I thought Grandmother fed you lollies. Slipped you money. Bought you birthday presents even when you’re an adult. Sent you cards handwritten. Had a timeless love of baking with way too much raw sugar & had the most sophisticated hanging plant garden.. I was so, so wrong.. Grandmothers are so much more badass than I thought. Last year I travelled to Gabon to be initiated into a feminine Bwiti cult known as Mabanji. This was not in Libreville, the capital, at a cosy home-stay. I went jungle, to be closer to the original Eboga eaters, the Babongo, the Pygmies. It took 2 days of driving at scarily fast speeds, passing multiple army checkpoints, having passports checked way too many times [ the neighbouring Congo was in warfare ], losing bottles of herbal medicine to police, but being able to pass forward by showing we have Eboga and we’re medicine crew yo, clutching onto whatever you can to survive many hours of 4wding, only stopping for mid-jungle repair work, fresh monkey meat & palm wine to get there. The village welcomed us with celebration and I cried. It was surreal and beautiful. There are quite a few Bwiti sects, which are considered religions in West-Central Africa. I’d be working with the women, how comforting! Here I am feeling a preconception of motherly gentle love. Held by pacha mama! Yes, that’s how I’ll take my Tabernanthe iboga in the jungle please, with mother, with grandmother guides *insert warm sighs of relief*. You know what they say about expectations, yeah? Turns out the imprint of mothers and grandmothers I was raised with, is so very different from a jungle mamma. We toured the town, the Mabanji side of things looked pretty grim. The living conditions were compiled of rustic huts. Grandmother lived on the floor and her roof leaked. The Mitsogo side of town had houses, couches, some TVs even. Mitsogo is the masculine cult, it dwells in the mind, the cerebral, the visionary. In tantra the masculine is considered consciousness itself. The feminine sect is about the body, feeling, movement. In tantra the feminine is energy. I suddenly wonder if I should be working with the men.... Village life What happened next was a rite of passage. It wasn’t even about Eboga in the end. It was about using the wood to teach you to get out of your own way to allow trance-states. The 8 mothers & grandmothers I worked with were the most experienced in the wider area. They had the most initiations tallied to their names. They were the strongest, most resilient women I have even met. Crafted by their landscape. They work hard. There were few men in their village. The respect their presence demanded intimidates me from over here. Something I can’t forget, that and they won’t let me. They seem to journey with me on most plant medicine trips now. I soon realise no one is going to be wiping me down saying, ”There-there. You got this” when I spew on myself, are they. Gulping down strength now. I won’t go into the details of my initation and Iboga journey; you can read this linked blog for that. But what I learned of Mother & Grandmother is that I’m not one, and in their reflection, I barely feel like a woman. Not yet. I’m like a teenage child. I’ve been spoilt & cotton-wooled over here in West-Land. The kids rule the show here. Anything for you baby dearest. Stuck in an age grasping for immortalised youth, we become big kids. None of that here. You transition out of the child phase, and not just by becoming a parent to a child, but through your efforts to die to your youth & rebirth yourself as adult. I would glance to the 15 year old being initiated with me, and think to myself, "We’re the same age you and I, except I have like 11 years of wear on you." In many ways she was so much more powerful than I will ever be. The spirit in her eyes.. Little jaguar sister; you amaze me. Little-Jaguar Mougali had to stay in the temple for 2 more months. Never leaving [even hand-held toilet breaks]. When I need strength I remember her, and realise I'm soft. Little-Jaguar Mougali had to stay in the temple for 2 more months. Never leaving [hand-held toilet breaks]. When I need strength I remember her, and realise I'm soft. Step up or die. This demands respect, wisdom, maturity, fear even. The conditions are so much sharper; brutality a lived thing. Surviving here requires the feminine to exist in a way I’m so very new to. There’s love yes, and care, but it’s expressed in such a tough-love way. She does not linger more than she needs to. Here is my love & care, now be on with things. I definitely felt as a female, that the women are harder on me than my male co-banzes. They expected more of me, because they shared a part of me. But they also saw me try more than I was capable, and that’s all they were asking of me; to exceed my very very best. And when I somehow did, they were so warm to me, for a moment, and then more of me was required. Step up or die. Grandmother & the Mothers preparing the temple. This woman is the most experienced shaman in the area. This past month I have been in Oaxaca, Mexico, sitting with local mountain Mushrooms & Salvia divinorum in a Mazatec town. Again I find myself in a situation where I’m working with mothers & grandmothers on a plant medicine journey. I was able to again experience a different sense of Grandmother in the form of my curandero, a healer. Ahh sweet g’ma, tripping with me in the dark, singing me songs, what a gentle dream [ of illusion ]. These non-Western-candyless grandmothers are so full on. Again the same sense of tough-love. So unwilling to do any of my work for me, but yet somehow not cold towards my struggles. 

I would beg her, beg her to turn the lights on. She would listen. I know she could understand my begging for the sun. “Siii Siii…” And no light. “Agua, por favour abuelita, necesito mas agua!” “Siii Siii…” And no water. My desperate psyche so needy for anything to cling to as I melted away. She would listen, and give me space. She would hear me, and invite me to sing my way through. But there was no way she would enable my weakening. This was a rise up moment, not a break down. Once she even lit a candle to motion to where I needed to crawl to get water. And she blew it out before I could move. That’s grandma. Here’s how you can help yourself. Now go do it. When she found me huddled in the corner she even showed me where to get a blanket, and for a split second she saw how completely & utterly fucked up I was and tapped on the bed and tucked me in. But lights out and back to work! And when I threw Salvia up on myself and only just missed her thoughtfully donned alter, she just laughed and said, 
“Ehhh esta bien.. Mañana..” Grandmother is loving, sure, but she rarely looks you in the eyes for more than a few seconds, and she never does the work for you. She respects discipline, sacrifice, and humility. She also has a really childlike sense of humour. Like, she cracks up laughing at the thought of you tripping & spewing. It’s just so funny.. Oh and when Grandmother wants to go to bed, you move aside for her, cause she’ll just squeeze her way in. This is the medicine that natures crafts.

