The Self expresses itself in many fields, including philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, and sociology. It refers to an individual’s essence, body, mind, and soul. According to René Descartes, the idea of the Self is “I think, therefore I am,” while Spiritualism states, “I am, therefore I think.” In the spiritual context, we first have the subjective self in two aspects: the universal Absolute Force of Aware Energy, which is present in the nothingness of the universe. Secondly, a part of the universal aware energy, extracted by the mind, first becomes aware and then creates a field of conscious energy to perceive and conceive the information received from the sensory organs.

Following the subjective, we have the objective self, comprising the body (physical), the mind (mental), and the spiritual self in pure consciousness, which is the soul. Hence, from the above, we safely conclude that we are spiritual being-ness in aware-conscious energy to undergo human experiences in body, mind, and soul.

The subjective self is a qualitative form determined by its intensity of –ness, which watches, witnesses, and spontaneously makes the mind perform from its thoughts. The objective self is expressed in the quantitative form of body, mind, and soul, spread out as superconscious, conscious, and subconscious or lower consciousness. It excessively functions on autopilot in the subconscious to feel, think, and act in the duality of this or that. This is why our ancient scriptures declare that life is a play of illusions (Maya) to enact a play in opposites (Lila).

As the subjective self, representing the spirit, indicates that we are connected with the universe telepathically or intuitively and share our intelligence with some higher power that has created us – “That art Thou” – a self-concept beyond your sense of identity in body, mind, and soul, a universal spirit apart from your body and cognitive mind, which you call as yours. Only after comprehending this knowledge do you enter the metaphysical realm of knowing the larger, universal ‘Self’ in Absolute Aware Energy, ‘Para Brahman,’ followed by the same, which we call the spirit contained within the mind. On the other hand, the smaller ‘self’ is that individualised soul functioning in super-consciousness, as the witness-er to check and guide the mind functioning in relative dualities for me and mine.

Your social, physical and psychological neural mechanisms are then nothing but an image imagined by your observation via the spirit, followed by your thoughts born out of desires, feelings and emotions—even though such a thing belongs exclusively to you, still, it cannot be you. You are more than all these images and identities associated with those illusory selves or ever-changing bodies and minds.

The philosophical self posits personal individuality experientially through consciousness, whereas the psychological self perceives a persona (a false mask in Greek) via self-concept and self-esteem. On the other hand, neurological concepts arise from brain activity, while sociological ones come from social interactions and how others see us.

Therefore, the “I” is both the dream and the dreamer, for all that exists is not two. But deep within, there is a silent voice, beyond all words and sound, the observer observing the observed, the true “I,” the source of all we perceive in waves of absolute energy to play the drama we call life.

However, spiritually, there is no presence of any physical or mental self. Spiritualism in prehistoric Vedic scriptures elucidates all that forever exists are waves of absolute metaphysical Brahm (energy) in unity and continuity. It is eternal and infinite in our universe’s changeless, spaceless, and timeless nothingness; the subject of all that exists, where matter and consciousness temporarily manifest to appear to disappear, cyclically creating, destroying, and recreating an illusory expression called “Maya.”

Hence, the selfless spirit dismisses all ideas advanced by other faculties concerning cognition and reasoning since any body, mind, and soul can only exist temporarily in a continuous cycle of birth and death. The false ego-self versus the transpersonal universal spirit settled in the superconscious section of the mind, where no thoughts prevail; we call that the individual soul in pure consciousness. The human soul is a notch less than the eternal universal spirit. An individualised soul within the mind reveals its non-dual power and ultimately dissolves into the universal, absolute energy upon death. The soul is midway between the ego mind and the impersonal spirit.

On the other hand, the universal spirit is responsible for creating that being-ness or awareness in the soul, which exists in pure consciousness, to check and guide the human mind, enabling individuals to experience dualities and comprehend what life is all about. Dualities permit the mind to consciously choose, from which choice leads to selfishness and conflicts. It means that consciousness overall depends on the spirit, for the mind can become conscious only after it becomes aware of being mindful of anything.

Therefore, the divine cosmic spirit within individual souls sets minds aglow, first to be intuitively aware, then fully conscious, followed by the subconscious, which engages in the play we call life through memory.

So, while knowing who we are, it also allows me to tell you what you are not. The ancient Upanishads deny all personalities regarding anything related to sensory minds, saying ‘Neti, neti,’ neither this nor that, refusing every finite attribute.

