I'm going to undergo an iboga initiation this month!

[jacklantegi]

Hey everyone!

 

 

 

 

For those who are unfamiliar with iboga, I will explain very briefly.

 

It is an African rootbark that is used by the Bwiti for spiritual purposes in much the same way Ayahuasca is used in South America although Iboga is much more powerful and effective medicine than Ayahuasca in all respects.

 

Here is a podcast Joe Rogan did with a guy who went to do this ceremony with a bwiti shaman, as will I:

 

 

 

I feel that I am as prepared as I will ever be. I am in the process of writing down what I want to find out about myself. But I was curious about what you guys would ask.

 

So, if you could have the universe, or your higher self, tell you absolutely anything in the world about anything, including yourself, what would it be? What do you want to know and why?

 

Also, if anyone would like more information about why I am going, or anything else about Iboga, please feel free to ask! We have had several threads on Ayahuasca, and I think it's time the bums get familiar with this amazing and little-known plant.

Edited June 5, 2012 by jacklantegi

[Seth Ananda]

Respek! and good luck

[jacklantegi]

Thank you!

 

Respek! and good luck

[flyinghigh]

Great stuff.

I think I read about it in "Breaking Open the Head" if I remember correctly.

 

Some rather practical questions first?

How did you locate the Shaman?

How many days will it take? What is the agenda, plan?

Are you going with a friend or on your own?

[eye_of_the_storm]

I would ask for one

 

As a collective what type of future is humanity creating

 

and the function of this reality or intended outcome if any

 

if there is such a thing good luck to you! and I will be eager to here of your experience

Edited June 5, 2012 by White Wolf Running On Air

[konchog uma]

the plant already knows what you need to learn

 

don't ask anything

 

go with an open heart and quiet mind and just listen.

 

if you have to ask for something, ask for guidance, which the plant will give you anyway

 

blessings to you

[Crures]

If I could get an answer to any question, then I'd ask what time is and how it works.

[Cheshire Cat]

It is an African rootbark that is used by the Bwiti for spiritual purposes in much the same way Ayahuasca is used in South America although Iboga is much more powerful and effective medicine than Ayahuasca in all respects.

 

Why do you say that it is more powerful and effective than ayahuasca?

I'm very curious because I've met a shaman who claims that Natèm is a drink of very very high power.

Edited June 5, 2012 by DAO rain TAO

[Jetsun]

Good luck, the Bruce Parry episode on Iboga is really good if anyone is interested

 

From my own experience with Ayahuasca the most harmful blocks for the process are your own expectations and attitudes so you are better off going into it with as much an open mind and few expectations as possible to get the most out of it.

[jacklantegi]

[jacklantegi]

I located the guy after a lot of searching on the web. He is the owner of ibogahouse.net, and is a 10th generation bwiti shaman.

 

After talking to him on the phone, it was decided that in my particular case, the ideal length would be 14 days. I will be taking the iboga at least on two occasions. Once to detox my body, and again for the spiritual journey.

 

The plan includes a cleansing shower, hot springs, time outdoors, extensive 1-on-1 counseling with the shaman, and much, much more (in no particular order).

 

I'm going on my own.

 

If you're interested in hearing a detailed description of the whole thing, the video I linked in my first post explains it pretty well, since it is the same place.

 

Great stuff.

I think I read about it in "Breaking Open the Head" if I remember correctly.

 

Some rather practical questions first?

How did you locate the Shaman?

How many days will it take? What is the agenda, plan?

Are you going with a friend or on your own?

[Jetsun]

In a nutshell,

 

Ayahuasca is all about going "farther" into the unknown, assuming that in this unknown nebula, you will find what you are looking for, in a cryptic language, which may or may not be of any benefit.

 

Think of a straight up DMT trip. It's about as alien as you can get. Definitely not user-friendly.

 

Iboga is about going deeper inside yourself, because in yourself, there is everything you could ever know. It is the most genuine expression of yourself teaching yourself.

 

Many people who have done ayahuasca several times (even hundreds of times) often go try iboga and get their first true breakthrough experience.

 

It is said that in the plant kingdom, iboga is the ultimate holder of true knowledge.

 

I wouldn't believe everything you read about this, some people have made a lot of money through Ayahuasca tourism so there are people trying to do the same with Iboga and take some of their crowd. Essentially Ayahuasca will eventually show you your inner essence so it is about inner exploration as well, it's not all about going on a crazy trip.

