I became a Richard Rohr disciple. I devoured his books, read his daily emails, and planned to attend his “Living School,” which is like an underground seminary for the “spiritual, not religious.”
Hilary McFarland, thank you so much for this article. You’ve done a real service to Christians by pointing out the dangers of the Enneagram that many of us might never have suspected—and that’s at the very core of the problem.
When Christians talk about the discernment of spirits, we aren’t left empty-handed. Both Catholics and Protestants, as well as our Orthodox brothers and sisters, have centuries of wisdom from the Church Fathers and the mystical tradition to lean on as we seek to understand ourselves and draw closer to God.
But here’s the key: before we take up anything that comes to us from the New Age movement—even if it looks harmless or seems to “work”—we have a duty to investigate its origins. That’s the first step of discernment: basic due diligence. Without it, we can’t truly discern spirits.
The Enneagram, as you’ve shown, is rooted in automatic writing—a practice the Church has always recognized as demonic. This isn’t just a theoretical danger. Doors like these are the very means by which Satan lays claim to souls, leading to demonic obsession, oppression, or worse, demonic. Thank you for watching.
If we are made in the *imago Dei*, the image of God, then we cannot afford to compromise that image with tools born of darkness.
I hope to write more about this on my own Substack about this soon, as it’s such an important conversation. But for now, I simply want to thank you again, Hilary. You’ve reminded us that discernment of spirits is not some lofty mystical concept, but a very practical safeguard given to us by Christ through His Church.
May God bless you for your work, and may Christ be with everyone reading these words—our friend, our Savior, and our eternal Father.
I've been an astrologer for over 30 years. I love Enneagrams. It better explains personality than astrology does. Everyone should read it. As far as the test, I have found people lie. Just have them read the book. Then tell them what number they are. So many get it wrong.
Exactly right...knowledge without truth and I stay away from it. Thanks, Hillary.
Hilary McFarland, thank you so much for this article. You’ve done a real service to Christians by pointing out the dangers of the Enneagram that many of us might never have suspected—and that’s at the very core of the problem.
When Christians talk about the discernment of spirits, we aren’t left empty-handed. Both Catholics and Protestants, as well as our Orthodox brothers and sisters, have centuries of wisdom from the Church Fathers and the mystical tradition to lean on as we seek to understand ourselves and draw closer to God.
But here’s the key: before we take up anything that comes to us from the New Age movement—even if it looks harmless or seems to “work”—we have a duty to investigate its origins. That’s the first step of discernment: basic due diligence. Without it, we can’t truly discern spirits.
The Enneagram, as you’ve shown, is rooted in automatic writing—a practice the Church has always recognized as demonic. This isn’t just a theoretical danger. Doors like these are the very means by which Satan lays claim to souls, leading to demonic obsession, oppression, or worse, demonic. Thank you for watching.
If we are made in the *imago Dei*, the image of God, then we cannot afford to compromise that image with tools born of darkness.
I hope to write more about this on my own Substack about this soon, as it’s such an important conversation. But for now, I simply want to thank you again, Hilary. You’ve reminded us that discernment of spirits is not some lofty mystical concept, but a very practical safeguard given to us by Christ through His Church.
May God bless you for your work, and may Christ be with everyone reading these words—our friend, our Savior, and our eternal Father.
If it at all implies "special knowledge", RUN. It is demonic.
I've been an astrologer for over 30 years. I love Enneagrams. It better explains personality than astrology does. Everyone should read it. As far as the test, I have found people lie. Just have them read the book. Then tell them what number they are. So many get it wrong.