Dates/Time: May 16, 2025 @ 7:00 pm, Friday through 11:00 am Sunday, May 18, 2025
“What is the focus of this retreat?”
To invite participants to use the Enneagram as a spiritual tool to better understand their human nature as part of the larger community of life and more than human world. To expand participants spiritual exploration with the Enneagram through a movement from healing to wholing to immersion in all of creation through teaching, ritual, music, story and most importantly, time in nature.
“Why would I want to come to this retreat?”
We are building a new series of teachings and practices whereby Illuman men will be given the opportunity to deepen their own self-awareness through the use of the Enneagram while exploring how nature-based practices and immersions can augment and enhance the teachings. May is a great time to be outside and much of the time on this retreat will be spent in solo time in the natural surroundings.
Since first learning of the Enneagram over 20 years ago, I have enjoyed exploring the depth of my own soul with this powerful tool and am excited to share these teachings with others. My experience with nature-based practices infused with the wisdom from the enneagram continues to invite me to a deeper understanding of my place in the larger web of life.
As we start to learn about the Enneagram, we are often singularly focused on learning more about our dominant enneagram type. In this retreat, nature will be our teachers and our partners as participants will be encouraged to explore not only their dominant enneagram type but how all nine types show up within them.
The retreat will provide numerous opportunities for exploration- whether you are new to the Enneagram or have been using it as a tool in your spiritual practice for years since foundational information will be shared for each type to set the stage for deeper conversations. All that is required for participation is a willingness to be present in your body, have a curious mind and bring an open heart. We would recommend each participant taking an online test and reading the descriptions of each type before coming if they do not already know their type. A basic free version can be found here. Or you can pay $12 for a more robust online test here.
Pre-Retreat Suggestions & Recommended Reading
Take the RHETI test on the Enneagram Institute website. This will give you rankings on what your type might be. Then you will want to read the different descriptions and see which ones of the higher rankings “fit” you best. You can also read the other descriptions for the other types to give yourself a better understanding of the different types.
If you are having trouble seeing which one fits you better, one shortcut is to look at some of the more negative attributes of the types and think back to when you were younger before you spent time with shadow work and soul work. It’s a humbling experience, but it might also show you how grateful you feel, “thank God I don’t do that anymore.”
As for other things to read, there are many other free resources on the Enneagram Institute website. It might get a little overwhelming, and even more confusing, if you dive in too deep before the retreat as the system was originally taught as an oral tradition and most of us agree that is still the best way.
Book Possibilities:
- A good starter book is “Personality Types, Using the Enneagram for Self Discovery” by Riso and Hudson.
- Books by Richard Rohr can be found at the CAC Website.
- “The Enneagram as a Tool for Your Spiritual Journey” by Hudson and Rohr // Conference Recording on MP3
- “Enneagram: The Discernment of Spirits” by Rohr, CD
Retreat Leaders
Wisdom Elder/Teacher: Brad Pickel
Brad Pickel trained at the Enneagram Institute and received additional wisdom teachings and nature-based practices from Richard Rohr, Cynthia Bourgeault, Bill Plotkin, Belden Lane, Joel Blunk and many more. In addition, he served as the Administrator for Illuman for eight years, and has led numerous enneagram retreats for Illuman chapters since 2018. His last retreat for the Indiana-Michigan chapter was in 2018.
Brad’s focus is to use the power of teaching, ritual, music, nature-based practices, and deep sharing in intimate circles to encourage participants to explore all nine types within.
Weaver: David VanFarowe
David VanFarowe is a psychotherapist and amateur musician. He is passionate about the work of healing and peace-making. Active in Illuman since 2014, he is eternally grateful for the wisdom teachers and brothers of Illuman. He serves on the elder council for Illuman of Indiana-Michigan.
