In Advaitist schools of belief, we are all Brahman, all God at source, but, in this world of matter and living inside a human form, we identify with what we see and experience through our senses, and with the material universe in all its diversity. We project the unconscious Numen within onto all manner of things: people, objects, situations and desire them, when in reality what we are is already perfect and of Divinity.
In Advaitist (non dual) analogies, the process of Self Realisation is sometimes likened to the cleaning of a golden vessel, the surface of which has become dull and dirty across time, obscuring its real nature. A long patient process of cleaning it is required to reveal the pure gold underneath.
In Dvaitist (dual) theologies, we are ontologically distinct from Divinity, but may become one with It through the hard work of self refinement, and the grace of Divinity. The different forms of Bhakti yoga and devotional theologies referred to here are Dvaitist.
In Dvaitist analogies, Self Realisation may be likened to the process whereby a caterpillar changes its form into a butterfly through metamorphosis during the chrysalis stage. In this analogy, the ego serves as the rigid container and protector for the inward process of transformation from self to Self (ie the chrysalis, which was originally the exterior part of the caterpillar).The danger here is that as a container, it can become too rigid and unable to be broken and discarded when the process of transformation is completed.
In Jungian depth psychology, Self Realisation is a process called Individuation, whereby engaging productively with the life process is what refines and matures the individual psyche by bringing more and more of the unconscious total potential of the Self archetype into the conscious personality. As the personality matures it becomes fuller, better integrated and balanced, and richer. This is a process which continues across the life course.
In Jungian terms, Self Realisation as Individuation commonly employs the analogy of medieval alchemy, wherein base metal is turned into gold.
All these analogies work well, and the work we engage in through our lives, if well guided and well done, and not arrested or thwarted, should yield a golden vessel, butterfly, or pure gold at the end.
Image of butterfly from Wikipedia commons:
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fesoj_-_Papilio_machaon_(by).jpg#mw-jump-to-license
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