On one hand there's a consequential and reductionist worldview. An ascension from this to there. Through an aspect of the denial of man's nature and a disassociation to worldly senses & experiences, we climb the ladder up to the divine. God is above us. The sacred is external to us. Something we earn our right to. Health has an air of entitlement. Success is something we work for. We approach, we will be judged, the righteous are chosen. Sexuality is avoided where necessary. Intoxicants are poisons for the demon's path. Untamed is risky & offensive to the purity of God. Power in the denial of pleasure. How disciplined am I!? Heaven is beyond earth. A focus on practices that transcend earth & instinct; more the manly. The more-than-humanly, the more sacred. If there were a symbol to represent it it would be an angular cross pointing upwards, skywards. As Utopia is after, beyond & above. The sacred comes after the struggle, as a consequence. We rise up to reach God. Masculinity, rationality and the mind. A + B + C = D ~ Can we assure ourselves we will reach D by following the incremental steps of logic? Rationale to reach experiential. Mind into body. On the other hand there's shamanism. Pagan earthers who see the sacred as all around us, and most especially under & of us. We are not separate from God, just as we are not separate from nature. And nature is medicine. Not even just that we a part of nature, we are nature. We are God. We ground the mystical through deep embodiment, opening up to, learning to become with the wyld and not tame but learn to ride & possess life as a trance. The earth is heaven, below foot, and thus the forces of nature are worshipped as God in the manifestation of motion. The most sacred experience is to allow life to have its way with you; what a treat. To let God enter you, and merge in ecstasy. Power in the ability to integrate pleasure. Grounding & embodying life. Sexuality is encouraged, the more feeling, the more earthen-heavenly capability. Bringing down the ethereal & anchoring it through the human form unto Earth. The image is of a rounded cross grounding with open arms. Femininity, emotion and energy. ABC = A + B + C ~ If ABC already exists, we merely ground it into embodiment; rationale after experiential. Body into mind. By learning from and adapting our own bad-ass style of shamanistic inspired perspective, we can explore a different aspect of herbal medicine, arguably a deeper and more mystical aspect. Most definitely an empowered one. An aspect that isn't even actually about plants or shamans at all. It's about respect & connection to not only the lungs of the earth, but to the breathers. Us. There is a perfection and intelligence to nature beyond our mind’s comprehension. This we look to. Our folklore roots are embedded in this. A listening to plants. A responding to the life force. Tuning our heart beats to the heartbeat of mother nature. This is the path of plant medicine. This is the herbal medicine road. A shifting to the left of our right hemispheres. Where we are not the result of evolution we are the totality of it. We are not a drop in the ocean we are the whole ocean in a drop. The plant medicine path isn't even about plants it's about reclaiming our birth rite to occupy space on earth and our own bodies. We are born of the dirt and to it we will return. We all have a home; it's in our bodies. Making home in our true but temporary home, our bodies. This the doorway to all healing. This is natural medicine. As above so below. As within, so without. The manifestation of dis-ease in our external world is mirrored in our bodies. Entering into conscious relation with plant allies can support us to harmonise with nature itself. We are wild. We are unknown. We are perfectly in tune and highly receptive to our Selves. Herbalism is a deep honouring to our existence and homeland. It is belonging itself. Call it plant medicine, herbal medicine or nature medicine; this is what it is to be healthy bodied on planet earth. Disconnection is at the heart of dis-ease and through recognising the divine in life, the God in plant-ation, so full of lessons and teachings, we experience true namaste. I see the God in you. I see the God in me. Plant medicine isn't a treatment strategy it's a revitalisation strategy. Tap back into the forest knowledge. One thought to leave on. We can become fixated on the actions of our plants & fungi friends. What secrets do they hold? What medicine do they offer? We are inherently ego-centric as human beings. Even when we aren't, we are. Selfish genes & tricky egos, often spiritually bypassing ourselves & still feeding self. To flip the perspective. What role do we play to a plant or mushroom? What does it get out of its interaction with us? What lessons do we teach a plant? If the maker lives through us, what can we teach it in this moment? What are we bringing to the table? We feel what it's like to experience the consciousness of a particular plant, but what does that plant think of human consciousness. I want to know what you are giving to the world, not taking. May we become more ego-inclusive with all vegetal allies, and be natural medicine to one another.

The water nymph, a feminist. Nypmphaea stands for gender fluidity & equality Enter the somatic drift It thrives in community Yet is dictated by no individual authority Catch the echo of its threat signals pass as hormones through the roots Communication strengthens the lily neighbourhood If kept wyld at heart, the lily is a co-species activist This gender-neutral or gender-fluid entity self reproduces Query queerish vitalism She relies not on patriarchy, he relies not on matriarchy One day she is female, one day he is male, all-ways whole & wholesome Sexually agile & adaptive, sexually capable & confident There is movement & tone to the intricacies of the sexual organs Highly receptive Moving across the water-terra, flowers capable of mobility There is age-old movement in foot, en-root Grounded & fluid, rooted & mobile Thousand year old cells; cloning, passing on So otherworldly, that it becomes profoundly earthly Something hidden in plain view What does the water nymph have to teach you? + Community & communication (interkinnection) + Gender fluidity (untamed, unashamed) + Sexual & sensual movement (awaken taste & pleasure) + Heart opening (process grief & allow bliss) + Adapt & move towards multiple options of change + Ethereal remembrance You can work with the Blue Water Lily in a few ways; tincture, flower essence, or dry herb. #waterlily #ethnobotany #wyldforaging

Gathering the flowers.

 When the flowers are open, it’s on and all other responsibilities bump down the priority list. Collecting water lilies is one of my favourite hunts. Orienting your life around seasonal ebbs & flows feels divinely natural, & old thymey primal. Paddling and picking. Life becomes simple, each moment a remembrance of gratitude for the life being transmuted from flower to herbal medicine. The lilies have been calling me for weeks, and I can now see how effectively they managed to infiltrate my reality; well played. I captured a flower essence from Nymphaea caerulea, one of the earlier bloomers after a friend asked me for an essence to open hearts. Intuitively the water Nymph called me, and dream downloads affirmed the choice of plant. Or is the plant choosing us? I’ve been drinking her water ever since and reflecting on her qualities over the past month. Here’s my Blue Water Lily natural medicine summary: + Opens my heart in subtle cracks & crannies - as if a light breeze is flowing through windows. She’s quite elegant & smooth. + From the gentle caress of spaciousness emerges grief - sadness in my heart + Underneath the sadness is joy, spontaneous creativity & lots of energy holding me effortlessly + New kinnects between my yoni & heart - sexual activation, layers of pain, layers of attractions. She offers ethereal insights. This past month, the lily has been helping me to equally value the grief & the joy as one emotional spectrum of healing. No craving. No aversion. The only way is through. And it’s a process. Now I’m knee deep in lily petals & stamens, washing dead bees out of lily yonis, intoxicated by her aroma which has replaced oxygen in my house, spreading lily propaganda, and already planning my next encounter with her wyld Self. I re-remember that I’m a pawn. I’ve been played! And willingly. Play me again lily? Here’s to wyldforaging, to natural medicine, to herbal medicine and to plant teachers. #waterlily #heartopener You can work with the Blue Water Lily in a few ways; tincture, flower essence, or dry herb.

