Forty Days on Being a Nine - (Enneagram Daily Reflections) by Marlena Graves (Hardcover)

About the Book

What is it like to be an Enneagram Nine? These forty daily readings from Marlena Graves draw wisdom from the deep wells of both counseling and spirituality using illustrations from Scripture and life. Each reading concludes with an opportunity for further engagement such as a journaling prompt, a written prayer, or a spiritual practice.

Book Synopsis

"Why do you hold back?"

Enneagram Nines are often asked questions like this by others who want to invite them to share their gifts. Marlena Graves describes her own experience with deciding whether to speak up: "I know what it's like to be run over and rendered invisible. I don't want to do the same to others." Nines are easy to be around because they seem to instinctively put others before themselves.

In these readings Marlena reflects on what it's like to be a Nine with a spirit of honest self-assessment and a desire for personal and spiritual growth. She draws wisdom from the deep wells of both counseling and spirituality, using illustrations from Scripture and life. She writes out of her personal context, drawing on the lessons learned from her Puerto Rican Abuelita and from growing up in poverty. But she also writes for all of us. Each reading 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 a Nine, you will grow from your reading about Nines and enhance your relationships across the Enneagram spectrum.

Review Quotes

"Direct questions are the way to an Enneagram Nine's soul. That doesn't mean they make us comfortable or we necessarily enjoy them, it just means we need them to get to the soul of who we are, what our motivations are, and how to grow. In Forty Days on Being a Nine, Marlena Graves gives us exactly what we need by both revealing her own Nine-ish characteristics and then probing with gentle questions until we can both name our motivations and see past the stagnancy of our sloth to the path of action. I need books like this in my life on a regular basis to keep me continually asking inward questions so I can look outward in all of life."

"I'm a Nine--a no-doubter Nine. Just as some of the better parts of being a Nine are at work in me, so are some of the worst. Simply knowing I'm a Nine isn't enough to keep me out of the paralysis so common to this type. Understanding what motivates us, what drags us down, and how the tension between those polarities works is vital for healthy living. This is why I'm grateful for this helpful book from Marlena Graves."

About the Author

Suzanne Stabile is an internationally recognized Enneagram master teacher. She is the author of The Path Between Us and coauthor, with Ian Morgan Cron, of the bestseller The Road Back to You. She is the host of The Enneagram Journey podcast. Along with her husband, Rev. Joseph Stabile, she is cofounder of Life in the Trinity Ministry located in Dallas, Texas.

Marlena Graves is a writer and adjunct professor. Marlena holds an MDiv from Northeastern Seminary in Rochester, New York, and is a graduate of the Renovaré Institute. She has been a bylined writer for Christianity Today, (in)courage, womenleaders.com, and Our Daily Bread. She is also the author of A Beautiful Disaster and The Way Up Is Down. She lives with her husband and three daughters in Toledo, Ohio.