Only after you have waded through all these dualities based on which mind operates and attaches – this and that – happiness/sadness, good/evil, divine/devil, etc. You peel every layer, like an onion, until nothing is left. From all the positives and negatives, finally, you reach what Upanishads call Brahman – the ultimate reality of the universe, indicating the Sanskrit meaning of “Brah- to grow” or expand, which is identical to the meaning of energy in quantum physics, where it means the ability to grow and develop.

Scientifically, as well as in Vedic Spiritualism (Shanti Mantra), energy is always complete in all respects, indivisible, and is neither created nor destroyed. It possesses numerous abilities, and its interchangeable subset forms range from nuclear to electrical, psychic, physical, and hydro, among others.

According to the Vedas, humans possess the highest potentiality of the non-dual supreme absolute power, which is beyond all other interchangeable abilities of energy – Para Brahman – from which we can observe all subset forms in matter and consciousness. It lies apart from anything that human beings can cognitively perceive: the intuitive, telepathic, and spontaneous grasping of pristine knowledge, which takes place in our brain; such spiritual awareness is what we call “That art Thou.”

Para Brahman is a Upanishad phrase used in Vedic science to refer to God, the supreme power or ultimate reality, which is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. It also designates Para Brahman (the supreme energy) as Par-Atma (beyond the soul) and Parmeshwar (beyond human gods). It makes all living creatures aware and conscious, of which humans have the highest intensity of spiritually aware energy, as indicated by its suffix of -ness.

The Supreme Self, known as Para Brahman – the attribute-less ultimate reality from which consciousness arises, should not be understood through human intellect since it transcends every concept language can give rise to. Any scientific statement about what it might be will always fall short as it transcends all concepts and categories. By saying “Neti neti,” the Upanishad indicates that the intensity of Brahman/Spiritual Awareness in humans surpasses any description of attributes or forms compared to any other. It means that all other living creatures have far less of the same.

This process helps clear away false identifications and misconceptions. People often confuse their identity with their body, mind, emotions, or various roles they play; hence, “neti, neti” systematically denies these identifications, guiding seekers towards understanding the authentic spirit beyond those limited aspects.

Sometimes, indirect methods are most effective when trying to understand something that cannot be directly described. The Upanishads help students approach a direct, intuitive understanding of what the spirit truly is by revealing what the small self in body and mind isn’t. This prophetic approach (defined by negation) points towards experiential understanding rather than an intellectual one.

The phrase suggests an intense inward movement, where the seeker pushes the mind deeper into pure non-dual consciousness until realising a selfless spirit in pure bliss, thereby negating the outer layers of identity and attachments. It constantly encourages exploration at progressively profound levels within oneself.

Therefore, “Neti, Neti” is a deep and tactical approach to grasping the Ultimate Reality by realising that from Brahman’s point of view, there is no existence of any permanent self, apart from the eternal presence of the only non-dual absolute spiritual waves of infinite energy in unity and continuity in its nothingness. It transcends illusions to the plurality caused by Maya’s deceptive nature, enabling the mind to realise liberation from all identifications and attachments (Moksha) and comprehend what is truly real. “Hari Om Tat Sat” – declaring that the manifested duality and the unmanifested non-dual intrinsically are the substrate of the same substratum in the ultimate truth.

It is essential to understand the self because Spiritualism revolves around self-exploration, discovery, knowledge, and self-realisation. Advait (not two) Vedanta (end of knowledge) denotes, once you know, the meaning behind all that exists is Brahman (energy), representing ultimately nothing but dark energy. It segregates the Absolute Self, in the form of total awareness energy, from the physical, mental, subjective, and objective selves. In short, it means being aware of oneself through one’s reflective consciousness concerning one’s body and mind and their interconnectedness with the world and the universe.

Additionally, numerous spiritual practices dedicate us to liberating ourselves from the unfavourable memories, beliefs, and prejudices of our history. Although we cannot fully erase our memories, we can control whether they influence our behaviour. Mental cleansing of the excess baggage stored in our memory involves seeing every moment as it is, in the present.

Furthermore, practices such as mantra, jaap, meditation, prayers, and pranayama help us connect with our essence. Journaling helps us vent pent-up emotions and face reality while seeking a silver lining in every situation. By fully engaging in whatever we do and accepting what comes out of them, whether positive or negative, we become aware individuals who can continue journeying on this life path, gracefully balancing the material with the spiritual.

NAMASTE