The creation of a conscious self, possessing a degree of autonomy and free will, is a pre-requisite for life to grow and evolve, as no life can exist without a centre of consciousness. This acts as both guardian and guide in each sentient and non-sentient being. This centre of consciousness ('Jivatman', 'Man'/'Mun' or conscious self) comes into being when the creator ('Atman', 'Parmatman' or the Primal Soul) interacts with, and partially expresses itself as a surrogate of itself, functioning within the physical body. One's conscious self, within the confines of the allotted degree of autonomy, free will and endowed attributes, creates a sense of self within the physical body, enabling it to achieve its maximum potential according to its innate nature, ever-changing world view and its interactions with the empirical world. This is at the heart of the evolutionary process which created diversity from unity and the simplest to the most complex forms of life, with human beings, as they are now, at the pinnacle of this process.
However, an individual's conscious self, innate nature, and world view (ego-consciousness) remain divergent from that of the creator (God-consciousness). The goal of human beings is, therefore, to realise and perceive God-consciousness in action in the universe and to align and harmonise perfectly with it in one's lifetime. This what Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion, expresses in the first stanza of 'Jap(u)' in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib - the 'living Guru' and the holy Sikh scripture. Spiritual Evolution focuses on the process of achieving this goal, exploring, and explaining, in detail, the verses of 'Jap(u)' and the steps which lead to an understanding of one's 'real self' and, ultimately, to perfect alignment with God-consciousness.