Enneagram Type eight

The Challenger /Challenger/Leader

 

Taking charge, because they don't want to be controlled

People of this personality type are essentially unwilling to be controlled, either by others or by their circumstances; they fully intend to be masters of their fate. Eights are strong willed, decisive, practical, tough minded and energetic. They also tend to be domineering; their unwillingness to be controlled by others frequently manifests in the need to control others instead. When healthy, this tendency is kept under check, but the tendency is always there, nevertheless, and can assume a central role in the Eight's interpersonal relationships.

Eights generally have powerful instincts and strong physical appetites which they indulge without feelings of shame or guilt. They want a lot out of life and feel fully prepared to go out and get it. They need to be financially independent and often have a hard time working for anyone. This sometimes necessitates that the Eight opt out of the system entirely, assuming something of an outlaw mentality. Most Eights however, find a way to be financially independent while making their peace with society, but they always retain an uneasy association with any hierarchical relationship that sees the Eight in any position other than the top position.

Eights have a hard time lowering their defences in intimate relationships. Intimacy involves emotional vulnerability and such vulnerability is one of the Eight's deepest fears. Betrayal of any sort is absolutely intolerable and can provoke a powerful response on the part of the violated Eight. Intimate relationships are frequently the arena in which an Eight's control issues are most obviously played out and questions of trust assume a pivotal position. Eights often have a sentimental side that they don't even show to their intimates, such is their fear of vulnerability. But, while trust does not come easily to an Eight, when an Eight does take someone into the inner sanctum, they find a steadfast ally and stalwart friend. The Eight's powerful protective instincts are called into play when it comes to the defence of family and friends, and Eights are frequently generous to a fault in providing for those under their care.

Eights are prone to anger. When severely provoked, or when the personality is unbalanced, bouts of anger can turn into rages. Unhealthy Eights are frankly aggressive and when pushed, can resort to violence. Such Eights enjoy intimidating others whom they see as "weak" and feel little compunction about walking over anyone who stands in their way. They can be crude, brutal and dangerous.

Female Eights are far more likely to mistype than male Eights, as many of the traits typical to the type Eight personality have been discouraged in females. For the most part, however, it is other types who mistake themselves for Eights. This is especially common in male counter-phobic Sixes who fail to recognize that their aggression is a cover for a very deep seated anxiety. Sevens too, are prone to mistype as Eights, but Sevens lack the intensity of focus typical of the type Eight, and while both Sevens and Eights have high energy personalities, Eights have a physically based energy whereas the Seven's energetic pattern has a nervous, mental quality to it.

At their best: Self-mastering, direct, energetic, earthy, loyal, they use their strength to improve others' lives, becoming heroic, magnanimous, and great.

At their worst: Controlling, rebellious, insensitive, self-centred, sceptical, avenging, aggressive, they can become megalomaniac and scare people away by their bluntness or bullying.

 

What do I think of Myself?

1. I believe if you want something you should fight for it.   2.  People don't scare me; if they need to be tackled, no problem.  3. I find it hard when I'm told I have to change.  4. People bring their problems on themselves.  5.  I'm hard on people who hurt me and often punish them for it.  6.  My initial response to requests is "no"; it gives me time to analyse.  7.  I'm a bit of a rebel; I don't always conform.  8.  I'm a hard worker.  9.  I enjoy power and using it.  10.  I'm a bit coarse and crude at times; "earthy" in the best sense.  11.  If I am not satisfied I say so and make no bones about it. 12.  In a group I always know who has the power and who has not.  13.  I make decisions quickly, sometimes without having the full facts.  14.  If things don't move along I soon get bored.  15. I'm not slow to exploit other's vulnerable points if necessary.  16. I can't "let sleeping dogs lie."  17.  I'm very protective of those in my care.  18.  I'm very strong on justice; injustice is unacceptable to me.  19. Introspection is frequently just a cop‑out from action.  20.  I'm a forceful person; a good adjective would be "aggressive."  21.  I can make things happen and get projects finished.  22.  I have a sensitive and tender side which I find hard to express.  23. I find it difficult to listen.  24. I am rough and abrasive, and can grind others down.  25. I find it difficult to trust myself.

