The Bwiti Tradition

My most important experience with plant medicine came when I ate the root bark of an unassuming West African shrub called Iboga. The people who maintain a traditional use of the plant are called the Bwiti. In 2023 I traveled to Gabon and performed a Bwiti initiation ceremony. Part of the ceremony involved peering into a mirror. The visions I saw helped reveal my inner strength and connect me to my ancestors. There is a part of me that still thinks that sounds far-fetched, but it’s true. It happened. 

Dimessa, the Nganga (or shaman) pictured here, helped me interpret those visions, and as a result of what I saw, he told me that my Bwiti name is Moubenghui. He didn’t bestow this name on me. He helped me to see that this bold, strong, and fearless part of me, Moubenghui, had been in there the whole time. I didn’t need to eat Iboga for this to be true. It was always true. Plant medicine didn’t light the fire inside me. It was there the whole time, I just needed some help to see it. But I see it now, and I want to share it. So whether you have experience with plant medicine or not, I can help you interpret your visions for your life. The difference between the type of vision one has on plant medicine and the more conventional use of the term is only a matter of degrees. Finding the fire inside is something that we can all do. And if you work with me, we will tend it together, and then use it to help light the path of change in your life. 

Sharing is an important part of the Bwiti tradition. You share with me your vision-for-change in your life, and I will share with you my interpretation of how best to realize it. There is a fire in you too. Tending it works best when you have help. The Bwiti don’t do anything alone. That’s partly out of necessity. But it’s also a practice embedded in the culture of the people. The type of connection that this coaching offers is one that reflects that deep truth. As humans, we need each other. And I am an open-minded, patient, and gentle listener.