This is the natural medicine principle I've been reflecting on of late * drum roll * "The healing power of nature - vis medicatrix naturae" in herbie lore. A governing principle of natural medicine. I synchronise this with... "Work with nature not against it" in Permie Lore. A guiding principle in natural permaculture gardening. What this means is to both look and trust in nature, as one's guide & mentor. Look to nature as medicine. “The physician must be educated by nature”. The forest is one of my greatest teachers. For within its mystery, I begin to understand how to heal, I begin to understand how nature functions, and therefore how I function. I find myself, out there, in here, every where. A world of mirrors. Herbal medicine is a path inside, to the quiet recesses of the soul and soil. When we tune into nature's rhythms we quickly see the there are no mistakes. There is an inherent wisdom in the life force which has a clear ability to self heal; this is how herbal medicine works. When we download direct knowledge from nature we no longer see problem and solution, we see one perfect flow, cause & effect, choice & consequence, plant & person all intermingled into one relationship. The separation ceases to be defined by the mind. Nature is, and nature is perfect, and nature is medicine. As above so below; intangibly. As within, so without; reflections. We are not separate from nature, we are nature. Our bodies are in perfect harmony with the environment, as they are the environment. This is where the idea of homeostasis can be misunderstood. We are constantly in it. There is no set benchmark for function, there is constant balance with what is. That means we balance WITH negative thoughts. We balance WITH abuse. We balance with petrochemicals, heavy metals, microplastics, fumes, mould, stress, neglect - all of it. And those things which are not conducive of growth and joy, of vitality and abundance, mean we become unhealthy. Zoom out and we begin to see that these various ailments & symptoms aren’t our problems, they are the communicators responding intelligently to the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual environments they reside in. Listen up! In natural medicine this involves changing the input and allowing the body to self regulate a new homeostasis without drastic alteration of function. This is very similar to the permaculture principle of working with nature, not against it. Ultimately if we mimic natural patterns of flow & growth, stimulating these in the body or the garden, we can begin to harmonise our health, and our micro & macro flora all around us. We can look to the terrain of the natural world, and mimic its flow and form as natural medicine. #naturalmedicine #permaculture #principlesoflife

Ancient acacia Dissolving aching dystopia Patient acacia Pioneer of landscape, The base of creation. Wise acacia From the landscape of the ancients Deep within the soil symbiotic relation Mycorrhizal communication based on nutrient exchanging A neural network that's interconnected to all the cellular information ...In the end, endotheogen. The highly developed and interwoven vienage from the Acacia obtusifolia plant speaks of its rad-ness. 

The acacia species in general are abundant across Australia, adapted, and transformative to their environment. For the people whom enter into relation with some of the more charming species of psychoactive entheogenic wattle, it’s a relationship like no other. For me, these plants while each unique in their perspective, all have a common heritage to their teachings. The Acacia teaches me to make home in the wyld, in the wildēornes of my subconscious. It reminds me of the lineage of thyme, showing me how to step outside of its veneer of illusion. We dream together. I’m not alone with Acacia, and the spirit of this plant invites me to follow a light down a wormhole of truth tales.
 It is a plant medicine teacher like no other. I managed to harvest some wattle flowers in full bloom from a particularly powerful Acacia obtusifolia collection growing in South East QLD. In the burning Australia sun I captured the solar prana from it’s flowers into water, to experiment with a flower essence. This is the beginning of my flower essence journey with plant medicines. 'Not a dream, but inseparable from the mind that dreams it.' I have since fallen completely in love with this plant in a new way (and since it's one of our most popular products, a few of you have too it seems!). My adoration & appreciation has jumped up to the next level since working with the essence of this obtusi wattle bloom. Now I can journey with the plant medicine while I’m clocked off in bed. Not a bad use of the time methinks. I find this plant works best through the dream state, where it’s communication style shines. I am quite in touch with my dreaming, and can perceive subtle changes in state, lucid dream often, and journal regularly to track the tricks & hacks of the matrix. When I am becoming slightly foggy in my dream recall this is one time I call upon the Acacia obtusifolia to reawaken me. I find within 2 nights of infusing our spirits, I’m back to full blown imagery and most noticeably a recurring theme of suppressed trauma coming to the surface for a looksy. My theory is that the acacia unleashes the deep subconscious which is most noticeably able to interact with the conscious in the already surrendered state of dreaming. Rather than processing the mundane everyday grind, Acacia obtusifolia digs a little deeper, and with the tool of your awareness & conscious accompaniment, it works with you to draw the dots between then and now. Lessons on the energetics of herbal medicine; some plants exhibit stronger spirit communication than others; drawing stuck energy n a movement upwards. The obtusi style seems to show me successions of memories overlayed on mystical settings in a back to back dream hopping. There remains a common thread between the plots & characters designed to trigger my triggers, often flashing back to present reality to show how today is really a shadow of yesterday. The intention of this plant seems to be that of liberation from the past, with an eerie alien like welcoming to the real deal.

 It is a master plant medicine teacher. My general response to this plant goes something like this: "Okay, I’m listening. Does it get any clearer?
" HOW I USE THE FLOWER ESSENCE: - I use a dropperful (7 drops) per night before bed, holding it under my tongue, and clearing my mind. - Going to sleep consciously is key to maintaining one stream of consciousness between waking, dreaming & a return to waking states. - Tuning into the subtleties is where it's at - Immediately reflecting on every detail upon waking helps to solidify the memory, writing or voice recording is also a great option as the messages unravel in the day and week to come. Flower essences are subtle and powerful herbal medicines, utilising the spirits of a plant, rather than the constituents. #luciddreaming #dreaming #subconsious #acacia You can buy the Acacia acuminata flower essence here, or Acacia obtusifolia flower essence here; both active species. You can also buy the Acacia acuminata seed here, and the Acacia obtusifolia seed here; to grow your own trees.