 

What do I miss because of my distorted style?

1) Being comforted by others and being touched by their care.  2) Having someone speak up for you. Letting your guard down and being vulnerable.  3) Experiencing your own tenderness and softness and gentleness; forgiveness and compassion.  4) Being able to live with weakness instead of always having to deny it.  5) Experiencing others' goodness and good will as against anticipating affronts.  6) The experience of reverence and respect for creatures instead of using them up.  7) The capacity to relax, to be present.

 

Wings

EIGHTS with more developed SEVEN wing tend to be more extroverted, enterprising, energetic, and egocentric. EIGHTS with a more developed NINE wing tend to be more mild-mannered, gentle, receptive, and quietly strong.

EIGHTS                     with                 NINES

Traits slightly conflict: Insensitivity - least aggressive openly

-avoid innocence                                                          -avoid direct conflict

Balancing}-control, do things with intensity -------->                    -relaxedness, settled

Points:  }    -vengeance ---------------------------------->             -sense of innocence

-unmask (debunk) others ------------------>                -accept; be peaceful

 

EIGHTS                    with                 SEVENS

Traits reinforce: Excessiveness - most openly aggressive type, least other-related

-aggressive  in their quest for power                              -aggressive in their acquisition of           experiences/­­possessions

-intensity in all things                                                     -more is better

Balancing}-intensity ---------------------------------->               -leisure/relaxation

Points:  }    -strength, power, vengeance------------->                    -child-likeness

-world seen as hostile -------------------->                  -finds good in everything

 

Arrows

When EIGHTS move toward the positive side of TWO, they:

-open up to others and reveal their vulnerability

-become more concerned for the welfare of others

-become more loving and loveable; express their soft, gentle, and tender sides

When EIGHTS move toward the negative side of TWO, they become overly dependent, place unrealistic demands on others, and become more defensive and over-reactive.

When EIGHTS move toward the negative side of FIVE, they:

-withdraw and become less active or involved

-become less in touch with their feelings, and so indifferent and callous towards the feelings of others

-use knowledge and information as power to fight

-become counter-phobic (fear that others will turn on them) and destructive

-become defeated and depressed

When EIGHTS move toward the positive side of FIVE, they step back and see things from a more objective point of view, and think things through more thoroughly before acting.

 

Conversion

1) Acknowledge that others have rights too. The others must not be ignored, bullied, taken advantage of or dominated. Respect others' rights as much as you demand respect for your own. Assume an attitude of innocence: why would anyone want to hurt you and why would you want to hurt anyone?

2) Own the tender side of your nature. Growth happens when you accept your gentler feelings and reveal your wounds and weakness­es. Be compassionate toward yourself and others. There is nothing stronger than true gentleness, and nothing gentler than true strength. Share your vulnerable underside with others; let them know your scared little kid; let them support you.

3) Accept than no one can be self-sufficient. Dependence on others is part of being human, and acknowledging that means letting others take control and appreciating their help. Let others speak up for you instead of always speaking up for them. Move toward inter­dependence as against your extreme self-sufficiency and fear of dependence.

4) Learn to use your power for people, rather than against them. This involves standing up for others, fighting their battles and inspiring them to stand on their own two feet. Use your power to build others up and empower them as against to tear them down. Trust others' motivations as against challenging them and attempting to unmask their hidden motivations and intentions.

5) Develop your magnanimity and generosity. Self-interest is not the goal of life and money is more than a power tool. Be soft as against hard; tender as against tough. Trust that justice and fairness will come about without your having to intervene always or your having to get even; it is not solely up to you to bring about equity. Come to each moment and situation fresh, without expectation of being hurt or taken advantage of and without memories of past wrongs and insults; come with hands open as against fists clenched.

