Kindling the Native Spirit: Sacred Practices for Everyday Life - Denise Linn 2015
Vision Quest
Great Mystery: Touching the Soul
One ancestral tradition is the vision quest. Most native cultures embrace some sort of sojourn in the wilderness as a way to gain clarity and insight. It’s one of the most universal means to gain spiritual guidance, understand one’s purpose in life, and gain clarity about one’s future direction. Chief Crazy Horse said in 1850, “A very good vision is needed for life, and the man who has it must follow it—as the eagle seeks the deepest blue of the sky.”
There’s a realm beyond the physical senses. It’s an infinite and eternal dimension that transcends form and goes beyond time and space. The search for this domain has gripped the hearts of human beings throughout history. From the early biblical prophets who walked alone into the desert to fast and pray for divine revelation to tribal people setting out into the wilderness to search for a vision, the pursuit of an inner world, beyond everyday physical reality, is one of humankind’s oldest traditions.
In indigenous cultures, quests have been used as doorways to enter spiritual realms. Most typically, a quest would be a time of solitude in nature. Through these extraordinary inner journeys, sacred visions revealed personal direction and life purpose. For those who lived in earth-based societies, a quest was an extension of a religious experience that was based on the earth they walked on, the sky above them, and the beauty of nature that permeated every waking moment. And even though life was seen as one long, mystical sojourn in which the Creator spoke to them through every sunrise and every evening breeze, taking the time alone in nature allowed them to hear these messages in a deeper way. People in native cultures knew messages and signs from the spiritual realms constantly surrounded them, and the vision quest allowed them profound access to the mystery and wonder that existed at the core of life.
I led quests for ten years. The experiences I had with the people who came on those retreats were some of the most rewarding of my life. (I wrote a book with my daughter, Meadow, called Quest: A Guide for Creating Your Own Vision Quest to help others create those experiences for themselves.) Going on a quest is a powerful way to reinvent yourself and reclaim a sense of wonder and connection to the earth. When participants arrived, I would hear the same heartfelt concerns: “Who am I?”; “What is my purpose?”; “How can I live a life that matters?”; “What can I do to heal my relationships?”; “How can I get closer to Spirit?”; “How can I be happy?” Each person came wanting to find a sacred space within that was real, honest, and true. As the quest seekers retreated into nature in solitude, shifts of consciousness began to occur. Old memories came to the surface to be resolved. Fear was confronted. A sense of purpose emerged. A heightened state of awareness occurred. The unexplained and mysterious occurred. Understanding of self deepened, and remarkable transformations often took place. For many, the vision quest was the single most significant thing that they did in their life.
Traditionally, Western culture has had no equivalent rite of passage. Our culture does not have spiritual systems in place that allow us to take time to examine our lives, gain clarity about our future, provide a fresh start, or understand the deeper meaning of life.
In Native American tradition, a vision seeker usually climbed a mountain or went to a special place in nature. Sometimes their sacred site, or “dreaming place,” was a pit dug into the side of a hill. Usually the seeker sat in the center of a special circle of stones (a medicine wheel) that created a safe and holy place. Often, the family had used this place for vision seeking for generations. The length of the vision quest varied from tribe to tribe; however, the seeker usually stayed for four days and nights without food (and in some traditions without water). A man named John Lame Deer, who later became a medicine man, describes his quest near the turn of the century when he was a boy named Johnny Fire:
Here I was, crouched in my vision pit, left alone by myself for the first time in my life. I was 16 then, still had my boy’s name, and let me tell you, I was scared. I was shivering and not only from the cold. The nearest human being was many miles away and four days and nights is a long, long time. Of course when it was all over I would no longer be a boy, but a man. . . .
