Decapitate ego & make the art

4 lessons from Maa Chhinnamasta

When Trump was first elected in 2016, I was counseling at John O’Connell High School in San Francisco’s Mission District. Many of my students were undocumented— and thereby petrified of deportation and loss. I was a new clinician battling imposterism in a time of intense collective uncertainty. On top of it, I had no idea how to be a force of hope or calm for these youth, let alone my damn self.

Around this time, I began drawing daily—just five minutes to express whatever I was feeling or longing for. Sometimes it was violent black scribbles, other times sweet affirmations, “You are smart. You are purposeful. You are not alone.” My ego often sneered, “What’s the point? You’re wasting paper.” But a deeper part of me gave zeros fucks; I was desperate for a soothing practice.

Weeks later, I revisited the pile of drawings that had developed and I saw them differently—like reading an old diary documenting my teenage brain. Some drawings felt distant, others quite charming. When I shared a few affirmations with family and friends, they asked for prints to hang on their fridges or put on their altars. Mosaiceye’s shop of visual affirmations was born.

What started as ego-less doodles became a private therapy practice, one that has created affirming art for the last 7 years, fundraised for impactful causes, and gathered creatives in loving community. If I had listened to my ego, I probably would’ve been lost in those violent black scribbles that were never allowed on the page.

Ego and its struggles

With more and more crises, fires, floods, wars, threats to body sovereignty and denials of the crises themselves, I hear more and more artists and changemakers struggling with questions like:

• "Why bother with art if nothing will actually make a difference?"

• "Where do I even start?"

• “Will any of it be good enough?”

When there’s so much to fear, our natural instinct is to protect. Our egos are our most persistent inner protectors, and paradoxically feeds us doubts about our adequacy or impact. While the ego helps us preserve ourselves to some degree, it’s often a barrier in creative practice with its obsessive attachment to outcomes, fears of failure, and cravings for external recognition. When the ego is in the driver’s seat, creativity becomes constrained by perfectionism, overthinking, and a need for control. It whispers lies like:

• "What will people think (people will hate me for this)?"

• "This isn’t good enough."

• "I’m not as talented/smart/connected/supported/equipped/knowledgeable/fast as them."

The systems we’re up against—colonialism, capitalism, patriarchy—thrive on these fears. These systems also infiltrate our creative spaces, manifesting as urgency, perfectionism, comparison, and scarcity. Our egos and inner critics—in an attempt to protect us in these oppressive systems— vibe-match these very systems and end up becoming our internal oppressors…big sigh.

The ego is about survival; it doesn’t G.A.F. about birthing new worlds through free expression, disrupting harmful systems by disrupting them within ourselves, or imagining paradigms of care by embodying that care right here and right now. The ego doesn’t understand how one seemingly small scribble— or conversation, outfit, daydream, gathering, meal, etc.— can be a significant step to greater insight, connection and liberation.

Enter the Decapitated Goddess

In a series called Embodying Shakti, we recently explored Chhinnamasta, the tantric goddess who offers potent lessons on ego and creation. Read more about Chhinnamasta in this article

Lakshmi N

and I wrote on Ego Death and Pleasure Activism with Chhinnamasta. The Goddess stands on a couple in sexual union, holding her severed head in one hand and a sword in the other, three streams of blood flow from her neck into the mouths of her own head and 2 attendants (or Dakinis) on each side of her. Both horrifying and mesmerizing, Chhinnamasta embodies destruction and creation.

Her act of decapitation is not despair—it’s liberation. By cutting off her head, which symbolizes her ego, she relinquishes control, allowing divine energy to flow freely. Her blood is nourishment, reminding us that creativity often requires surrender and paradox—destruction makes way for creation, (ego) death allows for new birth.

4 lessons from Maa Chhinnamasta

For those of us called to devotedly make art and change in these tumultuous times, Chhinnamasta teaches us how to move beyond ego and step into our vital role as creators:

1. Set the ego aside

Creation is foundational to who we are— we were made with the creative energy of sexual union. Carrying forth the vitality of creation demands that we cut attachment to the ego’s obsessions with perfection, identity, and external validation. This doesn’t mean demonizing the ego (Chhinnamasta is still feeding her head after all). It means recognizing when the ego obstructs flow, and putting it in its right place (say, in our laps not our leadership) again and again. By setting aside the ego and inner critic, we create space for Life to move through us.

2. Embrace paradox

Creative work emerges from tension—the willingness to confront what is uncomfortable, ugly, unresolved or unknown, and the ache of our longings for something else. The ego resists this because it demands we control the narrative of how we will be seen. But Chhinnamasta reminds us that creativity is truth-telling: a courageous confrontation of what is, even it it’s not want we want it to be.

3. Let it be a sacred offering

The blood from Chhinnamasta’s neck nourishes her and others. As creators, we are called to pour our essence into our work—not as depletion or sacrifice necessarily, but as generative circulation, even pleasure. Without the head of ego blocking, controlling or hoarding flow, our creations can become the sacred offerings they’re meant to be.

4. Do it with your Dakinis

Chhinnamasta is not alone—she is surrounded by her Dakinis who reflect her and drink her flow. Creativity flourishes in community. Let us surround ourselves with those who are also in practice of setting ego aside, channelling flow, and engaging in circulations of nourishment. Mosaiceye Collective spaces like The River or the upcoming “Art-Making on Behalf of Ishtadeva” Workshop are meant to foster this kind of collective and devoted creativity.

Of course, the ego will demand perfection in these practices, whispering that we should embody the Tantric Goddess herself, flawless and all-powerful. But the truth is, these practices are lifelong—messy, imperfect, and repetitive. We will stumble, circle back, and feel incomplete. Our devotion shines when we can show up to these practices again and again.

A page from the guide CLEAR CHANNEL: SETTING EGO ASIDE IN OUR CREATIVE PRACTICE. Ishtadeva means “chosen god” and can be specific deities, aspects of nature like trees or rivers, qualities and values like love, compassion, justice and liberation, etc.

Courageous creativity

We are being asked to dismantle outdated systems—both external and internal. Chhinnamasta shows us that this work is not about egoic grandeur but about surrendering to our vital divine flow beyond our heads and ego. When we set aside our small ego, we become vessels for the divine, allowing creativity to flow through us in ways that can disrupt, inspire, and reimagine worlds.

As we dismantle internal and external systems of control, here are some questions for reflection:

• Where is my ego blocking my creative energy?

• What attachments must I sever to step into my role as a creator?

• How can my creative practice become a sacred offering?

• What communities can I connect with for support and co-creation?

By invoking Chhinnamasta’s courage, we can transform our creative practice into liberation— for ourselves and the collective, inside and out. Together, let us sever our egos and nourish the world with our creative flow.

What say you, dear reader? What comes up for you here? Do share in the comments.

Gatherings and resources

All my best writing in this publication is free for you, though here are some ways to continue receiving and giving to the sustainability of this work:

• Share this publication with people you love

• Get a book on abundance mentality and/or playful devotion

• Get a poster to adorn your space with compassionate reminders

• Schedule a discovery call to work with me 1:1 for your Creative Alchemy™

• Join The River, a membership space for creative ever~flow with a global community of changemakers

Thank you 💚