Vision Quests

At Circles of Air, Circles of Stone, we assist individuals who seek to find their true nature in nature. In our vision quest programs the participant spends 4 days and nights alone, fasting on the earth. The first 4 days are spent in preparation with the staff, including instruction in the three-phase dynamic of initiation; the four shields model of Self and psyche; emergency and survival procedures; archetypes and allegories of the heroic journey; the dynamics of fasting; and instruction in self-initiated ceremony. Preparation includes individual counseling and instruction in passage rite forms and ceremony relevant to the specific status of the individual.

The participant is then conducted to a wilderness setting where he/she crosses the threshold, living alone for four days and nights on the earth. Upon returning, the quester spends an additional three days with staff. The time includes a celebratory feast, elders' council, and other rituals of incorporation. The emphasis is on grounding and owning the lessons learned in the threshold period, for the true work of the vision quest awaits us when we return to our people.