The soul is our personal connection with the divine. Without this personal connection it is difficult to ever feel good enough about ourselves. Feeling pure and whole and loved and satisfied is our natural state. The separation from our natural state is only in our minds. Part of the reason we feel this separation is because we are unconsciously holding on to who and what we think we are. Who and what we think we are includes the belief that we have to live up to the images of ourselves as a good father, an A+ student, a fierce sport jock, a hot glamour girl, etc. We believe that the judgement of how well we play these roles determines our self-worth and whether or not we get to go to heaven (the harder we try, the better the chances).

The truth is that heaven is already in the soul. Wanting to cement ourselves into being a certain way pushes the soul to the background. In effect, we are saying that something else is more important than the soul. But the soul is God. The subconscious desire to live up to an idea of perfection divides us against our real selves. That idea of perfection is an image of ourselves that we wish to achieve. There's nothing wrong with striving for perfection except when it becomes more important than the soul. When that happens we end up identifying with the desires of the ego/personality and search for value and worth outside of ourselves. Consciousness of the soul is the antidote.

It's important to develop a relationship with the soul in order to reach this consciousness. In one sense, the soul becomes your personal guide and friend. Your soul has a magnificent glory, a majestic wonder and a breath-taking splendor which transcends all. There is no wanting to be or do anything because you already are exquisite fulfillment, radiant enlightenment, exponential infinity, unsurpassable beauty, perpetual paradise, unbounded timelessness, expansive spaciousness, effervescent vivaciousness, and insurmountable joy. At first, you may only get close to these states for brief periods of time. But with persistence, those brief periods will grow longer until they eventually take over your entire life.

Identifying with self-images of ourselves creates division from the true self. The intensity with which we identify and believe in these self-images is the same intensity with which we are divided. Our true strength and power comes from the soul. The soul collapses the barriers that prevent us from experiencing our true identity because it is our true identity. It wipes away all of the limits and restrictions that are placed on the sense of self and we are left with the brilliant core of our being. The falseness of the ego/personality is smashed to smithereens in its presence. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing more I shall want.