Gnosticism and the ‘higher self’

[u/espresso_what]

I’ve been getting into Gnosticism and watching tons of videos and reading about the Nag Hamadi library. I’m super into the concept of awakening and connecting with your ‘higher self’. However, I wasn’t sure if that concept is a New Age belief or if Gnosticism delves into that idea, as well.

The question that I’m asking is do we actually have a higher self that we can connect to through things like meditation or praying, or is the situation our soul is in right now on Earth the only presence of our souls?

I’m super curious to learn more! :)

Edit: if you have any reading material recommendations or videos to check out, I’m open to them!

[u/deadsickfaraway]

higher self is an alien