I’ve been reflecting on the Principles of natural medicine, as I tend to do working with herbal medicine. I think each week I’ll write a download of them here, and see how they are playing out in my life outside the world of plants. Oh wait a minute, I don’t have a life outside of plants. Yayyyyy! I find these principles overlap with my other favourite principles; the Lores of Permaculture. A favourite past thyme of mine is to find patterns in aspects of my life to see truth express itself in different angles & lights mmmmmmm. This is the one I’m loving today. Heal the Whole Person - Tolle totum" in herbie lore. A natural medicine principle I synchronise this with… "Everything Gardens" in Permie Lore. A permaculture principle. What this means is that everything has an impact on its environment. Tolle totum. Treat & heal the Whole.. I'll explain why below.. To 'remove or take away all' as it literally means. Sounds like a funny idea - how is this treating the whole person? First me must know who a person is. And what a way to uncover how you're misidentified yourself, and how to re-identifying with your truth. For me it brings up ideas of stripping yourself right back to total rock bottom, and rebuilding from stronger foundations 'Take it away, take it alllllllll away!’ Natural medicine is no gentle teacher. Reminds me of my Initiation in Gabon “Who am I if not these ideas made of mind matter which I cling to; oh yeah, nothing, I am literally made of the stuff of no thing *sighs of relief* - pressure’s off! I can’t fail if I questionably don’t even exist. Nothing to lose when you’re made of nothing.” Flashbacks of Bwiti rites of passage aside, what it actually means is to remove all hindrances in the way of healing. To do this we must see the whole person as a integrated unit, not just a sum of the parts. This involves taking all aspects of Self into consideration; nope we're not just great hairy apes roaming around consuming mindlessly though some of us do appear that way true. We actually have so many complex layers interacting; the physical embodiment density (that of matter), the logical & rational mind realm that overlays & aids in materialising matter a kind of communicator portal realm between spirit & body (that of mind), and then there’s a spiritual metaphysical Self that is so permeable it’s both of and not of us, it can guide from without rather than within and is the juju source of all creativity - however lacks any kind of logic since it’s literally mindless (the realm of spirit). When these layers align, POW, what an ecstatic state of truth embodiment. Balance. Plant medicine works to harmonise these spaces. So basically ‘Take it all away’ and by this I mean take it all into consideration. #naturalmedicine #permaculture #principlesoflife

For my planty friends with pests. In all my nursery years, there are some pests that are seasonal, and some that once you get them, it seems you just manage them forever moreth, keeping them in check. Spider mite is my arch nemesis. I know the plants they love and have a little quarantined section of mitey delights (withania, mint, catnip, catmint, brugmansias, a bunch of salivas such as sage & co., marshmallows - to name a few - spider mite like juicy furry soft leaved herbal medicine plants). In my nursery in sub-tropical QLD, the main pests I am in relation with are.. - Spider mite - Aphids - Scale - Caterpillars - Grasshoppers Insect issues tend to be seasonal, and interestingly tend to attack the plants growing out of season. For example once the winter brassicas hit Spring time, insects come and take them out. Everything in its place hey! Growing your natural medicine in season for your climate is an easy way to lessen the stress of pest control. I've used a few products that claim to stuff up the insect reproductive cycle without harming the plants in moments of desperation, and have witnessed the extreme colour change in the plant leaves soon after application. Enough for me to laugh at the thought it isn't affecting the plant and never try that again. Things never have just one action. Herbal medicine has taught me that much. So how to combat these pests naturally? An abundance of one thing can signify a deficiency in another. An insect overpopulation signifies a deficiency in land birds. Get some ducks, guinea fowl or chickens people; permaculture has taught us how to integrate with nature and we have to mimic her. Gardens don't exist independently of animals. I find letting your land birds free range through the veggie patch for an hour or so, under supervision, is a positively geared cost-benefit approach to insect control. If you have enough they are way too busy hunting insects to dig for grubs. Supervision is stressed here! Here’s how I deal with the rest, and I’d love to hear your approaches to pest control.

For aphids and spider mites I use warm water spray with Neem oil and Paraffin oil, also known as White Oil. White oil is often made from petroleum, ewwwww, so you can make your own White Oil from sunflower oil and dishwashing detergent. This helps the neem to emulsifier into the water, and the warm water helps turn the neem from solid into liquid in the winter. This combo will slightly stress the plants, neem is pretty full on, but at the right ratio, and on the right plants, it will take out your pests and leave you with yummy plants as medicine. It has to physically come into contact with them so you have to spray all sides of the plant, a few times a week until, balancing out the stress of neem on the plant, to the removal of the stress of pests on the plant. Another way is to just mix detergent (eco-friendly one) into warm water to make a soapy mix and just wipe & squish the aphids or scale off of your plants. I use this for cactus scale with a toothbrush, making sure to keep checking back over the next few weeks to re-apply and eliminate, for now. I’ve found that Liquid Lime Sulphur can also work well, diluted in a spray bottle, re-sprayed every week, and scrubbed with a toothbrush. Whenever you get a new plant in your nursery quarantine it for a couple of weeks. Hand crushed spider mite for a quick market sale may look fine, but the population will re-emerge and take your nursery down soon - noooooo! So develop your own little process of integrating plants into your garden. 

Right now my aphid population is out of control. The squishing and wiping is keeping up with the aphids for sure, but the ants just keep on farming them back into the plant tips. Right now I’m experimenting with taking out the ants instead, using eucalyptus oil, pyrethrin (from Pyrethrum, Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium) and piperine (from Pepper, Piper longum/nigrum). When trying something new like this I take one stronger plant and use it as the guinea herb. 

I’ve found that pyrethrin, though natural medicine, to be too strong for some plants, so it’s also good to test and see before dosing your whole population.

 Happy gardening plant heads!