 

Transformations

1.      I now release all anger, rage, and violence from my life.

2.  I NOW RELEASE dehumanising myself by violating others in any way.

3.  I NOW RELEASE being verbally or physically abusive.

4.  I NOW RELEASE believing that taking vengeance will free me from my own pain.

5.  I NOW RELEASE hardening my heart against suffering.

6.  I NOW RELEASE my fear of ever being vulnerable or weak.

7.  I NOW RELEASE believing that I do not need others.

8.  I NOW RELEASE believing that I must bully people to get my way.

9.  I NOW RELEASE my fear that others will control me.

10.  I NOW RELEASE feeling that I must only look after myself.

11.  I NOW RELEASE my fear of losing to anyone.

12.  I NOW RELEASE feeling that I must never be afraid.

13.  I NOW RELEASE attempting to control everything in my life.

14.  I NOW RELEASE allowing my pride and ego to ruin my health and relationships.

15.  I NOW RELEASE thinking that anyone who does not agree with me is against me.

16.    I NOW RELEASE being hard-boiled and denying my need for affection.

 

17. I now affirm that I believe in people and care about their welfare.

18.  I NOW AFFIRM that I am big-hearted and let others share the glory.

19.  I NOW AFFIRM that I am honourable and therefore worthy of respect.

20.  I NOW AFFIRM that I am most fulfilled by championing others.

21.  I NOW AFFIRM that I have tender feelings and impulses.

22.  I NOW AFFIRM that I can be gentle without being afraid.

23.  I NOW AFFIRM that I master myself and my own passions.

24.  I NOW AFFIRM that there is an authority greater than me.

25.  I NOW AFFIRM that I love others and ask for their love in return.

 

 

 

Prayer

A) Lord God, I realise that I quickly notice whenever an injustice is committed around me and I tend to become the self-appointed judge and jury to punish the guilty and protect the wronged.  You have graced me these days to accept my own vulnerability first and even let others see the tender and gentle side of me which I keep so well hidden beneath my deliberately made tough exterior. Lord, have mercy.

B) Lord God, I thank you for giving me a tremendous passion for life, a powerful sense of justice and the energy to get things done. Help me always to protect the weak and champion the op­pressed. Give me a heart filled with compassion so that I may experience the strength that come through gentleness and the respect that comes through love. Amen.

 

                                             Suggestions For Number EIGHT

1.         It goes against the grain, but act with self-restraint. You show true power when you forbear from striking out at others, even when you could.  Your real power lies in your ability to inspire and uplift people.  You are at your best when you take charge and help every­one through a crisis.  Few will take advantage of you when you are merciful, and you will do more to secure the loyalty and devotion of others by showing mercy than you ever could by displays of raw power.

2.         You are not the only person in the world.  Others have the same rights as you, and their needs and rights cannot be ignored, much less violated.  If you do ignore them, it is inevitable that people not only will fear you (as you often wish) but will also lose respect for you and, in the end, hate you.  If you treat people unfairly you have reason to fear that they will redress the wrongs you have done.

3.         It is difficult for Eights, but learn to yield to others, at least occasionally.  Often, little is really at stake, and you can allow others to have their way without fear of sacrificing your power or your real needs.  The desire to dominate everyone all the time is a sign that you ego is beginning to inflate- a danger signal that more serious conflicts with others are inevitable.

4.         Eights typically want to be self-reliant and depend on no one.  But, ironically, they depend on many People.  For example, you may think that you are not depend­ent on your community or subordinates because they seem to depend on you for ideas, courage, support or getting things done.  You could do without them. Everyone is expendable in your little kingdom -- except yourself.  But the fact is that you are dependent on others to carry out your orders. You may soon find out that some of your “loyal” associates are there out of fear and for personal advantage for themselves. The fact is that whether in your community/family or ministry/work, your self-sufficiency is largely an illusion.

