram represents a different response to the type of attachment and very early childhood experience (0-3 yrs) with PCG.
• Each point also illustrates the best way (for that point) to reconnect with the Trinitarian flow, by awareness of that point’s level of manifestation of the personality.
• The healthier the “2” the less the “2ness” gets in the way of the person in self-transcendence; entering into relationship; and therefore participating in and with the Trinity.
• If there was no attachment with the PCG, then a person may be in the unhealthy area of all of the points which also may represent the area of personality disorders.
• Knowing our point helps us know how we attach to others (the type of attachment) and therefore how we form relationships and finally how we participate in the Trinitarian flow. We also know from our point how we “detach” from the flow throught the “shadow side of the point.”
• Awareness of our point and dealing with the shadow side increases our availability to participate in the flow.
• The freer we are from ourselves, the freer we are to live the flow.
• The more stuck we are in ourselves, the less we are able to participate in the flow. Although God does not love us any less. We are less able to love God.
• The freer we are from ourselves, the freer we are for God.

Trinity and Attachment: some ideas

Originally written in November, 2005.

• God’s love is constant and unconditional and complete through the Trinitarian flow
• We are invited into flow through self-transcendence relationships
• Self-Transcendence form relationships: to the degree that a person is self-transcendent with an object (person) is to the degree that the person can form healthy relationships.
  The ability to form relationships (being self-transcendent) is correlated to how well a person can form attachments.
• Forming attachments is the basis for forming relationships
• The degree to which a person forms healthy attachments depends upon childhood relationships with primary care givers.
• Ages zero to three are critical the critical point between disorder and problems: If emotional bonding occurs between 0-3, then attachment occurs; if bonding does not occur, then the child does not attach.
• If attachment does occur between 0-3, but problems in relationship occur afterwards between child and PCG(s), attachment issues arise. Can lead to features of PD’s.
• If attachment does not occur between 0-3, child never learns attachment and therefore loses the ability to form relationships. This part of the brain dies (no firings of neurons); no connection between hemispheres’s of brain. Leads to Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) in child; leads to personality disorders (PD) especially borderline (BPD) as adult.
• God does not love the child less, but child’s ability to actively participate in Trinitarian flow does not exist because of inability to enter into relationships with anything.
• However, RAD child’s (adult’s) existence can cause others to enter/remain and participate in flow of Trinitian love (mystery) as others see “Jesus” in RAD child/adult.
• Therefore RAD child/ BPD adult can be “instruments” of God indirectly and are used by God to help care givers extend corporate works of mercy (7 of them) which work to “convert” the CG to the flow.
  

Monastics and Babies: The Wee Hours

I'm sitting in our baby's room this morning waiting for others to get up. It's early in the morning, baby's asleep, and I feel very peaceful and still. Luckily for us, our son has been a good sleeper and for two months, sleeps through the night (he's 4.5 months now). However, for the first couple of months, we'd fed him around 9 pm, then at 12 am, then at 3 am, then again at 6: every three hours. That schedule made me think about the time-honored schedule of many monastics, such as the Trappists. They get up at 3:00 am to pray. Then what follows is a schedule that includes work, community, and prayer, the latter taking place formally every three hours or so. Interesting. So, it's fun to suggest that maybe one of the reasons why the monks' daily routine was made that way is because, like a baby needing to be fed every three hours, they realized that they must go to God's bosom also every three hours to feed, to grow, and to unite.