Sustainability and Reciprocity
Reciprocity and sustainability are foundational commitments for SoulCentro.
Supporting medicine sustainability is how we practice reciprocity with the spirit of Iboga, ensuring that its gifts will bless future generations for the lifetime of the Earth.
Integral to our sustainability commitment involves only serving medicine that has been sustainably and ceremonially harvested. It is a great privilege to witness a traditional Bwiti harvest of the plant in its natural environment, complete with a permission ritual and sacred songs, and only take what is needed so the plant can continue to thrive for decades. We see how every step of the plant’s journey to a human being is vital and sacred, from harvest to mouth.
When supporting medicine sustainability, it is important to give to vetted, indigenous-led projects with a track record of good work and healthy local relationships. We endorse BLESSINGS of the FOREST for global Iboga sustainability. In addition, we support small-scale sustainability projects with our Bwiti community.
Reciprocity is not only the sacred law of nature, it is a JOY. We are here in this life to celebrate giving and receiving.
What exactly is indigenous reciprocity? It is far more than just writing a check. It begins with mutual respect and authentic relationship, though which we come to understand each other’s way of knowing, spiritual and cultural gifts, and needs.
We hope all providers of indigenous medicines practice reciprocity with the communities who’ve stewarded the knowledge for eons.
We are in the territory of the Chorotega indigenous group, within the country of Costa Rica. We practice reciprocity with this sacred land by regularly offering full scholarships to the people of this land. More, we are grateful to be involved and contributing members of the local community. In the Bwiti way, we make offerings to the ancestral spirits wherever we are.
We practice reciprocity with our Bwiti community in Gabon through dynamic collaborative projects that benefit the whole village and eventually even neighboring villages. It is important to give to a collective rather than an individual, to honor the existing community oriented social structures.
For the Future:
Solar power for the village
Sponsoring visits to the West for teaching and sharing of cultural arts
If you are interested in supporting our sustainability & reciprocity projects, please reach out to us via our contact form.
Recent reciprocity projects include, at the request of our teachers and the village:
Sponsoring medical procedures for individuals as needed
Building a well for consistent access to clean safe water
Bringing electricity to the village
Building an international school with dormitories for our teachers
Building stronger, safer homes for our Bwiti relatives, with plans to expand
Sponsoring eyeglasses, footwear, medical equipment, and other personal items
Purchase of a safe vehicle suitable for the terrain
Supporting connections to local project managers, translators, and other administrative services
Sponsoring cell phones at times so that relatives can share their voice with the global conversations around medicine and culture
