She danced like a rainstorm. So I paid attention.
People often ask me if I sometimes feel afraid living in central Africa in Gabon.
There is very little violence in this country (unlike other parts of Africa), but of course you need to have your wits about you in this contemporary wilderness…
I’m not afraid, but I can tell you about the last time I felt a flash of fear in Gabon.
It was in the middle of the night… during an all-night Bwiti Missoko ceremony…
I was in the thick-air temple watching a Maboundi (initiated woman) dance. The temple had a dirt floor so when we danced dust swirled around us like an ancient smoke machine. The only light came from the flickering flames of the fire torch we danced with and a few candles lining the side of the temple. Large shadows spread over the rough wooden walls.
In the tradition, they don’t just ‘have a boogie’ cos they’re African and it’s fun to move your hips. The dances have a meaning, a purpose. They’re a communication with the spiritual world, with your deepest Self, with your soma.
The drums are LOUD and when you dance, you dance with *everything* you’ve got. Sometimes with fire, sometimes with knives.
Everything moves. Heart races. Sweat pours.
The flash of fear was when I saw this particular maboundi ‘finish’ her dance.
The moungongo (sacred one-string harp) and drums were coming to their close of the the song.
When the last drumstick hit the tight skin of the tam-tam, she did this move with her hip.
With force. With power.
It was the kind of kinetic energy you’d find in
a tightly stretched bow as the archer releases the arrow…
a discus as the athlete’s spins and spins as she unleashes…
a boxer’s right arm as he strikes the knockout hook…
Drum. Hip. Strike. BAM. ⚡️. Done.
I was stunned. Deer-eyed. The flash of fear that also felt like awe.
😳
This energy was powerful. It was the energy of nature itself.
It is the energy of life and death, creation and destruction.
And she could dance with it.
She didn’t tame it down and put the light under a bowl. She wielded it.
I felt that pure nature, pure creation/destruction in her. That quality of a fire. Of a wild animal. Of a rainstorm. That’s what my animal-body was registering.
Of course this was the kind of flash of fear that made me lean in. Made me want more.
I love that kind of fear.
The drums started again.
Now it was my turn to dance.
This tradition is old. For thousands of years, they've known the technology for how to return people to the power that's inside them ❤️🔥
If you're interested in returning to your power... To your centre... To your SELF, join us for traditional intiation in the Bwiti tradition with the plant medicine iboga. See below for dates.
If you’re interested in Bwiti initiation with the African plant medicine iboga, we have some dates left 2024:
BWITI FANG
5-11 August
12-18 August
6-13 October
BWITI MISSOKO
14-20 October
If you'd like to know more about the difference between the branches and which one is right for you, or you have other questions, let's have a call to discuss — book a 45 min chat here (free).
