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.