Vision quest

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For the film, see Vision Quest.
A vision quest is a rite of passage in some Native American cultures. The ceremony
of the vision quest is one of the most universal and ancient means to find spiritual
guidance and purpose. A vision quest can provide deep understanding of one's life
purpose.
A traditional Native American vision quest consists of a person spending one to four
days and nights secluded in nature. This provides time for deep communion with the
fundamental forces and spiritual energies of creation and self-identity. During this
time of intense spiritual communication a person can receive profound insight into
themselves and the world. This insight, typically in the form of a dream of Vision,
relates directly to their purpose and destiny in life.
In many Native American groups the vision quest is a turning point in life taken to
find oneself and the intended spiritual and life direction. The vision quest is often used
as a Rite of Passage, marking the transition between childhood and full acceptance
into society as an adult. A persons first vision quest is typically done during their
transformative teenage years. When an older child is ready, he will go on a personal,
spiritual quest alone in the wilderness, often in conjunction with a period of fasting.[1]
This usually lasts for a number of days while the child is attuned to the spirit world.[1]
Usually, a Guardian animal or force of nature will come in a vision or dream and give
guidance for the child's life.[1] A vision quest helps the teenager to access spiritual
communication and form complex abstract thoughts. Through this Rite of Passage the
child becomes an adult, taking responsibility for themselves and their individual
contribution to a healthy society. The child returns to the tribe and once the child has
grown he or she will pursue that direction in life. After a vision quest, the child may
become an apprentice of an adult in the tribe of the shown direction (Medicine Man,
boat-maker and so on).
The vision quest is the learning and initiation process of the apprentice under the
guidance of an elder.[1]
The vision quest may be said to make the initiated establish contact with a spirit or
force. Psychologically, it may have effected hallucinations.[citation needed] When talking to
Yellow Wolf, Lucullus Virgil McWhorter came to believe that the person fasts, and
stays awake and concentrates on their quest until their mind becomes "comatose."[1] It
was then that their Weyekin (Nez Perce word) revealed itself.[1]
Inuit peoples also participated in this tradition.[2] For them the technique may be
similar to sensory deprivation methods. It may include long periods of walking in
uninhabited, mountainous areas (tundra, inland, mountain); fasting; sleep deprivation;
or being closed in a small room (e.g. igloo).
Spotted Eagle Mountain in the southeast corner of Glacier National Park is near the
headwaters of Badger Creek. It is an area favored by vision questers.[3]

Lakota Sioux Crying for a Dream

The Lakota Sioux word for vision quest is Hembleciya (ham-blay-che-ya). The word
Hembleciya translates to Crying for a Dream. This refers to the quester both
physically and internally crying for a Vision or Sacred Dream. Sometimes this
ceremony is called going up on the hill, because people would often go to a nearby
mountain or butte to complete their vision quest.
Typically the quest is completed deep in nature, far away from civilization. At times it
can be done closer to where people live, but located in a pit dug deep into the ground.
The person on the vision quest either chooses or is told the location for their quest.
They are also instructed in all preparations and on how many days and nights the
quest will last by a Medicine Person (aka Holy Person). This Medicine Person will
guide the quester in all aspects of the ceremony and provide spiritual support and
guidance.
Before a vision quest is started the quester is purified in a sweat lodge, often over
many days. On the day of the quest they start their fast at sunrise. They also forgo
sleep and food. They give up all that it takes to live in the physical world and rely on
the strength of spirit to sustain them for the duration of the quest.
The quester is purified one last time in a sweat lodge ceremony and then taken to the
designated place of the quest. There they will stay without food, water or sleep for one
to four nights. During this time the person focuses their heart, mind, body, and spirit
on the guidance they are seeking. They must overcome their earthly wants and desires
and face their human nature to fully receive the Vision.
Upon completion of the quest they are brought back to a sweat lodge. There, the
quester speaks of his or her experience to a Medicine Person who provides spiritual
guidance and interpretation of the Vision. The Medicine Person helps the quester
understand his or her experience.
The Vision that is received will provide guidance to the person for the rest of their
life. Some people are called to do many vision quests over the course of their lifetime.
Hallucinogenic medicines (such as peyote) will sometimes be used to aid in the quest.

See also

Weyekin
Chilla-nashini
Fasting
Meditation
Walkabout
Sensory deprivation
Lakota people
Medicine man
Yellow Wolf: His Own Story, which talks in a general way about the Nez
Perce vision quest, starting page 295.

A Man Among the Helpers

The Mystic Warrior a movie about a vision quest.

References
1.

McWhorter, Lucullus Virgil (1940). Yellow Wolf: His Own Story.

Caldwell, ID: Caxton Printers, Ltd. pp. 295300.
2.
Merkur, Daniel: Becoming Half Hidden / Shamanism and Initiation
among the Inuit. (Series: Acta Universitatis Stockholmiensis / Stockholm
Studies in Comparative Religion). Almqvist & Wiksell, Stockholm, 1985.
3.
Holterman, Jack: Place Names of Glacier National Park / Riverbend
Publishing, Helena, 2006, p 189.
Categories:
Native American religion
Rites of passage