Muse, The
The deepest part of ourselves, which is pure love. In the 1990s, Diamond paired it with the concept of the ego*, the organizing, reality-based part of the psyche. In this model, the Muse continually emits a message of pure love which is then modified by the ego into socially appropriate actions so that we can operate in the world. In doing this, however, the ego inadvertently distorts the Muse message, thereby leading to the phenomenon of misprocessing*, resulting in man committing acts that are less then loving.
Commentary: The concept of the Muse embodies Dr. Diamond’s lifelong belief in the inherent goodness of man. The approach underlies all his work, although at different times he has used various terms to express it, including: the Soul*; our inherent Buddha-nature; our Innate Perfection; and the Deep Unconscious*.
See also: Ego, The*; Misprocessing*
Timeline: Early 1990s on.
Quote: “There is within us a kernel of Perfect Wisdom, a Muse. If we but listened to Its Song and used our ego skills to adapt this internal message for health and love and life to our present realities—both internal and external—then and only then would we be at peace.” (Facets of a Diamond, 249)