5.         Eights typically overvalue money as a source of power.  Having wealth allows them to do whatever they want, to feel important, to be feared and obeyed. But the old cliché that "money does not buy happiness" remains true because those who are attracted to you for your money do not love you for yourself, nor do you love nor respect them.  While this may be the Faustian bargain you have made, you will nevertheless have to pay the price that whatever wealth you have will inevitably be at a cost to you.  It remains to be seen how dear that price will be.

6.         Learn to serve a higher purpose than your self-interest.  Family and relationships provide a means of doing this in the lives of' most people. Giving and receiving the love of a community/friend/colleague is the higher purpose ­that helps most people transcend themselves to find meaning in their lives.  But if everything is reduced to serving your self-interest, the possibility of ­ self-transcendence is eliminated -- and with it the possibility of deep happiness, spiritual growth, and many other values. Maintaining grossly inflated ego is the only way many Eights have of staving off meaning­lessness – a  meaninglessness, however, that they them­selves have created.

7.         If' God exists, there is someone else you must submit to, and submission to another is one of the most dif­ficult things for Eights to accept.  If you do not believe in God, is your non-belief based on genuine intellectual convictions or merely on the fact that you do not want to give up your ego and the things you enjoy?  A great deal may depend on your answer to this question.

8.         If you have been ruthless or caused pain and injury to others, if you have used people for your pleasure or profit (in short, if you are guilty of any of the typical offences of average to unhealthy Eights), then you have reason to, turn your life around while you still can.  A life lived on the lowest level of human func­tioning-- at the level of the beast-- results in an end similar to that suffered by other animals, an ultimately meaningless existence and a lonely death.

9.         One of your greatest potentials is your ability to create opportunities for others.  When Eights use their power to create hope and prosperity for everyone, they are respected and remembered for being the benefactors they truly are.  Therefore, if you are in a position of power and have great resources at your disposal, and if you use them magnanimously, you will have no one to fear.  Rather than make enemies, you will make fervent allies.  Rather than question the loyalty of others, you can count on it with assurance.  And even if you are, ever taken advantage of by someone, the greatness of what you may have accomplished can never be taken away or forgotten.  Indeed, others will see to it that it is not.  If you look out for other people's needs, they will  look out for yours.

10.        Think of the harm you can do to others; then think of the good.  By which do you wish to be remembered?

 

Biblical References for EIGHT

 

A) Sinfulness To Pray Through ...

 

1.         EIGHTS look to see who has the power and gravitate toward it. 2 Cor 5:14.  Pray to let the love of Christ control them and not an image of power that is strictly human control.

2. EIGHTS are acutely aware of their own power and can use it to bully or intimidate others.  Lk 9:51-56.  The apostles want to send down fire and destroy a city.  Jesus teaches them.  The EIGHTS need to listen carefully to the words of Jesus.

3.         EIGHTS have a great sensitivity to their own hearts.  Lk 6:27-38.  The passage intimates that we are all hurt and are all called to love our enemies.  The kind of forgiveness spoken of in this passage is the height of virtue for an EIGHT.

4.         EIGHTS have a tendency to punish those who have hurt them.  Rm 12: 14-21.  This passage about do­ing good for the persecutor could be prayed with great profit by an EIGHT.

5.         EIGHTS have as a first response to a request the answer " No. " They need this " No " to get time to see what they would really like to do.  Mt 21: 28-32.  A call to rethink an initial response.

6.         EIGHTS can make immediate and spon­taneous judgements without taking time to get the full picture.  Ps 46:10.  An invitation to be still and know God and hopefully in this stillness before God the person will come to see a situation in its depths and fullness.

7.         EIGHTS find it difficult to really listen.  Ps 32:8-9.  This is God's promise to instruct the person and also the warning not to be senseless.

8.         EIGHTS can be full of ideas about a project and even though they have heard advice can quickly forget it.  Ac 5:27-33.  Can be helpful here.  Obedience to the Spirit of God is more important than following one's own projects.

