A Simple Ritual for Ego Death
Do you ever feel like you just need to get out of your own way? Perhaps this Ego Death Ritual can help! It's designed to help uncover and release the stories we tell ourselves about who we are and what we're capable of - the stories that are grounded much more in our fears and insecurities than in actual reality.
Clark and I are both in the process of taking on new work challenges that bring a lot more visibility and responsibility than either of us is typically comfortable with. We were both feeling a little stuck, and a lot apprehensive about taking bold next steps in our careers. After talking it out, we realized that what we needed was to route out the Imposter Syndrome underneath all our hesitations. Take a look at the instructions below to recreate or adapt this ritual for yourself.
Supplies You'll Need:
Pen & Paper
Fire-safe bowl or vessel to burn in
Dollar Bill (optional)
Ego Death Ritual
Start by smudging your space and yourself, and cast a circle of protection.
Then take your pen and paper and write out all of the things related to your ego/identity that it's time to shed, so that you can grow and move forward. For example - some of my old ego stories were that I didn't want or need help from anyone else, took pride in going it alone, and always needed to be perfectly put together to stay safe and "beyond reproach," and of course my feelings of Imposter Syndrome! I found that it was easier to draw a rough image of my body and actually write out these old ego features where I felt they manifested in my body. Clark found it was just as effective for him to simply make a list.
Our two different lists and reminders with sigils.
We also found it was really effective to do this ritual together, because the honesty and vulnerability of sharing our insecurities out loud to another person helped us let them go.
As always, do what feels right for you!
Once you have everything written down on your paper, the mechanism to release it is to burn it. As your paper burns, focus your intention on letting go of this older version of you that is no longer necessary. Picture shedding your old skin like a snake, and letting the new version of yourself emerge into the world unencumbered by those old stories and insecurities.
This is enough to complete the ritual. Clark and I decided to go a step further and create a physical reminder of the ritual and the intentions surrounding it, something we could keep handy and that felt linked to the next steps we're both taking in our careers. We decided to "sacrifice" a dollar bill to the cause, and we each wrote out our personal sigils onto a dollar that we can carry in our wallets as a physical/visual reminder. Other physical items that you might consider for this purpose might be a stone or crystal, a piece of jewelry you want to link to this intention, even a string or ribbon tied to your shoelace or purse/back-pack to serve as a reminder of your intention to shed the old version of yourself so that the new you can thrive.
Death isn't always about grief. At its core, it's about rebirth and renewal. Ending old cycles, so that new ones can begin! If you're feeling trapped in old cycles, hopefully you find this Ego Death ritual helpful and effective.
~ Anna
