O, when i hear “Vision Quest”, i am on fire. I love the sound of it and the meaning of course. What a lovely combination of words: vision and quest – the quest for a vision, the journey in search of guidance through visions by connecting to the spiritual world. That truly gets me excited and inspired.
Both of these words carry excitement and blessings as underlying energies. First, it’s the quest which i associate with traveling, something i truly love to do. Traveling brings adventures, new experiences, new view points, new views, ideas, insights and inspiration. Second, it’s the vision that tickles my brain and attracts my attention.
The vision quest resonates very much with my personality or in other words i could say, the vision quest is part of my personal mythology. I just close my eyes and see myself in the deep jungle having the encounter with a black panther – or rather meeting my black panther, one of my spirit animals, more precisely the one related to vision quests obviously. The black panther came to visit me about 13 years ago for the first time during a Ayahuasca experience. Since then the black panther spirit is always with me or around me more or less close. When i decided to write about and mentally go on a new vision quest, the black panther came to me once more with a lesson and teachings. But let’s talk about the panther again later on, or another time, and come back to the topic of the vision quest.
Probably most of us have heard of the Vision Quest in relation to one or more of the Native American tribes which doesn’t mean it belongs only to their culture. The Vision Quest is a ritual of inititation or passage which appears worldwide in different cultures. It involves the wish and the ability to receive visions, as the name suggests, as well as the search for answers.
The term is not a translation of a traditonal rite, but an english expression used to cover similar rituals of different North American aboriginal tribes. In modern times these type of experiences has become known as the “Vision Quest”.
Ancient societies around the world were deeply tuned into the cycles of nature and the never-ending spiral of death and rebirth. They created these rituals in order to mark and celebrate significant transitions and identity shifts we go through during a lifetime. These rituals offer the opportunity to make sense of the great mystery of life by bringing in new ways to initiate oneself into ones life and the community. It brings help and support in finding one’s place on this earth.
We can find these rites in heroic myths and fairytales, in old songs, sagas, and legends. These stories speak about temporary and cultural borders that are dissolving and this is exactly what happens during a vision quest.
Joseph Campbell, a well known teacher and author specialised in the field of comparitive mythology, found out that this so called vision quest, the search for a vision, or a boon, has the same form in every mythology. All these stories speak about the same essential quest which is about leaving the known and familiar world and going into a distance, up to a height or down into a depth. There the hero will discover what was missing in his consciousness in the world formerly inhabited. And then comes the challenge of either staying and let the world drop off or returning with that boon and trying to hold on to it when back in the social world. That’s not an easy thing to do and that’s the real challenge of the experience.
There’s another similar term which i have to admit i haven’t heard until now: “Vision Question”. It is an American term describing the process itself. Black Elk (Medicine Man from the Oglala Lakota Tribe 1863-1950) called it “to go out lamenting,” a translation of the Sioux word hanbleceya, also translated as “crying for a dream”, or “night journey.”
The vision quest ritual of the Native Americans is traditionally conducted by men, occasionally by women, seeking spiritual help. A vision quest can be initiated for many reasons, the most common might be the transition from adolescene to adulthood. This marks the time when a young boy reaches the age to become a man. He has to leave the familiar area of his home and the protection of his mother in order to transform into a young man.
For women on the other hand this change occurs naturally at the time of her her first period. The female body is going through a natural change and at the time of her first period she has become a women. Further on, she might become a mother which applies another even greater transformation of body and mind.
As this shift is not occuring naturally in boys, it has to be initiated. This explains the need for such a ritual for boys on the verge of becoming a man.
Other reasons than the natural call for growth can come from the outside world through certain circumstances, like change of work or career, the loss of a close person or the end of a relationship, anything that brings in change, wanted or unwanted. The wish or need to go on a vision quest usually appears in one’s life when looking for answers and directions, for exemple when we reach a crossroad in life, when a general change of mind or life style is required.
