WICKED OR WHAT?

“There’s so much good in the worst of us, 
and so much bad in the best of us 
that it hardly pays any of us to talk about the rest of us.” 
(Mom J’s toast revised from a James Truslow Adams quote)

Last night, we saw WICKED, and this morning we’re talking about instinctual, intellectual, and emotional responses to this moving story about Elphaba (AKA Wicked Witch of the West)

If you know the story, Elphaba (aka The Wicked Witch) was born green; subsequently, her life was packed with trouble, trauma, shame, guilt, fear, and bullying. Because we were uninformed about these things, we misunderstood her, and her quest for those ruby slippers caused us to hate her. 

Tell the truth, didn’t you love to hate Elphaba in The Wizard of OZ? We did.

Here are a few of our favorite take aways from the WICKED:

  • The way to bring folks together is to give them a real good enemy.
  • Are we born evil or do we have evil thrust upon us?
  • Where have we come from?
  • How did we get here?
  • And what has shaped us along the way?
  • Who or what has left a handprint on our heart?”
  • Let the green girl go!
  • No one mourns the wicked.

Over the years, we’ve served on justice boards that work with the worst of the worst crimes against humanity. We’ve also been pastors for over three decades and have a wide swath of humanity we’ve encountered and observed relationally. Wondering, “What was your face before your parents met?” or “What is the invitation to healing and healthy formation now?”are questions that remind us that each one is made in God’s image no matter how much they/we may have lost the likeness. And we believe that healthy connections can help one another recover our inherent greatness!

As part of our exploration of empathy, we engage in a simple yet powerful exercise called F.A.C.E.S. This involves viewing the faces of both contemporary and historical figures, evoking instinctual and emotional responses. The key question we ask is, ‘I wonder, what was your face like before your parents met?’ 


*Enneagram celebrities adapted from Enneagram Institute
**NEW F.A.C.E.S Practice ©crossroadssoulresources 

Our training and books teach about “true self false self” dynamics in each person and what practices can help us recover the truest thing about ourselves and others.

A pastor in our training said, “This is a master class in compassion.” We think compassion and curiosity for self and others open the way to healing and harmony in the world.

THERE’S STILL ROOM Online in our Enneagram Trinitarian Harmony training, a journey of personal growth and spiritual nourishment tailored to your needs. Some of you may want to pursue an accredited Enneagram certification, and we’ve got that covered, too. 

Whether you are joining us for the first time or seeking a refresher, rest assured that the content of ©iEnneagram Motions of the Soul is a journey of personal growth that evolves as we do. It is Holy Spirit-filled, original, dynamic material with trauma-informed, evidence-based practices that will profoundly nourish your soul. 

If you’re interested, act now. We will need to send you a few things, and if you don’t have our Books, they are available on Amazon.

With hope,

Clare and Scott Loughrige

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