 How do you grow your herbal medicine? #pests #naturalinsecticides #aphids #scale #insects #nurserypests #spidermite

In the ethnobotanical world, we hear about Bwiti, which refers to various ethnic & religious groups from West-Central Africa using Tabernanthe iboga (Iboga or Eboga) as a plant medicine teacher for rites of passage and ritual. So who exactly are these people and what of their ancient herbal medicine knowledge? After my recent journey to Gabon, I've learnt a lot more about one particular sect of Bwiti called Mabanji, a less spoken about cult. What I share here is what I learned on the ground and in person with one particular group of people, and there are many differences group to group. Bwiti is specific, but always adapting and changing. Tabernanthe iboga in flower (Eboga in Tsogo) Bwiti is an official religion in Gabon, that took form in the early 20th century. Bwiti is also present in the neighbouring countries of Cameroon and Congo. It has many sects, just as Christianity is broken down into various factions. The varying forms of Bwiti differ greatly in their practices. What they have in common is that they use Iboga as a sacrament to commune with ancestors, spirits and God, all with their own extremely unique and complex ceremonial rituals. Another common feature to Bwiti cults are the sermons conducted by initiates in special temples. The symbology of the Initiation process being likened to a death and rebirth also rings true for all Bwiti cults. All Bwiti initiations involve a strict ceremony lasting multiple days usually with elements such as a cleansing bath, being painted and dressed in white/red/black/grass skirts and animal skins such as the African civet cat, traditional music being played and high intensity dancing. Bwiti is not only a religion, but based on how intrinsically it is entwined with the lives of followers, it is an animistic spiritual world view, a belief system, an ethnic culture, and a way of life. As Gabon is considered to have been located at the centre of Pangea, Eboga is literally at the heart of mankind’s history. The Civet cat and its fur as a dried head piece used in Mabanji. The pygmies, or less offensively known as the Babango (little) people, are the original and oldest known users of Iboga, a plant medicine. They were jungle hunters and gathers from West-Central Africa, who have influenced the development of Bwiti. Due to logging of Gabonese forests, and the impact of French colonisation, the Babango are no longer a nomadic people, and live in villages amidst other genetic lineages of Gabonese ethnic groups practicing Bwiti in various sects such as Mitsogo. Babongo people live in this village mixed with other ethnic groups. Bwiti Fang, usually referred to as just the Fang, is a cult heavily influenced by Christianity that is more popular in the north of Gabon. This is common of traditional cultures to be influenced by Christianity and take on Christian iconography, language and rituals as a way of preserving their own culture - it has happened worldwide. The ceremonies are highly Christian, with iconography, terminology and saints of Christianity throughout, blended with certain tribal practices adopted and morphed from Bwiti Mistogo and pygmaea culture. Westerners are able to join the Fang cult. Fang is known to use exceptionally large doses of Iboga in a short period of time. 
(This article is not focused around the Fang so this is all I’ll say about Fang.) Bwiti-Boumba is usually referred to as just Bwiti, however this isn't completely accurate, as Bwiti refers to the masculine cult, and Boumba the feminine cult. Together they are Bwiti-Boumba. There are also a few other smaller cults that can fall under the Bwiti-Boumba umbrella. Bwiti Missoko/Mitsogo is the masculine cult, and usually when someone says Bwiti, this is what they are referring to unless they specify Fang, whereas Boumba Mabanji is the feminine cult, a lesser known and documented tradition. Most westerners initiated into Bwiti are members of Mistogo. There are also the cults Dissumba, the original Bwiti from which Mitsogo evolved and later Fang, as well as a smaller scarification cult only open to Gabonese men. Mitsogo and Mabanji are open to foreigners. One defining difference of Dissumba to Mabanji & Mitsoko is that Dissumba is focused on the mystical and the occult, whereas Mabanji & Mitsoko are used specifically for healing ailments using iboga as a herbal medicine, the most important being infertility or reproductive issues. Whilst there may be many followers of the pagan Bwiti sects, and though perhaps 80% of Gabon's citizens have consumed Iboga (most psychedelic country on Earth yo!), not many go through initiation anymore, which is a more recent ceremonial ritual that has been created and changed over the last 200 years. A person usually only goes through initiation once in their life, but potentially twice, and usually into just one cult, but this is not always true. The reasons for initiation vary; marking a child's transition into adulthood, for health reasons, to train to be a healer and gain knowledge of the natural medicine world, and for sorcery & magick. Which cult one initiates into depends on one’s intentions. Age is not a defining factor, where adults or children as young as just 5 can be initiated. Mitsogo Initiation with Ngangas dancing around the tree which symbolises an anchor between the Banzies and Earth. The mothers are dressed in red, black, white and straw skirts, whilst villagers watching on. A few defining features of Mitsogo - The masculine sect of Bwiti-Boumba. - Also called Bwiti Mitsogo or Mitsogo Bwiti. - An older Bwiti evolved from Dissumba and from which Fang was created from. - Numbers are said to be on the decline in comparison to the Fang religion. - Initiation ceremony lasts about 3 days, with fasting. - Focused on the individual and the mind. - 1 main male shaman guiding the initiation. - A Mitsogo temple is distinguished as a simple hut with thick layers of palm leaves covering the front. - Bassé is a Mitsogo term akin to Aho, a term of recognition. - Compared to Mabanji, a larger amount of Eboga is usually consumed, however dosing is incrementally given over the course of days. Compared to the Fang, this is considered a small dose of herbal medicine. This may be because you will be required to dance and move often in Bwiti-Boumba. A Mitsogo temple identified by its thick leaves at the front. A few defining features of Mabanji - The feminine sect of Bwiti-Boumba. - Also called Boumba Mabanji or Mabanji Boumba. - 2 month initiation process with a 5 day ceremony involving the village, and mostly fasting throughout. - Focused on the somatic experience and possession/ecstatic trance. - Performing possession trance is mandatory for Mabanji, and through initiation one will be taught, and have to learn how to control the trance. Witnessing a possession trance is common place for Mabanji, so new local initiates can induce it easily, whereas Westerner’s will find this challenging to go into. - No water is drunk whilst eating Iboga, this could be for up to 48 hours. - Multiple and many women shaman’s guiding the initiation. - A Mabanji temple is distinguished as a simple hut with thin & sparse layers of palm leaves hanging intermittently at the front. - Mbiambié is a Mabanji term akin to Aho, a term of recognition. - Compared to Mitsoko, a smaller amount of Eboga is usually consumed, however dosing is incrementally given over the course of days. Compared to the Fang, this is considered a small dose. This may be because you will be required to dance and move often in Bwiti-Boumba. A Mabanji temple with much finer leaves at the front. The centre pole has been fershly painted in preparation for the Initiation ceremony. The leaves of the abomenzan plant (Piper umbellatum) were used as decoration and in the bathing/cleansing part of Initiation. A few other key terms, points & definitions: - Tsogo is the Bwiti language and also refers to the land & ethnic groups of people located in south-western Gabon. - Kombo refers to the initiate name that one receives or comes up with based on their visions on Eboga. A key part of initiation is to rebirth and discover who & what one is and receive both a name & song. This could be a person, a spirit, an animal or stone, and an appropriate Tsogo word will be adopted as one’s spiritual name. - In Bwiti-Boumba an initiate will share their visions and experience with the shamans of the ceremony. There is an expectation that one will see certain things, and the mothers and fathers will help to decipher the visions. - A Banzi is an initiate, and also someone who has been initiated. - A Nganga is an experienced shaman and healer. - Initiation is a ceremony using Iboga as a plant medicine & various rituals to travel to meet oneself and meet their spirit; one dies to be reborn. The Banzi asks themselves the questions “Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going?” The initiation process symbolises death and mourning. Banzies stay on the temple ground most of the ceremony under constant supervision and are not able to leave the temple. This is a time to reconnect with mother earth. From the ground up; reborn. - Bwiti-Boumba ceremonies involve the whole village dancing, singing, eating iboga, drinking palm wine and essentially partying for days. The shamans and music players will all consume iboga as it helps to dance. - Bwiti-Boumba utilises the Gabonese instruments of the older Moungongo mouth bow (masculine instrument of the night) and the younger Ngombe 8-stringed harp (feminine instrument of the day), which both date back thousands of years. These are played for hours by usually men who may also sing. Percussion accompanies these in the form of drums and bamboo clapping sticks, rattles, shakers and whistles (sometimes made from bullets). Whilst there is usually only one Ngombe or Moungongo played, there will be tens of people playing rattles, drums and sticks, often the whole village singing, clapping and contributing. Music is played at a fast pace to create an intense atmosphere that empowers the Eboga. - Bwiti music is poly-rhythmic which may help to stabilise heart rhythms, create neuroplasticity and stimulate deeply sedated and hypnotic like brain waves, combining with the Eboga to create a powerful experience. Music is continued throughout the night even whilst initiates are sleeping. - Iboga is striped as fresh root bark, combined with various other plants including wild honey and is administered as a herbal medicine in fresh green balls. The Ngombe stringed harp (left), Moungongo mouth bow (centre), and percussion (right) instruments of Bwiti. To really understand Bwiti fully, one will have to go through initiation, as there are many aspects of the religion that cannot be transmitted linguistically, but only understood through feeling and being. But once one goes through initiation, they will never be quite the same. It is a true rite of passage, a way to find and redefine yourself from the dirt up using plant medicine as an agent of change in your own human journey. #bwiti #gabon #mabanj #mitsogo #dissumba #fang #tradition #religion #entheogen #plantmedicine

