Ep. 162 (Part 1 of 2) | In the sixth dialogue of the A. H. Almaas Wisdom Series, Hameed Ali tells us that whereas pure consciousness is already perfect and does not change or grow, individual consciousness is an impressionable organism—alive, changing, moving, developing. Hameed explains that because the soul is impressionable, the impacts of experience are imprinted upon it, shaping our very consciousness. Ego structures form from repeated impressions, and although they are necessary for survival and to function in a relational world, these structures make it difficult to experience the living presence of our true nature. We experience the ego self instead, mistaking our self-image for what we truly are. When we loosen our conditioning, with help from practices like inquiry and bodywork, our soul becomes free of its imprint and our true potential arises naturally, along with greater compassion and other qualities of the soul.

Simply and clearly, Hameed brings us to a deeper understanding of our soul, elucidating what holds us to our limited self-identity and describing what we have to look forward to as the myriad imprints hammered into us by experience become diaphanous, and new impressions no longer make indelible imprints. Hameed also delves into the different ways various traditions talk about the soul, the difference between ordinary knowledge and “knowing,” or gnosis, and tells us that sudden enlightenment and gradual enlightenment are an artificial dichotomy, sharing a story of a sudden enlightenment experience of his own. Once again, Hameed transmits an extraordinary amount of wisdom in a relatively short time, and we emerge brighter, hopeful, and inspired as to our boundless spiritual potential. Recorded November 14, 2024.

“Self-image is not just in the mind, it actually shapes our consciousness.”

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Topics & Time Stamps – Part 1

Introducing the 6th dialogue in the A. H. Almaas Wisdom Series, beginning with chapter 7 of The Inner Journey Home: the impressionability of the soul (00:51)
One of individual consciousness’ properties is impressionability; without it, there would be no learning (02:39)
It’s not easy to experience the soul as a living presence because of its impressionability (05:43)
The mind is just one of the faculties of the soul (08:10)
Like a child, the soul retains affect, feelings, impacts; these traces make it possible for individual consciousness to be structured (10:19)
Self-image, self-identity, come from more long lasting types of impressions (12:49)
Without impressionability, there wouldn’t be trauma (13:23)
Painful, pleasurable, or neutral, some impressions become patterns of behavior (13:47)
When we study the soul, we can find the ego structures: rigid, unchanging, the impressions have made an indelible imprint (14:29)
Self-image affects consciousness by limiting it: the medium of presence is hidden by the accumulation of impressions (17:35)
Self-image actually shapes our consciousness: the soul mistakes itself for the self (23:32)
The malleability of the soul is responsible for both conditioning and learning (25:31)
How open we are depends on our early experience; also, different souls come in with different capacities...

A. H. Almaas Wisdom Series (Dialogue 6, Part 1) - Awakening to Our True Nature: Releasing Limiting Ego Structures and Freeing the Soul

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