Return from quest
It had been a while since I had a ‘calling’ to do something. I used to get them a bit… it’s time to go to India… you need to do a Hawaiian massage course… leave that relationship, now.
Then I had a small business. It was open 7 days a week, 12 hours a day and I owned it solo. I didn’t have enough bandwidth to focus on my personal journey, I was consumed by the business of running a business.
Then about 18months after the end of that business (that’s definitely another story), I got one. A calling. A really clear calling. I was driving to my usual Friday woodworking workshop and it arrived. It’s time to do a Vision Quest. A simple statement of truth. So, that night I was online looking up the two camps I know and trust that hold VQ. Checked dates, booked, paid, happening. It was an easy decision to make. I love it when that happens… when there’s no wondering, doubting or double-checking.
I’m not ready to write about the actual experience, not sure if I will ever feel that need or not. I can write about where I am right now though. I’ve been home about ten days. I’ve had ten delicious days of re-experiencing myself. I move more slowly. I’m more ‘in’ myself. I don’t need or want distractions or entertainment. I use less words to communicate. I am deeply content. I sit on the earth more. All my doors and windows are left open, I want to feel the weather. I stand outside and look at the trees more. I am more clear in my decision making. How I want to nourish my body has changed. My sense of time has expanded. What I care about has changed. What I want for my life has clarified. One of the most powerful things about the process for me, is there’s no dogma or teachings. It’s a process between me, nature and whatever I perceive to be greater than me. The Quest Protectors are there to Protect, not teach or preach. They make a wholehearted commitment to put themselves in the way of whatever might seek to come between me and my Quest (which was actually one of the most powerful moments for me). That’s it. It really is that simple, and that profound.
Sam, one of the Vision Quest Protectors said to our group during the post-Quest integration chats, that returning home can feel as though someone has moved the furniture slightly while you were away. Things are familiar but not the same. This is how it feels for me.
The furniture of my life has been moved and I really like it. I like it so much I’ve committed to training as a Vision Quest Protector. Another calling.
If a Vision Quest is calling you, here are the two camps I can recommend from personal experience. They both trained in the same culturally appropriate Quest Lineage of Grandfather Stalking Wolf and hold Quest on country with permission from local indigenous elders in their area.
Kate Rydge & Sam Robertson from Nature Philosophy https://naturephilosophy.com/
Gina Chick & Lee Trew from Wild Heart Life https://www.wildheart.life/