9.         EIGHTS can be so sensitive to injustice that they see power plays where there are none.  Ps 37.  Can be a reminder that the fate of the virtuous and the wicked is in God's hands and not theirs.  It is a call to a more innocent approach to life and relationships.

10. EIGHTS can be punishing, debunking, and cut others down to size. 2 Tm 4:1-5.  A call to unfail­ing patience in teaching and leading others forward.

11.  EIGHTS have anger that is intense, immediate. Lk 22: 47-51.  Jesus' response to such anger.

12.        EIGHTS love to be involved in stimulating and even dangerous activities.  Life can be boring for them if there is no stimulation.  Ps 131.  A call to the rest they need.  The image is of a child.  This childlike innocence is what they most need to cultivate.

13. EIGHTS see sin as all black.  They find it well nigh impossible to experience being the loved sinner.  Ep 2:1-10.  A beautiful expression of the generous mercy of God.

14. EIGHTS can exhaust others with their long, hard work and the expectations that others be as they are.  Lk 10: 38-42.  The Martha and Mary scene that would be a good passage for these persons.

15. EIGHTS want to keep things moving and often run over others to achieve what they consider important.  Mk 10: 13-16.  Jesus and the children shows the tenderness of Jesus toward the little ones, the seemingly insignificant.  The desire to send them away that is expressed by the disciples occasions an important teaching for the number EIGHT.

16.  EIGHTS have been called: "The sandpaper of the Enneagram." They can be abrasive and sar­castic. 2 Tm 2: 23-25.  Teaches them to have nothing to do with stupid, senseless quarrels, but to correct others in a spirit of gentleness.

17.  EIGHTS have for all their apparent strength, a deep-seated fear of themselves, particularly of their own anger and also a fear of death.  Jn 6:25-58- Can put them in touch with God's gift of eternal life.

18.  EIGHTS appear not to need others.  The let­ter to Philemon is all about the value of labouring together for the Gospel. it shows in one forum the value of team enterprise.

19.  EIGHTS are in control, even in their affec­tive lives.  Mk 10:17-22.  The story of the rich young man.  Jesus looked on him and loved him, but loved enough to let the young man be free to make his own  choices.

20.  EIGHTS find it hard to trust themselves and can be full of self-accusations.  Jr 10:23-24.  The prayer of Jeremiah that God would correct him, but do it gently, can be helpful.

21. EIGHTS are judgmental of others and claim their own power in the face of others' weakness. 2 Cor 5: 16-21.  Teaches one not to judge by human standards, but by God's word.  The call is there to become the "goodness of God."

22. EIGHTS have guilt feelings for not fighting for truth and justice.  I Cor 13: 1-13.  Reminds the believer that the greatest gift is love.

23. EIGHTS have a passion for truth, love and excess.  Ep 5:15-20.  A call not to be thoughtless, but to recognise God's will even though it might be a wicked age in which we live.

24. EIGHTS have difficulty admitting pain, weakness and need for love.  They also find it difficult to be vulnerable and to care for themselves. 2 Cor 12:7-10.  A reminder of God's grace at work in their weakness.  It is a beautiful statement of the accep­tability of human weakness and powerlessness.

25.  EIGHTS want power.  Lk 22:24-27.  The one who is the greatest is the one who serves.

26.  EIGHTS like to win. 2 Tm 4:6-8. 1 have fought the good fight.  Winning isn't the issue.

27.  EIGHTS hate themselves for being weak or feeling discouraged.  Lk 22:31-34. 1 have prayed for you.  Let Jesus pray for you too, if you are a number EIGHT.

28.  EIGHTS can capitalise on another's weakness to win.  Jr 17:3-10.  Trust in God not in others.

29.  EIGHTS know the eye for an eye temptation.  Mt 5:38-42.  Speaks directly to this point.

30.    EIGHTS have revenge as a temptation.  They want to teach the person who has failed and let them pick up their own pieces.  Jn 18: 25-27.  Peter's denial might put them in touch with their own possibilities of sinning: what that feels like and what is needed in the weak moments of life.

