There are many variations of wilderness fasting quests. We use a form which has been drawn from the past, adapted to meet the needs of people who live in a modern culture.

Traditional peoples, for whom the quest was the rule, lived in a way very closely integrated with the earth and with the spirit, and they remained so closely integrated partly as a result of the vision quest.

Most often, this was the ritual that defined passage from childhood to adulthood.

On quest, people can receive deep and powerful insight into their true nature, contact the purpose of their lives, receive their true name and make the transition into a new phase of life with a deep understanding and respect for the interconnectedness of all life.

For thousands of years people have been going into the Wilderness to seek solace and wisdom for themselves and their people. Many cultures share a traditional ‘Rite Of Passage’,  a period in which the individual is tested alone in a wilderness place, emerging as a changed and stronger person. Jesus Christ fasted in the desert for forty days and nights, and Odin, the Norse god, pierced himself with his own blade, and hung from ‘Yggdrasil’ the World Tree, for nine days and nights, where he received the Knowledge of the Runes, ancient northern symbols of power and healing.

In early times, among more traditional or tribal cultures, the transitions of life were clearly defined. Birth, childhood, adulthood, marriage, old age and death were formalized with rites of passage. In modern culture, life transitions are not so clearly defined. In the process of technological development, our culture has lost this system of meaningful ritual. 

The structure we use for Vision Quest consists of a ten day period; three days of counselling, four days and nights fasting in a wilderness place, and a further three days of counselling when the participants’ return. The last three days are known as the ‘Circle of Elders’, where all participants have the right to comment on the experiences of their colleagues, to give and gain insight into their experiences.

This universal rite of passage does not adhere to any particular denomination, race or creed. Participants are encouraged to apply their own  values, beliefs, or faiths to their experience. Personal limits might well be explored, not only in the psychological sense, but in the physical. Hence, all participants should be in sound health.

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