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Bwiti initiation in Gabon

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.

German Sauna

This past weekend I went to Hamburg with my lovely wife to visit my sister and her recently new born baby girl. It was a fantastic trip. Hamburg is a really vibrant city and my sister lives in the heart of the Red Light District (the Reeperbahn). Hamburg's St. Pauli district is full of character and uniquely German in so many ways.

The trip also provided me with an opportunity to try two  new experiences. The first was a 2 person flotation session (sensory depravation) with my wife and the second a visit to a German sauna.

While I have floated on many occassions, this was the first time I did it in the same chamber with another person. It was a totally different experience. Typically a flotation session is about getting some time alone to be with your thoughts in deep meditation. However, the experience of going to float with your partner is based on a completely different intention. It's much more about making time for a relaxing initmate experience together. We both enjoyed it tremendously. The float was particularly powerful as we had consummed a delicious hash brownie a few hours previously allowing us to both go fully into the experience and drift away to another dimension during the session. Uber cool!

My visit to the Sauna was something I had been looking forward to for a long time. It is a ritual that many German's follow on a weekly basis. After work on a Friday evening typically the most popular time as it sets one up nicely for a relaxing weekend.

The Sauna is co-ed and fully naked, which often puts a lot of folks from the UK off. However, once you visit it seems like just the most natural thing in the world. The venue I visited had a number of Sauna's both inside the main complex and outdoors in a beautiful Japanese garden. Having visited the Sauna one could cool off outside with a naked stroll through the Japanese garden or with a dive into an ice cold plung pool. I had to work up the courage to try the plung pool, but, once I did there was no stopping me diving back in on numerous occassions. Outside also offered seating beside a number of wood fires where many folks wrapped themselves in a gown and pulled up a chair to share a chat or just stare into the flames and contemplate life's mysteries. If one fancied a swim then there was also an indoor heated pool. So many wonderful little spots to stop meditate and then move on to the next spot. The Sauna is truly a great place to have a think and I can understand how one could achieve great clarity of thought by building it into one's regular weekly routine.

I decided to take full advantage of the opportunity that the German Sauna offers to roam naked and free in nature and consummed some Psilocybin mushrooms prior to my visit. The effect was spectacular with my senses hightened I really felt fully alive and in the moment. The nature of the Sauna means that you can't spend too long in any one spot before you get either too hot or too cold. This was perfect for my mushroom meditation as it allowed me to explore a particular avenue of thought, then snap out of it come back to the moment fully in my body and move to another location to begin a new avenue of thought. In many ways the Sauna acted as a natural mechanism to enable me time block my meditations and visions. Uber cool!

It is a pity that the German Sauna is not something we have in the UK. The British attitude to nakedness clearly a barrier to entry. Personally, I found it a wonderful experience and if I was ever to live in Germany would certainly make it part of my regular routine. As an opportunity to relax, think and connect with both nature and one's body it is second to none.

Thoughts on the Poppy



Growing up in the Republic of Ireland, Poppy wearing was not a tradition I ever practiced. In fact, to wear a Poppy in Ireland was seen by many as pro-British and therefore by extension anti-Irish. This narrow minded view of the tradition sadly still persists in many quarters of Irish society even to this day.

Since moving to the UK in 2006, I have proudly embraced the tradition and worn a Poppy each and every year. I have done this not to conform to the local customs, but, because I feel that it is right that we remember the fallen. For me the Poppy is a remembrance of our fallen ancestors from all wars across all of human history. I remember both the soldiers and the civilians that should make up the real numbers when we count the dead. Too often, as in Iraq, the civilian dead simply get forgotten. The Poppy is a reminder for me that war is always a failure of diplomacy and never a real solution.

This year being the 100^th anniversary of the First World War has seen a fantastic display of the Poppy at the Tower of London. What has been less impressive is the many voices in both media and politics who have sought to portray the British soldiers of the First World War as heroic martyrs whose sacrifice has benefited us all up to this very day. Historically, nothing could be further from the truth. The historical truth is that the First World War was a massive, needless loss of human life. The hatred it generated and its eventual settlement ultimately led directly to the 2nd World War and the subsequent division of Europe during the Cold War. Nothing good at all came out of the First World War and the sacrifice made by soldiers on both sides was anything but heroic. It was tragic.

