An Unconventional Initiation Into Traditional African Healing Part 1 by Jean Sobiecki

An  Unconventional Initiation Into Traditional African Healing Part 1

19th July 2012: Its been three weeks since I started using southern African psychoactive spiritual medicines called ubulawu, as part of my training process to know African traditional healing —and I can say its been one heck of an unconventional initiation….
As a background, I am an ethnobotanist with university training in botany and medical anthropology. 

I have had a life-long calling to healing: including the use of medicinal plants, the knowledge of which I gained through self study of nature, books, making and using my own herbal medicines as well as learning from local traditional healers throughout my life. I am currently apprenticing with a Northern Sotho healer named Mama Maponya in Johannesburg, to learn traditional southern African medicine.

The Sotho are one of a number of Bantu language speaking tribes occurring in southern Africa. These groups originated from central Africa and migrated southwards. Traditionally, the Bantu people cultivated fields (a main crop being Sorghum) and raised cattle and supplemented this with by hunting and gathering wild foods. Some of the core beliefs of the Bantu people are that of the principle of community (Ubuntu) and the role of their deceased ancestors, around which many rituals are performed.

In southern Africa there are two main types of traditional healer-doctors: the herbalist (Inyanga in Zulu), and the diviner (Isangoma: Zulu). The diviners like shamans are the spiritual specialists, and use divination to communicate with their ancestral spirits to diagnose their patient’s misfortunes or medical conditions. Both the herbalists and diviners use psychoactive plants as spiritual medicines in their practice and give these under guidance to lay people who use the ubulawu’s to dream and make connection to their ancestors.

Psychoactive can be defined as any substance that can alter our behavioral functioning, be it perception, emotions, cognition on the whole. Many common substances are psychoactive from milk to sugar through to caffeine, opium and psychedelics, each having their own particular effects. 

Until recently southern Africa was often considered to be poor in psychoactive plants. Yet the research I have done since 1998 has helped to revitalize this field of ethnobotanical research and I have show that a multitude of plants are used for various psychoactive uses: for relaxing, stimulating, dreaming etc.

Ubulawu are traditional African preparations made mostly from the roots of a variety of herbs and creepers, and sometimes the stems or bark of certain plants that are chopped or ground and left in water that is churned with a forked stick to produce foam. This plant infusion is washed with, the foam eaten or the liquid is drank and vomited with. Vomiting or emetic medicines feature in many ancient systems of healing to clean the body and mind. Using the medicine connects you with yourself, and your ancestors through dreams and they often have mild and subtle psychoactive properties.

Below is an abstract of a research paper I have just had published on African spiritual medicines in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs in August titled: Psychoactive Ubulawu Spiritual Medicines and Healing Dynamics in the Initiation Process of Southern Bantu Diviners. This paper gives more detail on the traditional spiritual plant medicine use occurring in southern Africa, for those who want to know more. 

Abstract—The use of psychoactive plants by traditional healers in southern Africa appears to be a neglected area of ethnobotanical research. This article explores the healing dynamics involved in the use of popular psychoactive plant preparations known as ubulawu in the initiation rituals of Southern Bantu diviners. Research methods include a review of the literature, fieldwork interviews with Southern Bantu diviners, and an analysis of experiential accounts from diverse informants on their use of ubulawu. Findings reveal that there is widespread reliance on ubulawu as psychoactive spiritual medicines by the indigenous people of southern Africa to communicate with their ancestral spirits, to bring luck, and to treat mental disturbances. 

In the case of the Southern Bantu diviners, ubulawu used in a ritual initiation process acts as a mnemonic aid and medicine to familiarize the initiates with enhanced states of awareness and related psychospiritual phenomena such as enhanced intuition and dreams of the ancestral spirits, who teach the initiates how to find and use medicinal plants. The progression of the latter phenomena indicates the steady success of the initiates’ own healing integration. Various factors such as psychological attitude and familiarization, correct plant combinations/synergy and a compatible healer-initiate relationship influence ubulawu responsiveness.

