The vision quest itself is where a person retreats deep into nature and spend several days without any human contact to become closer to themselves and to God. The vision quest as I understand is in a sense of the word, a right of passage, from teenage to adult, and takes several years to completely finish. It seems to be a great adventure, with all the criteria that the “participant” has to meet when on the actual vision quest. The only main thing that would be less appealing is the fact that the participant will be confronted by their own fears. But I suppose this would be another way to become more familiar with yourself. There are many benefits to going on a vision quest, other than maturity, like curing illness, realizing ones own personal wisdom, appreciation of life, and confidence in oneself. The person doing the vision quest must be able to fast, camp out for long periods, have knowledge of first aid, have some knowledge of spiritual practices and be comfortable with solitude.
Is this a wide spread practice or is it mainly just native American cultures?
1 comment:
Well, Neal, this ceremony would be very difficult to imagine, so I understand your comments. Unlike "camping," the Vision Quest is a spiritual ceremony, first of all, where the Vision Questor remains in a small sacred space (about 5' X 8') without a campfire, food or the ability to take nature walks and the like. First aid is not really a need since the 4 days is spent in silent solitude, being still in both physical activity as well as spirit. The Questor journies into the quiet of nature to meet God and to discern God's will. It is not really a rite of passage unto itself - sometime that early teen years is the first time a person embarks on a Quest. but more often, it is a quest for adults. i did my first VQ when i was 46 years old, for example. The real purpose is to understand what God is colling us to do or to be. Hope this helps.
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