Gaia Sagrada - Death of the Ego Is Not The Goal
Ego Death Is Not The Goal of Ayahuasca, Although Some People Think It is
When taking Ayahuasca at Gaia Sagrada death of the ego is something many retreat participants ask about. Here at Gaia Sagrada death of the ego is not the goal. We explain to people that the ego is not the enemy. The ego is your individuality and it is what makes you unique and gives you a sense of self. The ego knows what you are good at and what you are supposed to do.
When we talk about the ego we are not talking about a big ego or an inflated ego, a braggard. This is not necessarily what the ego is when referring to the ego. The ego is not your enemy actually!
The ego is having a sense of self, that which is separate from other selves in the world. You have a definite sense of self, this "I" that you call yourself, and this is not a bad thing. In fact, this sense of self is absolutely necessary to your well being!
That is why at Gaia Sagrada death of the ego is not the goal. Many people go into Ayahuasca ceremonies, meditation, or a spiritual practice in order to dissolve the ego, or the sense of self. You don't necessarily want to lose your sense of self. In fact, you want the opposite, which is deeply connecting with the self or this ego. It's important to value this self and the uniqueness of yourself. Self worth is essential to living a healthy and happy life. This is what makes it possible for you to have healthy boundaries, enforce those boundaries, and take care of yourself.
A person does not need to have a big ego to have a sense of self and valuing the self. Self worth is not the same as inflated self importance. While it is good to have enough self importance to find yourself important enough to defend and take care of, inflated self importance actually comes from a lack of self worth or recognition of self.
So here at Gaia Sagrada death of the ego is exactly what we DON'T want you to do! It's important to fully connect with yourself and this sense of “I-ness” and understand yourself as a human. While it is good to see the big picture and have a sense of All-That-Is and how you are a part of the ocean of consciousness that is God’s consciousness, it is also important to realize this finite self that is your identity in this human experience.
Your human identity has it’s proper place in being a human in this reality, and the healing you are looking for is about getting this sense of self fully in order. Like we say at Gaia Sagrada, death of the ego is not the goal. It is about connecting to this individual experience that you know yourself as, and making peace with everything that has happened as you experienced it as this individual being.
This is more what is about than death of the ego. Making peace with the past and readjusting the present to be in a peaceful state with everything that has happened to this egoic idea of the individualized self.
Christine Breese is the founder of University of Metaphysical Sciences, Gaia Sagrada Retreat Center, and Free Retreats 4 All. She is a speaker, teacher, and retreat facilitator and you can see her videos on Youtube.com/ChristineBreese
