Speaker: Rachel Maree, Herbalist & Rites of Passage Guide
About: We are living in a time of constant stimulation and have normalised a sense of disconnection from ourselves, one another, and nature.
At the same time, powerful plant medicines are entering Western awareness. One of those plants is Iboga, a sacred plant teacher from Central West Africa, that has long been used within Bwiti spiritual practice as a medicine of deep confrontation, truth and connection to a great consciousness at large. It is not gentle medicine. It does not distract. It calls the initiate inward which is relevant to the growth being asked of us as a civilisation at this time.
This talk explores Iboga not as a substance to pursue per se, but as an archetype of initiation in an age of distraction.
We will explore-
– Iboga’s effects and role in traditional context
– What initiation means in modern culture
– How we are moving from waking up to growing up as a society
– Why strong medicines are appearing in these times
Bio: Rachel is a herbalist and practicing health therapist in NSW working with traditional medicines, somatic therapy and body work. She has a background in growing, preparing and offering traditional herbal medicines and facilitating health retreats specialising in health issues arising from trauma & disconnection. Her passion is supporting cultural repair through working with people in times of transition utilising nature connection, group work, movement and sound. She has travelled to First Nations cultures around the world including being Bwiti initiated in the jungles of Gabon in the Mabanji way.
