2406 Member

DIAMOND HEART COLORADO
JUNE 2024

Member Newsletter

To truly understand human life is to know the nonconceptual reality and still live a personal life of love, work and knowledge. It is to know directly that we are the unfathomable reality, that all differentiations are conceptual, and still live in this differentiated world, appreciating its richness, variety and beauty. For human life to be complete and balanced, it must consist of the harmony of all dimensions of reality, from the ultimate non-conceptual source to the various dimensions of manifest existence.

Almaas, A. H.. The Pearl Beyond Price (p. 29). Shambhala. Kindle Edition.

UPDATE on our Community Landscaping
Workday, Saturday May 25th

The landscape contractor has completed its work installing 5 new trees, numerous shrubs, 45 yards of gorilla hair mulch, a new breeze pathway around the Hu patio and reseeded the south lawn with drought resistant buffalo grass.

18 people have signed up to help plant 60 new 4” perennials, move some transplants from Marshall Drive, remove weeds, and amend the soil today.

If you can help out today, please bring gloves and a shovel, if you have them, otherwise, some are available at the Center. Sunscreen and hats are highly recommended.

Bring your lunch if you can stay a bit longer.

This will be fun, creative, and good exercise! And a great way to beautify our outdoor area.

See you there, and thanks for your help.

Laurie, Joy, and Pam will give guidance on project activities.

The Land Team.

“Speak to Me”

A series of 2 classes

Explore your relationship with your own voice.
Does your voice connect to the depth of you? Do you value your voice, and its expression? We will play with inviting our voices to open more fully in a series of 2 classes.

Sunday June 16th 3pm-5pm and June 23rd 10am-12pm

Commit to one or both classes ($30 per class or $50 for both) registration is limited to 20 people.

Diane Anderson has been a teacher with the Diamond Approach since 2005. She also has studied for 15 years with Ethelyn Friend, who taught voice at Naropa University for 23 years. Diane will lead this exploration. She will be assisted by Stephanie Ehret and Laurie Albright, teacher, and teacher-in-training in Diamond Approach for many years.

This series is open to all students in the Colorado school and will be at our new center located at 6783 Baseline Road Boulder, CO 

To register contact Laurie Albright at lauriealbright66@gmail.com

Art by Anita

End-of-Life-Planning Workshops

In support of the premise that part of living a good life is preparing well for its end, the Colorado Life Service Group is sponsoring three workshops, in person with Zoom option, to share information, decisions and forms that ease the end-of-life transition for ourselves and our loved ones.

Workshop 1 will be Sunday morning June 16.

Workshops 2 & 3 will be Sunday morning and afternoon, June 30.

Some of the info we will cover is new in the last couple of years and will be of great interest to you.

One exciting change we made is that for Workshop 3, instead of showing a webinar recording, the leader of that webinar, Sue Mackey, Board Director of the Funeral Consumer Society of Colorado, will speak to us in person.

These workshops will be led by Jeff Truesdall, Bette Hauserman and Jayne Satter and we look forward to meeting with you.

More information can be found HERE.

Sunday Meditations

We have been very busy at the new school, as many of you know. It is wonderful to have a new home with such holding and beauty. I know I feel so blessed that we have this school. We want to use all the rich and welcoming energy to deepen our own experience and journey, as well as open up to having new people join us.

Many of us found the work through someone in the school. We are starting weekly meditations April 7th from 6:30 to 7:30. It will be every Sunday. We will sit, and then depending on who is there, maybe have a short inquiry, or a chat about why we meditate, or if new people have questions, talk a bit about what is the Diamond Approach. This will be short, simple and inviting. Not a big deal where anyone has to commit or even talk to people unless they want to hang for a few minutes after. Everyone is welcome to stay after the half hour meditation or leave. Either is fine. It will be like coming to something that feels like hands open and lots of fresh air.

We are letting you know because we want all of your sweet energy to come and fill up the school. Also please invite friends, neighbors, family ... anyone who is interested in the Diamond Approach or in meditation.

We have been given a fresh start with this new school. Let’s hold it with love and appreciation. I look forward to seeing each of you whenever you wish to show up.

Bev Alexander

Monthly Meditation

with the
Colorado Life Service Group

The Colorado Life Service Group invites you to join us as we gather on Zoom to chant the Medicine Buddha Chant in support of those in our Colorado Ridhwan Community who might be experiencing challenging life situations. Our next gathering will be Sunday, June 9th, from 9-9:30am.

Coming together as a group is of benefit to us all as a Community, to each of us personally and to those we love and care about. We will join together on Sunday with the option to mention the name of a loved one or yourself. We will then do the Medicine Buddha Chant for a short period of time and then sit quietly in meditation.

