The Supreme Self is called Paramaśiva or simply Śiva in Trika, and to attain to Him is to become one with Him. When you completely identify yourself with Him in the form of "Paramaśivo'ham" (I am Paramaśiva), you have gotten to the highest state of consciousness.
Ego (Gabriel, John, etc.) is only a tiny "clipping" of something much greater. Your own Self is much, much bigger than your mere "ego". Ego or Ahaṅkāra is certainly one of the roles that Śiva plays in the process of the world manifested by Himself, but this role is not at all representative of the whole Reality. For example, you work as a waiter eight hours a day in a bar. However, this is only one of the roles you play. During the remaining sixteen hours, you may be a father, a husband, etc., and even during those eight hours you are person with an inner life, with thoughts and feelings apart from those related to be a waiter, aren't you? Likewise, even though Śiva plays the role of Gabriel, John, etc., He is someone much greater and more transcendental.
Some consider the ego to be something completely separate from Śiva, and thus they are all the time fighting the ego... and losing every battle. On the other hand, others consider the ego to be the real Self and they become identified with him in the process. The vast majority of people in this world follows this way of thinking. They are convinced that Gabriel, John, etc. (or whatsoever their names may be) are themselves, and accordingly they suffer horribly due to their error. Look around if you do not believe me. The poor suffer because they are poor and need more money. The rich suffer because of his own wealth, and so on. Nobody is really happy in this world, except the wise people.
Wise people understand that the ego is not their real Self but an extremely limited "clipping" of a divine Reality lying behind. So, they attempt to attain to that Reality by renouncing the ego, and not by ignorantly fighting against him. Ego is a tattva (15) in the Trika system, which plays a crucial role for the mental and physical worlds to be manifested.
You cannot annihilate the ego, but you can "spiritually" expand him and make it abandon his inherent limitation. As the ego is a clipping of Śiva, when you "spiritually" expand him, the ego returns to God from whom he had originally come out, got it? Of course, by "expansion of the ego", I am not referring at all to the "worldly" expansion in which you strive to become the most conceited and vain person of the world. I am referring to a "spiritual" expansion in which you change the object of identification, that is, you substitute Śiva or Paramaśiva for Gabriel, John, etc. Thus, you experience "I am Śiva, I am Paramaśiva" instead of "I am Gabriel, John, etc.".
Merging into Śakti is to make the ego return to its Original Nature
In fact, the entire group of 36 tattva-s, as stated by the Trika system, is fully developed and their display is not dependent on the limited individual, but on Śakti. Śakti is the whole time operative and nobody can stop Her activity. By "nobody" I am referring to conditioned individuals. The only task to be accomplished by a paśu or limited soul is to become conscious that all is Śakti, even himself. When that paśu realizes the truth that nothing exists apart from Śakti, he also perceives that he never existed as a paśu, that is, he was not ever separate from Śakti. In fact, he will realize that his existence as paśu (Gabriel, Andrés, John, Mary, Natasha, etc.) is just an "invention". These Gabriel, Andrés, John, etc. are inventions made by Śakti Herself in Her creative universal display.
This paśu is nothing but a conglomerate of mind and body. The different thoughts, feelings and the like which emerge in the mind, turn a particular paśu into a unique individual. This is backed up by the unique characteristics of his physical body. Thus, because this conglomerate is apparently unique and different from other conglomerates, the notion of "someone" existing as a separate individual is secured. Of course, this is merely the display of the Supreme Power of Śakti, since the poor paśu cannot exist without the support of this Śakti behind.
Accordingly, some systems state that this paśu is like a puppet under the guidance of the Supreme Puppeteer who controls the movement of the threads. Trika affirms that there is neither puppet nor puppeteer, but an only Divine Power or Śakti becoming the individuals by contracting Herself. Anyway, all individuals are totally dependent upon that Divine Power and there is no doubt about that. Finally, death arrives and dissolves the conglomerate formed from mind and body, which was always just Śakti. Even though the conglomerate was removed, Śakti was not removed at all.
Life is only the permanence of the psychophysical conglomerate, while death is just the dissolution of that conglomerate. However, whether or not the conglomerate experiences permanence or dissolution, Śakti remains behind like the eternal Force. The conglomerates, though real while they last, are ephemeral in the long run. Only Śakti is everlasting and the final Reality or Vastu behind all conglomerates. This Śakti is your essence, and if you do not realize Her you will just live as a mere conglomerate.
Granted, there are many types of conglomerates, some better, others worse. Most people are completely dedicated to improve their lives as limited conglomerates. For example, some of them want to be a "famous" conglomerate, or one with plenty of money and power, etc. But the wise, realizing how ephemeral all that is... yes, even in the case of a famous, wealthy and powerful conglomerate... look to attain Śakti, that is, to realize the Cosmic Force who manifested, sustains and will dissolve all these fleeting agglutinations of mind and body in Her own Self. Become a sage then.
A simple way to realize the Cosmic Force behind all conglomerates is to pay attention to the gaps existing between the thoughts. Remember that the thoughts belong to the conglomerate, but That which exists between them does not belong to it. That is Śakti or Divine Power, which is not thinkable but the thinker himself. She behaves like a thread connecting many thoughts which are strung together in Her like beads in a necklace. Do not pay attention to the beads (thoughts), but to the thread (Śakti). You are inherently Śakti who is not different from Śiva. That is why, when your mind stops and you do not think at all, you keep existing yet. The cessation of mind is not tantamount to your own cessation.
Why are you then so identified with your mind when you are the independent Self residing behind the mind? Ponder over this mystery.