The Work we do here (in the Diamond Approach)…
….is the kind of work that must be done by any human being in order to truly grow up. It is difficult, it takes a long time, it is complex, and it involves much more than you imagine at the beginning. When you come here initially, you arrive with many ideas and beliefs about what the Work is going to do for you. If you stay in it, you will realize that the Work will not do just the things you expected, but a thousand more things. You will also see that to be engaged in the Work in a genuine way, so that you can grow to be a mature human being, you have to do a lot more than you thought. This is because there is a lot more to a human being than you originally believed. The process of maturation takes a lot of work, a lot of effort, a lot of dedication, and a lot of patience. – A. H. Almaas, Diamond Heart Book Four: Indestructible Innocence
Burning Both Ends of the Candle
In the Diamond Approach, we work on both the personality and the spiritual. Work on one’s personality is used as a way to access spiritual states of consciousness.
- Working on the ego/personality includes exploring the truth of our – issues, beliefs, attitudes, structures, barriers, defenses, psychodynamics, character structures and traits, ideas, preconceptions, obscurations, etc.
- Spiritual work includes exploring the soul, essence, true nature, dimensions, wisdom vehicles, consciousness, awareness, presence, and much more.
We have seen in the Work here that the more you look at yourself, the more you understand the way you are now, how your personality has developed, what motivates it, and what keeps it in place—in other words, if you understand your fears, anger, and hurt, in time, this understanding will set you free from them. The reactions of your personality will not have the same power and tenacity as before. You’ll experience more and more freedom and expansion. You’ll be more free to feel yourself. You’ll be more free in your actions and in your interactions with others. This is what the Work is about. “The truth will set you free.” From everybody’s experience here, it does work this way. – A. H. Almaas, Diamond Heart Book One: Elements of the Real in Man
There are four main venues for the Diamond Approach Work:
- Private Sessions – One-on-one work with a Diamond Approach Teacher. Sessions are normally 60 minutes.
- Small Group Sessions – A small group of students meets with a Diamond Approach teacher for 2.5 hours.
- Large Group Teachings – Weekend meetings or longer retreats explore specific aspects and teachings of the Diamond Approach.
- All-School Summer Retreat – After completing work on the Point, the true self, students are eligible to attend the yearly 8-day summer retreat.
The body of work that has grown out of the 40-year evolution of the Diamond Approach is really quite astounding. In the first few years of study, a student will explore such things as Inquiry, Superego, Space, 5 Essential Qualities seen as basic to working on oneself, Soul, True Identity, Personal Essence, and Object Relations to name a few.
Going forward, the work engages topics such as:
- The Boundless Dimensions
- Real Action
- The Witness
- Purification of the Soul
- Mystical Poverty
- Surrender
- Instincts (sexual, social, survival)
- Value
- Vulnerability
- Acceptance
- Forgiveness
- Enneagram of Holy Ideas,
- Universal Will
- Passionate Love
- Fulfillment
Almaas’ recognition as a spiritual teacher is evident through his teachings and writings, which have been influential in the spiritual community. The Diamond Approach is described as a “response to an important need” for a spiritually informed psychology and a psychologically grounded spirituality. It offers a precise description of various aspects and dimensions of Spirit or Being and is considered a form of spiritual psychotherapy. Almaas has been teaching since 1976 and has established centers in the San Francisco Bay Area and Colorado. His work has been appreciated for its precision, experimental approach, and emphasis on the love of truth, and he has been referred to as a “true spiritual genius” by some in the field. Tami Simons, Sounds True
The work on each subject includes: exploring ego issues and barriers, past history, how our current perspective serves us, how what is false is an attempt to create something real, and, of course, what the real is and how to allow it to emerge.