Sometimes we feel it is time for a change even without really knowing what we are looking for or which kind of questions to ask. We just feel something needs to change, something needs to happen. Maybe something happened already, something that pushes us forward into a totally new reality, something from the inside or outside that needs our attention and (re-)action. The thing is, the vision quest is not the time for action yet, but the time to stop the routine, put the daily life on hold for a while, so we can look at our situation from a different angle. There are these times in life when we have to take a time-out to re-evaluate and re-order our inner and outer life, so we can move on and forward in order to start a new chapter in life.
A Vision Quest can be done anytime and at any age,
whenever one reaches a critical moment or a turning point in life when a new direction or purpuse must be chosen.
Times of transition can accur not only due to biological age, but as a result of changes in one’s social or professional life or because of any kind of crises, health issues or due to the death of a relative or close friend. A ritual is a great way to guide one from one phase in life to the next one by helping the individual to create a fresh start.
To consciously undergo a transformation with a ceremonial ritual offers an opportunity to bring in new ways of being, living and filling one’s place on this plane.
Most of the Indigenous tribes believe that anyone can have a personal and unique spiritual experience and that these visions and insights were sent for the good of all people. Seekers with similar visions would form dream societies dedicated to healing, dancing, or for exemple the formation of sacred clown societes. The experience of the vision quest allows the seeker to receive a spiritual gift by becoming a “hollow bone” through which spiritual power flows.
The endurance of an intentional hardship is a sacred act that can lead to profound clarity and purpose.
In this powerful ritual one is guided and supported to let go of the past in order to let in something new and walk fresh and empowerd into the future.
The vision quest is about seeking knowledge and help from the spiritual world. It serves the purpose to connect and communicate with our ancestors which are our spiritual guides and teachers. Mostly, these spiritual guides appear in the form of an animal.
It is believed as well that a vision quest can cure illness. The seeker receives appreciation for life and becomes more confident in chosing his way (of lif)e and following his path. A vision quest can offer guidance by bringing great wisdom and understanding about one’s situation in life. It can bring clarity about the road one has chosen and the decisions that need to be done regarding one’s life and family. It is an experience that greatly enhances the meaning of (one’s) life.
Most of us today are living a life that is separated from true community and disconnected from nature. We have lost our instincts and the healthy relationship with Mother Earth. The ceremonies and rituals of our ancestores have almost been forgotten and humanity is missing out on these meaningful opportunities to bring harmony and balance in our lives, to be in tune with ourselves and each other, the community, and the planet.
The man or women that goes on that quest humbles himself
before the Great Mystery
and seeks health or help for oneself or his or her family.
The original purpose of the vision quest rite is the channeling of spiritual healing or instructional power through an individual – a humble servant – to then be shared for the good of the people.
Spiritual gifts humble the gifted;
in humility the power is enhanced.
Thomas Mail, Wisdom and Power (1989)
A vision quest ceremnony is a very personal experience and is done in guarded seclusion. The ritual includes the period of preparation, the time alone (introspection) and a follow-up (reflection). It involves isolation, meditation and fasting.
To go on a quest means to leave your known environment behind in order to receive a vision that reveals what was missing in your consciousness in the world you formerly inhabited. You have to leave the world you know and go away for some time., It doesn’t matter if you go up into the mountains or down into some caves. The distance doesn’t really matter either, as long you reach somewhere unknown and unfamiliar.
The journey doesn’t necessarily need to involve a literal mountain, it could just be a metaphorical one, like a daunting project done alone, a sacred pause or the intentional disorientation required in order to reorient one’s life. It includes a physical or mental challenge to overcome some kind of obstacles in order to reach the other side of the mountain, fresh, proud and with a new vision.
Traditionally, vision quests were initiated in order to receive powers and knowledge from the spiritual world. The person in quest could have been looking for guidance on how to conduct tribal rituals and ceremonies, where to find certain herbs to heal and cure the people, or where to find food for the family. The ritual could have been conducted by a warrior seeking help in a battle or the defence against an enemy.
