Vision Quest Diary
Day One
I am pretty excited to be holding my first solo Vision Quest, it’s been six months in preparing and scouting for the appropriate venue. Yesterday I hiked to a nearby farm to enquire if we could hike up the mountain (aka Kopje). Ironically the farm rents out horse stables and provide horse riding lessons.
Symbolically this is awesome, “EH” in runic magic is the communicator and considered the Shamans drum beat which sends out sounds allowing one to journey into other dimensions or worlds. EH is the saddle, which one can ride, helping one over obstacles, giving one courage and strength. The drum is also a very powerful communicator. The Native American Indians originally believed to be a big wild dog or sacred dog.
And so, all participating on the Vision Quest arrived and working in community, we covered our sweat lodge frame with blankets and prepared the fire pit with Grandfather Rocks. After a light breakfast we set out for our nature walk.
The first thing I noticed on my nature walk was a Rabbit, as it bounced away into the forest. There I observed my fear bouncing away. I found that amusing and in a way confirmation of where I am at this moment on my Red Road of life. At first I had no intention of climbing up the Kopje, as I felt I had done so the day before while scouting for an appropriate nature walk. But something propelled me up to the top. It was interesting in that, there has been a veldt fire recently, and the ground cover was a carpet of black burnt grass. Amongst all this, were rocks and in between aloe plants that had been in the thick of the intense heat, yet still alive.
I felt as I walked up the Kopje how ironic the scene before me reflected life. Fire representing destruction and re-birth, the aloe plants representing humanity. We live our lives with so many challenges and difficulties and given a chance Spirit will guide us out, we need to ask for their intervention and hang in there for the help to arrive. Or we could remain fixated in our old ways, refuse to change and take the consequences by being burnt ? Or we could accept full responsibly of our own actions, allow the symbolic healing (with fire). Trusting that a new birthing will happen, just like the aloe flowers I noticed on the Kopje, who survive under the most extreme temperatures.
I continued to the top of the Kopje, silently be amused with myself. In my past lives I had spent an awful long time up on the mountain ” contemplating my navel” and here I was back again. A full circle has been completed in my opinion.
On my way down the Kopje I noticed a beautiful orange and black butterfly hopping from one rock to another. I attempted to capture it on camera, but alas, she was too shy. Being aware that there was no need to do so. At the foot of the Kopje I came across an ant hill – once again the symbolism on my nature walk was very profound for me.
As the sunset, we all made our way back to base camp. As the last vintages of the winter light disappeared, we settled into the Sweat Lodge for our first sweat. Grandmother Moon graced us with her presence that evening, shining her light on us as we rested for the night.
Ahoh!