Iboga: Bridge to the Divine
Native to Central Africa, the iboga shrub is a powerful vehicle for spiritual insight, as well as a potentially effective antidote for opioid addiction. It is an essential tool in the Bwiti spiritual tradition of Gabon, where it has been consumed for rite of passage ceremonies and mystical initiation rites. These rites yield direct encounters with the divine and promote profound and sustained psycho-spiritual healing.

This event is a panel discussion with Nima (shaman) Gregory Puente, encountered the Bwiti tradition in 1999 in a small village in Gabon. After some initiations, it became clear to him that that Tradition was a real School of Divine Mystery like few that still exist on the planet. He received the calling to study the Tradition, and after a while coming and going, in 2002 he moved to Gabon to dedicate himself to his formation. He stayed by the side of Master Atome Ribenga for 11 years as a Nima student in the Mboumba Eyano branch. On the 28th of December 2013, he was consecrated by his master as Nima in this branch. Since 2014 he has been working on his mission to help human beings to know themselves, initiating, healing and serving as a «bridge» between the worlds. Under instructions of the spiritual plane, in 2015 he created the format of this retreat to spread the Tradition in other countries, continents & cultures and help people from all over the world. We will also be joined in-person by Gregory’s student, Stephen.
Date: 20 November 2023, 19:30 (Monday, 7th week, Michaelmas 2023)
Venue: Balliol College, Broad Street OX1 3BJ
Venue Details: Massey Room
Speakers: Speaker to be announced
Organising department: Department of Psychiatry
Organiser: Sylvana Vilca-Melendez (University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address: sylvana.vilca-melendez@psych.ox.ac.uk
Host: Kenneth Shinozuka (University of Oxford)
Part of: Oxford Psychedelic Society Talks
Booking required?: Required
Booking url: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/iboga-bridge-to-the-divine-tickets-733521631947?aff=oddtdtcreator
Audience: Public
Editor: Sylvana Vilca-Melendez