The vision quest often resulted in an encounter or a dream of an animal which appreared in order to help the seeker feed his family, or to help a warrior in battle, or anyone seeking help to defend himself against an enemy. In the animal vision the seeker often received a song which could call that animal helper to come back in the future.
Let’s have a closer look at the traditional way a Vision Quest ritual is conducted:
A person deciding to go on a journey to discover his or her calling and purpose in life would present a gift and a cultural instrument of prayer (f.e. A stone pipe) to a respected holy person and ask for guidance and help in the undertaking.
According to a custom of many Indigenous tribes the receiver of a ceremnony would afterwards sponsor a gratitude ceremony to the spirits and the people who worked on their behalf.
The actual ritual includes 3 different stages through which the seeker is passing.
Some use the sweat lodge before going on the quest in order to clean body and mind. Fasting is another aspect and important part of the process. The cleansing and purification prepares the seeker and let visions and insights arrive easier.
This first phase involves questioning your current place and situation in life. Ask yourself these few important questions:
Who am i? – Where am i standing right now? – What can help me to move forward? – What do i need to let go?
It can be difficult or challenging to let go of what you know and are used to, but it is the first step in understanding who you truly are and which the gifts you bring into this world.
The actual threshold indicates the time alone in nature for several days and nights. The seeker enters the realm between one’s old life, and the life that has yet to come. The person in quest will go into the woods or any secluded place away from civilization. It could be a confined space such as a pit – important is, that the quest happens in an area where absolute privacy can be assured.
Some tribes create prayer flags from colored cloth which are symbolizing the four directions and are fillled with tobacco offerings. These flags are then hanged in a circle around the seeker. Often a sacred circle of stones on the ground marks the place in which the individual remains for a certain period of time while looking to the Creator and praying for guidance.
The person in quest is overseen by an elder or a medicine person who usually meditates while the ceremony is taking place and can give guidance, instruction and protection. Otherwise someone my be assigned to check upon the peron in quest, especially in bad weather or other circumstances. The seeker is told to stay in that place “no matter what happens” until the guide returns.
“Within the circle thus formed, two paths are created,
one running north and south, the other east and west.
The seeker walks these paths, praying and weeping.”
Black Elk Speaks (1932)
The quest usually lasts for about one to four days, or until a vision is received. It does end when the seeker was successful in attaining a vision or after receiving a message.
The seeker returns and is reunited with the guide and other people or members of the community. They will listen to the experience and help finding answers and understanding the meaning of the quest. They support the seeker in the return to a newly created reality that is about to unfold.
This last part is from great importance and should not be missed or skipped in any way. The significance of these visions or messages is often not understood immediately. It takes time to process the experience, learn from it and adapt it into one’s life.
Personal visions are kept in confidence, but sharing certain images or thoughts with a trusted person can help make sense of the experience. A medicine man or woman can interpret the dreams that has been received during the fast and give spiritual instructions. A spiritual teacher is able to instruct someone who had a visionary experience on how to use it for the good of the people, since spiritual gifts are useless if they are not shared.
“Initiation causes a funeral and a birth;
a mourning appropriate to death
and a joyous celebration for the restoration of a full life…”
Michael Meadle
If you are truly intrigued in doing a Vision Quest, you might make your research and get in touch with the right people that could guide you on your journey to and during the acrtual ceremony.
It should be noted that in recent years the vision quest has become widely known, widely misunderstood and commercialized. The commercialization of vision questing might disregards the original purpose, so take your time to find the right place and the right guide for your needs and wants. It is not something that should be done because it is kind of fashion and “everybody” is doing it. It is to be taken serious and the decision must come from one’s heart. It requires the will to learn and grow and the wish for change and transformation.
When you feel the time is right for a vision quest, when you hear the calling, you have to get ready for it. You have to make up your mind, plan and prepare the journey, but always be ready for the Universe to divert the course. The ability to react spontaneously and to adapt to any circumstance and situation is very important and can be crucial for the best outcome of your “vision question”.
