Many have described Gabon as the "Tibet of Africa". Bordering the Cameroon, Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea - Gabon is the home of "Bwiti" - a rich African spiritual tradition.
Bwiti practitioners use the root bark of the Tabernanthe iboga plant to promote radical spiritual growth, to stabilize community and family structure, and to resolve pathological problems. The root bark has been consumed for thousands of years in a Bwiti rite of passage ceremony, as well as in initiation rites and acts of healing. More recently in the Western world, Iboga and specifically one of its alkaloids Ibogaine, has gained prominence as a treatment for opiate addiction.
Unfortunately, Iboga along with most other psychedelic plant medicines is banned in many Western countries. It's legal status one more proof point that true religious freedom does not exist in Western Society which is gripped by a vicious 'War on Consciousness'.
Bwiti ceremonies are led by a spiritual leader called N'ganga who is a very important member of the community and has extensive knowledge of traditional healing practices, hexes, and spells. The crucial rite of Bwiti is the initiation ceremony, when young Gabonese men take Iboga for the first time in the men's hut to become members of the spiritual practice. There are many ceremonies at different times of the year to give homage to the ancestors. Special ceremonies may be held to heal sick persons or drive out malevolent spirits.
During many ceremonies, a traditional torch made of bark and tree sap is burned. Musicians playing drums and a traditional Ngombi harp are central to the rites. The N'ganga and other participants usually dress in red, black, and white cloth. They may wear skirts of raffia material and small shells or beads. Animal skins, such as Genet fur, are often worn. The Iboga root may be made into a tea or more often taken in the form of scrapings. Ceremonies usually begin at night and may last for days as the doses of the plant medicine used in these ceremonies is particularly long lasting.
This year has seen a true spiritual awakening for myself guided by a recourse to nature and the discovery of the ancient sacred traditions of the ancestors. As part of this blessed journey both myself and my wife have made a commitment to visit Gabon in 2015 and undergo our initiation into the Bwiti tradition. We are planning to fly out just after xmas and be in Gabon through new year and into early Jan. A monumental way to begin what promises to be a year of significant personal transformation for us both in 2015.
Our preparations for the visit are extensive as we both seek to ready ourselves physically, mentally and spiritually for the ceremony in Gabon. A key part of our preparations is a renewed focus on our meditation practice. Every morning at 5am we arise and sit in meditation together for an hour. We have also taken to adding an additional meditation session in the evening and once a week we go for a flotation (sensory deprivation) session. Our physical preparations include a weekly gym regime of 3-4 sessions and 3 sessions of Hot Yoga. Diet is also a key concern. We have now removed all alcohol and are following a Paleo approach to eating. We also carry out a 24 hour cleansing fast every Sunday and are planning a further detox using the ancient medicine from the Kambo frog. Finally, we have increased our sleep aiming to hit the sack between 9.30 and 10.00 every evening.
In addition to the preparations above I am also personally carrying out a significant amount of work guided by the sacred medicine of the mushroom. This is assisting me to work through many issues associated with self imposed limits that I habitually apply to my creative energy. Recognizing and then changing these patterns of thinking has been a key focus of my work with the mushroom. I have also started to work with vision boards and other life planning tools to begin to build my focus around the reality I am seeking to manifest moving into 2015 and beyond.
Finally, both myself and my wife have renewed our focus on gratitude. Giving daily thanks for everything that life has provided us with, most importantly giving thanks for each other. This has been a powerful practice and xmas will be a time to really celebrate the joy of being with each other and the rest of our family even more. So as 2014 draws to a close, I give thanks to the Universe for a wonderful year. I look forward to a year of powerful transformation in 2015 and I pray that the Universe will continue to guide and protect us on our sacred journey.
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