Human Growth and Initiations
What is a vision quest?

Also known as nature-based rites of passage or deep nature immersions, vision quests involve growing a person and connecting them with their innate wisdom through marking life transitions.

There are particular points in life when something needs to change and you want to evolve into the next chapter. These ‘identity shifts’ are as natural as life itself; whether from childhood to adulthood, becoming a parent or transitioning through a change of career.

There are also more nuanced changes we go through in a life but no less important; times when it might seem like the hardest thing in the world is to be ourselves. When we ask, Who am I? Really? Aside from what family and society tell me. And how do I get to that place of self-knowledge and confidence where I are able to state without doubt, fear or anger, ‘This is who I am, this is what I believe, this is how I intend to live my life’.

These are all death and rebirth moments within a life; when we die to what is old so that we can open to what is new. What Meredith Little calls, “Standing in the graveyard of the myth of our old lives’.

Nature shows us that these cycles of death and rebirth are inherent to all life, human and more-than-human. With every day each sunset and sunrise signals this to us. These ways of collectively honouring and supporting identity shifts was once the life-blood of our ancestors, considered fundamental for both the health of the individual and community. Ultimately these journeys invite us to live our truth and share our gifts within our communities. They are our offerings for future generations.

In Greek myth there are two types of quest. There’s the kind of heroic quest that you hear about in stories like the Iliad, the siege of Troy, but the second type, which in a way I think many of us go through in the second half of our life, is what they call the ‘Nostos’. Nostos is the quest for home. Odyssey, the ancient Greek epic at essence, is simply someone trying to get home

-Martin Shaw

Keeping Things Current

Each year my co-guides and I come together to ask ourselves, how can we keep our wilderness vigils | nature solos | vision quests relevant to what is happening in the world, so that we can best serve life now. Below you’ll find some of our current emphases.

Trauma Awareness

For many people spending time alone in nature is not something they have done before and whilst spending several days alone in ‘the wilds’ can sound idyllic to some, it is not at all unusual for fear to come up when exploring the possibility. This is a subject close to my heart and I’ve made a long personal journey alongside the fear that arose, and at time still does arise, from spending time alone in nature

We are committed to finding creative ways to support YOU to make this ceremony., where necessary. If you are under the illusion that this is some kind of Bear Grylls military endurance then please let us dispel that. If you have any questions or concerns about how to make the solo time work for you please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Alongside this, both Werner Pilz (my vision quest co-guide) and I have completed trainings in Identity-orientated Psychotrauma Therapy. This, alongside my background in somatic modalities gives us experience and skills specifically with the aim of supporting participants develop their capacities for self-regulation and resilience, and finding ways to navigate emotional territories without falling into overwhelm or dissociation.

Embodiment

Some traditional quests emphasise a great deal of time sitting in council. Whilst this is one of the key components to the ceremony, sitting still for long periods of time can lead to feeling very disconnected from the body and overly rational states of mind. We try our best to minimise sitting still any longer than is needed and prioritise different kinds of embodiment practices, specifically to help connect with the wisdom of the body.

Incorporation

During our time together we are committed to spending a good amount of time sharing around ways to support successful re-integration and begin the next steps of incorporation.

Incorporation literally means ‘taking into the body’. We believe any lasting transformation must include a connection and relatedness with our bodies - it’s not possible to just ‘think’ ourselves to change. During this phase we will share body-based practices to support grounding and landing your experiences - both within yourselves, and into your everyday lives.

Alongside this, both Werner and I offer One 2 One Mentoring and mini retreats for those who have completed previous programmes to come together, to practice and share around each others on-going journeys.

The Vision Quest Will Not Be Psychologised

Vision Quests were never meant for ‘me, myself and I’ or for the purposes of self-improvement, but for the health of the community in widest sense of that word. As with most things in life commodifying, commercial and corporate ‘benefit’ begin to merge with certain fields. We have seen something akin to this with Mindfulness in that last decade or so.

I am wary of the potential to secularise and self-development-ise the vision quest for commercial benefit. Both Werner and I are trying to shed the shackles of the dominance of psychology that we live in and stay close to mystery of this profound and ancient practice.

Full Quest September 2024 (NOW FULL)

Solstice Wilderness Vigil for Women - from sunrise to sundown 23rd - 27th July 2025

Full Quest 2025 will likely be in Crete - details coming soon

We offer a free, no obligation 30 minute call, where you can speak to us about our quests and find out if we are the right guides for you.