This week we talk to A.H. Almaas about spiritual awakening A. H. Almaas is the pen name of A. Hameed Ali, creator of the Diamond Approach to Self-Realization. The Diamond Approach is a contemporary teaching that developed within the context of both ancient spiritual teachings and modern depth psychology theories. Almaas has authored seventeen books about spiritual realization, including the Diamond Heart series, The Pearl Beyond Price, The Void, The Unfolding Now, and The Point of Existence. He founded the Ridhwan School, an inner work school devoted to the realization of True Nature. The orientation of the school is directed toward helping students become aware of and embody their “essence” or essential nature. His latest book is Runaway Realization: Living a Life of Ceaseless Discovery. In This Interview, A.H. Almaas and I Discuss... The One You Feed parable The different layers of consciousness The angelic and animal nature How the animal side is focused on our survival- the drive to survive Being is our fundamental essence Self Realization- when our Being and our identity becomes the same thing The primary method of The Diamond Approach- direct experience of being The process of inquiry Engaging in some practice that questions what we assume to know about ourselves How taking things at face value shortchanges ourselves of deeper knowledge How the separate sense of self is not an illusion, but it is only one of the ways to view reality For more show notes visit our website     A grandfather is talking with his grandson and he says there are two wolves inside of us which are always at war with each other.  One of them is a good wolf which represents things like kindness, bravery and love. The other is a bad wolf, which represents things like greed, hatred and fear. The grandson stops and thinks about it for a second then he looks up at his grandfather and says, “Grandfather, which one wins?” The grandfather quietly replies, the one you feed The Tale of Two Wolves is often attributed to the Cherokee indians but there seems to be no real proof of this. It has also been attributed to evangelical preacher Billy Graham and Irish Playwright George Bernard Shaw. It appears no one knows for sure but this does not diminish the power of the parable. This parable goes by many names including: The Tale of Two Wolves The Parable of the Two Wolves Two Wolves Which Wolf Do You Feed Which Wolf are You Feeding Which Wolf Will You Feed It also often features different animals, mainly two dogs.