Spirituality in a Fractured World
An experiential online journey to help you reconcile with the world’s discord and return to wholeness
Spiritual Maturity: Healing the Divide
At the heart of the global conflicts, polarization, and social upheaval we face today are personal conflicts that mask a deeper existential issue – our separation from our true nature. The greatest pain we experience, whether consciously or unconsciously, is this separation from the spiritual realm, from the part of us that is eternal and unified.
This disconnection is an out-of-touchness with what is most real within us and leads to a fundamental sense of insecurity. This insecurity makes all the other pains and frustrations of life surface with greater intensity, as we are seeing with the pervasive negativity and discord.
How do we grow as human beings to stay in touch with what’s most real and resolve this internal fracture? What impact does this inner development and maturation have on how we meet our fractured world?
To move towards wholeness within ourselves and in an optimizing direction for everyone, we need to start with our own consciousness. To be a spiritually mature human being in the world, we need to open up the layers of our own inner conflicts and the sources of our disconnection.
As these layers unfold and we reunite with our deepest nature, we come to recognize that there is a loving intelligence guiding our transformation–a fundamentally creative energy, a truly optimizing force, that includes and transcends all of the inner and outer turmoil.
This reunion allows us to embody the confidence and maturity we need to navigate a world full of beauty and challenges. Rather than reacting to the world from a place of insecurity, we can live from the groundedness, luminosity, goodness, and mystery that is our deepest nature in our daily interactions, even in the face of differing viewpoints and global discord.
To move towards unification within ourselves and in an optimizing direction for everyone, we need to start with our own consciousness. In this course, we will receive expert guidance as we embark on this essential journey with a global community of sincere spiritual explorers. Together, we will learn practices to resolve our inner conflicts, heal divisiveness, and move beyond polarization to more fully meet the world in loving, intelligent, and productive ways.
“When we are more complete as human beings and have matured into our depth, we become servants of that depth by living a life that is full and human, without ever leaving this transcendent depth.”
Spirituality in a Fractured World will help you...
- Navigate Polarization: Learn practical methods for cutting through divisiveness in your daily life and spiritual path, moving beyond conventional tactics to find a deeper, more effective approach.
- Cultivate Foundational Spiritual Qualities: Discover which qualities are essential for facing today’s tense and challenging times and gain practical tools for integrating and embodying them in your life.
- Stay Connected to Your Spiritual Realization: Develop methods to live from your spiritual nature even when feeling charged or reactive.
- Engage Your Personal Thread: Identify the intersection of psychological and spiritual work that will most support you in authentically living from your deeper nature.
- Relate from Our Shared Humanity: Navigate the challenge of keeping your heart open to those with differing and opposing viewpoints by exploring methods for relating and responding more effectively.
“We are here to inspire people to take the risk to go within, to face the sorrow, the demons, to trust the transformation. We don’t have to leave this earth, or live in a cave.”
A Note From A.H. Almaas
I started out as a physicist and mathematician. I was a scientist who then became a psychologist before realizing what I was looking for was the truth of reality and the truth of myself. I became engaged in spiritual teachings and worked with therapists and teachers to clarify my personal history and realize my spiritual nature.
Our spirit is the essence of who we are, just like the atoms that make up the body. We are all connected. We are waves of the same ocean. Our essence is that which is beyond appearances, ideas, feelings, and sensations. It’s our invisible core, our true self, our authenticity. When we’re in touch with our authenticity without any filters or preconceived notions of who you are or who I am, we open ourselves up to experiencing the nakedness of truth.
Spirituality is engagement with this truth. Being on a spiritual path means taking a turn inward, becoming interested in more than appearances. It means being in touch with the real depth of where our human goodness comes from.
If you’re ready for a love affair, a passionate immersion into your internal treasures that will allow you the pleasure of your own beauty and the beauty of others, you’re in the right place.
If you’re ready to ask yourself, “is this the deepest thing I am?” and “what else can I be?”, your essence of goodness may be ready to come out, even in the face of the world’s great dysfunction. As such, I’m deeply honored to offer you a path to wholeness that has been long-waiting to come through: Spirituality in a Fractured World.
Sincerely,
A. H. Almaas
Course Structure
Learn
Each module contains a pre-recorded teaching carefully crafted by Karen Johnson and A. H. Almaas to help people experience the ways spirituality can be a compass and an anchor as we traverse the difficulties of our time.
Practice
Take the teachings from the intellectual to the experiential in each module's guided meditation and Diamond Inquiry exercises.
To help participants deepen their skill in the practice of Diamond Inquiry and benefit the most from the course exercises, you will also receive a free bonus course, Discover Your Truth Through Diamond Inquiry.
