Contemplative Practices & the Enneagram

Experience the transformational power of joining Enneagram wisdom with contemplative practices in a compassionate community.

You are me, and I am you.
Isn’t it obvious that we “inter-are”?
You cultivate the flower in yourself,
so that I will be beautiful.
I transform the garbage in myself,
so that you will not have to suffer.

I support you;
you support me.
I am in this world to offer you peace;
you are in this world to bring me joy.

(from “Call me by My True Names – The Collected Poems of Thich Nhat Hanh”, Parallax Press, 2005.)

What is CPE?

CPE stands for Contemplative Practices & the Enneagram.

CPE groups are facilitated practice and support groups for those with basic knowledge of the Enneagram who seek to cultivate a discipline of contemplative practice in a compassionate, non-dogmatic, Enneagram-literate community.

Why CPE?

EE Founder Nhien Vuong shares reflections on the value of combining contemplative practices with the Enneagram in conscious community.

Come as you are

Our mantra is “come as you are” and experience how this authenticity and bravery supports you in experiencing greater inner peace, wholeness, and belonging.

Listen to IEA Accredited Enneagram Professional Abbi Rodriguez interview Nhien about CPE groups.

Inter-spiritual, International Cohorts

We believe that all people are born innately whole and worthy. We welcome spiritual seekers from all faith backgrounds, including those who identify as spiritual but not religious, spiritually open, and those who are deconstructing their faith of origin.

We practice 20 minutes of centering prayer every session and start each group with a brief meditative practice, drawn from diverse wisdom traditions around the world.

Applied Enneagram Wisdom

This is not an Enneagram class. While longterm CPE participants find that they gain in-depth, embodied knowledge of the Enneagram through group sharing, the focus of these groups are on applying each week’s contemplative Enneagram teachings or reflection questions to your conscious awakening.

CPE facilitators are not here to teach so much as to support a space of compassionate witnessing, which we have found ignites transformation.

CPE Cohort Size & Format

CPE groups typically meet for 90 minutes, once a week on Zoom for 12 weeks each term. A group’s size can range from 6 to 20 people. Space permitting, you can join more than one cohort at a time to deepen your practice and sense of community.

The commitment is to attend at least 10 out of the 12 gatherings, especially if you are new. We have found that consistency makes a marked difference in one’s transformation. Together we co-create a collective field for personal and collective awakening.

2025 CPE Schedule & Themes

All CPE groups are facilitated by a team of experienced faculty, all of whom have been participants in CPE for over a year—and often much longer.

The schedule below lists the dates of our 3 CPE sessions in 2025 (Winter, Spring, and Fall) and the dates and times of our five weekly 12-week CPE groups that happen during those times along with the names of your CPE faculty.

Please note that you can join more than one group at a time and many choose to do so for more opportunities to engage their contemplative practice.

Winter 2025 session starts the week of January 13th and ends the week of March 31st.

Spring 2025 session starts the week of April 14th and ends the week of June 30th.

Fall 2025 session starts the week of September 29th and ends the week of December 15th.

Countdown to Spring CPE 2025

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Registration closed!
Registration now open!

Exciting New Feature: Online Community Chat Groups

This year, we’re introducing something brand new! For the first time, CPE participants will have access to a private, moderated online community chat for CPE Winter session participants only.
 
What’s included?
 
  • Share your insights, poetry, or reflections with others.
  • Connect with like-hearted individuals from your own—and other—CPE groups.
  • Foster deeper friendships and meaningful connections by organizing virtual or in-person meetups.
Participation in the online community is completely optional and is offered in response to your feedback requesting more opportunities for connection and collaboration with fellow contemplative Enneagram explorers.

Meet Your CPE Facilitator Team

Nhien Vuong

Angela Joy

Kristina Frank

Macha Greenleaf-Maple

Jill Smith

Aliyah Richling

Pay it Forward - Pay What You Can

The suggested payment for CPE is $240 per 12-week session. However, Evolving Enneagram is committed to offering CPE to all who need it, irrespective of ability to pay.

Please do not let cost be a factor in whether or not you apply for a group. Alternatively, if you currently have more to give, please consider contributing above and beyond the recommended amount to support us in keeping these CPE rooms open to everyone, around the globe.

