The Spirit of the Fire

The sacred fire. It is the focal point of every traditional Bwiti ceremony — Bwiti are a people of Central West Africa who have used Iboga for generations to heal and to learn about life.

The fire is tended all night long, as those in the temple move deeper into the medicine.

Each tendril of fire smoke acts as a runway, for spirits to enter the space and partake, protect and assist. But the spirit of the fire itself is what beckons them forth.

Just as the moon and the water share a sacred feminine energy, the spirits of the sun and fire breathe forth masculinity. Like the essence of man, it is this masculine energy that makes fire a protector spirit. 

Around its protection it is safe to gather, take the medicine, and begin the journey within. 

Throughout the evening, as moon slowly gives way to sun, the fire burns.

In the deepest parts of an Iboga journey, the fire dances, guarding the space and the souls within. The flames lap a message; truth, truth truth. 

While it protects us, the fire uses its own energy — to burn away all that it encounters — on those who are ready.

The fire has the power to burn everything that no longer serves us. The things we wish to shed — past traumas, negative thought patterns, physical pain, depression, addiction, anxiety, old belief systems and stories — can be given to the fire, to release for good. 

This is why the presence of fire is imperative during any Iboga journey. As the medicine brings the dead parts of ourselves to the surface, the spirit of the fire is waiting to burn them away.

And where the old parts of ourselves are shed, space is created. 

In this fresh new space, positive new ways of thinking, being, and behaving finally have a place to land. 

The burning away of all that has been holding us back is never an easeful process; the path of the fire is scalding.

But its teaching is profound. When we really look at the pain, when we wholeheartedly confront the difficult, uncomfortable truths we’ve been pushing aside for so long, we conquer them and become completely free from them.

When we let ourselves feel the burn, we find the freedom to watch our obstacles turn to cinders.

As the ceremony ends and the fire dies out, we can finally release our shadows, to be blown away as ash on the wind, no longer holding us prisoner.  

The flames lap their way through the medicine journey with us, holding and protecting our eventual release. 

Adapted from a piece originally written by Deena for Sacred Soul Therapy House, an Iboga centre — no longer in operation — where Deena was Creative Director and medicine provider.