Report from Spain
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I am fortunate to have attended the recent IEA Spain meeting in Madrid. There were 60 people in attendance from all over Spain. Many important local teachers and representatives of several major schools and were there, as well as leaders in the consciousness movement, such as the head of Ken Wilber's Integral Institute in Spain.
The atmosphere was exactly what we might expect from Enneagram gatherings like this: receptivity, openness, camaraderie, willingness to serve, and, above all, love and respect for the Enneagram. When I presented our IEA vision, mission and values, there was a great deal of resonance and positive reaction.
The meeting took place at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, one of the most important Universities in Europe, where the Enneagram has been taught in the Medical School for over 12 years. The Dean of the University opened the meeting.
It is amazing to see how enthusiastically our friends from Spain have been developing scientific studies using the Enneagram. Several highly placed teachers and professors (especially from the healthcare sector) are part of the Enneagram movement in this country. They said they can now exchange more knowledge and produce more studies using the Enneagram.
Isabel Salama, the President of IEA Spain, has formed a great local Board of Directors. She and the Board made all this happen in record time, reaffirming the power and importance of extraordinary leadership and will.
IEA Spain has also announced its first local IEA Conference scheduled for October 2008.
I trust these exciting developments will not only make the difference in Spain, but also set the tone for other European countries to move ahead with the IEA International expansion plan.
-- Uranio Paes