If you’ve been studying or practicing the Craft for very long, you’ve probably come across the concept of the Great Work. The Great Work, as it is understood by my tradition, is the process of discovering who you are, what your true will is, and how to manifest that true will. It’s a process that takes a lifetime to complete, or at least to make progress on. It’s also a process that will have fits and starts, highs and lows, smooth sailing and stormy seas. And it can be a process fraught with toxic positivity and spiritual bypass if you don’t take time out to do the inner work necessary to care for yourself psychologically as well as to advance spiritually. Just because it’s called the Great Work doesn’t mean it calls for perfect attendance and perfect performance. Manifesting your true will in this world is a worthy goal, but so is paying the rent and so is healing from trauma. We can’t be blissful and benevolent all the time. It’s simply not true to the human experience.
I propose an alternative way of seeing and acting out one’s life purpose. I call it the Good-Enough Work. It’s a way of looking at life in a manner that acknowledges the struggles, both collective and personal, that a practitioner may be experiencing. The Good-Enough Work is a spiritual framework rather than a psychological one; its purpose isn’t to replace appropriate professional mental health treatment but rather to bolster the practitioner spiritually as they work through stress and trauma with their mundane care team. It’s built around what I call the three A’s – Acknowledgement, Acceptance, and Advancement – which correspond to questions about identity, desire, and effort.
Acknowledgement
Acknowledgement is a call for us to recognize who we are in the present moment. This includes the struggles and limitations we have in this moment, which may be different from day to day or week to week or even hour to hour, as well as the attitudes and behaviors we’re exhibiting. It answers the question, “Who am I right now and how does that person differ from my vision of my true self?”
Acceptance
Acceptance is a call to appreciate where we are in this present moment without judgment of that place. This includes the physical, mental, and spiritual resources we have in this moment as well as the situation itself. It answers the question, “What do I really want right now and how attached am I to that desire?”
Advancement
Advancement is a call to understand what we are able and willing to undertake to move into a more serene and comfortable future. It focuses on what one can actually do rather than idealized, fantastic, or unachievable actions. It answers the question, “What one little thing can I do right now to step into a future that is more peaceful and fulfilling for me?”
The Three A’s in Action
The three A’s are very much focused on the present moment. They’re designed to get us thinking about little ways to experience our true will in action. The first question challenges us to look at who we are, both on the surface and deep in our soul, and recognize that our thoughts and behaviors might be out of alignment with the true self that resides deep within our hearts. This acknowledgement allows us to slow down, look around, understand our own feelings and reactions, and be deliberate with any changes – if indeed there are changes – that we wish to make in that moment. For example, I might recognize that I am too much of a giver at work and that this has led to poor boundaries, overcommitment, and stress. In this case, I might acknowledge my identity as a generous and community-minded person who has difficulty disappointing others because of fear of rejection.
The second question challenges us to look at the world around us – our circumstances, our resources, our needs, our wants – and observe reality both as it truly is and as we want it to be. This acceptance of our current situation allows us to assess the possibilities of the present moment and understand our own willingness to act in accordance with our true will even if we are also trying to address more practical circumstances. To continue with my example, I might accept my current situation as an overworked employee as an attempt to insulate myself against others’ judgment and to feel secure in my economic situation, and while that is certainly what I want on a practical level, that’s not what I truly want in the depths of my heart. What I truly want is emotional and material security so I can go on fulfilling my vocation as a priestess. When I accept my true desire, I become open to other ways I can gain the security that I need.
The third question challenges us to take action in a way that we are both able and willing to do. This advancement is a small baby step on our life path, one that can lead to greater strides to come. In my example, I might realize that the heart of the issue is that I am stressed about my financial situation and the emotional upheaval it brings and I feel like I have to overcommit in order to stay financially stable. I may wish to improve that situation in order to become more secure, and I could decide to advance into my future by putting a money jar on my altar and contributing a certain amount from each paycheck – in cash – to the jar. That way the money is no longer burning a hole in my digital wallet and I am less likely to dip into it on a whim. By taking one small action to change the way I stay financially healthy, I shift some of the economic stress off of my shoulders and feel less emotional pressure to overwork and people-please because I feel like I can afford to say no to my colleagues and superiors. In this case, the Good-Enough Work helped me take a practical step toward feeling like I could focus more on my vocation by building up some financial padding from my occupation and treating it in a sacred way.