 

B) Giftedness To Rejoice In And Strengthen In Prayer

 

1. EIGHTS are at home in a difficult situation. 2 Cor 4. Eights are conscious of the treasure within and have a willingness to give themselves even in difficult­y. Prayer with this passage can be very affirming of the gift of courageous generosity.

2.         EIGHTS are selfless and do not think of count­ing the cost as they enter into a project. 2 Cor 6:3-10.  Affirms this way of being.  God's servants are proven by great fortitude in suffering.

3.         EIGHTS have a sense of their own people and of blood kinship.  Jn 10:14-16.  Portrays Jesus with a kind of love that is willing to lay down his life for his loved ones.

4.         EIGHTS are marked by directness and an un­complicated approach to life.  Mt 5:37.  Asks all to be direct and uncomplicated.  "Say yes if you mean yes and no if you mean no."

5.         EIGHTS have a capacity for making others feel secure around them, and also happy.  Ph 4:4-9.  Speaks Paul's desires for the same gifts for his followers.

6.         EIGHTS possess an ability to rally people and communicate vision.  Lk 4:16-22.  Shows Jesus doing just that.

7.         EIGHTS are optimistic.  I Pet 3:15.  Hope is acknowledged and there is a call to be prepared to make a defence for the hope that is in us.

EIGHTS encourage growth and independence in others. 2 Tm 3:10-17.  The description of the for­mation of young Timothy can have resonances for the natural desires and gifts of these persons.

            EIGHTS set great importance in equality of persons.  Ac 4:32-35.  The early Christian community held all things in common.  No person lacked what was necessary while another had more than enough.

10. EIGHTS have a sense of life, of hard work.  They play hard. 2 Cor 11: 1-33.  Praises and calls for the hard work that is natural to them.

11. EIGHTS are capable of loving deeply.  Ph 1:3-5.  A prayer of thanksgiving that can be offered for the persons that they feel deeply grateful for and who are loved by them.

12. EIGHTS possess a tenderness and innocence that is most often only evident in the presence of children, animals, nature or the weak.  Pray with Ps 104 and the glories of creation can release this tenderness.

13. EIGHTS feel deeply the suffering of the world and the poor.  Ps 34.  Can put them in touch with God's justice and love.  It is a call to praise these attributes in God that they so often find lacking in human relationships.

14. EIGHTS are honest.  Gn 3:9.  Poses a stark question: "Where are you?”  It is a question the EIGHTS could use with profit before God and would help name their feelings and situate themselves honestly in prayer.

15. EIGHTS have a real desire to improve the world and not leave it broken and divided.  They can relate well to the mission of the prophet in Is 61.

16. EIGHTS are strong and often give others the message: "Lean on me." Jn 21:9-19.  An invitation to let another be for them also.  There will be times of diminishment, like those experienced in the ageing process, that will not allow the EIGHT to give this gift. This passage will be a call to let another be the strong one for them.

17. EIGHTS are authentic nurturers.  Is 55: 1-3. A description of God's nurturance of His/Her people.

18. EIGHTS are direct.  They can feel very strengthened in their ability to name things by reading and praying the prophetic books of Amos and Joel. 19. EIGHTS are courageous.  I P 4:12-19.  A call to courage to share in Christ's suffering.

20. The EIGHTS' word is their bond.  Is 6:8-9. Isaiah's word was his bond.  I will go.  Send me.

21. EIGHTS live in reality and the present moment.  They have the capacity to say, Yes, there is a problem, and to do something about it.  Jn 2:13-25.  Jesus cleanses the Temple.  He realised there was a problem and did something about it.

22. EIGHTS have an intensity and energy about them.  Jn 9:4-5.  Shows the same energy and intensity present in Jesus.  As long as the day lasts, I work.

