Bwiti Orgins
From the jungles of Gabon, the Bwiti are a people who have found mastery in the study of life. The Bwiti tradition is the study of life. It’s a traditional spiritual path of living life through direct experience rather than believing what someone else says. It is an oral tradition that has been passed down for hundreds of years, if not more. They do not carry a belief system; they either know something or they don’t. And if they do not know, they will be with the unknowing until they have their own direct experience in life. This knowledge is said to have originated with the Pygmy people deep in West Africa, eventually becoming the practice of the Bwiti tradition.
Their spiritual path revolves around the sacred use of the Iboga root, an agent for advancing ones consciousness and personal growth at an incredibly rapid rate. For centuries, followers of Bwiti tradition have used iboga in healing ceremonies and spiritual rituals for self-discovery, personal development, physical healing, connection to nature, direct communication with spirits and ancestors and in giving thanks for the gift of life.
The Bwiti use Iboga as a tool, to connect to spirit and to innate truth. The medicine uncovers and accesses this truth that lies within each of us.
In Gabon, Iboga is viewed as a sacred medicine, a teacher plant, and The Tree of Life. This root is held so sacred that on June 6, 2000, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Gabon declared Tabernanthe Iboga a National Treasure.
Take some time to explore, read something interesting, and feel free to reach out if you would like to be a part of a healing ceremony.
Life Values
To the Bwiti, life holds the greatest value. Truly the simple and prosaic nature of their teachings are evident in this concept; for nothing exists without life. Western, and other, societies have often tried to distance the individual from life. Man is a part of nature, and thus the study of nature includes the study of man. We must focus our study, first, on ourselves, since we are the one that dwells with us, always. By understanding who we are, we understand what we need, and what we want. We know that we will never be fulfilled by others, or by material things. Instead, we decide what we want (food, mate, job, children), and then we operate in a humble fashion to obtain that which we want. By being 100% invested in ourselves, we always bring our best self forward, for work, relations, or activities. If we fail to bring our best self to a cooperative setting, then, the Bwiti say that someone else has to spend some of their 100% on us to make up for the deficit.
Consequently, the Bwiti live in the moment—without holding on to the past or projecting into the future. They accept what is, always engaging all of their senses to help guide them. They are not ruled by their thoughts, and recognize that the basis of life is not thought, but rather is experienced through the senses.
Who is Moughenda?
A 10th-generation Bwiti shaman, Moughenda was born and raised in Gabon, and received his direct shamanic instruction from his grandfather, the village shaman. Living the Bwiti life, Moughenda was shown, by Iboga, that one of his greatest contributions to life would be sharing the Bwiti tradition and the Iboga medicine with the rest of the world. With this understanding, and having no English or Western skills, Moughenda embarked on a journey to the United States where he guided people from addiction to health. He extended his travels to other regions of the world, and established the first Iboga healing center in Costa Rica, where a small cadre of students took on the responsibilities of spreading the Bwiti tradition. Returning to Africa, Moughenda has provided for his village, and tirelessly works for the health of others. He conducts regular ceremonies, initiates foreigners into the shamanic tradition, conducts rights-of-passage, and trains a small, select group of students to become Iboga providers.
