The aspect of the Citadel provides guidance for how to live one’s life according to the Truth of Being. It is referred to as “objective conscience,” for it is like the conscience of Essence. It gives one support and protection, i.e., is present and available, only when one is living according to the Truth of Essence. In other words, its presence (realization) is equivalent to living according to the laws of Being. Realizing this aspect means many practical things. One must change one’s practical life in a way that supports essential life, rather than impeding it. One’s activities, interests, associations, relationships and so on, now have to be according to the Truth, in the service of, and in harmony with, Essence. Living the life of Truth is the true meaning of inner discipline. One actually must discipline oneself in a certain way. However, it is not the usual understanding of discipline. It is not according to rules one has in the mind—which is the control of the superego—and it is not according to someone else’s idea of discipline. It is very personal, and depends on the particular person and his situation in life. He has to find his own way, his own application of objective Truth in his life. And he can do this by realizing the Citadel, by using it as his true conscience.

It is difficult to appreciate the power and effectiveness of this method, without learning it and trying it for some time. But when a person does learn to defend against his superego, in time he will not need to use the unconscious defense mechanisms. Then a little work on paying attention will bring out the unconscious material. This is a gradual process of opening the unconscious, which is of paramount importance for inner development. The individual learns to become so skilled and facile in dealing with the superego that the superego gradually loses its grip. The structure of the superego itself becomes exposed for understanding, which helps to dissolve its structural basis. This method, if applied all the way, will lead to the realization and development of several essential aspects. The activation of aggression for defense and assertion leads to the essential aspect of strength. In time it will lead to the essential aspect of the self, the true identity. The intelligence needed for this method develops in time into the essential aspect of objective consciousness, the diamond body. The moral rules and standards of judgment in time give way to essential conscience. This aspect of essence becomes the true protector of essence, the real defense, replacing the unconscious defense mechanisms of the ego. However, working toward that level of realization will lead to working on the ego and the id, the deeper determinants of the structure of the superego.

This process of essential development continues as personality is clarified and worked through. Essence manifests itself to the individual's consciousness as the true strength, will, joy, compassion, love, peace, truth, fulfillment, consciousness, awareness, knowledge, freedom, samadhi—as one aspect follows another. The amazing richness of essence manifests in that there is an essential aspect for every important human situation or condition. The aspect that is experienced is experienced as the complete and exact fulfillment for these situations. The exactness, the precision and fitness are astounding. The beauty of essential action cannot but fill the consciousness with wonderment. There is, for instance, an aspect that relates to pleasure, and this is different from the aspect of joy, which is different from the aspect of fulfillment, which is different from the aspect of satisfaction, and so on. There is the aspect of personal will, which is different from the universal or divine will. Then there is the aspect of essential conscience which guides one's life style and manner of relating to others. There are aspects that lead to the harmony of one's environment. There is an aspect that acts as a protector of the essential life which is different from the aspect of the defender of essence. There are aspects that relate to love and its various manifestations. There is a light, fluffy love, compassionate love, merging love, passionate love, divine love, and so on. The richness and the beauty of essence are endless. And the beautiful thing is that this richness acts at the same time to resolve personal conflicts and disharmonies.

Working with the more well-known ego deficiency, that of ego weakness, leads to the discovery of a certain essential manifestation of Being. Since this inadequacy relates to functioning, and hence to all of the ego functions, its transformation leads to a different kind of support, the support for true functioning. This essential manifestation is discussed in detail in The Pearl Beyond Price, where we refer to it as the essential conscience, or The Citadel, the defender of Essence. It is the support for the general process of transformation, for living a life that will support and enhance the work of self-realization. It is a manifestation of the will of Being, the source of wisdom regarding external discipline with regard to one’s behavior, conduct, lifestyle, and environment. It functions as the conscience of the work of transformation by clarifying how one is not living one’s life to support transformation and by offering guidance as to how to get that support.