23. EIGHTS are generous.  Si 29:8-17.  A reflection on generosity.

24.  EIGHTS love a challenge and are at home in a difficult situation.  Mt 14: 22-33.  The account of Jesus walking on the water.

 

Reflection & Meditation For Number EIGHT

 

Awareness

Deep down I'm lustful. That's my brokenness. Pleasure for me is bound up with control. I exploit people because of my pas­sion to dominate and possess. I violate their space, use them without shame and humiliate them without guilt. At my worst I simply don't consider how vulnerable people can be and have no respect for their feelings. I satisfy my instincts and enjoy life's pleasures without too many hang‑ups. I can be cruel rath­er than kind. Sometimes I punish people disproportionately for the mistakes that they've made. When I put forward high stan­dards of morality I expect others to live up to them without really feeling obliged to do so myself.

 

I like to keep tabs on things, to check up on even the most trivial details. It's my way of not letting things get out of hand. I value my independence and prefer to be dominant in my relationships. I'm very possessive and find it hard to compromise or adapt. I tend to bully people and don't respect those who will not fight back. I see things in black and white. People are either for me or against me, friends or enemies.

 

Without realising it, I find myself pushing people around. I'm generally insensitive to the hurt I'm causing. I substitute aggressive behaviour for playfulness and sexual activity for intimacy. I have no problem about fighting "dirty." I'm direct, often to the point of rudeness, and use strong language to emphasise what I'm trying to say. I don't pull any punches. I say what I mean and mean what I say. I tend to confront rather than communicate. I readily spit out my anger in the belief that attack is the best form of defence.

 

Advice

Our inner journey demands an openness to God and to other people. We need to strive to integrate action and contemplation, and to balance passionate expression and a refusal to self-disclose. Since we generally live in the present we find it easy to be immediately present to God in prayer. For us this involves a centring of our selves, an emptying of thoughts and feelings, a letting go of activity and a stillness of loving presence which transcends our everyday wants and needs.

 

As gut people we naturally want to be doing and are suspicious of inactivity. But our best prayer is that of simple presence. Paradoxically it brings us both a heightened sensitivity and a calming inner tranquillity.

Attention

 

Since we have so much energy at our disposal it can help if we harness this in our prayer. Praying with our body allows us to experience the strength of action and the gentleness of contemplation. Through our body we can move beyond our daily concerns to the deeper realms of the spirit. In particular, we can use the tactile to help us experience the divine. Sculpture or pottery, for example, can slow us down and help us get in touch with our deepest energies and feelings. It could also help to surrender ourselves creatively in painting, using colour, line, texture and shape to bridge the gap between our outer and inner worlds.

 

Scripture meditation for number eight

 

1) Luke 4:16‑23 (Setting the down trodden free)

 

We have been given power so that we can help those who are powerless. Our strength should be used to help the weak and the marginalized. Our words can speak for those who have no voice and our deeds support those who need protection.

 

2) Matthew 14:13‑21 (Feeding the hungry)

 

The most characteristic gut reaction of Jesus is one of compassion. Whenever people are troubled, harassed, rejected or in difficulty, Jesus doesn't have to think about what to do. Without hesitation he reacts with tenderness and mercy.

 

3) John 13:1‑17 (The washing of the feet)

 

Jesus sees the ministry of compassion as essentially one of service. Peter, who believes in hierarchy and in power, refuses to allow Jesus to wash his feet. But he is told bluntly that unless he is willing to let himself be ministered to, he cannot hope to be of service to others.

 

4) Luke 4:1‑13 (The temptations in the wilderness)

 

We are all tempted to misuse power for our own ends rather than use it for the benefit of others. Jesus refused to abuse his power in any self‑serving way. Strength is given to us not for show but for service.

 

5) Matthew 18:21‑35 (The unforgiving debtor)

 

Our natural "eye‑for‑an‑eye" attitude involves payback for injury and punishment for offence. This parable, however, highlights the importance of forgiveness. We cannot continue to nurse our grievances. We need to let them go.