I had another opportunity to test the healing power of plant medicine on my recent trip to West-Central Africa (SPOILER ALERT: the plants win!). I like to experiment with different plants in the field as herbal medicine, and test their true power. The region I was in, Gabon, has a high incidence of Malaria, and other insect-borne diseases, as well as high chances for water-borne bacterial and parasitic infections. This became a theme of my life for the past few months; how to not get sick in rural hot and humid Africa using natural medicine only. Vaccinations for Yellow Fever are compulsory for entry into Gabon (and potentially even re-entry into Australia when immigration enquired to my travel partner's vaccination certificate at the border!). They do check on arrival in Gabon. I already had mine from a trip to Bolivia earlier, so I didn't need to query my options there, or question is this is something I even want to engage with. When I visited the GP before leaving, I was encouraged to get Typhoid, Rabies, Hepatitis A, and Hepatitis B vaccinations (I already have Hep A & B from a trip to Nepal - so the past dealt with those ones). Sounds like a great way to stress my immune system. No thanks. The only option for anti-malarial medication that is kind of combinable with Iboga is Malerone. It's used 2 days before travel into a Malarial zone, all the way through and for 1 week after. If you haven't used it preventatively, and you get Malaria, it can also be used for treatment. This may help. Malaria strains are resistant in varying degrees to all of the used pharmaceutical treatments however. I thought momentarily I might buy the Malerone for Justin (just in case). When the pharmacy gave me an invoice for just under $300 I changed my mind, and decided to stay true to my heart and path of herbal medicine. Why prepare for a scenario I wasn't creating? Our conversation went a bit like this; me: "Wow! I wonder how people in Africa afford it!?" pharmacist: "Oh they are immune." me: *blank expression* (thinking; "I don't think I want to follow any advice coming from this pharmacist..") HERBS IT IS! Also trust. I chose to trust in the place where logic and intuition meet. I chose to live that, not just speak that. I chose to utilise natural medicine for my natural being. After research and deliberation, I decided to go with the following herbal medicine first aid kit: Cordyceps sinensis: 13:1 organic powdered & activated extract (mushrooms are best extracted to break down the cell walls for absorption) I feel I owe a lot to Cordyceps now; after a month of eating that I really feel how powerful my immune system has become under its influence. Did you know that it grows inside carpenter ants, steals nutrients, begins distorting and hijacking their minds, convinces them to leave their nests in search of a perfect fungal blooming nest (right height, temperature, humidity, light etc.) then blooms through their, then grows out of its head killing its host, spores implanting on the nest below? I think it's working on me too - must grow cordyceps, must tell people about its power. I'm a good mushroom zombie, and this is a good natural medicine. Actions: anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, general tonic, immuno-modulator & immuno-stimulator, neuroprotective, analgesic, antitumour, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, anticonvulsant, cardioprotective, anti-arrhythmic, antidepressant, nootropic, energy enhancing Echinacea purpurea: 1:1 tincture (best to travel with stronger and smaller) Tried and true, a reliable plant for immune health! I use it at the first signs of any funny off feelings, and sickness never comes. Angustifolia is better, or a mix of different species is also great, but purpurea cheaper and more common. Thank you Echinacea species for stimulating me, keeping me on the pro-active health side with all your natural medicine goodness. Actions: general tonic, immuno-modulator & immuno-stimulator, lymphatic, antimicrobial (antibacterial & antiviral), anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, diaphoretic, anti-catarrhal, detoxifier, alterative, peripheral vasodilator, bitter, vulnerary Anti-bad essential oils: Organic Rosemary, Lavender, Thyme, Oregano, Mint I use this mix for cold-sores topically if they test me (haven't had one in ages!). I also drink about 10 drops per day if my immunity is challenged and rub them into my lymph glands with some coconut oil. Particularly effective against mouth & throat stuff I find. I love how potent these little fellas are, making them compact for travel as herbal medicine. Actions: antimicrobial, antibacterial, antiviral (specifically for enveloped virus'), aromatic digestive, carminative, liver tonic, discutient Kambo: You can read more about Kambo here. I had a session with Kambocito upon landing for an immune boost, and a hormonal reset to adjust my melatonin and other neurotransmitters to the opposite time zone (literally). After a good purge, a massive hydration, a lymphatic shuffling, and 1 day laid out exhausted, I was sleeping normally with my energy levels recovered the following day. This natural medicine is a potent teacher. Actions: general tonic, antimicrobial (antibacterial & antiviral), immuno-modulator & immuno-stimulator, lymphatic, diaphoretic, purgative, detoxifier, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, hypotensive, discutient Dragon's blood: I always carry this as an emergency antiseptic and second skin. Any cuts of grazes are quickly dealt with and enclosed with a few drops of this wonder. This is an amazing wound healer in the natural medicine world. Actions: vulnerary, antiviral, antibacterial, antimicrobial, anti-hemorrhagic, anti-fungal, antioxidant, anti-diarrheal LifeStraw water bottle: www.lifestraw.com Using a micron filter this bad boy uses a pretty simple technology to filter out bacteria and parasites (not virus'). Basically it's a sieve, and only particles smaller than bacteria and parasites can permeate. Then it just fits into more standard water bottles (2 different caps for S & L fittings) and you just suck the contaminates away. For me; so impressed. Not a moment of sickness, even eating strange, unhygienic foods & meats in foreign bacterial conditions from water used for washing clothes, washing chicken to eat, washing bodies and drinking from. Always travel with one! Actions: antimicrobial (antibacterial & antiviral), antiparasitic I was very excited to try Isatis as a herbal medicine, but I wasn't able to order it in time unfortunately. Definitely spiked my interest in this plant medicine with its powerful antimalarial and antiviral actions. Please also keep in mind how ridiculously multifaceted plants are, and that I have only mentioned one aspect of their uses. People write pages of herbal monographs on just one plant or fungi herbal medicine teacher, so this is just a blimp of knowledge. #herbalfirstaid #kambo #dragonsblood #echinacea #herbalmedicine #entheogen #virus #malaria #antimalarial #cordyceps #essentialoils #antibacterial #travel

