Vision Quest

September 4-15, 2009
New Mexico Gila Wilderness

Experience the breathtaking
beauty of the untamed wilderness of southern New Mexico's Gila Wilderness and National Forest. Walking through mountain junipers, pines and dessert cactus and oak trees you will be met by the Spirits of this enchanting and beautiful place. Magnificent stone outcroppings and the wild water of a mountain stream are

your companions as you gather at the ceremonial campsite with others
who share the hunger to meet themselves as we follow the path of the
earth-centered mystic.

What the eyes are for the outer world, fasts are for the inner.
-Gandhi

I am not thinking about going
Nor collecting myself from coming

I am simply here – whole on the
Earth with my Creator

I am not down in the valley where I look

But up on the ridge in the wind

I have found my essence -
Where I have been all the time

he Vision Quest is an ancient rite of passage that all human traditions have practiced. It is a time of withdrawal from human society, back to the wild and untouched environment that gave us birth as a species. The journey is one of knowledge and purification of self. It is a way to remember who are you are and reclaim your personal destiny. This renewal can illuminate essential truths, the heart of visionary experience.

he structure of the ten days. The first days are preparation for turning from the
   ordinary world and entering a time of solitude, fasting from food and other human
   companionship. Preparation includes individual consultation, ceremony and ritual
   with other questers. Four days are questing and fasting. You will be welcomed back
   with a ceremonial meal, Sweat Lodge (if fire danger is not high) and the Sacred Pipe.
   The remaining time is for reintegration, sharing your story and receiving the
   guidance you need from your guides to be able to take back the learning of your
   questing experience

The Fast
WILDERNESS SPIRITUAL FASTING

All true wisdom is only to be learned from the dwellings of
men, out in the great solitudes. -Igjugarjuk

oing alone into the wilderness without food has been practiced in every culture. This sacred pilgrimage is taken to renew the spiritual connection to the life that is present in all beings; every tree, plant, deer, person, or mountain has a soul and a spiritual purpose.

he garden of life is always talking to you – all life, the stones, the trees, the elements, the animals, the insects.
This is a memory most of us have tucked away, forgetting that we have always known there is more to life than what meets the eye. It is common for people to forget what truly matters, and that all life, including non-human life, embodies spirit, a vital life force at its core. Going alone without food into the uncivilized wilderness invites into memory our own uncivilized wild spirit that embodies passion,

life and the sacred. This remembering is a reclaiming of soul and personal destiny. Intentional spiritual fasting is devoting oneself to knowing and remembering who
you are, to have nothing hidden and begin to see the sacred in yourself as well in
ordinary day to day life.

Comments from Questers

   The vision quest is hard – very hard. At first I had romantic fantasies of what it was going to be like. For me, the real vision quest wasn’t about bells and whistles and all those fantasies. It forced me to get down on my knees and get dirt under my fingernails. The quest was a tool for me to meet myself in a way that daily life does not offer. And when I offered this work to myself and the Universe, I opened to discovering a love of self and a love of life that has made me weep with love, joy, and gratitude for the gift of being part of my own amazing life.
                                                                                                                               ~Rachel F., age 27

   I didn’t really know what to expect during the ten days, except I knew about the fasting and the four days alone. We did a lot of preparation, involving lots of discussions, exercises, rituals and prayers. There were twelve of us questing. We were given lots of chances to get any questions answered, to speak our fears. In any group there’s a feeling tone, and Julie and Trishuwa set a really great example of honoring and respecting themselves and each of us. The “tone” of this group was friendly, loving, helpful. At every point, they stressed that our safety was paramount. I felt cared for the way my sister cares for me.
It’s difficult to talk about the vision quest itself. It’s amazing what can happen when it’s just you and the natural world and no distractions. I learned so much that I am still processing. But here’s a few things I came away with: I finally “got it” that

all the answers I need are right here in my own heart. I learned about the feelings that I had not allowed myself to feel, and where they came from. I realized that I am good company, and quite likeable. I learned I can trust myself.
Carrying out the vision quest was incredibly difficult and absolutely worthwhile. I think it’s the best gift I have ever given myself.
~Liz A., age 58