I can say that through my own current use and experiences with the medicines, what I understand of their effects and qualities is not what I expected based on all the literature…it has been very enlightening for me. Ubulawu’s psychoactive effects are very subtle not like what most consider psychoactive-i.e., strong visionary psychoactives, yet the way they take you into parts of yourself can be profound.


I call this an unconventional initiation since initiate traditional healers usually go to the rural areas and seclude themselves in huts living the traditional way—yet I have undertaken to use the plants in a noisy central business district of Johannesburg close to my teacher, living in a rented place with a landlord that is not ideal for me. This however, I have learnt is not what matters. It’s adjusting to any situation and persevering with the training that matters.
This is my journey with one of the plants called U (I can not name the medicines until I have finished my training).
INCEPTION: 2 July 2012
I began using these foaming medicines that one vomits with every morning and the first medicine called U opened me like a flower ordered to so without any protection to the light or darkness: just revealing who I am, to myself.
Being in this new home I don’t enjoy; cold and dark (being mid winter too), I felt the struggle of being in bed with my negativities, inflamed, raw.
My anchor: Buddhist dharma. Visiting the Buddhist centre in Johannesburg I felt peace and safety.
Days and nights upside down, grief’s and pains visiting me from unmet desires, writhing— stirrings in my spirit…seeing the addictions of desires, giving up on them, having too.
Waking up at 11:30 the one morning facing guilt of not doing the socially accepted thing of waking up early. “Why am I sleeping at this hour”? A program in my head said. “I should be working”…I said hell to it.
Who Am I? Is this all my intellectual pursuits? Get me out of this shithole place, I told myself: Venturing into a nearby suburb of Kensington, I sought a townhouse, a place of my own, maybe something would pop up….but I knew in the back of my mind it wouldn’t happen overnight. I remembered what my teacher Mama says “No good comes with rushing”.
For days I felt my nerves raw and burning, my minds negativity rising up like an oil slick, no way but to pray, face it, then I saw it is time to face and overcome my fears, not just entertain their existence, that or just give up my training, but then…?
11 July: After the 9th day in a panicky state I went to see my teacher Mama Maponya, whose wisdom and compassion is like that of Buddhist lamas, she said “this is what the medicine does, it shows you who you are, gives you direction to know yourself”.
Fuck. I hated what I saw, what I couldn’t run away from. “I can’t do this— I can’t be a healer. I can’t open to my ancestral spirits—I’m sensitive enough” I told her in excruciating honesty. “I just want to teach and do research”.
15th July: I woke up in the morning with clarity of knowing my story, my truth crystallizing: (I wrote these down with a strong knowingness)
I have found my truth: What truths for myself have I found?
I know I am a seeker of truth.
To know my truth, I must be aware.
I know that the dominant culture in the West: capitalist culture hides us from awareness and truth.
I do not know if there is an omnipotent God, but what I feel is true is we have been given life in order to create: what we want.
Finding peace and happiness is my responsibility—our responsibility: no one neither god nor anyone will save us.
I believe healing our minds and learning to love and overcome our fear is the way to happiness and peace.
Awareness, taking responsibility and loving ourselves will lead to mature being and inner peace.
I need to take responsibility for my life and what I truly want.
Our capitalist consumer culture has taken us away from peace through addiction to strong desires and fears and insecurities through design thereof through mass media marketing and advertising.
To be at peace with myself I must deal with and heal my fears: my fears of people: of conflict and being afraid of conflict.
To do so I must believe I will not fear (though accepting it), being confident and believing I deserve to express my honest truth. I deserve a voice.
The healing I want to teach is spiritual freedom, to guide people.
If I am cold I must find warmth. If I am unhappy I must make the conditions happen that are necessary for my happiness to occur, as the Dalai Lama says.
I sense a journey overland is on the HORIZON.
These thoughts distilled for me in the course of the day and I shared this on my facebook mindfulness and consciousness group: What is enlightenment other than making the journey alone, into who we really are, learning to overcome our fears, our addictions, making peace with ourselves and the world and mastering our minds and negative emotions, to finally rest into the truth of who we are-essentially: pure mind, open heart.
Finding my truth is finding my enlightenment.


