The Spirit of Iboga: Sacred Teacher Plant

Written By Noa Mendelevitch

This is a Medicine Painting that operate as a deeply personal, creative, and spiritual methodology where the painting itself, both the process and the product, becomes the medicine.

This past summer, I encountered Iboga for the first time through a family member who travelled abroad to experience this pattern-shattering psychedelic. And while I have not had the experience myself, the telling of this experience impacted me greatly.

What is Iboga?

Iboga is a shrub native to Central West Africa, particularly Gabon, Cameroon, and the Republic of the Congo. It has been used for centuries, particularly by the Bwiti spiritual traditions of Gabon and neighboring regions. Rather than simply producing pleasurable or expansive visions, iboga is often described as confrontational, instructional, or initiatory.

Within Bwiti, iboga isn't simply considered a psychedelic drug. It is part of a broader spiritual system involving initiation, community, music, dance, ancestors, cosmology, and healing. The plant can serve as a means of encountering the spiritual world and ancestors, receiving knowledge, and undergoing an initiation or transformation. The root bark is the part traditionally used ceremonially, and its most important psychoactive constituent is ibogaine, along with a number of related alkaloids.

The Experience: Beyond the Veil of Time

Iboga is particularly known for producing an experience that is quite different from many other psychedelics. The experience was described to me as one of intense introspection and self-examination while revisiting memories and significant life experiences.

In this case, one of the pivotal memories was that of pre-birth - the exact moment in time where the soul or spirit entered the material world and separated from the divine. The result was a profound and deep exploration of trauma and life patterns.

Spiritus Iboga artwork close up

The Artwork: Spiritus Iboga

In this Medicine Painting, as part of my creative process, I attempted to capture the spirit of Iboga as I imagined it.

  • The Golden Central Figure & Tree of Life: A luminous, gold-skinned figure sits in deep meditation, seamlessly merging with the sacred Iboga plant. Her hands are held in a gesture of sacred alignment, while rich green leaves and bright orange pods burst from the branches overhead. This intertwining symbolizes the union between human consciousness and the living "teacher plant."

  • The Cosmic Gateway of Pre-Birth: Resting in the center of the figure's abdomen is a luminous orb revealing a delicate, fetal form. This visualizes the profound pre-birth memory shared with me - the sacred threshold where spirit crossed from the divine into the material world.

  • The Radiant Core & Crystals: A brilliant crystal is embedded at the solar plexus, catching the light and anchoring the energy of spiritual awakening. Radiating outward are shimmering bursts of gold, white, and silver textures that ripple across the circular canvas like cosmic ripples of healing.

  • The Roots of the Ancestors: Grounding the entire piece is an elaborate, textured root system that honors the ancient underground origins of the root bark, anchoring the spirit of the plant to the deep earth and ancestral wisdom.

Artwork Specifications

  • Series: Medicine Paintings

  • Title: Spiritus Iboga

  • Completed: September 27, 2025

  • Dimensions: 24 inches

  • Foundation: Wood panel 

  • Mediums: Acrylic, crystals, gold foil

  • Sculptural Elements: Paper clay, Hot Glue

  • Finishing Touches: Glitter and resin

Artwork sketch

Noa Mendelevitch
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