21 days of preparation for Iboga (way more actually, trust me I’ve been preparing all year!). But now for the time to go into acute body mind spirit preps. I will be focusing on unlocking my intentions and clarifying my mind, preparing my body physically with herbal medicine, diet & acupuncture, and fully activating my spirit through dream recording, body movement, and song. Each day I will post the focus on my preparation, and in 3 weeks I will disappear into the jungles for about 3 weeks. For me, the ceremony begins today in ways. The day I leave is New Moon (perfect) and the ceremony will conclude for me at the turning of the New Moon in July, just before my 27th birthday. The timing of the entire Initiation is beyond perfect. I’ve kept my day by day preparation blogs here, to have an example of what herbal medicine & plant medicine preparation can look like. ---------------------- 21 days to go.
Preparation today involves herbs & supplements. Pre-Iboga I focus on particularly on:
- High strength Milk Thistle for liver support; the ibogaine is metabolised into its also potent & active metabolites by the liver, so it is important that this organ isn't too overloaded and working concisely. Liver disease is a exclusionary factor for Iboga.
- Magnesium in a bioavailable form such as this one; Mg Citrate. This offers cardiovascular support which helps strengthen and prepare the heart for the intensity to come! The wood is a strong heart medicine, and lengthens the heart's QT interval, which can become dangerous if the heart is prone to abnormal sinus rhythms or any medications & foods are also doing this at the time. Clear electrical communication throughout the cells and nervous system are also a plus with Iboga, and Mg being an electrolyte is integral for this.
- Gut mix: I use diatomaceous earth, psyllium husk, clay and Golden Seal. Please note Golden Seal will interact with Iboga, being a cytochrome p450 inhibitor. Substances that inhibit liver enzymes will also affect the breakdown of ibogaine. They MUST NOT be combined. I will stop using the Hydrastis soon. Having a clear digestive track, and regular bowel motions is an important preparation pre-wood. You don't want to be constipated and have the wood sitting in your bowels risking impaction. If you also have rapid & chronic diarrhoea it will be hard to gauge the dose that has metabolised. IBS and IBD can be exclusionary factors for these reasons. So that's today for me! Next week I'll stop the Golden Seal, for now it's helping to heal my guts as a potent natural medicine.
--------------------- 20 days to go.
Preparation today involves NOT DRINKING CAFFEINE>>> I find this helps! ALOT. Chai mmm based on rooibos, not black tea.
It's important to remove stimulants from the system pre-wood. And yes, caffeine is a stimulant. When you have the wood, you become acutely aware of how you have tuned your nervous system in general and especially the last month. The less sharp stimulation, the smoother the experience. And since Iboga is a jittery experience in itself, smooth is welcomed.
People become quickly addicted to caffeine, and also quickly desensitised to just how stimulating it is. Having caffeine with cardamon, ginger and gentle aromatics helps for sure. But ultimately, anything consumed daily becomes habit and the body relies on it for maintaining the baseline, to regulate the bowel, for energy and so forth. Best for occasional use only. I find the ritual of drinking a warm soothing morning cuppa something habitual and self-soothing and, hey, enjoyable in itself, so I use caffeine free chai as a replacement.
This has helped me to quit both coffee and caffeine now. Highly recommended. Rooibos is a herb form the South African plant Aspalathus linearis with a yummy earthy flavour and low tannin content. High in antioxidants it's said to lower blood pressure, help with stomach cramps, improve insulin response, and is good for the kidneys as a herbal medicine. https://www.freshchaico.com.au/c…/caffeine-free-masala-chai/
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19 days to go. Preparation today involves; tuning in with family. What's the deal? Why is it so important? Why is it so hard to walk away from? How does this relate to our mission on Earth to birth ourselves fully? For me, a major theme for this year is family. I've made a point of it in the preparation for Iboga; a plant that strips back your ego, and designed perceptions of self, down to the roots of your lineage to the real deal Self.
After honouring & celebrating the passing of my granddad this weekend, today has been a wash of love and gratitude to family. I'm just reflecting on the feeling I am embodying in a kind of raw way. Super emotional download, definitely triggered something deep as I got teary, yet blissed throughout.
<3 deep and big from my heart today.
Listen here: Ancestry & Iboga --------------------- 18 days to go. Preparation today involves; MUSIC!
Singing is essentially all my body wants of me right now. mmmmm
Ode to Iboga; a chant I wrote over a year ago for an instrument I didn't yet have access to. I do now thanks to my new shruti box. Here is [part thereof] a dedication to the great spirit that animates all life.
I have acquired, on this journey.
I have acquired a self, on this journey.