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"When you go up on the hill [vision quest] there are four things
that you expect:
First, you expect that you will die up on that hill, and some have... Next, you expect that you will go crazy, and when they come to bring you back down, there will be nothing left to do but put you in an institution. This also has happened. The third thing that you expect is that you will disappear completely and no one will ever see or hear from you again. This also could happen. The fourth thing that you expect is that you will come back down from the hill." |
Vision questing is not for everyone, and as the quotation above shows, there are no guarantees or assurances that anyone can give you that the experience that you have will be good or safe. When we choose to vision quest, we must accept full responsibility for our actions, for the consequences of our actions, and for our decision to follow that path. It is a completely personal decision that is ours alone to make.
Not everyone who vision quests will have a vision; in fact, most people have no vision at all. External things have little to do with whether or not a person has a vision. It doesn't matter who put you up on the hill or what medallion you may be wearing or carrying. What matters most is the internal preparation that you have done. How well do you know yourself? Have you seen past your own illusions? Can you quiet your mind enough to hear that still small voice? Some people go up on the hill and simply have a very sweet time of prayer, meditation, and reflection. A few are blessed to learn to perceive the world in a slightly different way. Most people are strengthened by their experience.
When we vision quest, our intentions are very important. An old Native American medicine person once said:
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"If a mole comes to you while you are up on the hill and offers you a good medicine, tell it 'NO!' And if a bear walks up to you and says that it will help you, tell it 'NO!' And if a buffalo comes to you and offers you a gift, tell it 'NO!' And if an eagle comes to you and says that it will give you its spirit and be your helper, tell it 'NO!' Do not accept what any of these might offer you. Hold out for God! Say 'NO!' to all of those powers and hold out for God!!" |
It is good to seek understanding, but do not vision quest to seek power! The pursuit of power is a dead end path on the edge of madness. Seek God instead! Seek to have your heart filled with God's love. Dedicate your heart to serve God by dedicating your life in the service of humanity. It may happen that you will be tempted while you are up on the hill. Buddha and Jesus were both tempted when they fasted. Do not take what is offered, but rather offer yourself.
The greatest gift that anyone can receive when going on a vision quest is to be transformed into a servant. If you agree with this and feel the truth of it then you are probably ready for your vision quest.
Do not depend on God to break your fall or to lift you up. These things you must do for yourself. Do not put God to the test. Do not endanger yourself and depend on God to keep you safe. The real test will come when the vision quest is over and your ordinary life resumes. Will you be able to resume your normal life while holding humility and peace in your heart?
Do not be too hard on yourself. We all have our faults and shortcomings. We need to learn to recognize and forgive ourselves for these faults and shortcomings, and to love ourselves every bit as much as we seek to love God and those around us. We are all worthy of this forgiveness and love, each and every one of us!
An old Native American medicine person once said that a Vision Quest can be started and completed in less than five minutes if the person is ready to let go and open themselves to Creator.
There are two ways to handle vision quest. You can choose to have someone help you (recommended) or you can choose to go it alone and put yourself up on the hill (far more dangerous.)
If you are going to use a helper, then the first thing to do in preparing for a vision quest is to choose your helper: someone who you trust with your life. Your helper will help you to begin and to end your vision quest. They will be responsible for you throughout your vision quest. From time to time they may choose to check on you to see that you are all right. Your helper also has the authority to end your vision quest early if they feel that is warranted. Being responsible for you during your vision quest does not mean that they are in any way responsible if something goes wrong. When your vision quest is ending, you should share the experiences that you had with your helper first and foremost. Your helper may have insights that will aid you in processing the experience. Don't worry, if God wants you to know something, God can assuredly communicate with you so that there are no doubts in your mind what you are being told.
There are several ways of vision questing. The choice of how to vision quest is up to the person who is going to vision quest. If a helper is chosen, the helper must, of course, be consulted and must agree with the plans. Typically, people fast and abstain from all food or drink for the duration of the vision quest. If a person has special dietary needs, such as a diabetic, their helper can do whatever is necessary to enable them to complete their vision quest, even if that means bringing them full meals to consume during their vision quest. It is your dedication to the prayers that is most important. The restriction of food and water can help you to focus your prayers better, but is not essential. Only your prayers are essential.
The choice of location is up to you. You may choose to vision quest up on a hill, in a cave, or even in a room. You can vision quest in the light, or you can vision quest in complete darkness. If you choose to vision quest in complete darkness, do not be surprised when one day seems like three or four days.
If you have not vision quested before, it is best to do no more than a one day vision quest for your first time, and then do one or two days the next year as you become more familiar with vision questing, and so on. You should not vision quest for more than four days in any event.
If you vision quest up on a hill, choose one place and stay there. Do not go wandering about. You are not there to journey and to wander, you are there so that you can return to the center.
Be sure to provide for your toilet needs. If you are on a hill, move out of your area of prayer, and far enough away so that odors will not disrupt your prayers later. Be sensitive to the environment around you. Return to your place of prayer as soon as you have taken care of your bodily needs.
Some people feel that it is best to deprive yourself of sleep for as long as possible when you are vision questing and to pray and listen tirelessly. Others choose to sleep normally. It is up to the individual making the prayers how they will proceed.
It is very difficult to keep prayers going continuously for an entire hour let alone a day or more. If you find your thoughts wandering, don't get discouraged, just center yourself, quiet your thoughts, and start focusing on your prayers again. Don't feel bad, it's all right. (Feeling guilty that your thoughts tend to wander is as bad as letting your thoughts wander.)
The best method of prayer is to quiet the thoughts and listen attentively. Do not listen to the sounds. Listen to the silence beneath the sounds. Quieting the thoughts is extremely difficult. Our minds want to wander. This is a function of desire. If we can let go of our desires, then we can allow our minds to become completely quiet. We cannot force our minds to become quiet, because this requires effort. Effort is a function of our will, and our will is guided by what we want or desire. Desire will always take us away from the goal of attaining a quiet mind and an open heart.
If you happen to see something or experience something out of the ordinary, such as a vision, then recognize and realize that you have been given a great gift. The gift that you have been given is something to be cherished and treasured. It is good to tell your helper about what you experienced, but it is usually best not to tell anyone else. Most people will not understand or even believe the gift that you have received. It is far better to keep the vision inside you, remember it often, and pray for understanding. You may find that it is a source of great peace and balance in your life. Then if anyone asks you about the time you spent vision questing, you can tell them that it was a very peaceful and beautiful time of prayer, and leave it at that.
Be sure to read and understand the comment entitled More on Faith!
which is a response to the comment Faith and Belief