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About Money:

The world we live in has huge disparities of wealth and income, and people have very different perspectives on what is inexpensive, affordable, or extravagant. For some the cost of a vision quest is barely a concern, while for others it involves an expenditure of time and resources that requires planning and disciple to make happen. Having been raised in a rural, working-class home and gotten my education on scholarship, I have a natural empathy for those who have to watch their expenses.

Most organizations offering vision quests charge a great deal more than we do, and these programs are often shorter and have significant camping or lodging expenses added to the program. I have worked for years to keep the costs of our programs affordable. I do this in several ways and for several reasons:

First, the preparation and post solo times take place in a camping environment where -- in all cases but one -- there are no campground fees. Spending time outdoors (as opposed to a retreat-center format) helps to prepare one for the quest itself. Becoming used to the flora and fauna, sleeping under the stars with the sounds of owls hooting or wind whistling through the canyons, sensing the movement of the earth as the sun rises and sets attunes us to the movements of the living earth, and becoming attuned to the natural world’s rhythms and language is part of why we come.

As a participant in a quest you do have the option of spending time in a local motel, cabin, or bed and breakfast. But this would be your choice and cost, and not something required by the program.

Food costs are treated in the same way. In most of our quests one has the choice -- within 10-15 minutes -- of eating in several restaurants or buying fresh produce in local stores. In this way you could have every meal prepared for you, or -- for a total cost of $40-$50 -- buy food and prepare it at the preparation site with little or no contact with the outside world. Most choose somewhere in-between.

In this culture of over-consumption and new-age affirmations of abundance, it’s easy to forget what really gives us life. For years, before anyone even begins to form any spiritual beliefs, we are inundated with thousands of commercials where the heroes and heroines of our culture -- sports stars, models, the rich and famous -- cajole us to consume soft drinks, cell phones, cosmetics, clothes, and sports cars. Being successful, or even okay, is associated with buying things, and consumerism is a god we learn to worship long before we even start to think of god.

My desire to keep quest costs affordable is part of my path of heart. Don Juan, Carlos Castaneda’s teacher, said that those who consistently take more than they need will never develop a good relationship to the Earth. In almost 25 years leading quests and in the 30 quests of my own, I’ve learned that security does not come through money and material possessions. Security comes from the quality of our relationship to those things that bring us vitality and life. For me those are the living Earth, loving relationships, and that mysterious presence I call the “Spirit that moves in all things.” I believe that one can live a life that’s rich in love, energy, appreciation, and wonder without having to earn, spend, and consume more than we need. I hope to ‘walk my talk,‘ and that this belief is reflected in the fees charged for our programs.