Deepen
Go deeper into each module's content in a pre-recorded Question & Comment session where A. H. Almaas and Karen Johnson offer additional teachings and practices and answer questions from previous course participants around the world.
Integrate
Explore supplementary practices and inquiries to support your integration of the course material into your daily life.
“If even some small part of you is curious how to live in the real world as part of your spiritual path - then take the course. It will support you and those you care about being more authentic in your lives.”
Here’s What You’ll Explore in the Course
Module 1:
Fractured Unity
How does spiritual practice integrate with the world, especially when it’s in turmoil and distress?
In Module 1, you will start unwrapping the layers of your experience by exploring how you are being impacted by what is currently happening in the world. How is it affecting your outlook about the world and your personal life? How is your outlook shaping your relationship to yourself, your spiritual practices, and broader issues?
Module 2:
Open Window
It’s common for us to have convictions, positions, attitudes, and beliefs about reality that prevent us from seeing things freshly, outside of our fixed view, or as they really are. How can we be truly open to others—even when we find their views concerning or wrong?
In Module 2, you will have the opportunity to discover exactly how true openness within ourselves is our ally in healing discord. You will examine your positions on current world issues, explore why you are may not be open to other points of view, and experiment with new methods of accessing true openness.
Module 3:
Red Dragon
How can difficult emotions such as anger, fear, and resentment be transmuted into liberation? True strength is needed and you will learn how anger can be a gateway to this strength.
In Module 3, you will explore situations or viewpoints in the world that frighten you and make you angry—as well as the ways you experience your expansive strength and can “wake up” to our underlying unity while wrestling with conflict.
Module 4:
The Green Guide
Compassion is essential in healing the pain of discord and divisiveness. Together, we will learn how to access greater compassion within ourselves and act from the ethics of our natural condition of openness, respect, and love.
In Module 4, you will identify world circumstances you find painful or hurtful—and how you avoid emotional hurt. We will then inquire into and experientially explore how the emotional pain we avoid is actually a portal to the very compassion we most need.
Module 5:
It’s All Good
Both historical and present-day experiences can make us question the underlying goodness of life. Fortunately, we can learn how to soften our defenses, experience basic trust in this goodness, and be in touch with true inner resources.
In Module 5, we will explore ways you experience basic trust and ways it may be limited for you. We will apply this to world situations that impact that trust and discover how fear itself can be a gateway into deepening our trust in life’s unfolding.
Module 6:
Divine Emissaries
There is a goodness that is inherent in all of us—but how can we act from that goodness in the face of all the chaos in the world? How can each of us be true representatives of inner goodness and bring that quality to bear in our life situations and the world?
In Module 6, we will unveil how you express the inner goodness you have experienced and what can get in the way of that goodness coming through. We’ll look at areas of your life or larger social issues that are important to you to explore how that goodness both shines and is limited in those arenas.
Module 7:
The Inner Warrior
The true confidence, support, steadfastness, and solidity that we need to navigate the world comes from inside, from our own spiritual potential, not from life circumstances or external structures and safeguards.
In Module 7, you’ll tap into the inner quality that can give us the mooring we need to feel grounded and help us recognize the indestructible refuge that is always available and here to help us.
Module 8:
Riding the Tsunami
The chaos of the world can feel overwhelming, like a powerful tsunami that sweeps us away and makes it challenging to stay engaged in the spiritual practices we need to feel grounded in and able to take action from the wisdom of our deeper nature.
In Module 8, we will explore ways we can “ride the tsunami” and harness the chaotic energies in the world to support our inner practice and our ability to take meaningful action.
Module 9:
Diamond Planet
In this time of polarized opinions, some people have come to consider critical thinking suspect and immediately reject information from new sources. However, a dangerous situation is created when we are taught not to think and to doubt any information except from sources that support our usual way of thinking.
In Module 9, we will explore how our worldviews have developed, how rigid or open our views are, and how to stay experientially closer to the openness of our true nature that is necessary for flexible, discerning learning amid the complexity of our world.
Module 10:
Utterly Human
What does it mean to be truly human? When people talk about “human nature,” they are often referring to our flaws: the ways we act out, are reactive, angry, etc. But true human beings are defined by our hearts, by our embodiment of presence, by our knowing of the underlying unity that goes beyond just connecting us all: It is what we are, deeply and truly.
In Module 10, you will explore the ways you have been impacted by and integrated all that you have learned in the course. You will dive into what it means to be truly human and in touch with our deepest nature, as well as the ways your participation in this inner work ripples out into the world to the benefit of all humanity.
