So having met Philip Carr-Gomm the Chief Druid of Bards, Ovates & Druids on friday night, I was musing on the difference between him and Dr John F Demartini, who has been my mentor for the past 7 years.
Both masters, both the heads of global organisations, both studied a spiritual path and yet both have a business background as well. Both definitely people who can inspire and affect you, just by their presence. But there are some big differences as well.
Perhaps Philip isn’t aware of the value of spending time with him, or he is maybe not wanting to filter people financially, whereas John is totally aware that people would pay hundreds to spend an evening with him. Instead perhaps Druidism is Philips filter, as only those interested in more ancient religions will appreciate the wisdom. Both will undoubtedly be filtering unconsciously how many people they reach, as neither are going for a mass market approach of ‘follow me and I’ll make you happy’.
Philip is much more interested in creating a relationship with people, which he shows by his good internet presence, being on facebook, and his general comfort & demeanor in a social situation. John would admit that social events are not his forte, and possibly because he has a larger organisation it is not possible for him to connect in the same way. However, the power of technology would allow it, if it was in his value systems to do it some way, but his top values are teaching and learning.
John is almost obsessive in his work ethic, with very few sleep hours and hardly any downtime. Whereas Philip walks the dog, and has a partner who sternly reminds him that it is time to come home when he has got too engulfed in the company of a pile of interesting people. Both probably very difficult men to live with as a partner! It’s totally working for John, with around a billion of people having heard of him now and thousands studying with him each year. In comparison Philip’s organisation has around 12,000 members and probably a thousand studying each year. So success for each, but a bit more smelling of the roses on Philip’s side and airplane travel on John’s side.
I really loved discussing themes, and brainstorming with Philip, and the only reason I could do that is because of the amazing depth and intensity of the training that I have received from John.
So it left me thinking about what I would love to achieve and be ‘masterful’ at. With 650,000 babies born every year in the UK and about 3.5million in the US, I would certainly love to reach millions of Mums and feel that I had enabled them to love their lives just a little bit more, and have loads more sparkle & contentment. From there, the families will have stronger foundations and the kids will grow stronger and truer, becoming my indirect ‘billions’. But meeting Philip reminded me to set my expectations realistically, as relationships are also higher up on my values, and I do love fun, and smelling lovely flowers. So I’m looking for an in between approach with lots of focus on work, but also with an equal focus on fun and family.