Archive for the ‘Vision Fast’ Category

The purpose of suffering

Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

I am looking forward to continuing the story of my first vision fast, as I think sharing my experience might be helpful for people who are struggling with difficulties they have experienced on their own first fasts. Sometimes it is good to hear others' stories. First, though, I'd like to share ...

Next steps on Decision Road

Sunday, June 19th, 2011

Today I'd like to pick up the story of my journey to my first vision fast. When I left you last time, I had set out on the road trip to Boulder, Colorado, for a week-long intensive at Naropa University, prior to going with my classmates to our vision fast ...

Severance phase: setting out on Decision Road

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

John Boyer, one of our guides for the upcoming vision fast in Wyoming, taught us some aspects of the Lakota people's vision quest ceremony. The first stage of the vision fast is called "Decision Road." This is part of the severance or preparation phase, in which we make the decision ...

Fasting for a vision: naming my intentions

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

As I mentioned last time, writing a letter of intention was one of the preparation tasks in the severance phase of the vision fast. I wrote a 6-page letter and sent it to the two guides. Here I include the part where I focused on my hopes for the vision ...

Fasting for a vision: preparing for the journey

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

The story of the vision fast I was going to undertake in June 2005 begins with the preparations I made in the threshold phase. The vision fast was a component of the three-week residential portion of the summer semester at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. This would be my fourth ...

Fasting for a vision: the threshold time

Thursday, February 17th, 2011

The time when we are preparing to undertake a vision fast is the first of the three phases of the vision fast ceremony. It is called the severance phase. The medicine walk I've been describing was an important step in preparing for the vision fast, as well as being a ...

Beckoned: reflections on the medicine walk

Thursday, February 3rd, 2011

Seeking meaning in our experiences is a human compulsion. It is part of how we build and maintain our self-image and our view of reality. Looking back at the meaning I derived from my medicine walk, I am struck by how I concluded that the day's adventures affirmed my affection ...

A pesky, mad dash home

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

The "something else" that awaited me was being chased by blood-thirsty mosquitoes all the way home! I followed the ravine between the giant old fir tree and the rock face, heading northwest towards Monkey Valley. Suddenly I heard an angry buzzing. It was amazingly loud. So loud it was terrifying. ...

Fear and longing in the forest

Thursday, January 20th, 2011

As I mentioned last time, the land felt very different once I crossed the Galena Creek logging road, headed east. It didn't feel friendly anymore. I kept hiking east, taking down more logging ribbon as I found it. Soon my pockets were full of plastic ribbon. I came to a ...

Ecosabotage

Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

I decided to follow after the bear, even though I knew it was unlikely I would catch up and see him again. He had headed south towards Missezula Lake, so I went that way, climbing up grassy knolls and over fallen logs. I found some white fungus on a dead ...