How did you find the Diamond Approach?
My partner was taking an Enneagram course with Russ Hudson and Don Riso and they kept quoting this guy named A. H. Almaas. We got one of his books and read it out loud while on a road trip through the canyon country of southern Utah. The land there is spectacular—wide and vast, deep and mysterious and I kept having this sense of disappearing, of becoming one with my environment. To this day I am not sure if it was the land, the book, or some mysterious combination of both!
When we returned, the church a block away from our house was being remodeled. We were pretty surprised when the new owners hung the sign on the building—“Ridhwan Center for Spiritual Development.” It felt a little like the Mormons knocking on the door! One day the new owners were holding a sidewalk sale. I perused the cassettes and saw lots of interesting and diverse artists. I remember thinking “Well, they have good taste in music…they must be pretty OK folks.” Shortly after, they began offering weekend introductory workshops. I went to the first one—a daylong on the practices of the Diamond Approach—and I have never looked back!
When you first started, what was your greatest challenge?
My greatest challenge when I first started was the lack of diversity in the school. It is still something I struggle with. I am on the Diversity and Inclusivity Committee to help understand and work toward the Diamond Approach path being more accessible to everyone who is interested and can benefit from it.
What has kept you engaged with the Diamond Approach teachings?
The basic premise of the Diamond Approach is the love of truth for its own sake. At first I really had no idea what this meant. I thought I did, of course; who doesn’t love the truth? But to really understand it and to get it—that what is true for me in my direct experience in that moment will guide me to know more of that truth, and will take me to ever-deeper truths—is a constant adventure into what is right here, right now.
What aspect of the teaching is most alive in you right now?
I love bringing the Diamond Approach to new places and new people. I am part of a new retreat group that is starting this June in San Jose, California, USA, open to people from around the world. I’m also a part of the team starting the first group in Asia, and on the team in Australia. I also work with Diamond Approach Online, producing online courses available to anyone in the world with a device and the internet! It is exciting to see how the Diamond Approach is opening in many new places and among varied cultures.
What has been the most surprising discovery for you in the past year?
In the online work I do with the Diamond Approach it has been a surprise and delight to feel how much presence is transmitted and felt through the screen, and to experience the field of connectedness that develops among people from around the world who have never met, except in the online environment. It is really quite remarkable.
What advice/encouragement would you offer to someone ‘on the fence’ about attending an Intro event?
Give it a try! What have you got to lose? If there is an in-person event in your area or you can travel to one, I suggest you do that. If that isn’t an option, try one of the online courses offered. Especially one that has inquiry groups as part of it. This will give you a chance to interact with others and with a teacher.
If you could have one wish for humankind, what would it be?
My wish for humankind is that more of us are able to know the truth of our deepest nature. The world will be a different place when this is true.
Jill Davey has been a student of the Diamond Approach since 1999 and was ordained as a teacher in 2014. She is part of the teaching team for the newly forming Diamond Heart Retreat Group 6, a week-long retreat group that will meet twice a year in San Jose, CA. She is also on the teams for Diamond Approach Asia and Diamond Approach Australia and works with Diamond Approach Online—an initiative to bring some of the teachings of the Diamond Approach online. Jill is a yoga teacher and brings body-centered wisdom to her teaching. She is also deeply grounded in earth-based teachings. Jill lives in Berkeley, California, USA.