19 July 2012: I stopped the medicine. The pressure slowly eased up. I could handle my landlord—everything was better.
REST….days…
REVISITING U:
It had been a very intense journey into my shadow, my core of who I am.
It’s not as if I could turn away from my negatives while using it, it was there till I came to terms with it.
How wonderful that a plant can do this: accelerated learning. So often we sleep in our slumbery ways to ourselves “ya I know my shit stuff” but then a minute later we are distracted by whatever it is. Not with U. I could feel how open it made me, how unrelenting it was for me to face myself while I was using it, a constant mirror.
After having stopped U for 5 days I had been given my next medicine to use; but I felt I wanted to take U once more. It was my intuition—my ancestors.
24 July 2012: That morning, kneeling down having churned the foaming medicines I knew it was good.

After vomiting with U this time I realize and recall that Elliot, another traditional healer I met, said I must heal myself first then do research, it will strengthen me. Like mama reiterated; the plants will support me in who I am and my work.

I now saw the points of connection clearly: my relationship to plants, making herbal medicine, —this is who I am—many people do not do this. So yes I am a healer. I must just heal my fears and move forward— with trust, I can integrate my creative, leadership and healing aspects into one like the Buddhist Kagyu lineage master Akong Rinpoche.
Having used U after 5 days of absence I can report that its effects are once again similar to my previous experience…I felt opening to insights again, same old anger as last time with an old friend D (funny how it will surface issues that need resolution), and also realize now how I am progressing on my path.

That afternoon sitting in the meditation shrine room of the Kensington Buddhist I gazed up at Tai Situpa’s photo (another high lama of the Kagyu lineage) and I knew: a distillation of mind was present:

The plants are helping me heal.
Build compassion through the Dharma
And create the conditions for my happiness or fulfillment in life.

The Journey progresses….

Jean-Francois Sobiecki
Phytoalchemist. Website soon up http://www.ethnobotany.co.za

The Alchemy of Forgiveness

Within my Tarot and Spiritual Counseling sessions I often encounter clients who misunderstand the concept of forgiveness.  I regularly hear spiritual teachers and mentors suggest forgiveness is a key ingredient in the emotional aspect of healing - when it’s accepted that the emotional state has an important relationship with our physical well-being as well as having a strong influence on the reality we create for ourselves, it’s important to get a clear understanding of what’s required so that the healing process is as swift and effective as it can possibly be.

How many times have you been advised to ‘forgive yourself’? For many, the idea can seem perplexing and a professional should never offer this kind of advice to a client without proper explanation - the process of forgiveness is just the beginning in the alchemical flow of transformation. It must be properly followed through to completion to avoid the individual slipping back into the old, unhelpful ways of being.

At the deepest level, we need to recognize the damaging patterns of negative emotions related to a sense of guilt or shame, not being ‘good enough’ or failure associated with low self-worth. The behaviours these emotions create and the projections they offer to others can be thought of as a form of punishment we repeatedly inflict upon ourselves as our external world mirrors our internal state of being.

Once these deep patterns have been recognized, we can more clearly see the mask of self-punishment we wear - it causes us to constantly turn on ourselves and results in a lack of security sad sense of disappointment in life. The process of self-forgiveness is very much about removing this mask - both energetically and through clear insight - so that the root causes of our problems can be exposed.

