Originally Posted by Greenslade

What about the unconscious 'subsystems' that are beavering away at creating your reality? They are as much as if not more instrumental in building the framework of your consciousness than anything else. Self aware of the mind is what Jung would call ego-consciousness but the self also includes the unconscious. What I've discovered is that consciousness seems to come in 'layers'. There is what we are conscious of (ego-conscious and I'm keeping it simple here) and beyond that there is a 'layer' of consciousness that seems 'set apart' from the mind/brain mechanism. Then there is the conscious of the self, which also embraces both the ego-unconscious and the conscious - and the anima/animus, Shadow Self.... And beyond that there is a layer of consciousness and when you think you've reached an understanding another 'layer' pops into existence. From a Jungian perspective what people are conscious of is ego-consciousness, and few are aware that unconscious subsystems even exist.

This is what's happening with people that make you frustrated, people are conscious of the 'end result' but are completely unaware of how they get there. They are only conscious of what they are conscious of, which is the 'end product' or ego-conscious of what's chuntering away in their skulls under the surface. What most mean by self-aware isn't self-aware but ego-conscious and don't embrace the unconscious.

Certainly, Jungian self/Spiritual Self/consciousness is what we are for the sake of simplicity but there's far more to that story. You are much more than the self awareness of the mind, the mind is only one aspect of all that you are. What you are is the totality of your conscious and unconscious, and the 'layer above' that - and subsequent 'layers' you wish to explore. The understanding here goes back to the visualisation the Vesica Pisces and Triplex Unity provides. Putting a name like 'The Self' on the 'layers' doesn't work because that implies individuality and it's hanging a name on Ruby Tuesday, it's beyond name/definition/individuality.