There is a great misunderstanding about individuality; or loss of when you merge with the source. This is caused by the duality consciousness being taught by many so called Gurus in the New Age movement, who got their information from beings of the Astral Realm; also known as the Emotional Realm.
We are all unique individual spirits created by God; if you believe in the one god one source and we were all created by God, then we are a part of God. Think God as a tree and we are its branches and leaves. Each leaf is unique, which is you, but you can not exist as a leaf by itself without the tree. So basically, your individual existence is an EXTENSION of your Higher-Self, which is really YOU! All you understood now is that, you are a leaf, but as you begin to walk the spiritual path, you will eventually become aware of a branch of the tree (which is your Higher-Self), then other branches from the same tree (other Higher-Selves which are your brothers and sisters) and then the tree itself which is God. And when you realized this that you are actually a part of a tree and know that the tree needs you and you need the tree, you are all one.
The key to spirituality is to re-establish your connection with your Higher-Self or Self.
Your Higher-Self is pure and all knowing. In order to protect yourself from the negative energies on Earth, you sent an extension of yourself. If your extension is somehow corrupted or contaminated by the negative energies of this planet, then it is limited to that extension, which is the Conscious You. This is where the mechanism called "Re-incarnation" provides the means for these souls (Conscious You) to re-incarnate and resolve any Karma or misqualified energies you created in your past lives.
Sometimes, some Higher-Self can send MORE THAN ONE extension of you in parallel universes and dimensions and planes. There will be many more of the Conscious You; leaves instead of just one leaf.
What many spiritual Gurus and people in the New Age world tried to confuse some spiritual seekers is to inject fear that you will loose your identity as your merge with your higher-self or you must obey some higher authority (Higher-Self or the Ascended Masters). This is somewhat true in a sense that you will loose your human limited sense and regain more divine higher sense that you are actually a spiritual being and not limited by the things of this world. You will still keep to be who you are, what your place on Earth and the friends you associate with and the work you're proud of doing. But these associations will be more to serve God rather than Mammon. This shift is very real which manifests themselves in reality can be alarming to some people, but always rewarding. This has been my experience and observation thus far.
We are so afraid and fearful because we are limited by the resources on Earth and that you can't do anything about. It feels real, and it tastes real, so when you feel that, you don't feel like you have any power to change. But you do have the power to change and change your outer circumstances. But it's difficult to tell people that because the outside world, while being an illusion itself, is so real. You can only see it being fake when you reconnect with your Higher-Self and improve your situation. Isn't that a better deal than being a limited person with their hands tied?
The dark forces and dark beings however would love keeping you in this state of limitation and will stop you in any way possible to reconnect back to God/Higher-Self. They know full well who you are. Why do you think this world is full of these beings who are intent to stop you progressing in your spiritual path with a lot fear and doubt? Something that is not aligned with God's purpose, which is love and gratitude which are the polar opposites of fear and doubt?
Think about that.
This battle has been going on since the fall of man; Adam and Eve.