History of CPE

When Evolving Enneagram Founder Nhien Vuong launched the very first CPE groups in September 12, 2017, in Kansas City, Missouri, she hoped that community members would last the full ten weeks. At the end of ten weeks, not only were most of the participants still there, they wanted to extend the CPE groups another ten weeks. Eventually, the community members asked her:

Can we do this for life?

Nhien, who hadn’t been huge on longterm commitments, laughed and said, “Sure. If some of you are willing to step up occasionally and lead.”

Seven years later, our original Thursday CPE has become a cornerstone of Evolving Enneagram’s larger work in the world–a place where many tears have been shed and many joys celebrated, a place where some who might have never been friends are now family.

Nhien believes that the true purpose of spiritual community is not meant to be a place for “spot fixes” when our egos are devastated by personal tragedies or but a transformational way of life.

This is not to say anyone is obligated to commit. In fact, the commitment is only to 12 weeks at a time. Over the years, however, we’ve found that enough people re-up that, seven years later, we have grown! We now have five regular CPE facilitators and five weekly CPE groups. After each session, we take a break, then open enrollment to new participants, while also giving longtime participants the opportunity to intentionally decide whether to continue.

CPE is for anyone but it’s not for everyone.

The ideal participant already knows their Enneagram Type, has some experience with meditative practices, and is devoted to our individual and collective awakening.

Testimonials

Join Us

Be a part of our ever-evolving conscious community

Free Contemplative Resources

To help you along your journey, Evolving Enneagram is pleased to provide the following free resources:

– Both the Welcoming Prayer and Centering Prayer steps are provided below as downloadable pdfs

– Guided meditations by Rev. Nhien

Contemplative Practices w/ Rev. Nhien: In this interview with Enneagram coach Abbi Rodriguez, Rev. Nhien explores the integration of contemplative practices with the Enneagram for true transformation.

Learn the steps to the transformational Centering Prayer practice

Learn how to welcome your inner experience as an act of self compassion

Discover the transformative power of Contemplative Practices 

Listen in as Nhien shares Enneagram insights and offers free guided meditations for your contemplative journey

Listen to past CPE participant and IEA Accredited Enneagram Professional Abbi Rodriguez interview Nhien about CPE groups

Interested in these groups but don't see a day/time that works for you?

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Winter 2025 CPE Theme:
Evolving toward A Unifying Vision

Weeks 1 & 2: 

A Vision of Unity & 9 Myths of Separation 

Weeks 3 & 4 

Meeting the Moment: Responding vs. Reacting 

Weeks 5 & 6:

Integral Theory: Growing Up and Waking Up

Weeks 7 & 8: 

Critical Thinking 

Weeks 9 & 10: 

Compassion Communication

Weeks 11 & 12: 

Contemplative Activism: Next Steps

Co-facilitated by:

Nhien Vuong (lead) with Kristina Frank
(co-lead) and Macha Greenleaf-Maple (sub)

Co-facilitated by:

Angela Joy (lead) with Kristina Frank (co-lead) and Nhien Vuong (sub)

Co-facilitated by:

Nhien Vuong (lead) with Angela Joy (co-lead) and Jill Smith (co-lead)

Co-facilitated by:

Nhien Vuong (lead) with Aliyah Richling (co-lead)

Facilitated by:

Nhien Vuong (lead) and longtime Thursday CPE Members (subs)

Spring 2025 CPE Theme:
The Care of the Soul

The weekly topics for Spring CPE will be based on inspiration and information from Rev. Nhien Vuong’s book, The Enneagram of the Soul, which releases April 7th!

Spaces limited: Group sizes can range from 6 to 18 pp. If you prefer smaller groups, check out the Tuesday and Thursday AM groups. The Wednesday group is generally midsized, and the Monday and Thursday PM groups are on the larger side.

Co-facilitated by:

Nhien Vuong (lead) with Kristina Frank
(co-lead) and Macha Greenleaf-Maple (sub)

Co-facilitated by:

Angela Joy (lead) with Kristina Frank (co-lead) and Nhien Vuong (sub)

Co-facilitated by:

Nhien Vuong (lead) with Angela Joy (co-lead) and Jill Smith (co-lead)

Co-facilitated by:

Nhien Vuong (lead) with Aliyah Richling (co-lead) and Jill Smith (sub)

Facilitated by:

Nhien Vuong (lead) and longtime Thursday CPE Members (subs)

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