[jacklantegi]

True, but I'm also basing this on all the anecdotal evidence I have read.

 

On a pharmacological level, iboga is a lot different from all the other entheogens. It seems to act like a master homeostasis "reset" switch for the brain and nervous system.

 

I'm in no way trying to put down ayahuasca. I'm just saying it's not exactly the most user-friendly medicine out there..

 

I wouldn't believe everything you read about this, some people have made a lot of money through Ayahuasca tourism so there are people trying to do the same with Iboga and take some of their crowd. Essentially Ayahuasca will eventually show you your inner essence so it is about inner exploration as well, it's not all about going on a crazy trip.

[Owledge]

Better not fall into the folly of doing comparisons like that. Many psychedelics have the same tryptamine root. Differences will be due to secondary effect on the psyche (like soothing or mind-clarity), the outer setting (environment, shaman's influence, spirit of the plant) and probably the most influential is the inner state.

The spectrum of experiences is so huge that the degree of overlap will be tremendous. The things you described about iboga(ine) can also be experienced with DMT. It depends a lot on the personality, the whole situation. This is emphasized by the fact that some people have profound experiences the first time while others are taking it regularly and don't, or that sometimes the amount consumed has very little influence on the depth of the experience.

The inner state is so profoundly relevant to the experience that the 'mind' can even instantly and completely end a DMT trip like someone flipped a switch. (not really voluntarily though)

 

Thus, much of the said differences might originate from people's belief in them. It's explainable psychologically. The mind is an analysis (separation) tool. Take two substances with a huge spectrum of experiences and sooner or later people will shape a difference.

 

I've recently gotten a few iboga documentaries, but didn't watch them yet. I like that it is easier to handle, e.g. not needing a MAO inhibitor.

 

Again... the inner process, from a biochemical view, is very similar with all psychedelics. You open up third eye, crown, higher chakras, that kind of stuff.

I also suspect that people claim that DMT is so different from other psychedelics in how real it is perceived because DMT is produced by the body, so it is fully familiar and innately associated with the creation of our perceived reality.

 

Some people even claim to have had 'out there' experiences with heavy use of cannabis.

 

Take this metaphor: You can fasten a screw by hand, with a screwdriver or a power drill. Same result, same path, but different process.

 

From my own experience with Ayahuasca the most harmful blocks for the process are your own expectations and attitudes so you are better off going into it with as much an open mind and few expectations as possible to get the most out of it.

Deeply rooted fears, misconceptions, beliefs are blocks to the process of removing them and enabling spiritual progress, if you will.

From my experiences, expectations and attitudes are no problem at all, because ayahuasca will just dump all those into the trashcan. Ayahuasca will very likely show you what you don't expect, and that's part of why it's so effective. During my 'ayahuasca time', I had one trip where I re-encountered a familiar point from an earlier trip, and I backed off again, and with that experience, I tried to prepare myself for next time, so that I could strengthen the intent to break through this time. Well, guess what, ayahuasca waited and waited and waited until I lost concentrtion due to boredom and then eventually I again got surprised with the same old stuff as before.

Edited June 5, 2012 by Owledge

[Aaron]

The one question I've never been able to answer and I think can only be answered by a higher level being is why are there holes in donuts? if you ever get an answer can you let me know. I mean this is really driving me crazy. I know the meaning of life, but not why there are holes in donuts. *Sob* *Sob* *Sob* And why can't I wear white before memorial day? That too!

 

Aaron

Edited June 5, 2012 by Twinner

[Owledge]

The one question I've never been able to answer and I think can only be answered by a higher level being is why are there holes in donuts? if you ever get an answer can you let me know.

Hmmmm... apparently you are not as enlightened as I am , because for me the answer is there instantly and clearly with the question: If the donut didn't have a hole, it wouldn't be a donut. It is part of the donut's identity, and because there were no round handy cakes with a hole in the middle, it was only a matter of time before they appeared.

A shaman told me that on the path of the shaman, you don't ask "why" anymore.

I guess because the answer is always "why not?".

 

I know the meaning of life

Oh please tell me. Because as far as I was shown, there is no objective meaning. Fundamentally, it's all utterly pointless, and that reality can drive the mind crazy. Life celebrates its own existence, and it exists because it can, and because when you start with utter nothingness, it's merely a matter of no-time before you have everything. You know ... statistical probability.

