Midwest Diamond Approach Retreat:
Discovering Our Inherent Worth
December 3-6, 2026
with Diamond Approach Teachers:
Kara Vangen | Jim Lockridge | Kathleen Graham
What would it be like to know – deeply and directly – that your personal value does not depend on what you accomplish, how others see you, or how well you play the game of life?
We often look outside ourselves for confirmation that we are worthwhile.
A deep sense of deficiency can shape how we see ourselves and how we live our lives, keeping us focused on the surface of our experience—on how we appear, what we accomplish, and how we measure up—rather than on the depths of our being.
Beneath these efforts and this sense of deficiency is a deeper question: Do I have value simply because I am?
Value is inherent in our very Being. It does not have to be earned or established.
Through inquiry and experiential exploration, we will investigate what it means to discover this intrinsic value and how our usual ideas about ourselves can obscure it. We will explore Essential Value as an aspect of our true nature and what becomes possible as we recognize it more directly.
Explore value through the lens of the Diamond Approach – as an intrinsic aspect of our nature.
If this is your first retreat: At 6 PM on Thursday, there is an introduction to the retreat for new people and anyone interested in reviewing the retreat format and practices.
For those new to the Diamond Approach, this is a great opportunity to check out the Diamond Approach in person with an ongoing, open group.
Retreat Structure:
This is an ongoing retreat group in the initial stages of the Diamond Approach work called Midwest Group 4. We are meeting 4 weekends a year, with a mix of in-person and online retreats.
Weekend retreats will be composed of meditation, breath and movement practices, lectures, and self-reflection exercises geared toward connecting with our True Nature and facilitating the unfoldment of our souls.
Youth Scholarship:
If there’s anyone you know who’s under 40 and on the fence about checking out the DA, a youth scholarship application can be found at this link: https://dayouthfund.org. It can cover part of the costs for retreats, either online or residential/in-person, 1:1 session work and can also cover child care costs if you have them.
More Information about Midwest 4 Diamond Approach Retreats:
The Diamond Approach is the core teaching of the Ridhwan School (www.diamondapproach.org) and has been in existence since 1977. The method has become well known through the books of A.H. Almaas such as Essence by A.H. Almaas, or Introduction to the Diamond Approach by John Davis. These are recommended reading as are other books by A.H. Almaas (Shambhala Press). The Diamond Approach path was first introduced in the Midwest in 1996.
“Nothing touches us more deeply than the implicit value of our own beingness. It is value beyond mind, beyond concepts, beyond ideals and hopes and dreams.”
(A.H. Almaas, Spacecruiser Inquiry, p 285)
More Information about Midwest 4 Diamond Approach Retreats
The Diamond Approach is the core teaching of the Ridhwan School (www.diamondapproach.org) and has been in existence since 1977. The method has become well known through the many books published by A.H. Almaas and the multiple opportunities currently to participate in Diamond Approach retreats throughout the world.
The Diamond Approach path, DA Upper Midwest Group 1, was first introduced at the Christine Center in 1996 by Sr. Johanna Suebert. Since then Groups 2 and 3 were also formed. This new group, DA UMW Group 4, is an open group, accepting new students for the next few years. The current teachers have been active members of the school and the DA UMW Group 1 since 1996, were ordained in 2016-2017 and live and practice in various places in the Midwest.
Meet the Teachers
Kara Vangen, MSW, CHTP, she/hers
Diamond Approach Teacher
Kara is passionate about doing the, “deep inner work” required to show up authentically in life and community and believes that our value and happiness as human beings arises from our ability to illuminate our inner life. She has been a member of the Ridhwan school for 25 years and is an ordained Diamond Approach teacher.
Kara’s professional experience includes front line work as a social worker in community mental health and as a Mental Health Therapist where she combines traditional and complimentary health practices to address mental health. She is co-director of the Cauldron Studies program which centers spiritual practice in both the study of culture and the sacred feminine. She has been teaching and working with others for over 20 years.
Jim Lockridge
Diamond Approach Teacher
Jim Lockridge has spent his life exploring two great frontiers: the outer world of science and the inner world of the spirit. A student of the Diamond Approach since 1998, he began teaching in 2012 and was ordained in 2017. His spiritual journey began early, at age 14, when his exposure to Catholicism sparked a deeper search for meaning. Although his time within the Church was brief, it opened the door to a lifelong exploration that led him through many paths before he found a lasting home in the Diamond Approach. Alongside this inner journey, Jim pursued a 40-year career as a research scientist—though for him, inquiry was never confined to the lab. Whether in science or spirituality, his work has always been guided by curiosity, discovery, and a passion for truth. Now retired from scientific research, Jim dedicates himself fully to helping others explore the depths of their own experience and uncover the truth of who they are.
Kathleen Graham, RN, MS, she/her
Diamond Approach Teacher
As a student of the Diamond Approach since 1996 and teacher of the Diamond Approach since 2016, I work with individual students and I am part of the teaching team for Midwest DA group 4. My career, prior to being a Diamond Approach teacher, was in Oncology as an advanced practice nurse. From the earliest days of attending Diamond Approach retreats I have been so impacted by the open hearted sensitivity of my teachers inviting all inner places that felt so untouchable. As a teacher, I bring this love and passion, and kind holding for every unfolding and deepening truth. I enjoy life itself very much, spending time in nature, hiking, swimming, intrepid world travel, and especially, spending time with my partner and family of the heart.
2026 Retreat Dates and Venue
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March 12-15 (online)
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May 28-31 (in-person)
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September 17-20 (in-person)
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December 3-6 (online)
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2026 Retreat Dates and Venue
-
-
-
March 12-15 (online)
-
May 28-31 (in-person)
-
September 17-20 (in-person)
-
December 3-6 (online)
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