I saw this quiz twice in the past couple of days, and it intrigued me. While I think I'm better at asserting myself that these results indicate, the rest of it pegs me pretty spot on. Plus, I think I *learned* to be more assertive.

the Helper Test finished!

you chose CX - your Enneagram type is TWO. "I must help others" Helpers are warm, concerned, nurturing, and sensitive to other people's needs. How to Get Along with Me Tell me that you appreciate me. Be specific. Share fun times with me. Take an interest in my problems, though I will probably try to focus on yours. Let me know that I am important and special to you. Be gentle if you decide to criticize me. In Intimate Relationships Reassure me that I am intersting to you. Reassure me often that you love me. Tell me I'm attractive and that you're glad to be seen with me. What I Like About Being a Two being able to relate easily to people and to make friends knowing what people need and being able to make their lives better being generous, caring, and warm being sensitive to and perceptive about others' feelings being enthusiastic and fun-loving, and having a good sense of humor What's Hard About Being a Two not being able to say no having low self-esteem feeling drained from overdoing for others not doing things I really like to do for myself for fear of being selfish criticizing myself for not feeling as loving as I think I should being upset that others don't tune in to me as much as I tume in to them working so hard to be tactful and considerate that I suppress my real feelings Twos as Children Often are very sensitive to disapproval and criticism try hard to please their parents by being helpful and understanding are outwardly compliant are popular or try to be popular with other children act coy, precocious, or dramatic in order to get attention are clowns and jokers (the more extroverted Twos), or quiet and shy (the more introverted Twos) Twos as Parents are good listeners, love their children unconditionally, and are warm and encouraging (or suffer guilt if they aren't) are often playful with their children wonder: "Am I doing it right?" "Am I giving enough?" "Have I caused irreparable damage?" can become fiercely protective Renee Baron & Elizabeth Wagele The Enneagram Made Easy Discover the 9 Types of People HarperSanFrancisco, 1994, 161 pages You liked the test? so please RATE it... but remember! it had only two questions!!! ;-) You are not completely happy with the result?! You chose CX Would you rather have chosen: AX (SEVEN) BX (NINE) CY (SIX) CZ (ONE)

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 0% on ABC You scored higher than 28% on XYZ

Link: The Quick and Painless ENNEAGRAM Test written by felk on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

A couple of weeks ago, I finished “The Brothers Karamazov” by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I’d read it before, but this was the first time since I became Orthodox. What was interesting was that when I remembered the book, I remembered episodes, which upon a re-read is really what the novel is – a series of episodes.

I have to admit, though, that when I finished this book, I felt not intelligent. All of these words, positions, episodes, dramatic events just swirled around in my head. I’m not even sure who committed the crime at the crux of the novel. Sigh.

However, now that I’m a few weeks out of it, and doing some research on the Dartmouth University site
I’m feeling more grounded and able to discuss it. I find often that is the case – I need to process, reflect and discuss a book before I can really decide what I thought of it. I’m not sure if this is something everyone deals with, or if it is residual from college.

Another wonderful thing about this site is an excellent article about the Orthodox concept of “Memory Eternal” and “The Brothers Karamazov” (a side note, I realized by looking at his name that I just began a book, “Iconostasis” by St. Pavel Florensky that was co-translated by Professor Sheehan).

An excerpt:

This shape is, of course, the Orthodox shape of Memory Eternal: the present seed of actual love is already becoming the unceasing fruitfulness of memory. And this fruitfulness of memory is - in Florensky's great phrase - "a victory over death," not at all because we erase the dead in our mind's oblivion (what secular culture calls 'getting over it') but precisely because we keep them so strongly, indeed so brightly present in our love. And Dostoevsky is luminously clear in his Orthodox understanding of Alyosha's speech. By holding another in our love, we are becoming like God in that we are remembering the seed of God in ourselves at the very instant we are seeing the fully ripened fruitfulness of the other in God

And, because my mom asked me about the Grand Inquisitor scene, which I’d not quite finished processing (evidenced by my blank stare, I’m sure) but have now, I’d like to link the Wikipedia synopsis as well as the entire text for your reading pleasure.

Let me know what your experience is with both the “Brothers K” as well as other meaty novels; am I alone in processing for weeks?

Illustration from
Alcorn Gallery