Big Stone House

04/10/2026

Maybe you’ve taken an Enneagram assessment. Or read a book. Or listened to a podcast on this new-old system, trying to figure out your number. Or maybe you thought about doing those things, thinking (hoping?) it would help you better understand why, what, and how you react to stress, deal with conflict, communicate with and care for and click with people (or not).

Those are all great reasons to explore your number, study the system…but the Enneagram is so much more than a test, a number, a label, y’all. It’s a reminder of how we are wired for relationship—real, live, up-close-and-personal relationship. And it’s a great resource for growing more “we” in the world: Community. Connection. Belonging. With people who see the world the same way we do. And with people who don’t.

Like so many traditions with religious and spiritual roots, the Enneagram started out as an invitation to slow down, listen close, pay attention and grow good. It wasn’t a checklist of details or a promise for a quick fix. The Enneagram was a prompt to wonder and ponder what it means to be human—a way to see our less-than-life-giving habits with grace and get a glimpse of our true-blue gifts, too…and grow more good in the process.

Angie Arendt and Peter McGaugh have been teaching the Enneagram in this old(er)-school, good-growing, relationship building, “we”-tending kind of way for thirty years, providing all kinds people in all kinds of settings the space and support to wonder and ponder with others to not only find their number (which is a great start, BTW!) but to plant seeds for grace and gratitude and belonging to grow in all kinds of ways, too.

Curious to know more? You can read more on the Big Stone House website (link in comments). And in a few days you can read more about our new project there, too. “The Courage Experiment” is part Enneagram, part practical practice—a way of making these numbers mean something in the day-to-day. We’re rolling out this project this June in Almonte, Ontario…hope you can join us there!

03/10/2026

Sitting on a Sunday. This Sunday. In person. (Yup—in person). Near Ottawa, Ontario (closer to Almonte, but not far from Ottawa). It’s a retreat of sorts. A time for reconnection, remembering what it is to be human, reconsidering how to do so on any given day. Growing good, we are. Growing good is a good thing, you know. ❤️.

02/18/2026

Yup. An experiment in courage. The wholehearted kind of courage, that is. The kind that makes for good community, connection, care. There will be stories. Some studying, too. Some pauses to get still every now and then, too. Maybe some singing? For sure we’ll find ways to grow good. And there will be pie. The Courage Experiment kicks off June 19-21, 2026 in and around Ottawa, Ontario. You might want to be there. It’s going to be oh so good. More info coming to the website soon.

02/07/2026

Zoom has been a great gift these past few years. During the pandemic, we taught the Enneagram online, led The School for the Soul across the screen, and brought people together for Sitting on Sundays. We pushed paused on our classes and courses and conversations when we relocated to Arizona last year but brought them back online this past Fall--folks across four time zones and two countries have been Zooming in for Sitting on Sundays each week since early November and a session of (not another) Book Group wrapped up last week. A God-send, this space is.

However.

There's something about being together in person that just can't be beat, eh? Sitting in the same space, seeing the same views, chit-chatting before we begin and on the way to the parking lot after...those things are good for the soul, too.

So we are hitting the road this Spring, bringing folks back together again. Live. In person.

First up? A few hours of Sitting on a Sunday--a mashup of our Sitting on Sunday practice with a bit of The School for the Soul mixed in for good measure. This one is especially for folks who have been a part of Big Stone House over the years--a re-entry, reconnection, renewal and reunion of sorts. Click below to read more.

Join Angie in person on March 17 just outside of Ottawa, Ontario for a few hours of reconnection, renewal and reunion-of-a-sort. Details below.

01/31/2026

Lady Gaga recorded Mr Rogers’ theme song for a SuperBowl commercial. The song was released a couple of days ago and damn near broke the internet as folks like me wallowed in the words: “would you be mine, could you be mine, won’t you be my neighbor?” Sigh. Yes. Let’s make being neighbors cool again. BTW: there’s a new class coming to Big Stone House this summer. It’s called “The Enneagram of We”—a course to build our capacity to be good neighbors, an experience to remind us that being and having neighbors is pretty much the best thing ever. More info coming soon.

01/16/2026

Recent data shows an increase in people of all ages from all kinds of backgrounds naming a sense of disconnection , isolation, and even hopelessness in their day to day. Interestingly, similar studies indicate an increased interest in wrestling with the big questions of life (i.e.: “Who am I?” “What do I have to offer?”) and a ache for places where we can ponder these kinds of things, people to wonder with—not necessarily see eye to eye with but folks with whom we can practice curiosity and care and forge meaningful connection: qualities that are continually named as “missing” in the workplace, in our communities, and even in our own selves. This is more than a weekend of self-care. It’s a weekend of remembering the how, what, and why of community…and growing our capacity for courage to be in community, too. Dates and exact location TBD. More to come…but if you’d like to be on the mailing list for this experience, send us a DM.

01/04/2026

It’s called “Not Another Book Group Book Group” (NABGBG or “not another book…” for short). We considered a catchier title but decided to stick with something simple, something that tells it like it is: there’s a book, there are people who read that book together, and conversation ensues that make the words on the page something personal, practical…possibly even life changing (yup, it’s happened).

You see, we don’t just talk about what we like or don’t like about what the author has to say, what we agree with or disagree with. Sure, those comments come up from time to time but really what we do here is wonder about and wrestle with topics that people rarely discuss with each other but often wish they could. In previous NABGBG sessions we’ve pondered grief, the meaning of grace, what reverence is and why it matters and how to find it, and how to make meaning and tend the soul in a world where artificial and independence are lauded and applauded.

Anyway—a new session of NABGBG begins TUESDAY, JANUARY 6 (yes, that’s just a few days away).

This time around we’re wrestling with and wondering about the where, and when of ritual, renewal, and real life. Why those kinds of things matter. How to do it.

The book we’re reading: “From Beginning to End: The Rituals of our Lives” by Robert Fulghum.

There’s three sessions. 90 minutes each. All online. And there’s room at the table (and by ‘table’, we mean: across the screen) for a few more.

So good, it will be. It always is. There’s a link on our bio page for more info.

12/31/2025

May the year ahead bring you big and little moments of connection. Happy new year, y’all.

12/27/2025

The first class of 2026: a small group experience that conjures up things like curiosity, connection, and a crazy amount of joy. This session of Not Another Book Group Book Group is a great way to start a new year—with stories and conversations to spark a bit more good in the day to day. The link for more information (or to register) can be found on the home page.

12/03/2025

It’s a simple practice, really: people sitting across the screen to find and fuel the kinds of things that make this world (or at least our little corners) a little more human. It’s good people. And good for the soul. Read more about Sitting on Sundays on our website.

11/30/2025

The new website is 95% finished…just a few more backstories to add, a bit more info to include about upcoming events and things of that sort. Still, though, it’s up and running and you can check out the new season of Sitting on Sundays (it starts tomorrow!) and another offering of Not Another Book Group Book Group starting in January. It’s good for the soul stuff.

11/15/2024

If you are missing the Big Stone House, join Angie and Peter for this online event: two hours of great teachings and practices to feed the mind, heart, and soul…and along the way conjure up things like joy, hope, and connection. Click the link on the homepage for more info or to register.