Bwiti beyond central Africa

We can’t talk about Iboga, without bringing up the Bwiti. The psychonauts, therapists and biochemists know plants and alkaloids. But the spiritual seekers, we talk about the Bwiti.

Bwiti is the spiritual mystery behind the sacred plant spirit and sacrament of Iboga. For most Bwitists, this is closely tied to cultural expression of community rites, songs and spiritual mysteries completely and unquestionably inseparable from the land of origin. The custodians, N’gangas (male ceremonialists) and Mabundis (female ceremonialists) and community leaders of the different lineages and villages of the region are craftsmen, Bwiti brothers and sisters in ‘congregation’, musicians, healers, carers with varying degrees of knowledge of the pharmacopeia of healing, magical plants and ceremonial duties. These community customs, spiritual rites, herbs and tools are interwoven with the ceremonies of Gabon and Cameroon.

But what happens when you take the Bwiti out of Gabon. Is it possible that a Bwiti ceremony can be performed outside of Central Africa?

If you have worked within any spiritual mystery school, you know that it has been possible to encounter a profound ceremonial experience outside of Peru with the Huni Kuin of the Kaxinawá; or beyond Brazil with the Santo Daime church and its many chapters. The lineages have their roots going homeward bound.

What about the cultural practices of the ceremony? Is this the essence of Bwiti? This is a controversial topic. Yet, there is no disagreement even amongst ceremonialists and Bwiti leaders in Gabon that Bwiti is not a thing. It is not just the dances, songs, a magical rite or the music; it is greater than the sum of these.

Bwiti is an awakened consciousness, it is the pathway that is lived by the initiate. Often it is said in Bwiti that life is dance, you dance your way through the steps of life. Taking a step into the inevitable, another step into the heart, more steps into the unknown, yet another into connections. The path is unknowable, but the pathway is the same path we all have to master the dance of. The path is the cultivation of maturity, power, responsibility and willingness. There are many facets of mastery in the journey of Bwiti. Each initiate has a unique path and role to take up.

Outside of the traditional village setting, with its particular set of dances and ceremonial rituals, the uniqueness of this path may seem ordinary at first. The presence of Bwiti, through the experience of the initiate is first to to look upon your ordinary world with the clear mind and open heart. This embrace of the living moment means being able to see beyond what is ordinary, now as extraordinary.

Admittedly there are certain magical rites that empower the process of a Bwiti ceremony taking place beyond the motherland. There are spells that are to be sung and words of power which invoke the Bwiti ancestors and sacred rites that must be fulfilled by the community to adequately prepare a sacred space and be supported by the Bwiti ancestral spirits which assist in the smooth success of the ceremony.

This orchestration and channelling relies significantly on the integrity of the N’ganga.

When it comes to the right tools for the job, there are purification and anointing plants which the N’gangas and the apprentices use in their ceremonial work. Beyond of the regional environment where these consecrated tools, plants and resins are available, these can be exchanged with careful consideration for their nuanced spiritual function.

The power to set up protections and invocations for guidance in the death and rebirth ceremony can depend on the spiritual power of the N’ganga. The guidance is channeled by the N’gangas and the Mabundis to effectively support the journey into the ancestral realms of death and, in turn, raising and channeling the energy and support to bring people back home into their body for their rebirth.

There are essential crossroads in the Iboga ceremony. It is a spiritual journey that must be conducted with care and respect for the profound nature of the work. The N’ganga connection to their animist lineage is empowering the initiate to take the journey and access particular teachings about Bwiti. Each unique animist aspect of Bwiti teaches, protects and guides the initiate in their learning and transformative journey after the ceremony.

This is where the medical and therapeutic practitioners and establishments overlook the relevance of ceremony and Bwiti. The real journey with Bwiti starts after the ceremony. This is where it becomes possible to receive the guidance, intuition and teachings that are part of the spiritual maturation of each initiate. The ceremony is the ‘introduction’ and ‘handshake’; and life afterwards is the school for each participant.

Lineage is an astral thread that runs from initiatory parent to initiatory child. There is guidance and teachings that will be shared and certain other teachings that will be shared only from the Bwiti ancestors. In the death state, Bwiti is an ancestral presence. In the life journey after ceremony, Bwiti is an animist intelligence that holds space for your growth, providing all the right conditions for your life lessons.

Some initiations are stronger than others. So much of this depends of variable factors, such as the intent and integrity of the ceremonial leaders; and on the other hand some initiates are more prepared to receive their spiritual gifts than others. Regardless of readiness, the journey will start and will be guided through every necessary step to grow to full potential.

Not everyone is going to initiate and follow the path of mastery, some only need to come to initiate for healing, others discover their vocation through the path of Bwiti and become a healer and guide of others, others come and discover other essential expressions of their soul’s spiritual journey in this life.