The root causes vary between individuals, but they are almost always negative resonances deeply ingrained in the psyche, energetic blueprint and DNA. They can stem from past lives, ancestral or inherited issues, pre-conceptual patterns related to the ‘soul contract’, pre-birth or birth trauma, childhood problems or dramatic life events. It takes gut and determination to heal these kinds of issues on every level and the results can vary according to our individual receptiveness to change as well as the skill and sensitivity of the practitioners we choose to work with.

Forgiving others is a slightly different story. It’s another common misconception that this kind of forgiveness involves compromising the self to let go of anger towards or disappointment in the other person in order to create a situation whereby it feels acceptable to remain entwined in a relationship with them. These kinds of relationships often involve some kind of co-dependency or dysfunction whereby each party perpetuates the problematic patterns within the other.

Lovers from the Soulscapes Tarot by Jade Ashcroft © 2012

On a conscious or subconscious level, an addictive connection or sense of need is developed between the parties that can seem almost impossible to break. The patterns behind the behaviour that trigger the anger or disappointment are then simply repeated and we become stuck in an emotional ‘groundhog day’ whereby the need for forgiveness arises again and again.

This is the story behind bad marriages, unpleasant family dynamics and unhappy working relationships. We can recognise this sorry state of affairs in most of the situations that we feel we simply have to put up with because we believe other factors make it necessary for us to connect with those people whose actions trigger the anger, disappointment or sadness that holds us back.

The first concept to be aware of when dealing with this kind of challenge is to recognise that continuing to place oneself in the problematic relationship is most likely to be a result of the low self-worth that requires the process of self-forgiveness I’ve already discussed.

When the root causes of low self-worth are identified and tackled, the anger or disappointment in the other person is often also exposed as being connected to those very same issues and the individual realises the dependency or co-dependency that’s been trapping them is an illusion they can easily transcend. 
Of course, we can work on ourselves, but can never force the other person to make what we perceive to be desperately needed changes. Even if we can persuade them to look at what needs transforming, they have their own inner work to do, and whether they do it is a matter of choice. In many cases, it is necessary to hand back the burdens we have on some level agreed to carry for the other person in the situation and assert our own boundaries when it comes to accepting responsibility.

So what’s the outcome of forgiveness when another person is involved? Sometimes our own process can transform the relationship and both parties can make the shift into a healthier connection. On other occasions, we realise the relationship is no longer needed, since the lessons it had to offer us have been processed and learned; we become empowered with freedom and find the strength to step away. This is very different from running away - since the patterns we create will remain prevalent until dealt with, so it’s never enough to extract ourselves from a relationship or situation without dealing with what’s truly going on beneath the surface.

In my view of existence, since we are the One currently enjoying an experience of separation in the form of human incarnation, the situations around us and people we’re connected with are our own creation. They are simply aspects of ourselves that we have chosen to experience in order to learn the lessons we have contracted to explore. They demand transformation so that we can expand and grow, eventually reaching the point where we realise that we are One again, and we see the dance of life from a totally different perspective.
Forgiveness is deep inner work. It requires self-responsibility, a sense of empowerment and the recognition of our own choice and Free Will. All these concepts are beautiful things that are an integral part of the healing process of the soul’s journey and the flow of awakening consciousness as we shift from duality to Oneness. Now’s the time to use forgiveness to explore freedom as we lift the limitations on our personal potential.

When we know how, it’s simple to move from sadness into joy.

Rhian Kivits – Crystal Priestess
Rhian is a Spiritual Teacher, Crystal & Energy Healing Expert, Writer, TV Presenter, Shamanic Seer, Crystal Skull Guardian & Priestess of the Sacred Feminine based in Glastonbury, UK. She is also co-author of the book ‘Crystal Skulls – a Journey of Wisdom, Experiences and the Divine’ which is due to be published in the Spring. Her website is www.templeofthegoldenheart.com

Cloud Meditation (for sleep) by: Dana Neeley

First of all I want you to lay down and relax, breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth, after a while of repeating this, I want you to visualize that you are laying on a cloud, a soft, fluffy, warm comfortable and colorful cloud.

