Matthew

I don't believe the higher self is synonymous with the subconscious mind either.  Rather, I believe the subconscious mind is the gateway to the higher self.  It is our connection to our higher self.  You say it's a connection to God, and I say that there is really no difference between God and the Higher Self in this case, for both are the source of our conscious minds, as God/AllThatIs flows through our higher self and into us, our Higher Self creating us as individual beings from it's own consciousness, and God essentially creating both our Higher Self and us. 

I don't really understand your dislike of the breakdown and categorization of God- this is simply the nature of reality.  All consciousnesses are God in smaller form- All consciousnesses are made of the very same "God stuff" that God/AllThatIs itself is made of.  Everything is an extension of AllThatIs, and as all consciousnesses have the ability to create, and what they use to create is the very consciousness which they are and a part of, then their creations(for example, our higher self's creation of us, and whatever consciousness our higher self was created from) are subdivisions by nature. 

Modern day science has proven that all matter in our universe is actually all one energy in its most basic state.  This is the nature of God.  But we still have many subdivisions of this basic energy- atoms, cells, humans, planets, solarsystems, ect... Just as in nonphysical reality we have subdivisions of an even finer energy, in the form of higher selves and such.  Each subdivision has its own level of consciousness, which is part of an even higher level of awareness from which it comes from.  Like it or not, this is simply the nature of reality.  It's all in how you view it.  It can be viewed from an enlightening, empowering, positive perspective just as it can be viewed from your perspective.

What if the higher self IS the means to obtain true unity with the divine?  After all, our higher self is our conscious mind's source.  Perhaps when one experiences this divine unity in the physical, they are actually experiencing unity with their higher self.  Not saying this is definitely the case, but it is a possibility, and a good one the way I see it. 

Of course, this whole discussion is only based on theory to the extent that we lack the experiential knowledge of the reality of our Higher Selves.  I know from experience that I am a part of a consciousness much greater than my own, a consciousness almost impossible to describe in words, and when I merged with this greater portion of my total being I experienced what I can only describe as divine bliss, a direct connection to the most intense love and compassion that I could have ever imagined.  This seems to go against your idea that the Higher Self is just a diversion from the divine, as I experienced the divine through my Higher Self.  Hey, give it a try sometime, see for yourself.   

Love seems to be the nature of our Higher Self.  There are far more people worshiping some version of "God" whose actions are misaligned with love than there are those "worshiping" the Higher Self.  I would think that if they are aware of the concept of the higher self, they are also aware of the concept of PUL being the vital life force which drives our being, as these concepts are part of the same paradigm.  If one is truly following HS, then they are following love.

To each his own, Dude.  If one needs a disc, higher self to look toward, on their own path, its fine by me.  It is a diversion when one cedes free will to guidance instead of following their own knowledge of what actions are love based or not.  I wouldn't assume that all people who look to HS, or guides, etc. have the same discernment. 

But, like I said to each his own.  When some people pass over, they have a stay in Focus 27, and go over their life review in detail.  For them, it is necessary to move on.  Others bypass all that, and go straight to their place in the heavens.  There are many paths through love to explore.

Matthew

I love the content of this thread but mostly I like the tone of it. Very cool stuff.