All are welcome whether or not you want to offer a name. Once a month we are all invited to join together, bringing our hearts and presence to support ourselves, our community and the world we are alive in. The zoom link is sent out the morning of the meditation.

Meditation Offerings to all
Diamond Approach Students

Every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 10am Mountain Time, we have been gathering for the past several years on Zoom for a 30-minute meditation, a short reading and optional time for inquiry in breakout rooms. The entire session lasts for one hour but if people wish to leave right after the meditation and reading, that is fine. A small group of U.S. and European teachers takes turns leading these sessions which are attended by students from the U.S. and around the world. You are welcome to join us for these free offerings.

With appreciation,
Jeff Truesdall

Here is the link for the Tuesday Meditations

And the link for the Thursday Meditations

A word of gratitude: After serving on the SBC for 4 years, Heidi King is stepping down. Thank you, Heidi, for your service on this committee! Welcome to Tecumseh Burnett, who will be representing DH9.

IT Project: The website is being redesigned, with improved functionality between the public site, portal and DA online as well as integrated backend upgrades. Completion is targeted for 2025. If you are interested in participating in any way, please contact eric@ridhwan.org For more information on this project click Link from Eric on Presentation SBC presentation May 2024 (shared with SBC).pptx

The Annual Report is complete. All students are encouraged to read this report. I experienced gratitude as I read the report for the complexity and diversity of so many people whose expertise allows our school to thrive. The report is available on the portal and here: Ridhwan Foundation's 2023 Annual Report

Affinity Groups: are accessed on the portal through the “search”, or the All School Hub. See the affinity group page for more information. This month 2 affinity groups were highlighted.

1. Communication Assistance Resource for Everyone. CARE is a joint student – teacher initiative that offers help and mediation services to anyone in the school who is experiencing interpersonal conflict with another member of the school, student, teacher, staff. Members of CARE are volunteers and have significant experience and expertise in conflict resolution and other related areas. Confidentiality and collaboration are guiding principles of the team.

2. Inclusive Cultural Inquiries. ICI members are students who come together 1 x per month to explore the impact of social and cultural conditioning on our souls. Members inquire into a variety of topics ie: race, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, class, nation of origin.

Film Update: Hameed and Karen spent 4 days filming with the Diamond Approach documentary team. They noted the ease, spaciousness, power, clarity, heart and freshness of the experience. They reported a sense of the teaching naturally and spontaneously emerging as they engaged in this process.

Student Digest: Will be produced every other month to allow staff to focus on the IT project.

Alumni Students: There have been questions from the global community about ways to support Alumni students who have been involved in the work for a long time, but who, for various reasons can no longer fully participate. This topic is being considered by leadership and the foundation. Considerations will likely involve IT solutions implemented in the new website.

Asilomar Community Meeting. At the planned community meeting at Asilomar this year, there will be a 5 – 10 min presentation. Then students will be invited to interact in breakout areas with members from the synod, the board of directors and reps from the various affinity groups.

As always, if you have questions or if you have something that you would like communicated to the School’s leadership team, please contact you CO SBC representatives.

With you along the Path,
Joyce, Bonita, Jessica, and Tecumseh / Your Colorado SBC Team

CO Big – DH 4-7: Joyce Fairbanks (joycefairbanks4@gmail.com)
DH8: Jessica Williams (JLDsun@gmail.com) and Bonita Yoder (bonitajoyyoder@gmail.com)
DH9: Tecumseh Burnett (tecumsehb@gmail.com)

Befriending Yourself

and transforming your struggles

Imagine approaching your own experiences as a true friend would - with kindness, love, curiosity, and a deep commitment to your well-being. Often, our personal struggles are intensified by the attitudes we adopt towards ourselves. This webinar invites you to explore the transformative possibility of becoming a true friend to yourself. We will delve into uncovering the unconscious attitudes that hinder our self-love and self-understanding, both essential for our spiritual growth and maturation.

Join us as we embark on a journey to foster a more compassionate and supportive relationship with ourselves.

Join Diamond Approach teacher Julia Dengel for an insightful webinar on June 8, 2024, from 10 AM to 12:30 PM Mountain Time on Zoom.

Please register HERE.

Art by Peggy Braun

We'd love to publish your poetry, articles, personal experiences, jokes, art, photographs and or cartoons/drawings in our newsletter. It only goes out to members of the school, and, with your approval, to those who have expressed interest in the Diamond Approach. Please send your submissions or questions to Bev for more information. If you have more ideas for our Community Newsletter please advise Bev of that too. We're also looking for photographs to be used in the graphics so don't forget to submit them too.