What is not an illusion
Now, on the spiritual path, our main goal is to realize the nature of consciousness, or the soul, our higher (or true) self whose nature is light. Consciousness isn't part of the samsara. It is not maya. It isn't illusory. It is self-existent, meaning it is not made of a multiplicity of elements like all temporary, impermanent phenomena. As strange as it may seem, such is the truth. And words are clumsy and inappropriate to describe the soul because words and concepts belong to this mayic, samsaric world. The soul is a most esoteric “thing”, that the mind can never really comprehend. To develop a deep inner knowledge of the nature of the soul and of spiritual things that exist in the realm of the soul and above, the conceptual mind is next to useless. It is in fact, a great limitation. To get to know these realities, one must aim at spiritual realization. One must become free of this mayic tool called the conceptual rational mind. There is no other way.
We have mentioned that the soul seeks to expand its whole field of consciousness. It seeks to BE more, like an ever-intensifying, farther-reaching light. To be able to do that in this samsaric reality, to which it doesn't belong, consciousness must use a tool, a vehicle, that belongs to this reality. Otherwise, it can never become conscious of what's going on here. It could never become conscious of its possibilities for growth and experience here. Our temporary physical body is that tool, but such is also our psyche, and our personality. The astral and mental bodies also are temporary vehicles, for as we said, the soul is neither of them.