“I feel myself when I am by myself.”
The self has four layers: the body-self, the mind-self, the soul-self, and the Divine Self.
The body-self is made of food. It is born, grows, ails, and dies. When we look in the mirror, what we see is who we think we are. But this is only partially true.
The mind-self, made of thought, transcends the body. Thought can cross an ocean in an instant. As we think, so we are. We are constructs of consciousness. But this, too, is only partially true.
The soul-self lives beyond thought. The soul is pure luminous awareness, a wave in the cascade of light pouring out of the Absolute.
The Divine Self is the self of all selves. In it, we are all united forever. From it everything has come, to it everything returns, and within it all things live and move and have their being.
In forgetfulness, the body covers the mind, the mind covers the soul, and the soul covers the Only Being. In remembrance, the body reveals the mind, the mind reveals the soul, and the soul reveals the Only Being.
Remembrance comes with being alone. Withdrawal from the many discloses the One. More wonderful still is being alone in the crowd. Then, the One shows itself in everyone and everything. No others remain: one is always by oneself.