Vision Quest

The cost is $185 (this includes the Earth Sauna Sacred Gathering and $60 of the $125 is fully refunded upon arrival at the earth sauna weekend). See Tuition Policy for more details.
For more information, e-mail Terry at terry@motherearthadventures.com or call 312-405-5823.

A Time of Self-Transformation through this Ancient Rite of Passage.

The Vision Quest is an age-old rite of passage valued by all great religions. Our ancestors have made sacred journeys into the wilderness seeking a vision of how they could best serve their families, their communities, and their destinies. Contemporary living has shown that our modern-day lifestyles and technological wonders fail to provide answers to these important questions, and turning to ancient wisdom for guidance is crucial. Authentic rights of passage rituals around the world have at their heart the experience of feeling one has been addressed by ‘the Mystery’ or ‘otherness’, an experience that takes us from the old life to new. The Vision Quest offers us an insight into a world in which this transformative spirit still lives. Join with us as we attempt to understand its teachings in today’s world. Each participant will bring with them their own spiritual, cultural and religious framework through which they will interpret the experiences they have during their vision quest.

The Vision quest is a spiritual journey. It starts from the time you commit to doing your quest and includes a 40 hour solo in the wilderness seeking a vision, an encounter with that which is larger than self which some call God, the Mystery, Inner Knowing, etc. You will fast from food. Your imagination and dreams may become active and vivid. The void created by the fasting will be filled with new awareness—you will remember things that seemed lost in the hustle and bustle of daily living. You can discover a personal connection with all things and see clearly what you have to contribute to your world. From this encounter comes the possibility of new direction for your life. The solo is preceded by an earth sauna weekend and several preparation meetings to assist you as you undertake this experience. It is a spiritual journey because it gives you the time and a natural quiet place to look within and see again who you are, where you want to go with your life, what blocks you, and what you need in order to get there.

You may choose to stay at your solo site equipped only with your sleeping bag, tarp and water, or you may choose to have a tent and have some light food to help sustain you through the experience. The facilitators will assist you in determining how rigorous you wish the event to be.

By combining a loose structure of introspective activities, the rituals of the earth sauna, solo, and other teachings, we discover that we can begin to transform ourselves from within. We have found that native wisdom, especially as it applies to the deep connection to the natural world, can serve to bring us back to our own sense of spirituality. It is about relating to the "oneness" based upon the collective wisdom of all the world’s great religions.

Your preparation time starts from the time you register. It becomes important to pay careful attention to everything that happens from the time of your decision to attend to the time you return home and take on the challenge of living your vision. Noting how you handle all of the challenges of this event will give you insight into who you are and who you have become and what you might need to change. Our beautiful 250 acre forested site near Ottawa, Illinois provides the physical setting. Beautiful trees mingling with "crooked creek" and overlook bluffs. One gets the feeling among the beautiful trees, babbling brooks and overlook bluffs, that this is a place of the ‘sacred’.

We will from a close community during our preparation time. You will join a group of people committed to seriously exploring themselves in a safe atmosphere. This community is dedicated to accepting differences and working to discover and appreciate one another’s gifts. By learning to appreciate and cherish the diversity of gifts in people we begin to appreciate our own personal gifts and strengths as well as our limitations. As we become more appreciative of the wonderful variety among us, we can come to know the interconnectedness of all things.

Physical Issues:
Fasting, some limited physical work, as well as exposure to heat and cold, are all part of this weekend. Adjustments to accommodate people with differing physical abilities can be made. If you are seeing a counselor you should notify him/her that you are attending this event. If you have significant medical problems you should notify your physician that you are attending this event. If you have any concerns, please contact Terry prior to registering to discuss your specific needs and let him know of any medical or mental health concerns.

Vision Quest Schedule:

Earth Sauna Sacred Gathering
Saturday through Sunday-May 3 and 4, 2008
Time: Arrive by noon Sat. and leave by 6:00 p.m. Sunday.
Location: Camp Tuckabatchee

Solo Weekend
Friday through Monday—May 23-26, 2008
Time: Arrive by noon on Friday
Leave by noon on Monday
Location: Camp Tuckabatchee


For more information, e-mail Terry at terry@motherearthadventures.com

or call 312-405-5823