Layers of Consciousness: Ego Identity and the Soul

Ep. 162 (Part 1 of 2) | In the sixth dialogue of the A. H. Almaas Wisdom Series, Hameed Ali tells us that whereas pure consciousness is already perfect and does not change or grow, individual consciousness is an impressionable organism—alive, changing, moving, developing. Hameed explains that because the soul is impressionable, the impacts of experience are imprinted upon it, shaping our very consciousness. Ego structures form from repeated impressions, and although they are necessary for survival and to function in a relational world, these structures make it difficult to experience the living presence of our true nature. We experience the ego self instead, mistaking our self-image for what we truly are. When we loosen our conditioning, with help from practices like inquiry and bodywork, our soul becomes free of its imprint and our true potential arises naturally, along with greater compassion and other qualities of the soul. 

Simply and clearly, Hameed brings us to a deeper understanding of our soul, elucidating what holds us to our limited self-identity and describing what we have to look forward to as the myriad imprints hammered into us by experience become diaphanous, and new impressions no longer make indelible imprints. Hameed also delves into the different ways various traditions talk about the soul, the difference between ordinary knowledge and “knowing,” or gnosis, and tells us that sudden enlightenment and gradual enlightenment are an artificial dichotomy, sharing a story of a sudden enlightenment experience of his own. Once again, Hameed transmits an extraordinary amount of wisdom in a relatively short time, and we emerge brighter, hopeful, and inspired as to our boundless spiritual potential. Recorded November 14, 2024.

“Self-image is not just in the mind, it actually shapes our consciousness.”

(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)

Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1

• Introducing the 6th dialogue in the A. H. Almaas Wisdom Series, beginning with chapter 7 of The Inner Journey Home: the impressionability of the soul (00:51)
• One of individual consciousness’ properties is impressionability; without it, there would be no learning (02:39)
• It’s not easy to experience the soul as a living presence because of its impressionability (05:43)
• The mind is just one of the faculties of the soul (08:10)
• Like a child, the soul retains affect, feelings, impacts; these traces make it possible for individual consciousness to be structured (10:19)
• Self-image, self-identity, come from more long lasting types of impressions (12:49)
• Without impressionability, there wouldn’t be trauma (13:23)
• Painful, pleasurable, or neutral, some impressions become patterns of behavior (13:47)
• When we study the soul, we can find the ego structures: rigid, unchanging, the impressions have made an indelible imprint (14:29)
• Self-image affects consciousness by limiting it: the medium of presence is hidden by the accumulation of impressions (17:35)
• Self-image actually shapes our consciousness: the soul mistakes itself for the self (23:32)
• The malleability of the soul is responsible for both conditioning and learning (25:31)
• How open we are depends on our early experience; also, different souls come in with different capacities (nature/nurture) (26:05)
• It is natural and necessary for the soul to develop into an ego (30:38)
• We resist changing our self-image without knowing we are resisting (33:59)
• The soul believes it is fighting for its life, when actually it is fighting for the life of the ego self (35:15) 
• Not everyone needs psychotherapy (37:50)
• The shift from struggling to maintain our ego structures to a state of basic trust (40:21)

Resources & References – Part 1

• A. H. Almaas (Hameed Ali), founder of The Ridhwan School, home of The Diamond Approach
• A. H. Almaas, The Inner Journey Home: Soul’s Realization of the Unity of Reality*
• Dzogchen, a tradition of teachings in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and Bön aimed at discovering and continuing in the ultimate ground of existence
• Wilhelm Reich, Reichian therapy, Reich’s Segmental Armouring Theory (Energetics Institute) 
• Alexander Lowen, developer of Bioenergetic Analysis
• Stan Grof & Christina Grof, Holotropic Breathwork: A New Approach to Self-Exploration and Therapy*
• Abraham Maslow, Toward a Psychology of Being*
• Carl Rogers’ fully functioning person, On Becoming A Person: A Therapist’s View of Psychotherapy*
• Bruno Bettelheim, Freud and Man’s Soul: An Important Re-Interpretation of Freudian Theory*
• The Chittamatra or “Mind Only” School of Mahayana Buddhism
• The 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje
• Dogen, founder of the Sōtō School of Zen, “A blade of grass is a blade of grass.”
• Gnosis
• Philip Kapleau, The Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice, and Enlightenment*

The A. H. Almaas Wisdom Series will generally follow the sequence of Hameed’s magnum opus, The Inner Journey Home* (which John describes as psychoactive and spiritually, psychologically, and intellectually transformative), so listeners may want to get a copy of this book, to study and follow along on this exhilarating path of awakening.

* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.

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Hameed Ali (A. H. Almaas) was born in Kuwait in 1944. At the age of eighteen, he moved to the U.S. to study at the University of California in Berkeley. Hameed was working on his Ph.D. in physics when he reached a turning point in his life and destiny that led him to inquire into the psychological and spiritual aspects of human nature rather than the physical nature of the universe. He left the academic world to pursue an in-depth journey of inner discovery, applying his scientific precision and discipline to personal, experiential research. This included study with different teachers in different modalities, extensive reading, and continuous study of his own consciousness in an effort to understand the essential nature of human experience and reality in general.

Hameed’s process of exploration led to the creation of the Ridhwan School and, with his colleague Karen Johnson, resulted in the founding and unfoldment of the Diamond Approach. He is the author of 20 books, including Nondual Love: Awakening to the Loving Nature of Reality, Love Unveiled: Discovering the Essence of the Awakened Heart, Keys to the Enneagram: How to Unlock the Highest Potential of Every Personality Type, The Unfolding Now: Realizing Your True Nature through the Practice of Presence, and more. 

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Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell