Ego Death & Meeting Your Shadow are common themes that are used when people talk about doing psychedelic journey's. I'd like to address these topics in this blog to help you understand a little more about what “ego death” and "meeting your shadow" really mean because I think a lot of people have misperceptions of the Ego and the Shadow.

For example, many people on the spiritual path actually judge the Ego and think that getting rid of it will somehow bring them to Enlightenment and then all will be well. 

This is hilarious to me because the Ego is actually a Master Teacher in the whole game we are playing here on Planet Earth. But it is not about getting rid of it as much as it is about shaping and transforming it along this path of spiritual awakening.

Yes - there are some humans who have touched based here on planet Earth who have reached enlightenment, but I want to be very honest in sayin that those Souls are very rare. The majority of us came here to experience a whole lot of different dualistic realities, and in order to accomplish that Soul Mission, we need the Ego to help us in that learning process.

I'll explain more about the Ego in just a moment...

Then there is the dreaded "shadow" or "darkness" that we learn to dread and dear so much. Personally - I think one of my Soul's Missions was to come here to explore the shadow - but it's probably not what you think it is. 

I describe the shadow as the 95% of our consciousness that we don't have access to, unless of course, we open ourselves up to expanding our limited perceptions outside of our current Ego structure - and that's the moment you will step into the "shadow".

Really, exploring the "shadow" is simply the exploration of more possibilities - in fact, the shadow is the infinite realm of possibilities that lie outside of your limited perception of what is "real". So being on a spiritual path will always force you to look at your "shadow" at some point along the path.  

This is without a doubt a conversation I always have when working 1-1 with my coaching clients, before breathe work or deep meditation sessions, and definitely when preparing people for their psychedelic journey's. Simply put, without accepting on some level the reality of Ego Death and stepping into the Shadow - there is no way to actually grow.

The reason it is helpful to contemplate and face Ego Death and to practice meeting your shadow is to help you understand that everything that happens in your life in your level of perception is a reflection of your own consciousness. However - most experts who study consciousness believe that we are only experiencing 5% of our own consciousness in normal daily life. The other 95% exists outside of the realm of our perceived 5% - and this is exactly why we need to let go of parts of our Ego and go into the "shadow" or the 95% of the unknown - to see what more is possible for us as we continue to evolve.

Psychedelics are great at giving you access to that shadow or unconscious part of you and will often magnifying it to make it appear real so that you can essentially get to know more of WHO YOU ARE. 

The shadows are typically thought of where the “monsters hide”, but what the monsters are representing are the parts of you that you are afraid to face. 

It is such a valuable question to ask yourself: Why on Earth do you fear yourself so much?

There is nothing wrong with fearing the shadow. 

But it is important to point out that this fear is likely not coming from what is lurking in the shadows or darkness - the fear is actually coming from your Ego and not wanting to let go of it’s current identity. 

Your Ego is the identity that you have created for yourself that is structuring how you perceive things, essentially serving to keep things hiding in the shadows by blocking you from considering another possibility for "who you are".

The Ego is the identity that you think is you.

It’s the thing that has you convinced that you are the way you are, and is often very possessive and not friendly towards the things that make it feel uncomfortable.

That’s why the Ego fears death, because essentially anything that causes the Ego to think that things could be another way would mean that a part of that identity will have to change - and as humans Beings - even the smallest changes in perception, all the way to realizing that your entire identity is based on false perceptions - can feel very much like experiencing death. 

Here's an example of what facing Ego Death and going into the shadow might look like inside of a psychedelic journey, just to give you some context.

The way this can play out in a psychedelic journey is let’s say that you have been blaming your parents for all of your problems for your entire life because of X, ,Y, and Z. Your Ego is keeping you in the identity of being a victim. Depending on how aware you are, you may or may not be somewhat conscious of this role your Ego is keeping you in, but either way, you've been playing it for so long and your Ego is so identified with the victim that it feels unsafe to see it any other way. 

Let’s say in your psychedelic journey you start to have the experience of panic, and you begin to have the feeling of spiraling out of control, and all you see is a black tunnel in front of you, and you start thinking, OMG I am never coming back from this, I’m lost forever - I want to get out of here!

(By the way - this is why I like to teach about this in preparation for deep inner journey's like psychedelic medicine journey's because being prepared for something like this, you can quickly remember to relax, and breathe, and just get curious about what this sensation and vision and feeling of death and sprialing out of control might mean.)  AKA - preparation is how you avoid the so-called "bad trip". 

Okay, back to the example - maybe the fear, and the anxiety, and the loss of control last for a while within your experience, but you continue to face your shadow knowing that it is a projection of a deeper pattern being witnessed by your consciousness.  What you are perceiving is all YOU, and you know that no matter how "scary" it feels that it is coming up to be seen and healed. 

At some point, you begin to cry, and all of a sudden you find yourself overwhelmed with love, humility, and gratitude. Your parents come to mind and you have no blame and no anger toward them, all you feel is love and acceptance in this moment. You surrender even more to this cathartic release as you are witnessing the self-love and self-forgiveness taking the place of the controlling way you’ve been operating from your whole life. And in that moment you have the clarity of what your Ego has been doing - it’s been keeping you in an illusion of blame and shame, blinding you from claiming responsibility for your own path. It has been protecting you from the pain that you were holding inside, but because you were able to face this pain in this moment, all you see now is love, and gratitude, and the perfection in it all.

You also see how you must change your current way of identifying with your victim in order to create more connection and love in your life. THIS change will be the death of the Ego and it was all made possible by facing your shadow of inner pain being protected and held onto, feeling it, and opening yourself up to the infinite possibilities that forgiveness and love can offer.

THIS my friend, is an example of the way one might experience an Ego Death in a ceremony as their shadow reveals to them a new possibility, and essentially, the opportunity to adopt a new identity - and just like that a new version of the Ego is born. 

The key in the experience of Ego Death and going toward your shadow is to remember to trust and surrender to the discomfort, and know that it is simply this - a projection of your consciousness (your shadow) that is actually arising to be seen, felt, experienced, and eventually integrated -  which will serve to make you more whole and, well, conscious in the end. 

Nothing that you see, witness, feel and experience is actually outside or separate from your own consciousness. Your shadow and or “darkness” as some call it is an inseparable part of who you are. 

The scary shadow, or evil Spirits, or demons, or whatever you want to call them are actually where the most valuable information in regards to personal transformation is hiding and psychedelics are a great tool be able to tap into this unconscious psychic content.  So if you have fear about what you might experience by doing the inner work with a coach, and/or going into a psychedelic journey, what you are actually fearing is the content of your own mind. 

I like to redefine the shadow as being the collective wisdom, the infinite consciousness, and the 95% of the “you” that you aren’t connecting with in your day to day life.

Essentially it’s the “unknown” - and that is exactly what our Ego does, is play the role of the protector, distracter, or trickster who is keeping you from seeing what is behind the curtains of what you think you “know”. 

Ego death is simply the letting go of, or revealing, of something that totally shakes up and maybe even shatters, the way you think things are. 

Knowing and accepting this truth and actually getting somewhat excited about meeting your shadow can be simple shifts in perception that can lead to some pretty profound consequences. In fact, it IS the key to making changes in your life that will allow you to heal and move forward in creating a more aligned and happy life!

I totally get that it takes courage to go deep into your consciousness. This is exactly why I do what I do - because going toward your shadow and facing Ego Death while someone is holding space for you helps give you the courage and safety to go deep within. The practice of going into your shadow and allowing whatever experience is going to arise in the mind, the emotional body and physical body arise and be fully processed is HOW YOU HEAL! 

Are you ready to face Ego death and meet your shadow knowing the massive transformational possibilities it promises?! 

Schedule a FREE Coaching Session with me today to learn how I can support you in aligning more with your purpose and get unstuck!