The cloud, as you are laying on it, is of a rainbow-like color with silver and gold in it as well. As you are laying there you start to feel as though the cloud is taking you somewhere, its going upward, more and more, as you are laying there you can not help but wonder what you are feeling beneath you.. You feel as though there are small bolts of lightening going from head to toe, as you feel these bolts going through you, it feels as though your negative emotions are being pulled away from you by this lightening.

The cloud is now at the top of a mountain, and it has stopped for you to get off of. As you are walking around you feel as though you have been there many times before. Out of the corner of your eye, you see that there is a bonfire, blue fire, with a man sitting there, roasting marshmallows. This man you have known your whole life, he is your guardian, taking a moment or two you and him have much to talk about..

A Very long pause before continuing on with the meditation.. After having a talk with your guardian you start to feel like the weight of the universe has been lifted off of you, you feel like the stress has left you and entering you is this feeling of happiness and joy all into one.. As you start to walk towards the cloud, you turn around for one last look before going back home, then lay back down on the cloud.. As you feel the cloud moving, you start feeling a bit tired and fall asleep as the cloud goes to your next journey into the dream world...
Dana Neeley 2012

Image Copyright Belongs to Jade M Ashcroft 2012 From the forthcoming Soulscapes Tarot.
http://www.jadeashcroft.co.uk

Emotional Onslaught and Healing

What is healing?  It is the mental process of recovering from or stabilizing an emotionally disturbed mind or soul or bringing it back to whatever normal emotional composure an individual possesses. It is a process of healing of soul when the concerned matter or aspect pertains to spirituality which is generally based on a faith or a religion or a culture; while it is healing of an individual’s disturbed mind and heart when it pertains to the day to day life of an individual. I am not here discussing the healing of physical injuries or wounds or healing from mental or physical sickness. Emotions and feelings are just like air, sometimes freshening, sometimes sweetening and sometimes violent and storming. Therefore, the process of healing basically requires an individual’s mental power or strength of his/her mind and the results of healing depend upon such power. The mental power can be enhanced through regular meditation or through any kind of mental exercise of concentration. It must be noted that the real process of healing would begin and it would become most effective, only when an individual, first of all, surrenders to the truths with his/her permeating honesty and also to his/her honest mind and that without such process the entire exercise of healing would become a futile effort or a farce or a wastage of time and life of the concerned individual(s). Repentance or no repentance but at least admitting the truths and honesty of one’s own mind is the first and most important step in the process of any kind of healing.

Hands of Light © 2011 J M Ashcroft

 

Causes of Emotional Disturbances or Wounds: It is the reality that except in very few instances where the concerned situation or matter is out of the control of an individual, in most of the instances an individual himself/herself is responsible for his/her emotional disturbance or wound which is the result of his/her self infliction or his/her infliction on others. The play of ego, selfishness, greed, lust, dishonesty and irrational expectations in almost all human affairs and relationships is the main source of emotional disturbances or wounds in the lives of the people and amongst these, holding or harbouring ‘irrational expectations’ is the most common and universal source of such mental condition. Any expectation held by any individual becomes irrational or impracticable or unrealistic if it is not based on the reality existing in the context of an individual’s capabilities, actual personal, social life and his/her life at work place, concerned social norms, culture, traditions and customs, morality and law at a given time and place. These are the general and common causes of emotional disturbances in the lives of the people. However, in the life of every individual, there are some instances in which the situation or the concerned matter is beyond the control of an individual and the incidents take place unexpectedly or suddenly or shockingly. Such emotional wounds are deeper and severe than the wounds suffered on account of the general causes. 

