Main Pages

By Region

Pages

Resources

Universal Will

Diamond Approach

Glossary of Spiritual Wisdom

From the teachings of A.H. Almaas

What is Universal Will?

Diamond Approach Teachings About: Universal Will

Appearance of the Universal Will in Experience

As we have discussed in previous chapters, the dynamism of our Being has an optimizing force, an evolutionary intelligence that will tend to move our experience closer to the purity of true nature. It will keep doing that, over and over again, regardless of our resistances, regardless of our conflicts and our ignorance, and in spite of the difficulties. The universal will of the optimizing force appears in our experience as our own will—as our commitment and steadfastness in the process. So when we say that the steadfastness expresses the optimizing thrust of Being's dynamism, we mean that even in stuck, dark, or difficult times, the dynamism is still alive in the form of our determination. Being’s dynamism is still exerting its will, exerting its force.

Everything Occurs According to One Universal Will

A fifth way of experiencing Holy Law takes the last quote still further. This is the perception that everything occurs according to one universal will. In other words, there is one reality whose will manifests through all events, movements, and changes. This perception is the closest to the notion of a creator God with a Divine Will. But here, we see that this God is not an entity separate from what is created, so the created and the inner nature of the created are experienced as inseparable. In addition to this inseparability, there is the sense of one unified will moving everything, the sense that Beingness with its own will is transforming itself.

Facets of Unity, pg. 264

Expression of the Universal Will in the Soul

Inner support gives us a sense of confidence in this cooperation. Why is that? Because the sense of grounding, which is a function of embodying the Will, is an expression of the universal will in the soul. The universal will is the optimizing force of Being's dynamism, the force that actualizes the revelation that our heart desires—the realization of who we truly are. The more we have our own inner solidity, grounding, and support, the more we feel confident in our inquiry, because this confidence is an expression of the universal will, which is the force of the optimizing dynamism. In other words, having our own inner support makes us aware of the functioning of true dynamism and lets us know that this dynamism functions to optimize experience.

The Sense of Universal Will

Even in ordinary human experience, we can be aware of many different levels of experience in a given moment. For example we might be aware of an activation in the muscles, a certain state of alertness accompanied by deep breathing; at the same time we feel an emotional sense of excitement and anticipation. We also might be thinking and planning some action while in this state. If we are aware of more subtle levels, we might be aware of a sense of strength, of the presence of strength as essence, and a kind of clarity and spaciousness and sense of universal will holding and moving our experience. We might at the same time be aware of the fundamental presence of Reality and the dynamism of our experience and of everything in Reality. Everything connects with everything else in the soul.

Universal Will is Inseparable From Objective Truth

Gold is the substance of essential truth; diamond gold is the objective wisdom of essential truth. Platinum is the aspect of universal will, the will of true nature toward optimization and realization, so its diamond is objective wisdom of this support. Thus the central body of the citadel is objective universal support for objective truth, and its teaching is the recognition how to live one's life in a way that harmonizes with true nature’s universal will, which is inseparable from objective truth. The citadel is an immense presence, dense and immovable.

Universal Will is the Capacity to Support Others

The Father aspects include Universal Will, Diamond Guidance, Intelligence, and most of the boundless aspects of Being. These aspects usually do not manifest until later in the process of essential realization. Some aspects are associated with both father and mother, depending on one's specific personal history. Some individuals, for instance, associate Love with father. This usually reflects a more loving relation with father than with mother. When we speak of a father or a mother group of essential aspects we do not imply an absolute differentiation; we are speaking only statistically. One of these aspects is Universal Will. This is different from the aspect of Will already discussed. That aspect is a personal Will, one's own inner support, for one's own presence and functioning. Universal Will is the capacity to support others. We use the term "universal" to differentiate it from personal. So a universal aspect is for everyone, and not just for the individual. This differentiation is clearly seen in the essential realm. Universal Will creates a sense of immense strength and solidity, a confidence in one's capacities in relation to others. Hence, it is quite important for personal relationships. When Universal Will is present the feeling is that one's personal Will is supported by a bigger, more immense and more universal presence. It is quite impossible to appreciate what we mean when we say it is an immense presence, without having the direct experience. It is like feeling one is solid, immense and immovable, like a mountain. There is nothing like it in ego states. Universal Will is usually projected on the father, and becomes associated with his image. The issues around it are basically those of father's support for one's own Will. The specific identification system related to it is the identification with father's masculine strength and solidity. The issue is generally different for women, for whom the identification is with a self-image that is receptive to the father's support and solidity.

Subscribe to the Diamond Approach

 
See past editions of the Diamond Approach newsletter