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.

Jung also had the image of the wise old man, seen as the guide for inner transformation. This image is a reflection of a certain essential aspect that functions as guidance but also has many other functions not expressed by the image of the wise old man. Other images, in other systems, that are related to this essential aspect include the following: the guardian angel, the angel of revelation, the holy spirit, the angel Gabriel, the witness in heaven, the body of knowledge, and many others. Such images depend on the individual's mind and are not exact reflections of the essential aspect. This particular essential aspect is a certain presence, very definite, very clear, very precise, very palpable. Gurdjieff called it “objective consciousness,” and the Taoists called it the “diamond body.” One who directly contacts this essential presence can understand easily what particular facet of this presence each archetypal image refers to.

There is a deeper form of intuition that is the function of a certain aspect of essence. We referred to this aspect earlier as objective consciousness or the diamond body. We also called it the body of knowledge. This aspect has the capacity to take facts and data, all of the different kinds of understanding about a particular object or situation, and consider them all together, simultaneously and instantly. The reasoning mind is linear; it cannot consider too many facts at the same time to find a solution. It is limited in its capacity to hold information simultaneously. This is why computers are so valuable. They can consider a whole array of facts, all at the same time. This aspect of essence can do just that, not in a thought form but in a more lived and felt way. Its capacity for considering many facts and many dimensions is limitless. Everything in the situation is considered, and the result is a certain perception that integrates all the facts, on the various levels of understanding.

It is easy for one who understands essence to see which of Jung's archetypes are faithful representations of essential aspects, which ones are distorted, and how much they are distorted from the actual objective “seeing” of the essence. We believe this to be a worthy and useful endeavor and hope that somebody with the necessary knowledge will undertake it. For instance, we have already mentioned the essential aspect of the diamond body and related it to the archetype of the wise old man. The archetype tells us it is the part of our collective unconscious that functions as a guide for inner development. This is true of the diamond body, and hence the archetypal image is useful here. However, if we stay on the level of the image, we will not come to the diamond body; we will miss seeing that it is a guide because it is pure objective knowledge. Thus, we will not have complete and permanent access to this guide and its knowledge.

As bits and pieces of my history, feelings, and ideas about myself drifted into consciousness the Diamond Body threaded them together and lit up each insight. The presence in my head intermingled with my heart in the dance of the cosmos. I felt at one with the primordial intelligence inherent in biological processes and universal rhythms. I was riding on the pulse of evolution. It popped into my mind that the brightness is not the same as the Diamond Body itself - I had been conflating the two. The Diamond Body has an intimate relationship with the aspect of essence called brilliancy, but they function differently. Intellect is related to but is not the same as intelligence; intellect uses intelligence to operate. The Diamond Body is the discriminating wisdom, and intelligence is the light that makes it work more effectively and efficiently. With the diamond discrimination available to me now, I could analyse with more exactness and pull the bits together, see the connections and meaning of experiences. But the quickness and elegance was the action of the brilliancy. This intelligence can manifest through thought, but that is only one way that it appears. And it is far more graceful than our mental processes: it is the intelligence inherent in revelation and transformation.

. . . . . . that’s what the Diamond Body felt like – the perfect, true, spiritual friend who is kind and responsive to our true desire for freedom and learning. It is the guiding light of revelation and joyous discovery, fueled by a pure love for truth. However, this vehicle has no interest in the spiritual dabbler. The necessary attitude to draw this guiding presence to yourself is a passionate love for the truth, a longing to know what is real. You yearn to get to the other side of the ocean, but you see no boat to get you across. The helpless feeling of not knowing how you will get there creeps in. At first you feel that you can’t know. It’s humbling. But it is possible to accept that helplessness, and if your love to know is strong enough, it pulls you beyond anything your mind already knows. You are left with a deep hunger for the other shore and a thirst for what only the intimate knowing of Being can provide. But the love of truth for its own sake must eclipse the desire for selfish goals and attainments if the Diamond Guide is to show up. Then, and only then, can the energy of that love vibrate an opening through the fog, welcoming the guiding vehicle of knowledge to enter.

The term "Diamond Body" was puzzling to many of our students because they connected it with the physical body rather than with a grouping of diamonds. So we began to call it "the Diamond Guidance." A fitting name because clarifying precisely where we were and understanding what we were experiencing opened the way for the next step to reveal itself. And it did so without telling us what to do or what not to do because its job is simply to provide the correct orientation for understanding. But, as we discovered, the Diamond Body can only arise and stay fueled for the ongoing journey if we have a devoted commitment to love of the truth for its own sake, not in order to arrive at a certain destination. It was not our goal to deepen into Being, but that's what happened because of our love to know the truth and understand the real.