Is Your House in Order?

Is Your House in Order?

Real will only be when one ‘I’ rules, when there is a ‘master’ in the house. ─ G.I. Gurdjieff

While thinking about this week’s theme on Good Householder, it occurred to me that there is a parallel idea in the field of healthy psychology that some people may be more familiar with. Maslow's hierarchy of needs describes the preconditions necessary for a person to realize self-actualization. As I understand it, his theory posits that unless your basic needs (I would say ‘instinctive’ needs) are met, one cannot work on higher development.

I doubt whether Gurdjieff was familiar with his writings, but whether he was or was not, there is an obvious parallel in the Fourth Way. We emphasize as a normal prerequisite the necessity of being a ‘good householder,’ meaning I need to have my household affairs in order before I can devote the energy and resources to internal psychological and spiritual work.

Based on my own experience, I have found, for example, that when my finances are in disarray, my instinctive center is so dominant that it is difficult to focus on anything else. So, you might say that good householder is simply an idea about putting things right before venturing into more challenging pursuits, such as self-work. There is nothing harder than working on reducing mechanical tendencies and replacing them with self-remembering.

Good householder is a practical idea. If I cannot pay my way, how can I expect to attend a concert or take a vacation? Without being too formatory with this idea, it is a useful way of thinking about putting first things first. It is wonderful to dream and to ponder big ideas, but if your head is in the clouds, then your feet need to be squarely and firmly on the ground.

Gurdjieff also said that if you gave him a man who could do one thing well, he could teach him to awaken. The ‘doing one thing well’ concept is an extension of the good householder idea. If you have the discipline to master a skill, profession, or craft, then you might be able to apply yourself to the Work. There are no guarantees, but there also are no free lunches.

What do you need to do to put your house in order? Ask yourself these questions: Can you manage the physical and fiscal demands of your life? Can you do one thing well, or are you at least making efforts on doing one thing well? Do you dream of realizing your full divine potential? If you answer yes to these questions, then you may be on the Way. Your house is in order.

For I speak not as dreamer but as one awake within the song. ─ Korinna (Greek poet)

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Rudolf Weisse, A Metal Craftsman