We’re feeling beings. Our emotion is a product of our desire. Our thoughts are a product of our emotions, even if we don’t feel it to be this way. Therefore, our thoughts and desires are products of the Will to Receive, which is our essence. So, we can’t rely on either for spiritual advancement.
The soul is the desire that can be filled with the Upper Light.
You’re right. Everything I know about myself is actually the ego that is in full control of me. I have no way out. So, I need something from the outside, the guidance from Kabbalists, an Upper Light that shines from them. This works on and changes me. All depends on how much Light I draw.