Blackness was wrapped around me like a velvet cloth. It seemed to cut me off from the outside world, even from my own body. It made me listen to the voices within me. I thought of my forefathers who had crouched on this hill before me . . . I thought that I could sense their presence. . . . Sounds came to me through the darkness: the cries of the wind, the whisper of the trees . . . I felt feathers or a wing touching my back and head . . . I heard a voice that was human. . . . A voice said, “You are sacrificing yourself here to become a medicine man. In time you will be one.” Slowly my fear left me . . . I felt power surge through me like a flood. . . . When old man Chest [his uncle] came for me, he told me I was no longer a boy. I was a man now. I was Lame Deer [Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions, by John (Fire) Lame Deer and Richard Erdoes].
A vision quest can change your life forever, by allowing you to discover who you really are. The first thing you need is a willingness and commitment to change. This is imperative. The next step is to take time away from your normal routines and habits. Your retreat can be as simple as renting a cabin in the woods for a weekend alone to examine your life. It can also be creating a retreat in your own home, or going on a quest in nature.
A quest of any kind is a heroic journey. It can be a rite of passage that carries you to an inner place of stillness; it can encourage you to live life more genuinely. Over a period of time I did many different kinds of quests, and with every one, the essence of who I am and why I am here began to emerge; these solitary sojourns made all the difference.
There are many ways to embark on a quest in present times. One form of quest requires sitting in nature for three to four days and calling for a vision that gives guidance about your life. However, a quest can also be as simple as taking an afternoon to sit in stillness in a forest or experiencing solitude indoors in a specially prepared room.
HOW DO I EMBARK ON A QUEST?
Visions can come in many ways, and calling for a vision can be a lifelong process. However, there’s power in setting aside time in your life for it. In the stillness of a quest you can examine your life’s recurring cycles and discover where you fit into the great weaving of life.
Your personal quest should consist of eight parts:
1. Finding Purpose: What’s your reason for going on a quest? Is there an area of your life that needs healing? As you define the purpose of your quest, the universe will propel you in the direction of your intention.
2. Preparing Properly: What kind of quest are you going to do? How long will it be? What location have you chosen? Are you prepared? All these questions should be addressed before you go.
3. Leaving the World Behind: On a quest you leave the comfort of your environment. When you’re always in familiar surroundings, decisions and experiences are often based on repetitive, preconditioned responses to life. When you take the risk of stepping out of the normal routine of your everyday experiences, a fresh, new way of seeing your life can unfold.
Ideally, quests are done in nature; however, spending a day in solitude in your home can create a simple retreat. Taking a quiet day at home to be still, nurture yourself, and listen to your inner messages can have enormous benefits. Make sure that there are no external distractions, such as the phone, Internet, or visitors, so that you can truly “leave the world behind.” It’s good to prepare your home retreat area by cleaning it and clearing any clutter.
4. Creating a Sacred Circle: One method for the quest entails creating a circle out of stones, pinecones, branches, or twigs within which you sit during your retreat in nature (or your home quest). Create the circle in a thoughtful way. As you dwell within this space, imagine that you are participating in an ancient ceremony that spans generations and cultures.
5. Calling Spirit: As you sit in stillness, call your spirit allies. Call ancestors, angels, guides, spirit guardians, totem animals and plants, land spirits, and the Creator. Open yourself to receive support and healing from your spiritual mentors.
6. Evaluating Life: A quest is a powerful time to do some self-examination. Often in modern life we’re going too fast to take time to explore our purpose in life. Here are some questions to ask yourself: Who am I? What am I? What really gives meaning to my life? What are my priorities? Am I satisfied with my career and my relationships? Am I happy with the way my life is going? During this part of the quest, you can evaluate your personal history and face fears head-on.
7. Being Open for a Vision: The next step is to let go and be completely open to Spirit. Quiet your mind. In the stillness, visions can come in the form of signs or in seemingly random but persistent thoughts. Be open.
8. Returning Home: Endings are as important as beginnings. Give yourself time to reenter your life slowly and to integrate your experiences. When you cross the threshold back into the ordinary world, you may feel reluctant to return. Take time to discover what you can bring back into your normal life. Maybe it’s something as simple as taking time to relax every day.
Going on a vision quest can be the singular most important event in your life!