The glorification of war still persists to this day with veterans of both Iraq and Afghanistan being spoken of as 'heroes'. These are men and women who have no doubt fought bravely and risked their lives, but, they are not heroes. They are unfortunate victims of a flawed government policy that led us into an illegal war in Iraq and a protracted war in Afghanistan with no clear objectives or outcomes. They are victims who often suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and a range of other medical and psychological conditions upon their return to civilian life. Yes they should receive our support and our prayers, but, let’s not call them heroes. The act of killing other human beings is never heroic. It is always tragic.

The Poppy is an interesting symbol for the very reason that it means different things to different groups of people and individuals. I must admit that for me personally, the Poppy as a symbol also has a very close association in my mind with the Opium Wars. The First Opium War 1839-1842 and the Second Opium War 1856-1860, were fought between China and Britain. The result was that Britain effectively forced the Chinese to open up their markets to the sale of Opium by the European powers. Almost 50,000 Chinese were killed between both wars along with approximately 3,000 soldiers from the European powers. The Poppy also reminds me of the many covert wars fought in the shadows. In particular, the ways both the CIA and other intelligence agencies have controlled the Heroin trade to fund many of their covert operations. Finally, the Poppy reminds me of the ‘War on Consciousness’ that has led to worldwide bans on many plant medicines, used in traditional societies for thousands of years.  Plant medicines such as Psilocybin Mushrooms, which modern studies (http://www.maps.org/) are showing has a dramatic positive benefit for the treatment of patients suffering from PTSD. PTSD affects many of our troops returning from the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan, yet the ‘War on Consciousness’ means that effective treatments like Psilocybin or MDNA cannot be utilized to treat these veterans in a clinical setting.

My embracing of the Poppy as a symbol of remembrance will continue. However, going forward I have also decided to embrace another plant symbol in order to show my support for the victims and heroes of another war – the ‘War on Consciousness’. Starting in December 2014 and continuing every month bar October and November when I will wear the Poppy, I shall wear a Cannabis leaf on my left lapel to indicate my opposition to the ‘War on Consciousness’. I hope others who support the legalization of this plant medicine and an end to the war on adult human beings sovereignty to choose their own state of consciousness, will follow suit.

Let us never forget the fallen. If ever they died for a dream, then that dream was freedom. We all should stand up for the greatest freedom there is – freedom of thought and the ability to determine our own states of consciousness! Let’s demand an end to the ‘War on Consciousness’ and let us never forget the tragedy that war always brings to those whom we love most dear, and our brothers and sisters whom we may have never met, but, with whom we are ultimately one.

How to deal with ISIS?

How much of a threat is the ISIS group actually to US and global security? And what will be achieved by launching a campaign of western airstrikes against them?

Certainly, ISIS employs gruesome tactics such as the public beheadings of hostages. But, public beheadings also occur in the Kingdom Saudi Arabia on a regular basis at the infamous "chop, chop square" in Riyadh. While the ISIS beheadings are both grusesome and deplorable they are hardly unique to the region or a tactic beyond the pale in relation what other established Governments who are western allies employ.

Also, why is ISIS carrying out these beheadings and then promoting them on internet video sites? Could it be that they want to provoke the western powers and have us enter the battle. Could it be that they need the west involved in the conflict in order to justify their narrative of a great jihad against the west. Could it be that western airstrikes will actually benefit ISIS by creating more hatred for us and driving more recruits to their cause? And if these are the motivations of our enemy then why are the western powers allowing themselves to be so easily manipulated? What positive outcomes do we think will be achieved by military intervention?

The fact of the matter is that western intervention in the region going back many years has been what has led to the creation of ISIS. An illegal war in Iraq that killed over one million civilians and left the country divided and in chaos. Blind, unequivocal US support for the apartheid state in Israel. Western backing and support for Syrian rebels added to massive funding from our allies (the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey) who have been fighting a proxy war against Iran in the region. This is what has led to the emergence of ISIS.

Western military intervention against ISIS can have no positive outcome. A campaign against ISIS will inevitably lead to bombing targets in Syria, without a UN mandate! This will only draw us into further conflict with both Russia and Iran. Already US officials are talking about the goals of the mission extending beyond the elimination of ISIS to include regime change in Syria. Syria is a Russian ally and Russia has pledged to protect her against foregin aggression.

