AN IBOGA CEREMONY:
The Ultimate Psychedelic Ritual Ceremony done by the Bwiti Community in West African Gabon Each Iboga ceremony starts around a fire, this is an important part of honoring sacred Bwiti tradition. The fire was the first portal the Bwiti discovered into the spirit world. A great protector, the fire illuminates the ceremony space, its smoke serving as a runway for the spirits to enter and assist. The fire burns away what no longer serves us.
During the fireside talk, foundational Bwiti teachings are shared as well as shamanic teachings to set a stage of introspection. The talks impart vital wisdom, that we can use in our everyday lives. Learning about who we are, that life is a gift, connecting to our soul, loving ourselves, overriding the ego, empowering ourselves, finding inner peace, and learning
how to forgive our past and trust this life are some of the powerful topics.
The timing of the fireside ceremony is crucial. Guests will enter ceremony with these teachings at the forefront of their awareness, just before taking the medicine By the fire, our facilitators will also discuss the effects of the medicine and share our own healing experiences.
As the journey takes effect you may experience:
Feelings of euphoria or heightened senses
Auditory hallucinations (such as thinking someone next to you is talking)
Visual hallucination (with eyes open or closed)
Intuitive messages
- Fluctuations in body temperature Motor skills become impaired (we will guide you to the restroom and to your mattress at all times)
- Tracers and flashing lights in our vision
- Heart rate may increase, but will ultimately slow down
- Rapid overlapping thoughts “called a mind purge” (resulting in calming the mind)
- Purging (vomit, crying, shaking, sweating, laughing, frequent urination etc)
- All of these are normal on and off throughout the journey.
Bwiti music is an integral part of ceremony. As providers, we refer to the music as the ‘driver,’ of the journey. If at any point we are wrestling with our mind, we can stop and focus all of our attention on the music. It helps us move away from the surface chatter of the ego, to dive deeper into the medicine and our own truth. The seemingly chaotic tempo has a technology to aid in the dislodging of thoughts and a cleaning of the mind. It also assists in keeping the heart rate at proper pace.
The journey continues throughout the evening and into the following morning. Just after dawn breaks, guests are invited to return to their rooms or to connect with nature and begin a day of rest and discovery. This entire day is about introspection, and typically is spent with no sleep, reviewing the messages and teachings we have received from Iboga. This day can sometimes be more important than the ceremony itself. The use of any electronic devices, as well as communication with anyone outside of the retreat, is restricted on recovery day. This time should be focused fully healing and integrating, with no external distractions. There is honor in what this experience reveals to us, this is a heroic journey and you will be an improved person for it.
Embrace each moment, because the journey with Iboga is the opportunity of a lifetime! We are here to support every part of the process and to help guide you into your own truth.