 

And why can't I wear white before memorial day?

This is the mind deceiving itself. You can wear white before memorial day if you want to.

 

 

P.S.: If you realize the infinity of space and time, and that both is an illusion, it means that in that whole continuum, everything that anybody could possibly imagine ... exists. I mean EVERYTHING. YOU. COULD. IMAGINE. ... Now imagine the experience of seeing all that. Now imagine that experience of imagining being a part of all that you can imagine. And that being a part of that, too.

Now follow that line of thought until your head explodes.

 

Seriously... I just remembered the part of one of my ayahuasca experiences where I was in that state where everything I imagined was instantly realized and I began to feel the pointlessness in it ... the lack of challenge. It was like a wise and patient teacher was watching me playing with everythingness, with the process of creative manifestation through consciousness, saying "You play around with that until you get bored.", and when I got impatient/bored, "BOO! - there is nothing else!". I think I even remember what music played during that part. It was from an ayahuasca experience I had at a later time. Of course, considering how fucked up all this is, I could be mistaken.

Edited June 5, 2012 by Owledge

[Seth Ananda]

The one question I've never been able to answer and I think can only be answered by a higher level being is why are there holes in donuts? if you ever get an answer can you let me know. I mean this is really driving me crazy. I know the meaning of life, but not why there are holes in donuts. *Sob* *Sob* *Sob* And why can't I wear white before memorial day? That too!

 

Aaron

Ahahah! I want to know whether a snake 'has' a tail?

[Owledge]

Nothing but heads and tails. ... Snakes are coins.

[jacklantegi]

And thank god for the variety!

 

Can you imagine if all we had was datura, amanita muscaria and benadryl?

 

edit:

 

Seriously, though. I think it's safe to say that there are definitely psychadelic "families" that all have their own unique "flavor", if you will. The tryptamines, phenethylamines, dissociatives, deliriants, etc.

 

I wouldn't put the classic tryptamines such as LSD, shrooms and DMT in the same cateogry as Iboga.

 

 

Not all fruit taste like bananas! But they're (almost) all sweet.

 

 

 

Better not fall into the folly of doing comparisons like that. Many psychedelics have the same tryptamine root. Differences will be due to secondary effect on the psyche (like soothing or mind-clarity), the outer setting (environment, shaman's influence, spirit of the plant) and probably the most influential is the inner state.

The spectrum of experiences is so huge that the degree of overlap will be tremendous. The things you described about iboga(ine) can also be experienced with DMT. It depends a lot on the personality, the whole situation. This is emphasized by the fact that some people have profound experiences the first time while others are taking it regularly and don't, or that sometimes the amount consumed has very little influence on the depth of the experience.

The inner state is so profoundly relevant to the experience that the 'mind' can even instantly and completely end a DMT trip like someone flipped a switch. (not really voluntarily though)

 

Thus, much of the said differences might originate from people's belief in them. It's explainable psychologically. The mind is an analysis (separation) tool. Take two substances with a huge spectrum of experiences and sooner or later people will shape a difference.

 

I've recently gotten a few iboga documentaries, but didn't watch them yet. I like that it is easier to handle, e.g. not needing a MAO inhibitor.

 

Again... the inner process, from a biochemical view, is very similar with all psychedelics. You open up third eye, crown, higher chakras, that kind of stuff.

I also suspect that people claim that DMT is so different from other psychedelics in how real it is perceived because DMT is produced by the body, so it is fully familiar and innately associated with the creation of our perceived reality.

 

Some people even claim to have had 'out there' experiences with heavy use of cannabis.

 

Take this metaphor: You can fasten a screw by hand, with a screwdriver or a power drill. Same result, same path, but different process.

 

 

Deeply rooted fears, misconceptions, beliefs are blocks to the process of removing them and enabling spiritual progress, if you will.

From my experiences, expectations and attitudes are no problem at all, because ayahuasca will just dump all those into the trashcan. Ayahuasca will very likely show you what you don't expect, and that's part of why it's so effective. During my 'ayahuasca time', I had one trip where I re-encountered a familiar point from an earlier trip, and I backed off again, and with that experience, I tried to prepare myself for next time, so that I could strengthen the intent to break through this time. Well, guess what, ayahuasca waited and waited and waited until I lost concentrtion due to boredom and then eventually I again got surprised with the same old stuff as before.

Edited June 6, 2012 by jacklantegi