“Anyone who is going on the spiritual path I am always advocating — eventually the time must come for him when he will find his own spirit, or his real identity, which I often also call the higher self or the divine spark. As long as man is still groping in darkness and takes as the whole personality just the outside being and perhaps some of his subconscious, which for the most part belongs to the lower self, then he is not sufficiently developed. When development proceeds as it should, the time must come when you first discover, so to speak, like a different person, the subconscious. This is the first step. And this of course is not always pleasant. Because the subconscious has a life of its own, it even thinks to a degree in its own limited and blind way — and this quite differently from the conscious mind. This often comes at first as a shock unless one is prepared to expect just this, prepared also by strengthening and by gathering of spiritual truth and knowledge, for instance the knowledge that this is still not the ultimate self. And only after this lower self, the subconscious, is met and faced thoroughly, understood, and rearranged where there is need for it — and this is a long process — then you will very slowly, very seldom at first, but later more and more, penetrate into your own higher self, your true and permanent identity. And if development progresses further, this higher self, your own holy spirit, will be more and more on the surface and will manifest in conjunction with your conscious being, with your brain or intellect in which your outer will power reigns. Whether the outer and active personality is in contact with the higher self or not is only a question of development and of personal striving. The difference is this: if you have identified yourself with your higher self, then you hold the reigns; you are indeed master over yourself, over life as a whole. But if you are, subconsciously and unbeknown to your intellect, driven by your emotions, by your subconscious, by your lower self; if you act without understanding why you act in this way or why you think that way and so on; then you are not the driver of your life, but you are being driven. You are not the master, but a slave. So, of course it is possible to have the true identity of the spirit manifest. I will say it is not only possible, but this is the goal of the spiritual path.” (PL #22)