“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.”
Not just throughout the United States, but throughout the world. It’s full of conflict, chaos, polarization, and negativity. Nations are warring, fascism threatens democratic institutions, and nationalism is creating division and opposition across the globe. On top of all this, the world is now struggling with the coronavirus pandemic.
There are good things happening, but the chaos is becoming more extreme. Anger, fear, distrust, and opposition is an epidemic. It’s a difficult time, and there is a lack of empathy across our species.
Even though climate change is scientifically proven, there’s still disagreement. We are devolving, instead of moving forward. Our reactivity is creating a wedge that is fracturing our families, our communities, and our countries. We need to see and acknowledge this discord within ourselves first in order to reach harmony in the world.
By applying spiritual teachings to our current situation, this course will first reveal where we are — where you are. Then it will address how to deal with it; how to return to wholeness, where we’re not divided internally, where our hearts and minds are companions rather than disparate parts of ourselves. The more you are spiritual, the more you will connect with others. The more you will realize that we are all the same and beautifully unique without contradiction.
“Not of it” means your essential nature is not in the physical world that people know. “In the world” means being grounded in your situation and bringing the spiritual goodness and mystery into the actions and interactions of your personal life. It means you are in the reality of the moment; you are free from the influences of the world that disconnect us from our nature.
This course is about understanding, compassion, and bringing our humanity to bear so that, hopefully, we will have a chance to move the world towards the better.
Spirituality in a Fractured World takes a look at your inner conflicts, the difficulty of those inner conflicts, our reactions to the world’s situation, our inability to deal with certain things, and suggestions and practices on bringing ourselves more fully in it, in a productive way.
We invite you to join us on a transformational journey over the next 10 weeks, that will help you to find your way in to that wellspring of being that you know is there, but you may not know how to access.
“Nothing is as important as who you truly are—your essence, which is pure Being.”
Get a different, deeper perspective and discover that true tranquility exists when you’re in touch with something real
Change your relationship with emotional triggers by experiencing less charge in life
Be yourself more authentically, which the world needs now
Be more peaceful, solid and grounded during life transitions — the good and the challenging ones
Experience more space, more objectivity, more thoughtfulness in making choices
Feel more satisfied and supported in daily life
“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.”
10 Weeks of Spiritual & Self-Realization Training
Spirituality In a Fractured World Online Course with teachers, A. Hameed Ali and Karen Johnson
Special Final Live Teaching Session with Hameed and Karen
To Take Place In November Right Before the US Election
2 Live Q&A Sessions with Hameed and Karen and 9 pre-recorded Q&As
To Deeply Explore the Course and Connect with the Teachers
Guided Meditations, Teachings, & Interactive Exercises
Spiritual Practices Designed Specifically for the Present Day and Current Climate of the World
Access to a Private Teacher-Moderated Facebook Group
Learn and share support with other students and experienced Diamond Approach teachers
“The year 2020 may very well turn out to be one of the most important years in our lifetimes in terms of impacting the future on not only me personally but the world as a whole. I, for one, will be taking the course again because I want as much support as I can get to have my eyes wide open and to be at peace with myself and the world and not look away.”
“Spirituality in a Fractured World was richly rewarding. I was jazzed to hear Hameed and Karen talk about the hot mess of our everyday world, about the painful expressions we encounter in our everyday lives... and then not using spirituality as a means of escape from the world’s problems, but as a richly varied method to fully encounter them. The promise of authentic Presence continues to pull me through many of the world’s false dichotomies.
I can choose to engage more fully by diving into and beyond my pain, experiencing glimmers of the immanent truth within our human struggles, and sharing that awareness with others.”
“This Spirituality in a Fractured World was extraordinary for me - it gave me an opportunity to deeply explore how I live my life in the real world and how aware I am of how I am living with other beings and with nature and with this planet.
I’d heard the Ridhwan phrase “in the world, but not of it” many times, but during Spirituality in a Fractured World was the first time I really felt what it meant in my soul and my mind and my body. 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.”
How does spiritual practice integrate with the world, especially when it’s in turmoil and distress?
In Module 1, you will be invited to explore how you are being impacted by what is happening in the world around us. How is it affecting your outlook on the world and your personal life? What you are doing about it in yourself, in your spiritual practices, and in relation to social and political issues?
In Module 2, you will discuss positions you have about world issues, explore why you are not open to other points of view, and what it’s like for you to be open to alternate points of view.
In Module 3, you will discuss situations in the world that frighten you and make you angry. You will also discuss the ways you experience your expansive strength and “wake up” to our underlying unity.
In Module 4, we will discuss things you feel hurt about and what you do to avoid emotional hurt. We will then inquire into how the emotional pain we avoid is actually a portal to the very compassion we most need.
Develop basic trust in the underlying goodness of life, which softens our defenses and creates opportunities to be in touch with true inner resources.
In Module 5, we will discuss ways that you experience basic trust and ways it may be limited for you. We will also discuss world situations that impact that trust and discover how fear itself can be a gateway into deepening our trust in life’s unfolding.
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 explore how you are able to express the inner goodness you have experienced and what may stand in the way. We’ll look at specific areas that are important to you (racism, nationalism, climate change, etc.) and explore how that goodness comes out in those areas and how it is limited.
The confidence, support, steadfastness, and solidity that we need to navigate the world in these times has to come 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.
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 and able to take action in our lives.
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.
Critical thinking has come to be considered a threat by some in these times of political unrest. A dangerous situation is created when we are taught NOT to think and not to trust any information except from sources that support our usual way of thinking.
In Module 9, we will explore how our political positions have developed and how rigid or open our views are. We will learn how openness is necessary for true learning at any level.
A LIVE ONLINE Teaching and Q&As with the founders, Hameed and Karen
Special Live Closing Module. In the final module of the course, we will gather together live for a special closing event to support you with what is happening in the world, culturally and politically.
Sunday, November 1, 2020 from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Pacific
Asia/Australia/US
Saturday, November 7, 2020 from 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Pacific
Europe/US
Sunday, November 29, 2020 from 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Pacific
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 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.
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 inquiry: non-judgment of what we’re experiencing, which brings crisp clarity into one’s own truth.
“The main method is inquiry, an investigation of your own personal experience. Inquiry is not just a mental investigation but one that involves sensing, feeling deeply, and understanding all of your experience.”
Your enrollment includes access to 10 weeks of online guidance, experiential practices, meditations, a private Facebook community, and live events during the final module where you’ll have the opportunity to connect live with Karen, Hameed, and the course community. All your recordings and teachings will be available in a private learning portal for easy access.
Both! Most modules and Q&A sessions for the Spirituality In a Fractured World course are pre-recorded and will be released weekly. In the final module you’ll enjoy a full live event, including a teaching and interactive exercises with the teachers and two opportunities to participate in live Q&A sessions.
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. Please check your spam folder to locate the email that says ‘Congratulations on your enrollment in Spirituality In a Fractured World- Access Instructions.’
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!
Yes. If you are dissatisfied with the course —for any reason—simply contact us within 30 days of course start.
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