Yes, we seem to be operating primarily from what has been ‘manufactured’ here. Our physical body from the stuff of here and our personality from the experience of here.

This is the lion’s share of what we have access to. We have been cut adrift.

It is probably a bit galling to the personality, that it has to get out of the way before anything creative can happen.

I like what Gurdjieff has to say on this theme. (Via Ouspensky, from ‘In Search of the Miraculous’)

“Essence is the truth in man; personality is the false. But in proportion as personality grows, essence manifests itself more and more rarely and more and more feebly and it very often happens that essence stops in its growth at a very early age and grows no further.”

[These ideas run parallel to G.’s discussion of ‘being’ and ‘knowledge.’ Where ‘being’ parallels ‘essence’ and ‘personality’ parallels ‘knowledge.’]

“It happens very often that the essence of a grown-up man, even that of a very intellectual and, in the accepted meaning of the word, highly ‘educated’ man, stops on the level of a child of five or six.

[Essence is meant to grow along with personality.]

This means that everything we see in this man is in reality ‘not his own.’ What is his own in man, that is, his essence, is usually only manifested in his instincts and in his simplest emotions. There are cases, however, when a man’s essence grows in parallel with his personality. Such cases represent very rare exceptions especially in the circumstances of cultured life. Essence has more chances of development in men who live nearer to nature in difficult conditions of constant struggle and danger.”

“But as a rule the personality of such people is very little developed. They have more of what is their own, but very little of what is ‘not their own,’ that is to say, they lack education and instruction, they lack culture. Culture creates personality and is at the same time the product and the result of personality.”

“The element that is ‘not his own’ differs from what is man’s ‘own’ by the fact that it can be lost, altered, or taken away by artificial means.”
[INSOTM,1916,162]

“There exists a possibility of experimental verification of the relation of personality to essence.”

[What follows in a curious insight into what takes place within the so-called ‘hidden’ brotherhoods.]

“In Eastern schools ways and means are known by the help of which it is possible to separate man’s personality from his essence. For this purpose they sometimes use hypnosis, sometimes special narcotics, sometimes certain kinds of exercises. If personality and essence are for a time separated in a man by one or another of these means, two beings, as it were, are formed in him, who speak in different voices, have completely different tastes, aims, and interests, and one of these two beings often proves to be on the level of a small child. Continuing the experiment further it is possible to put one of these beings to sleep, or the experiment may begin by putting to sleep either personality or essence. Certain narcotics have the property of putting personality to sleep without affecting essence. And for a certain time after taking this narcotic a man’s personality disappears, as it were, and only his essence remains.”

“And it happens that a man full of the most varied and exalted ideas, full of sympathies and antipathies, love, hatred, attachments, patriotism, habits, tastes, desires, convictions, suddenly proves quite empty, without thoughts, without feelings, without convictions, without views. Everything that has agitated him before now leaves him completely indifferent. Sometimes he sees the artificiality and the imaginary character of his usual moods or his high-sounding words, sometimes he simply forgets them as [p162] though they had never existed. Things for which he was ready to sacrifice his life now appear to him ridiculous and meaningless and unworthy of his attention. All that he can find in himself is a small number of instinctive inclinations and tastes. He is fond of sweets, he likes warmth, he dislikes cold, he dislikes the thought of work, or on the contrary he likes the idea of physical movement. And that is all.”

“Sometimes, though very seldom, and sometimes when it is least expected, essence proves fully grown and fully developed in a man, even in cases of underdeveloped personality, and in this case essence unites together everything serious and real in a man…….
…..But this happens very seldom. As a rule man’s essence is either primitive, savage, and childish, or else simply stupid. The development of essence depends on work on oneself.”

[INSOTM,,1916,162–163]