I am a new born, rebirthed. Yet I have become aged. If there were one sentence to describe how I have changed; I am home in my body, I am here. I have eaten Eboga on many occasions, I've lost track, we hang out too often to count. It is my favourite plant teacher (if you're allowed favourites). I find the spirit of this plant to be very compassionate, patient, adaptable and self-aware. A plant that speaks English. Or on a more personal level, a plant that speaks Rachel  (**insert you name here). To briefly describe, Eboga is a full power prodigy. I won't go into the medicinal actions too much here, this is an account of the emotional and spiritual healing I am experiencing. What impresses me most is how Eboga is perceptive of my level of comprehension to what it is communicating, it knows if I'm following or if I'm confused, and tends to linger on a point until I catch up, or change its method of communication. This feels compassionate and empathetic of the plant, not just interested in showing off its visionary tricks, but teaching, and teaching in the way that you learn. Learning you. Adapting to you. It is the most advanced adaptogen I have met. I can say without doubt that this is the most profound after-glow I've ever experienced, from any plant medicine. It's been 12 days since the Initiation ended, and I'm only just now beginning to feel a fragment of myself again. I'm only just now able to sit down and write about my experiences, or begin talking about them to my friends. It's taken 12 days to even be able to think about it coherently. Slowly, slowly. That helps to put into perspective how long acting, patient & persistent Eboga is. It has been working with me for 3 weeks (2 months if you include the macro-micro dosing). Carried gently home, with a friend on my shoulder (in my nervous system more accurately), whispering guidance into my sight. My mind is sharp and still. It can hold a broad awareness of depth and at any moment I can bring my attention forward and zoom, not at the expense of this breadth but encompassing it fully with presence at what is presenting. There is a silent power in holding an expansive awareness of life, from the gruelling shadowy layers to the blindly interwoven light. All of it, see all of it, feel all of it, and just hold it quietly without judgment or reaction. This is how I feel. I am embodying a profound peace. Grounded, with deep roots. The only word I have been able to associate with these past 12 days is Calm. All anxiety, restlessness, and mindless tiks have ceased to exist. Peace. So much has happened. What I went through in initiation was insane (more to come on this later). These people are crazy. It's not called a rite of passage for nothing. This is hardcore stuff. The villagers I stayed with, whom are now part of my family, and I theirs, are the strongest people I have ever met. And many of the them, being Babongo (Pygmea), don't stand taller than my shoulders. The conditions they live in, have bred staunch genetics. I can hardly describe these conditions, needless to say it has been a necessary state change for my perspective on things. The process itself involved a 5 day ceremony of rituals. It brought up fears I knew I had, and forced me to confront them in the way that most rites of passages do, without any option of distraction, ever, taking me to a place of bending, breaking and now blending. The specific rituals utilised in the ceremony were foreign and strange to me, without understanding more about the culture, the language, the customs, and the spiritual beliefs it was challenging to bring personal meaning to aspects of the ceremony. The collective energy of the whole village, however, who are all heavily involved in the Initiation, guided me, and thanks to the Eboga I was able to communicate and perceive by means of other senses. There is still so much for me to ground in and integrate. Thankfully, I am in a really good place to do just that. Reflections are fresh and I feel shiny and new. My eyes are clear blue, I haven't seen them this pristinely for many, many years. After most entheogenic medicine experiences, the eyes take on a clarity, reflective of the inner world, but I've found it fades within the week. Nothing lasts, nothing is lost, no-thing stays the same. I spent at least 1 month solidly preparing for Initiation, and was focused on it for 6 months prior. The more you put in the more you get out. I believe this to be mathematically sound. Living in an exponential reality where life expands or contracts (you get to chose) at a multiplying rate. Where energy goes, energy goes there even more. And due to the nature of duality, life is expanding exponentially in multiple directions, simultanesouly, seeking constant balance. Waking the fuck up and surfing the cosmos requires mad skillz. I find yoga helps keep equilibrium. So does meditation. Preparation has been my focus all year, and in my moments of struggle I was able to utilse the meditation techniques I have been training in this year. Now, my focus is integration, probably for the rest of the year. I was taken to the edge of my edge and allowed myself to completely surrender into a state of fear, pain and harrowing discomfort, merging with infinity. In timelessness I accepted myself completely, not because I wanted to, I didn't, I never have quite been able to, it was just the only way, and life always finds a way. Blessing up from rock bottom. But first, becoming rock bottom. Rather than finding the light to call me forward, I found myself as a broken, hopeless (literally without hope - this was key), destroyed human being, a fragment of consciousness trapped in an illusion of distraction and motion. Living in a state of constant agitation. Eyes on the horizon. Never here. Living in a world with so few people actually here. So here I became, and here I stand. Time ceased to exist, and I was suspended here for ever-more. The ritual itself felt like a form of torture and madness, so here was a horrible place to be, inside and out. What caused the most pain however was my own resistance. Looking for the end. Projecting forward. Hoping. Wishing for a different ending. Nowhere to go, nothing to do. The feet feel the feet, by feeling the ground. I got to know the ground really well, living in the dirt, now I know what I stand on, now I know what I am. By accepting myself completely in the dirt, in the jungle, learning to not expect or desire anything, albeit covered in my pain and suffering, I experienced myself transcend pain into peace. I have experienced fleeting moments of this during silent meditation retreats, but this was different; I arrived. Once I REALLY allowed myself to go there, to just die already, give up, there was not a moment that I continued to experience suffering. Pain yes, but pain without suffering. Peace. It wasn't quite what I would call ego death, it was more like total ego integration. I thought I needed things to be gentle, I thought my healing looked different; insert images of loving sisters and mothers tending to my wounds. I know so little, a grasshopper padwan. Over and over this quote came to mind: "I also know how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong but to feel strong. To measure yourself at least once. To find yourself at least once in the most ancient of human conditions. Facing the blind death stone alone, with nothing to help you but your hands and your own head." I am handing myself over to trust. Fears not here I kicked out doubt, so I have no excuse to hide or run. Everything is perfectly on track, in its place. Utter genius. The matrix is hackable. Life is unwritten. Manifesting the unmanifest. <3 Mbiambié. #iboga #mabanji #Gabon #initiation #plantmedicine #riteofpassage #entheogen #banzi #eboga