Methods of Healing: The most effective, scientific and clinical method of healing would be that which will be based on the real cause of an individual’s emotional disturbance or wound, provided that the concerned individual admits to himself/herself the truths of the concerned matter or aspect or incident. The method of healing would also depend upon an individual’s emotional composure—his/her personality type, attitude, outlook and his/her IQ/EQ level. Therefore, the method of healing would differ from one individual to other individual. However, methods of healing could be broadly categorized as under:-

(a)   Spiritual Healing: It is the most common method of healing which is blindly followed for healing all kinds of emotional disturbances or wounds. It is generally based on a faith or a religion or a culture. It is the most imaginary method of healing as it pertains to healing of ‘soul’. It is so much popular amongst the people that some so called spiritual leaders/teachers or gurus have exploited it on a large scale to make it as their big and successful commercial and most profitable venture.

(b)   Healing through meditation or concentration: Meditation or concentration is basically a process of disciplining human mind by self control and self restrain through concentration of mind, supplemented with or without some physical exercises. There are (more than one) yoga like exercises, known by different names, being followed in every society or culture. However, all such exercises are based on the principle of disciplining human mind, though methodology differs from one exercise to other exercise.  It is a reliable, practical and systematic method of healing, useful and effective for healing the emotional disturbances or wounds caused by the day to day actual, physical and real life situations. Such regular mental exercise also empowers the mind of the concerned follower. Any individual can easily learn to practice this method as per his/her convenience and can acquire it as his/her personal habit. It does not necessarily require a teacher or a guru to guide a follower.

(c)   Healing by adopting method of Replacement or Same to Same/ Tit for Tat strategy: There are some matters or aspects or incidents or some individuals or some cultures, wherein and for whom, nothing in this world can heal their wounded emotions, unless they adopt this strategy (any one or more): revenge for revenge, blood for blood, murder for murder, dishonesty for dishonesty, lying for lying, cheating for cheating, jealousy for jealousy, hatred for hatred and so forth. A war creates a need for next war. Similarly, a new love replaces an old love, a new friend replaces an old friend and a new relationship replaces an old relationship. A foster child or a foster parent takes the place of a lost child or a lost parent. In this way the process of replacement helps to heal emotional wounds of the concerned individuals. Some individuals like to follow ‘same to same’ strategy’ for healing their wounded emotions. They adopt (in return) same methods or ways and means or strategy or same abusive language when they deal with their opponents or the concerned individuals, which they have experienced or suffered from such persons.

(d)   Healing by adopting a habit: Some individuals suffering from sadness or depression that follow after loss of either a blood/close relation or a job or materials or money, can successfully divert their mind to adopt a good habit like hard work or worshipping or reading or writing or social work or developing their hobbies, while some such individuals fall prey to a bad habit like smoking or drinking or stealing et cetera.

(e)   Scientific/Psychological/Clinical Method of Healing: Now we possess advanced knowledge of both human brain and mind. We have developed different and specialized psychological tests and methods to diagnose different kinds of sickness of human mind. Therefore, all kinds of emotional disturbances or wounds or sadness or depression caused by day to day life situations can be effectively treated by individual counselling and guidance. I am not discussing here the abnormal mental conditions, which require individual supervision, counselling, guidance and medication.

The Secret of Healing: ‘Love’ is the foundation on which rests human existence. Feelings of belongingness, brotherhood and love for each other amongst fellow human beings, the bondages of love amongst different members of a family and web of friendship and citizenship amongst all the members of a group or an organization or a society—are the main pillars of this existence. Therefore, ‘love’ is the elixir of human life, thereby human existence and survival. It is the best remedy and medicine for all kinds of human sufferings, sorrows, vices and social maladies. All kinds of sickness of human mind originate from the loss or want of love and every sickness of mind can be traced back to such cause. Love is true human life and life is nothing but love. Therefore, following is the ‘secret formula’ of human existence and survival.

                                                       LOVE = HEALING.

                                                       LOVE = LIFE.

                                           (--) LOVE = SELF DESTRUCTION.

July 2, 2011                                                                                                                              G.D.KOKANI

Mumbai, India.