What the US and the west should rather be focused on is how they use soft power to combat the process of radicalization that leads too many young Muslim men and women to join the extremist cause. If we want to be a moral voice in the region then we need to hold our allies such as Israel and the KSA accountable to the same high standards of human rights that we hold ourselves. We must not base our military interventions on knee jerk reactions to gruesome online videos designed to provoke us into the battle, but, rather think about how our diplomacy and international policies can support a genuine movement towards peace across the region.

ISIS poses a regional threat and they should be countered by the major regional powers - Iran, the KSA, and Turkey. The US and the western powers should not allow themselves to get drawn into the conflict militarily. All western military intervention will do is create greater recruits to the extremist cause, lead to the death of more innocent civilians as a result of our airstrikes, and further inflame an already hostile relationship with major powers such as Russia and Iran.

The Bleeding Edge of Free Will

Free flowing personal expression on the bleeding edge of free will is how I intend to live my life. The great spirit has absolutely no tolerance for the decorations of society if they prevent its ability to flow freely. Culture must act as a vehicle to enable the spirit to find expression, not as a blockage. So hold your creations sacred and live with dignity, but, don't fall into hubris. Learn to laugh, both at yourself and the world. Life is wonderful. Enjoy its beauty and let your desires burn strong. Have faith that the universe will provide and have faith in your fellow man. We are all one!

Middle East conflicts

The decision by the UK House of Commons not to support any intervention in Syria looks more enlightened by the day as the so called 'rebels' we would have been supporting now appear to be the self same ISIS 'terrorists' that US this week started to launch airstrikes against in Iraq.

Why the US and Britain are still looking to get involved in Iraq/Syria is beyond me. All Western intervention in this region is entirely counterproductive. And who exactly are we supporting anyway? It's about time the Western powers took a step back and left it to the various warring factions on the ground to reach their own solutions about how to live together. This may indeed mean sitting on the sidelines as a humanitarian crisis evolves. It may mean that an Islamic state comes to power in the region. It may even mean that Iraq ultimately splits into 3 different countries. However, if there is ever to be a lasting peace the only way it will happen is if the various sides on the ground reach their own accommodations. Western intervention achieves nothing except creating more resentment and hatred for us across the region.

I notice today that the UK has now deployed RAF Tornado jets to provide greater surveillance of northern Iraq and protect the 'humanitarian' mission! These jets have the capability of launching air strikes so why hasn't parliament been recalled to sanction their use? And what remit do they actually have? We know the SAS is already engaged on the ground and today the possibility of further UK ground troops being deployed at a later date was also not ruled out by Phillip Hammond. Is the UK government getting us deeper engaged in this conflict by stealth? Certainly after the Syria vote, David Cameron cannot afford another defeat in parliament regarding intervention in the region. So is that why we are now seeing a bypassing of parliament and UK forces being engaged under the auspicious of a 'humanitarian' mission! I'm sorry, but, Tornado jets and the SAS don't signal a humanitarian mission to me - it signals intervention. So we're back in Iraq and who's to say the remit to battle ISIS won't also get us into Syria? Recall parliament now! We need a vote on this before the UK gets any deeper into the conflict.

And then there is Israel. An apartheid state, as bad as the apartheid regime in South Africa, who the Western powers seem to be completely turning a blind eye to. Again the issue in this region will never be solved so long as the US continues to provide unconditional support to Israel. Gaza is a prison camp and the current conflict is just another in a series of Israel culls of the Palestinian population. It is nothing short of ethnic cleansing and it is disgusting. It's time to expel the Israeli ambassador to the UK, boycott Israeli goods, and remove all UK support for the current regime. The only way forward in this region is a one state solution with equal rights for all and an end to any official state religion. This is what the US and the Western powers should be pushing both sides towards.

Britain has played a large role historically in creating the problems in the middle east. It now needs to take a step back and think very carefully about how it uses its influence from the sidelines in a more just and equitable manner. The government needs to listen to the UK population who have zero desire to see the country engaged in any further conflicts in the region and who also are clearly calling for a change in government policy towards the apartheid regime in Israel.

Wake up UK! We need a change in policy.