The Diamond Approach is a contemporary path of spiritual realization emerging within and informed by the specific time we live in. It brings forth a unique view, understanding, and application of ancient spiritual wisdom and contemporary psychological knowledge to help us discover and embody our essential nature as we live our complex, modern lives.
The full Diamond Approach spiritual curriculum is offered only through long-term teaching groups. Over the last 50 years, we’ve found this practice community format to be the most supportive way for sincere spiritual explorers to uncover their true potential. Read on to learn about what teaching groups are, who they’re for, how to join, and where to find an open group near you.
About Teaching Groups
[When] speaking about an essential aspect or dimension of true nature, the [Diamond Approach] teacher invokes it in their consciousness, and it becomes their presence. By communicating the inner orderly flow in the skillful and guided speech, they guides the souls of their listeners to align themselves with such unfoldment.
It may seem as if a they are pouring the substance and presence of truth into their listeners’ souls, but in fact the teacher is only inviting their souls to align themselves the way the teacher is aligning themselves. Through such alignment the listener’s experience can begin to unfold, revealing the truth the speaker is communicating in the personal experience of the listener.
Teaching Groups provide the most complete immersion in the body of knowledge and practices of the Diamond Approach Path. Uncommon in the modern world, these groups bring together committed individuals who become experientially steeped in the teachings, and share and support each other’s transformational journey over time. Each teaching group is made up of a cohort of dozens of students who travel the path together for years – learning, recognizing their true nature, and practicing to live from their essential nature in daily life.
Students usually stay as long as they like. What we offer deepens over time and there is no end to the spiritual illumination and maturation. That is a feature of our path: there is no endpoint. It continues to be a journey for the spirited, adventuring nomad who is not satisfied with knowing only one state of consciousness, but is interested in traveling unhindered into the magical display of the inner universe.
Who Are Teaching Groups For?
• Lovers of the truth longing to unite with their deepest nature and express that in their daily lives.
• People who have had psychotherapy or engaged other psychological disciplines and are drawn to deeper explorations of their consciousness.
• Journeyers who have had nondual or oneness/unitive experiences (meditation, plant medicine, being in nature, etc.) and recognize a need for context and integration without religion or dogma.
• People who feel called to experience for themselves what they’ve read in Diamond Approach books or what they’ve witnessed transforming in their loved ones as a result of their work in the school.
• Inner explorers searching for community, experiential guidance, and a detailed, layered map that meets you at successive stages of spiritual and psychological development.
Teaching Group Format
Teaching Weekends and Retreats
When a new teaching group is formed, one of three formats is chosen: a weekend format, a retreat format, or a combination of the two. The number of days per meeting and the number of meetings per year vary by teaching group.
While the optimal setting for receiving the teachings is in-person gatherings, the school is also experimenting with offering online-only as well as hybrid (in-person combined with online) teaching groups. You can find the details about a groups’ format including meeting location and language on their individual group page.
Large Group Meetings
Large group meetings bring together everyone in the teaching group to hear and explore the core Diamond Approach teachings. These live, interactive talks are led by a Diamond Approach teacher. Each meeting includes a period of meditation, followed by the teaching, interactive, small group exercises, and time for questions and comments with the teacher.
During teaching sessions, students receive instruction in various Diamond Approach practices including meditation, vocalization, visualization, sensing, movement, and our unique practice of inquiry. Because this path recognizes and respects the individuality of each person’s experience and expression, these practices are designed to help each student experientially explore and test the truth of the teaching for themselves.
The teaching builds on itself, therefore, it is expected that students will participate in all large group meetings. All sessions are recorded so that students can easily make up any sessions they miss and students who join after the group has begun can catch up.
Small Groups
Small groups are subgroups of the large teaching group, which meet periodically for on-going work in a more personal setting. Each small group brings together 15-20 students. This more intimate setting provides students with an opportunity to inquire into their experience with the help of a teacher, and also to be impacted by work the teacher does with their peers. Within this shared field, students get to experience and know each other in more true and meaningful ways. The small community element provides another layer of support and relating that can take us more deeply into the immediacy of our individual experience. The frequency, format, and cost of small groups vary depending on overall group format and locations of the students in the group.
Private Sessions
A unique feature of the Diamond Approach is one-on-one private sessions with a DA teacher. DA teachers have been rigorously trained in various spiritual modalities and psychological knowledge over many years. The steady, mature support they offer through private sessions is considered “the heart” of our inner work and essential for helping students reconnect with their authentic nature.
Sessions are specifically tailored to a student’s particular needs and level of development and designed to help students navigate their individual experience to reveal the underlying meaning and depth of that experience. In this way, private sessions are critical to deepening students’ spiritual development and integrating the teachings into their daily lives. The frequency, format, and cost of private sessions vary by group.
How do I join a teaching group?
Some people know right away that they want to join a group to fully engage the Diamond Approach Path. Others explore books, free teachings, and online courses for years before they feel called to join a teaching group. Whenever the time is right, here are the typical steps for finding and joining a Diamond Approach Teaching Group:
Step 1: Explore the open groups
Browse the list of featured groups to find an open group near you or one with a meeting format that works for you.
Step 2: Dive into group details
Read the group page to learn more about the group(s) you’re interested in, including the teachers, group format, location, etc.
Step 3: Attend an introductory event
If you’d like to get a feel for the group you’re interested in joining, you can participate in an event hosted by that group. You can find events open to everyone on that group’s page.
Step 4: Complete an Application & Information Statement
Everyone interested in joining a teaching group will complete an application and an information statement (a document describing the nature of the work we do). Your group application will be reviewed by your group’s teachers.
Every group has a unique application process. To find the details for joining the group you’re interested in, go to that group’s page. There, you will find the steps for applying to join the group, including where to find an application, the application deadline, and how to get your questions answered about the process.
Find an Open Teaching Group
Would you like to continue your inner journey with a local community of sincere spiritual seekers? Click below to explore the list of open teaching groups to find a community near you.