Growth for Type 7: The Epicure
Basic Essential Practice: From a grounded, receptive, openhearted and non-judgmental stance, notice your mind speeding and inter-relating many different positive possibilities and plans all fueled by your driving energy, the gluttony of your limitless mind. These stem from your core belief that to be secure, loved, and valued you must be up and open to all the potential positives and adventures of life. Then can you notice and realize how paradoxically you have been limiting yourself by escaping the wholeness of life in the moment that includes pain and sadness as well as pleasure and joy. Bring your energy down and in following your breath all the way into your body’s gravitational center in your belly. Stay grounded in the simple flow of your breath in order to be receptive to others as they are, to any feelings that come up, and to all there is. Deepen your concentration and focus. Remind yourself to keep grounded in the present accepting both life’s joys and sorrows. And remind yourself to notice how others respond when you allow yourself to be grounded, truly present to others, and accepting all of life including both its joys and sorrows.
Additional Key Themes for Reflection: Simply stop for a minute or so 3-4 times a day to center and reflect on one of the following:
Planning for possibilities. Simply stop and notice your recurrent planning for positive possibilities associated with your energy going up and out. Use this awareness to bring yourself back to the full spectrum of what is present in the moment including both joy and pain.
Self-referencing. Stop in order to notice your thoughts often go to what pleases and fulfills you. Complement this tendency by putting equal amounts of attention and energy on others as to yourself as best you can.
Reacting to pain or distress. Notice the felt sense in your body’s when painful and distressing situations arise and your tendency either re-frame these into positives or elude them. Breath back down and with discernment do your best to face these.
Short Reflections for Reclaiming the Essential Quality
With openhearted kindness toward yourself simply practice several times a day for a minute or so saying and living one of the following each for a few days at a time. Do these all with the receptive energy encompassed in the “may I.” Recall that the higher quality or virtue for type Seven named sobriety simply means being present in the moment experiencing the full spectrum of life.
- May I sustain focus and attention on one thing at a time.
- May I practice several times a day counting to 10 as I follow each breath, starting over if I lose count, as a way of coming into the present moment.
- May I engage in the “spirit of repetition” just doing what is in front of me.
- May I listen to others without self-referencing, just practicing presence.
- May I allow myself to reflect on sadness, suffering, sorrow, and on what is difficult.
- May I have compassion for all beings, take pleasure in their joy and empathize with their sorrows.