You have to focus and watch out (and in) for signs and directions. Listen carefully to the messages from within, as the most important answers are found in silence. The true path is revealed not by thinking harder but by listening more deeply. Be patient and vigilant, so the way will show up right in front of you.
If you truly wish to go for a vision quest, but don’t have the means and the opportunity to leave everything behind at this point in life in order to participate in a traditional ritual or a Vision Quest Ceremony, there are other options available. There are different ways, possibilities and options available to get directions and to seek and receive visions. The only thing you need is the will to “invest in yourself”, to take yourself serious, so to say, and to give yourself enough time to undergo the process of change and re-newal!
If you are looking out for guidance in form of visions and insights, you do not necessarily need to physically travel to a far away country. Instead, you could travel with the power of your mind, travel mentally. You could go and look deep inside yourself in order to discover your great inner world. There are several different ways to reach the hidden world(s) deep inside you. The journey into your inner world might be as challenging as traveling in the “real world” as your discoveries could appear as unknown and strange like a foreign country.
Or you could practice astral projection, a conscious out-of-body experience in which your consciousness is separated from your physical body.
Neither way, the quest is always a personal experience which can be uplifting or scary at times, sometimes pleasant, sometimes unpleasant. Your inner world, like the outer world, can reveal all kind of “surprises”. When you start tapping into the unconscious side of yourself, the hidden world of your subconscious mind will reveal and present itself to you. Be patient and trust the process. You might be rewarded discovering your greatest gift buried in the depthts of our unconcious.
Make some extra free time or create some quality time to be with yourself, to connect to the natural world and disconnect from your regular daily tasks and routine. This can help you find ways to integrate the Vision Quest into your daily life.
The spiritual quest is about finding the inward thing you are.
I love the idea of going to look for that vision or boon that can change and improve my life. I see it as a call and invitation to tap into the unconscious reservoir of untouched wisdom. It announces a time of reflection, isolation and transformation. The quest for a vision can be both an inner and an outer experience which depends entirely on your present life situation. Neverheless it is a journey which takes one to a new chapter in the book of life.
A Vision Quest can include a physical travel or can happen “only” on a mental level. It doesn’t really matter as each one of them, in one way or another, is a powerful and transforming experience. Even if the quest is only a mental one, it still can have a great impact on one’s life. In the end, anyway, it is the mind that leads the way as it is the actual tool to receive a vision, isn’t it?
The vision quest is related to these moments in life when we reach a crossroad and are looking out for answers to fundamental questions. Who am i? What am i doing here? What’s my purpose?
You should not ask yourself what you should do though, as this may lead you in the wrong direction. Instead figure out what it is you truly whish for, and not what society dictates you to do. Ask yourself questions like these:
What do i want to do and what do i not want to do (anymore)?
Where am i standing in life and where i want to go to.
Where do i want to reach?
Be aware of the fact that asking questions requires the silence to hear the answers. A time-out, time-off and eventual retreat and withdrawl is necessary when you are going on any spiritual quest. You gonna need to be(come) a hermit, at least for some time…
And remember, the vision quest is a journey, not a single experience done in a day, it is a serie of experiences, a process and therefore it needs a certain time deeply devoted to the cause. A quest always involves a preparation phase, the experience(s) itself and the reflections done afterwards. Then there is not to forget the “return into the old world” where the next challenge awaits: The adaption to the new mind-set, and the right use of the new gained knowledge.
Have a nice trip – a magical journey – and return safely and re-newed.
The journey in search of a vision brings a great opportunity to make sense of the great mystery of life. It is a powerful ritual done in times of transitions and identity shifts.
If the panther appears in your life, don’t be scared. Trust this spirit animal to guide you out of the shade and into the light.
Crossroads announce a time of re-orientation. Which way to chose depends on your own individual and younique soul journey.
In order to go the Path of Passion you must follow your heart, be commited and most of all have patience.
Flowers and Butterflies are powerful symbols bringing a new energy and announce a time of magical ransformation.
Coloring has plenty of benefits. I like to call it an active meditation and i love to treat myswlf with coffee and colors.