Activity 5:  Vision Quest

The Vision Quest is a time-honored rite of passage common to shamanic tribes throughout the world. It is used to determine life’s purpose. The Vision Quest itself may take on many forms, but for this activity we will be using the form of the all-night vigil.

If you choose to do this activity, first find a place that calls out to you. It may be your own outdoor sacred space, or some other place that feels full of energy to you. Make sure it is a place that you will be undisturbed for the duration of the night. Dress in comfortable, loose-fitting clothing. You may wish to take a blanket with you to ward off the chill night air if you live in a temperate zone or if it is autumn or winter where you live.

When you have arrived at your sacred space, first ask permission to use the space, then make an offering and express gratitude as outlined in Activity 3: The Bell Branch. Next, sit or stand comfortably and ground and center yourself.

You may wish to perform a mindful meditation. It may help to build a campfire or to light a candle to give you a center of focus.

Once you feel you are ready, ask the Universe to reveal your life purpose to you, and wait for a reply. Sometimes this reply may come as a vision, or a dream, or just as a feeling in your spirit. Stay awake all night if possible, and greet the dawn with open acceptance.

Look for messages from the environment. Do the trees speak to you? Are you visited by any animals? A visit from your totem animal would be especially powerful at this time.

When your life’s mission is revealed, greet the dawn and offer thanks.

If your mission is not revealed, try again at another time, after preparing yourself through a period of meditation, fasting, and thanksgiving.