I’ve kept my day by day preparation blogs here, to have an example of what herbal medicine & plant medicine preparation can look like. 6 days to go Community & heart connection. I created some awesome friendship catch ups today, just taking a full day out to do nothing except be present and have laughs with new kinnections. Building a community requires showing up. Community to me is an investment into Life Insurance. Spent the day trekking about this waterfall! ---------------------- 5 days to go Today be feeling like this >>>>> (something I wrote 3 years ago today; life in orbit) "I now perceive the maximum extent of my highest vibration, in and out of oscillation. I measure from my position in full fruition, such powerful recognition of self healing, self revealing, fulfilling, full-feeling. amplitude gratitude!" A day dedicated to yoga, meditation. I feel some stress rising and passing away, but a feeling of vibrating faster than those attachments. ---------------------- 4 days to go Microdosing started today and will continue for a while now~ up to the flood, and after. :) Microdosing is a great way to begin communication with the plant, and the way it sits in your body. So actually it begins a communication with yourSelf (and then if we are really just one anyway, it's pretty much just 1 crazy person talking to themselves in the end..) I wonder if that's why I'm feeling so fearful, scared. Fear has bubbled up to my throat and I'm just kind of sitting in this limbo place, not reacting, or is this frozen place actually a reaction? I think if I were to allow myself to react I would be tearful, I feel a sense of holding back. In which case that's not a reaction, that's the process, and this attachment to no-action is the reaction. Touche.. So I've microdosed on the wood, and felt an energy come up, and attached and reacted. In which case this is great training! I let go of all that does not serve me, and I trust in the process of life, I trust in life itself. :) All is lesson. ---------------------- 3 days to go. Today was a mess frankly, swallowed by a wounded headspace. Argued. 😖 Looking for something to guide me… ? ☀️ Planted cacti. 🌵 Felt momentarily grounded. Felt broken hearted. 💔 Played sport. ⛹️‍♀️ Cried. 😥 Got a really nice message from a friend 😊 “No end to awareness be sit with the fire” 🔥 Missing company, am gifted caring reminders to call me home. I am grateful, and tired; these 3 weeks have already brought up so much. My intention is clear. Unravelling, slowly… a wounded warrior. Transmutation starts with uncomfortability. I find my limits through exceptional leaps into dark places. ---------------------- 2 days to go! Oh my gosh x repeat. I am so freaking excited now! So happy I've been eating small micro-root bark doses to get in the zone. Now I feel we have finally integrated with one another. Just took a few days of clearing the junk to get here. Hey old friend. I like this side of me, where we meet. Today I went full bliss - Acupuncture AND Zen Thai Shiatsu with 2 super yummy full power women. Vulnerable, raw, sleepy mmmm. Feeling my Masculine energy step down a little; letting go of trying to defend me constantly from imaginary threats. Feeling the Feminine side of me rise, into no control, free flow, wyldness. Eating high strength Cordyceps now for Malaria proofing my blood. Coconut essentially is my blood now. Pumping with endorphins from all the cardio LOVE IT (except I busted my bike tyre, why must I do things to the extreme?). And And And I did like a 10 second handstand today, floating in the effortless upside down void (I've literally been training in my dreams, last night I did about an hour of handstands in the astral planes - I think a good use of the time personally) Today is my day! Today if your day! Today mmmmm. Feeling like this >>>>> ---------------------- 1 day to go; busy packing! ---------------------- Today is the day! Gabon here I come. #iboga #ibogapreparation #microdosing