When it comes to doing “The Great Work” some people are just not ready for it. But how can you tell when someone is? In my journey I’ve met all kinds, the dreamers the skeptics, and the people that seemed to be successful in everything they do. It wasn’t until I listened to an interview with Neil Kramer that I developed a deeper understanding as to what makes people different. This interview changed my perspective on everything.
Neil tells us the story of three people, Geore Gergieve, Morris Nicole and Peter Osbiensky. They were teaching a brilliant mystical tradition and gathering student to participate in their form of the great work. However they realized that not every student that came through their classroom had the same level of success with the teaching. It was then that they did something that brought incredible results. They increased the admission price, which brought in higher caliber people and they had much more success with their teachings. I have seen similar results in many gatherings and teachings today.
The thought process behind this is something to pay attention to. They defined three types of people: Lunatics, Tramps and Householders. And decided that the best way to succeed in any venture is to seek out the “householders” in the population.
A good householder is someone who can organize themselves, knows how to be in a family, knows how to organize their finances and all their “stuff”. They know how to conduct themselves and are generally reliable and solid. If they say “I’m going to be here at ten past one.” They will be there and you can count on that.
A “Lunatic” is someone that is full of knowledge and brilliance. They might be a politician, a great military man, or a great poet. But they are lacking in reliability, discernment and judgement.
Lunatics
A “Tramp” has lots of great intent, lots of amazing hope and a great feeling of spirituality. They have a great desire to see a better world with clean oceans and happy skies…but that is it. They have no discipline, no judgement, and no reliability.
Tramps
Lunatics and Tramps do not have the characteristics needed to run a household.
The more serious spiritual teachers define the starting point for a man or woman of real substance by their ability to be a good householder. If you cannot manage your own house, then you are not ready for the higher levels of spiritual learning. Lunatics and Tramps are caught on an adolescent merry go round.
Kramer states “There are lots of tramps in the new age movement and they are nice people. But I can see that they can’t sustain growth, because they haven’t learned the art of the householder. The only way of demonstrating the embodiment of wisdom is in deeds and conduct. Not in what you say or think or in your ideology. “
I agree with Kramer. After working with so many people in the new age movement over the last couple of years I find myself always asking the same set of questions before I will agree to work with someone.
Show me what you do and what you’ve done and show me how you did it. How did you conduct yourself? Do you know how to conduct yourself, with your mother, with your child, with the lady at the office, with the guy at immigration control office? Do you know how to conduct yourself under those circumstances? These circumstances are the flesh of your spiritual life.
