Confronting Mortality in the Jungle of Costa Rica
Right now, as you’re reading this, I’m in the jungle of Costa Rica.
It’s a beautiful country known for its national parks, natural beauty and world class resorts.
But I’m not here for any of those reasons. I’m here to experience what many call the closest thing you can do to dying… without dying (if all goes as planned, anyway).
Why would anyone want to do that?! Well, I’ll tell you… And don’t worry, there’s no reason to be downcast or melancholy about this one, just the opposite.
Most of us live day to day pretending that tomorrow will be more or less like today. It’s because oftentimes it is! Your alarm will go off, the sun will rise and you’ll start what I’m willing to bet you’ve called “the grind” at some point: the series of obligations, errands and things you have to get done. Right? We go through a series of patterns, habits and rituals over and over and over again.
In all that monotony, it’s easy to take much for granted and forget that radical changes can take place at any moment. Good things like: you win the lottery, your latest YouTube video goes viral or a relative gifts you a new car. Or, not so good: there’s a family emergency, the loss of a job or even a pandemic. We do not and cannot know exactly what will come next.
Even though I know that as a fact, I still don’t always appreciate it. Deep reflection and run-ins with mortality have a way of bringing back some humbleness. A chance to get present to the uncertainty of tomorrow, orienting us to what really matters in the end. And this journey is designed to do exactly that.
This journey is to partake in a traditional plant medicine ceremony led by Shamans that have been practicing for a lifetime. Experiences oftentimes unlock a dream state with new brain patterns and visions unlike anything we experience in the day-to-day. Some call it an ego-death. I call it a chance to deeply reflect on what matters by confronting the unknown.
Dr. Marwa Azab, Psychology Today writer, talks about mortality motivation. She says: “enormous energy [is] generated and liberated by accepting that we are mortal, and that our time is limited. Suppressing our fears of death and denying mortality requires brain fuel. This fuel subtracts from our ability to live life fully or even live.” In studying the seemingly transcendent healing properties of all kinds of plant medicine for years, that seems to be right on. The U.S. Military is conducting trials successfully treating many cases of PTSD. I’ve found studies that have led some people to overcoming terrible addictions. There are many stories of how they have inspired many artists to write, paint and sing at a new level.
Indigenous people have known these benefits for generations, but it has only been discovered by the West in the late 19th century. And still, there seems to be something here that’s beyond our current understanding, something unknown in and of itself. And at its core, a real appreciation of one’s own mortality in a universe that still eludes our total comprehension.
Anyone is allowed to stay in the haze pretending to know exactly what tomorrow will look like; it just doesn’t lead to a very good place. What comes next is inherently uncertain. And constantly “knowing” when unchecked, leads to being static, rigid and stuck, something that’s outright dangerous leaving us unprepared for inevitable changes that are bound to occur over time. It also leaves no room to wonder, to grow beyond or to surprise yourself or others.
I’ll be doing a few updates on social media to share how it’s going. And, I’ll write more about the experience hereafter, I’m sure. To be clear, I’m not suggesting any kind of planet medicine ceremony of your own. But this week I challenge you: reflect on your own mortality. Does it change anything? What you’re doing, how you’re interacting, what really matters? Could be things like dialing back the road rage, sharing your true feelings about something, or you can even go larger like getting serious about that “big risk” you’ve been thinking about.
While I’m in these ceremonies, I invite you to join me in a way each day this week by waking up from the status quo, and the day to day, to confront your own mortality.
This week, let’s take in what Dr. Marwa Azab calls mortality motivation: face your own mortality and ask yourself, what would you do differently?