“This is not fast food for the soul. This path is a love affair. It is a passionate and immersing, drowning in love, love affair.”
Meet Your Teachers
A. H. Almaas (Hameed Ali)
A.H. Almaas (pen name for Hameed Ali) is the founder of the Diamond Approach to Self-Realization, a contemporary teaching that developed within the context of both ancient spiritual teachings and modern depth psychology theories. He has authored eighteen books about spiritual realization, including the Diamond Heart series, The Pearl Beyond Price, The Void, and The Alchemy of Freedom.
He is the founder of the Ridhwan School for Spiritual Development, an inner work school devoted to the realization of True Nature. The orientation of the school is directed toward guiding students to realize their true nature to the fullest realization and further still to endless enlightenment.
Karen Johnson
Karen Johnson is the co-developer of the Diamond Approach as it is taught in the Ridhwan School today, having worked alongside Hameed Ali (A. H. Almaas) for the last 40 years. Karen was trained in art and dance and began the journey into the spiritual universe at 14 years old with the guidance of her parents.
First, she was introduced to yoga and meditation and then learned about other forms of spiritual practice, which allowed her to develop her innate paranormal capacities. After attending California College of Arts and Crafts, she befriended Hameed Ali, and with him began a new trajectory into the secrets of the universe of Being, which became the Diamond Approach. Karen also received an MA in psychology at JFK University in 1990 and is the author of two books, The Jeweled Path: The Biography of the Diamond Approach to Inner Realization and The Power of Divine Eros: The Illuminating Force of Love in Everyday Life. She continues to venture into new explorations of the endless realms of our miraculous Nature.
FAQ
What is the Ridhwan School?
“Ridhwan” is a Sufi word. It means “satisfied and satisfying.” Our school, home to more than 4,000 students across the globe, has the potential to both help you to be fulfilled and to help others be fulfilled. Students learn to ground, sensitize, recognize, and trust the inherent guidance of Being.
What is the Diamond Approach?
The Diamond Approach is the core teaching of the Ridhwan School, a spiritual path that approaches our ordinary experiences, emotions, and sensations in a friendly way of understanding. This radical acceptance of our situation allows something to come through that puts us in touch with our spirituality.
In the Diamond Approach, everything we experience is utilized as a doorway to our spiritual nature. Rather than negating or seeking to transcend parts of our humanness that are considered barriers to realization, we learn to approach each aspect of our physical, emotional, and mental experience with acceptance and open curiosity to discover its truth. We do meditation and other exercises, but the main method is Diamond Inquiry™: non-judgment of what we’re experiencing, which brings crisp clarity into one’s own truth.
What’s included in the program?
When you register for the program, you’ll receive admission to all 10 modules in the course. You’ll participate in video teachings, guided practices, experiential exercises, and have the opportunity to learn from previous participants during the questions and comments recordings. Upon registering, you will gain lifetime access to the course.
Are the sessions live or pre-recorded? What happens if I miss one?
The course is pre-recorded and you are welcome to follow the 1o-module structure on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly schedule or go at your own pace.
Will you be mailing anything to me or is everything digital?
Once payment is received you will receive an email with your login details, then you are officially in! You will receive everything in your email inbox, including instructions on how to access the course.
You are encouraged to navigate the course at your own pace, and we will email you weekly with new modules to support your engagement. If you do not wish to receive weekly course emails, please contact us at daosupport@ridhwan.org.
Do you offer financial assistance such as scholarships for online courses?
Yes! To apply for financial assistance for any of our courses, click here to complete a scholarship application.
What if I have questions?
We’re here to support you on your journey and help with any questions you may have about enrolling and accessing the course. For support please email daosupport@ridhwan.org. Be sure to add this address to your contact list so we don’t end up in your Junk/Spam/Promotions folder. But please check there just in case!
Is there a refund policy?
Yes. If you are dissatisfied with the course —for any reason—simply contact us for a refund within 30 days of purchase. You will receive a refund to the original payment method, less a $25.00 processing fee.
Are You Ready to Explore Spirituality in a Fractured World?
Choose a Payment Option That is Right for You
Standard Tuition
The standard tuition for this course is $225
Reduced Tuition
In order to make online spiritual support more accessible to our global community, we also offer a reduced tuition option of $150 for anyone who needs it.
"Pay It Forward" Tuition
For those who are able to help, you can “Pay It Forward” by selecting the $300 tuition and those additional funds go directly to provide scholarship opportunities for others.
Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions
© Copyright Diamond Approach, Ridhwan School – All rights reserved.