June 2000
Doug took several grams of the Indra iboga extract in June 2000, and wrote up his experience about a year later.
I took Ibo in June and it has taken me a year to really remember the total of the experience. I was taken through many levels of visions of which I was a central character, from the vast future of the computer and the many advances I would see in my future, the development of 3-d artwork that would place the observer in the “art” suspended on wires and allowing the observance in sight, sound and touch of the complete art experience, etc…
The most important vision had to do with the Bwiti and my journey to the roots of my addiction! I was exposed to the beginnings of tribal rituals, both in Africa and in Europe and had a long journey that included the lives of both in a timeline that covered 2 or 3 centuries and brought me up to speed on the history and cultural beginnings and developments of both cultures. The parallels of each were shown to me so I would have a point of reference on which to gauge the knowledge I was about to gain.
Then the trip took me back to the beginnings of man when the majority of the earth was covered with water, and a race of people who constantly swam the globe in search of land on which they could settle. They were eventually rewarded with the discovery of a land mass on which we were blessed with the vision that I hold dearest and closest to my heart to this day, i watched the birth of the “spark of life” and was allowed to watch its power breath life into all of the plants, animals and peoples that now inhabit the earth, what a powerful vision, I was awestruck to say the least!!! At this point I believed it was my duty to protect this “spark” (which was a small fire that never needed fuel) from coming to harm or from being extinguished and I swore to the dark jungle God that stood beside me that I would protect it with my life!
A sudden shift to a later point in time, and again the dark God was at my side (Bwiti,I am sure) and he directed me to go forth into the jungle and to “find my path and destiny.” I was deep into the Ibo at this time and remember partially awakening and seeing my two cattle dogs transform before me into large, wolf-like “spirit dogs” and feeling their protective spirits gliding along with me on my trek through the jungle. Their transformation to dogs of large stature,(4 feet at the shoulder, huge canines that could not be contained in their jowls, and the spiritual connection that allowed their protective spirits to convey their strength to me and a feeling that nothing could harm me as long as they were at my sides). To this day, when I go to sleep with worries on my mind that threaten me to any aspect, these dogs again enter my dreams, visibly transform and sit at my sides to let me know that nothing can touch me as long as they are there and protecting me and those close to me, a wonderful byproduct of the Ibo that keeps me safe in my dreams and life, thank you for the gift, Ibo and Bwiti!!
Back to the jungle path, (there is so much to tell, I can no way type it all), we, the dogs and I, traveled far through the jungle, not really knowing what we were supposed to look for and as terrors crossed our path, the dogs quickly destroyed anything that stood between us and the final destination. Finally, there was a strongly lit area ahead, and we quickly covered the distance to what soon came to be a large grassy glade in the midst of the dark jungle through which we had been traveling. As we approached the glade, the dogs stopped and pressed me with their paws on my shoulders as they both licked my face with their huge tongues and bade me farewell, one leaving to the left and the other circling to the right around the glade, leaving me with a feeling of aloneness that i to this day cannot put into words, I still felt their presence, but I knew they could not help me with the task at hand oh, how I missed their strength and comfort in these alien surroundings!!!
As I entered the glade alone, I saw a series of arched openings, 7 were light and airy, and one that was darker and more foreboding then any jungle traversed up to this point, it gave off a feeling of evil and terror like nothing I have ever experienced!! It came to me that I was to find my path in life from the choices presented me in the glade, and I proceeded to try a brightly lit path only to find that the deeper I progressed on the trail, the darker it became, and as I neared the end of the path, i was treated to a scene of my own death, a horrible, bloody death which repulsed me and I turned and fought my way back to the glade, with hands and fingers trying to stop my return, trying to get me to concede to the end the path showed me and me struggling to return for another chance at life, by choosing a different path from the glade.
I proceeded to go down the other 6 brightly lit paths, only to find at the end of each, a death more obscene then the last, and the struggle to return to the glade was more and more difficult with each return, it was exhausting and demoralizing with each failure I was presented!!! At last, the only path left was the path of terror, the dark path from which I was convinced I could not return, and the feeling of hopelessness and despair was overwhelming! At long last, I determined that I had to see what the dark path held for me, even though I was convinced it held the most terrible end I could imagine, I was resigned to the fact that I needed to know where my ultimate path led.
As I started down the path, the cold and terror clutched my heart as the branches and brambles tore at my flesh and clothing, I struggled to reach the end and when I arrived, ripped and bleeding from the many painful wounds I received along the way, I was greeted with a glimmer of hope that soon grew to a blinding light that filled my vision, and then eased down so I could see the end of the path, which led out of the darkness into a vision of my future in which I lived!!!
Sitting at the beginning of this new path was the Dark God and my faithful dogs at his sides. He sat me down at his feet and reviewed my past, pointing out significant experiences that shaped me into the person I am today, and allowing me to see and verbalize the hurts, fears and anguish that I had hidden for so many years, It has added new depths to my soul and to my relationship with my spouse, and changed the way in which I view my life and the lives of those around me!! An interesting addendum, I a year later, I contracted a life-threatening disease (which originates from the African continent, of all places!! too weird!) and at the end of my successful treatment, as my painwracked body fought to force the last of the disease from my body, I went through what I can best describe as a spiritual purge in which i vomited and voided from the depths of my body, black substances that defied description, ugly substances that I can only describe as poisons and toxins from my soul that cling to the darkest parts and deepest recesses of ones mind, the likes of which scared me as I observed them, because I knew they had come from inside my very soul!!
In the dreamlike state I was in, ( no strength, seeing visions, no fever, no reason for the general paralysis which held my body and scared my wife badly as she thought she was loosing me) I saw a vision that scared my to my depths, I saw evil (it’s the only word that describes the liquid in the vision!), raise up and slowly extinguish the “Spark-of-life” flame of which I had been entrusted the protection and care of, and at this sight, in my paralysed state, I cannot tell you how horrified I was to see the start of the end of life as we know it!!!!!
We cut the trip short and returned home, and I had this feeling of doom hanging over me the whole way home. Upon our arrival, I knew what had to be done, I needed to take some Ibo and see where the end of this path led, and I had to do it NOW!!! I took 2 grams of the indra extract and retired to bed. Soon I was elated to see my faithful (and scary) dogs return to my sides without a look at me, they were looking all around for threats and dangers as if they had never left my side!!
We traveled down a path that led to a vision that made my heart fill with joy, there, under the rootmass of an overturned tree, was the carefully shielded “spark-of-life” that I had thought was extinguished by the flow of evil I had seen in my last vision! This feeling of joy pervaded the rest of my journey and the instruction I received during this leg allowed me to open doors to my inner feelings that have led to a more open and caring person who is a benefit to the world as a whole.
Ibo not only opened new doors and avenues to understanding for me, it has eliminated my desire to use opiates, allowed me to detox with no withdrawal and made me “see” that there is no easy path to life, only many TRIALS OF THE SPIRIT THAT LEAD TO A GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF LIFE AND LOVE, THANK YOU ibo AND BWITI FOR SHOWING ME THE “PATH”