In my inner journey, the following perspective has been especially helpful to me because it clearly distinguishes the different levels of our being.
We are the true self and have an ego.
The ego arises from being attached to our personal, individual thinking, feeling, and willing - as well as to our personal desires and needs.
This construct of "self" and "I" is so strong that it is difficult for us to detach from it.
Yet it is precisely this letting go or expanding of our consciousness that is necessary in order to recognize and liberate our original nature.
It is necessary to open ourselves to God.
In mysticism, we approach this phenomenon on a deeper level.
We realize that the problem lies in the fact that we initially completely identify with our personal thinking, feeling, and willing - yet this only constitutes the surface layer of our being.
Through mystical practice, this identification gradually dissolves. This process unfolds step by step through meditation and mindfulness.
In meditation, we observe thoughts and feelings without letting our consciousness be consumed by them. Our consciousness expands into the area of our being that lies beyond thinking, feeling, and willing.
An interesting question arises: What are we if we are not our personal thoughts and feelings?
What remains of us when thinking, feeling, and willing reach the zero point?
This question leads us to our true self.
As long as we are still identified with this individualistic self, we cannot truly recognize God within us.