Vision Quest

Vision Quest is a cultural element found in many traditions and tribes around the world. Vision Quest is a ceremony where a person goes out alone to meet themselves and the creative force. Often, the person carries questions or themes in life that they want clarity on.

A place in nature is chosen where the person stays for 1-4 nights in a state of focused prayer. During this time, the person refrains from food and water. The time alone is a time for death and rebirth on a deep, spiritual level. The person returns from their Vision Quest as a new person.

This transformative experience is a way to get to know oneself on a deeper level. Before meeting the spirit world, the person meets themselves. It is a time for insight that touches and reaches the person in a way that is almost impossible in the distractions of daily life.

When someone decides to do a Vision Quest, they need to make certain preparations. There are certain objects that need to be acquired and created to set up an altar at the place where the person will be during their Vision Quest. In some traditions, Vision Quest is done without an altar, but the altar creates a different kind of Vision Quest. The altar in this tradition is a door to the spirit world that enables a special kind of communication and interaction with the often invisible creative forces.

Preparations require a wholehearted focus and are an important part of a Vision Quest. The more the prayer comes from the heart and the more power is put into the objects prepared, the more powerful and rewarding the ceremony becomes. In Lakota, Vision Quest is called "Hemblecia," which means "To cry for a dream." This is also what is required to do a Vision Quest. When someone strongly desires to achieve a dream, a purpose, and asks for answers, they cry out their prayer from their heart. This is a calling, a need, that many people hear or feel before they finally decide to do a Vision Quest. It can take time to gain clarity about what one needs or wants. Everyone has their own time and process.

Those who come to us to do a Vision Quest are provided with help and guidance throughout the entire process. It starts with information on what you need to do a Vision Quest and how to prepare yourself in the best possible way. In the days before you go out on your Vision Quest, you go through a purification procedure. This is done by making a sweat lodge for each night you will be outside. You will receive information about the process, and we will take care of you throughout the entire time, even when you are out praying. When you return from your Vision Quest, a day of rest and grounding follows, which takes place at the camp. We do not allow anyone to go home on the rest day. It takes time to fully return to the ordinary world again, and it may be helpful to talk if you have any questions about what you encountered outside or if you want to share something you experienced.

Do you carry your heart with a longing for answers, meaning, or clarity?