Picture this: what if there is something deep, hidden inside of you. A great power. A great strength. A great secret.
A great understanding that, if you could access it, everything would change.
But in order to access it, you have to go deep within.
The Native American tradition of the Vision Quest is one way to go within – to access that potential within. Let’s talk about what it is, why we need it, and six ways to tell it’s time for your vision quest…
What is a Vision Quest?
The Native American Vision Quest is a tradition that has been practiced in Native American communities for hundreds of years.
Essentially, taking a Vision Quest means spending three days (or longer) alone.
In nature. Without any food.
Without any communication with others.
Without any movement even – just being super still.
Native Americans would hold a prayer stick and they would just sit for three days and pray.
Now if this concept scares you, you might need to consider spending more time alone to go within. And if the idea of going within scares you – then you’re not alone.
We are scared to create the setting where we are asked to close our eyes and go deeply within.
Most people avoid vision quests because they are too afraid to look within
Many people live their life on the surface:
Waking up, having breakfast, getting into their car, driving to work, working on some task they have been educated to do, going home, having dinner, playing with the kids, watching Netflix, and going to bed…
And maybe they follow a course, from time-to-time, about another mental concept someone has studied.
What’s not present here is a focused setting of going deep within.
To wonder, “If I become truly still, what do I find? What comes up?”
What might come up is stuff that you don’t really like…
Stuff from the past: old pain; old experiences that you don’t like – that you don’t wish to re-experience.
Usually, it is that intuition or anticipation of, “If I were to get quiet, this one thing that I don’t like to face again might come up…”
It’s as if we already have the intuition that this might happen, because if we close our eyes, we’re already there.
And because we haven’t found a better way to deal with the discomfort, we simply avoid it.
For that reason, we are scared to go there. We are scared to create the setting where we are asked to close our eyes and go deeply within.
But is that the true life that you wish to live? Never having dealt with what is buried, deep within?
Is “men don’t cry” actually…healthy?
I don’t think true courage or strength is the man or woman who is always “strong.”
Especially in our Western World, we have this idea that men shouldn’t cry. “You’ve got to be strong…don’t cry.”
I think true courage is the ability to be with whatever lives inside of us. To face that. To be with our feelings.
To allow our feelings to just be. THAT is facing our feelings; that is true strength.
Not avoiding those feelings in an attempt to look “strong.”
What if you were to close your eyes and face that thing that always comes up – what is behind that?
What is that piece of wisdom, that strength, that greatness that is hidden?
It’s not what you immediately see on the surface – that’s never durable.In order to live who you are, you have to go through the path of knowing who you are.
Life is not just about creating who you wish to be; it’s also about accessing what’s real and being real with that.
Are you ready for a Vision Quest?
There are six clear signs that it’s time to go on your own Vision Quest
1. You still can’t answer the question “Who am I?”
Despite having lived all these years, despite all the “adulting” that has earned you a stable life with a home and family – maybe you still have no idea how to answer the question, “Who am I?”
2. You’re wondering “Why am I here?”
And furthermore, maybe you also don’t know why you’re here. Maybe you’re going through the motions of life and all your responsibilities, but you don’t have a sense of purpose – the reason why you even exist.
3. You feel like you’re circling and not really moving forward in life
Maybe you feel kind of stuck – like you are just spinning your wheels, running in circles, chasing your tail – basically: you’re not moving forward. Your life feels stagnant.
Life is not just about creating who you wish to be; it’s also about accessing what’s real and being real with that.
4. You feel called to be alone
Suddenly you’re feeling the need to spend more time alone, and maybe in nature. You are finding yourself drawn to the quiet, to solitude, and the sound of morning birds appeals to you more than the sound of morning traffic.
5. You’ve been feeling something big is about to happen, but it hasn’t yet.
For some reason, you have this feeling in your gut that something is about to happen – something epic. Something drastic. Something BIG. But what is it?
6. You’re curious about or intrigued by the concept of a vision quest
You’ve started hearing “vision quest” come up more and more lately and it’s starting to peak your curiosity…
It’s time for MY Vision Quest…
To be completely honest with you: Even though I have spent so much time alone and outside in nature – so many ceremonies alone, sitting by myself, in the teepee, next to the fire, alone, sometimes for 8 hours at a time, sometimes doing that for multiple days in a row…
Despite all of this – I still have never done the true Vision Quest myself.
And since this post is called, “six signs that it’s time to go on a vision quest,” I feel that, even though I’ve spent so much time alone in Nature, it is time for ME to go on my own Vision Quest.
So very soon, I will be going on my first Vision Quest on my own land.
I’ll be sharing that journey with you after I’ve come out and let you know what happened.
In order to live who you are, you have to go through the path of knowing who you are.
Your Homework:
What part of this article has triggered you the most?
Your task now is to close your eyes and be with that part that triggered you the most.
To feel that.
Don’t search for answers in your head,
Don’t try to control your thoughts.
Don’t try to determine what it means too quickly.
Just feel what’s there.
Then allow those feelings to inform you.
You don’t need to be ruled by those feelings – don’t do stupid things.
However, do let your intuition inform you and take the time to think things through before you make significant life changes.
I thank you for reading this and I wish you well.