Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.
- John Muir
Our National Parks (1901)Wilderness Dance Vision Quest is a collaborative effort to provide men and women who are struggling through the many issues we all face with regard to inner peace and wholeness, with the guidance and opportunity to take some transcendent steps toward a greater wisdom and spirituality.
Take your time browsing these pages in order to learn more about the Wilderness Dance Vision Quest and to read the answers to some of our frequently asked questions. When you're ready you can contact us for more information or sign up for a vision quest by filling out these forms:
• Registration Form
• Health Questionnaire
• Personal Release Form
"I am more present to people."
"I feel more myself than ever before."
"This work helped me to restore my relationship with my father."
"I've become more loving and giving."
"I feel a real sense of calmness and relaxation."
"I've been able to surrender completely and know that I am not in control."
"I can now maintain a sense of hope and curiosity, even during a life crisis."
"I've found a new sense of peace during my yoga practice."
"I've conquered my fear of being alone."
"I have a heightened awareness of the nature all around me."
"I've become more patient and tolerant."
"This was the most powerful spiritual experience I've ever had."
"During a dark period of real struggle, I also experienced a deep sense of peace flow beneath the turmoil."
"I have this feeling of floating or flowing along with life. The experience is relaxing, as if I am just where I need to be in the moment without resistance."
"I experienced in my body that love truly trumps fear which has opened me to choose love more and more."
Vision Quest is the term coined by Native Americans but is equally descriptive of this ritual as practiced by Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic and other faiths. Most notably the wilderness sojourns of Jesus, Moses and others from the Judeo-Christian tradition were vision quests.
The intention of a Wilderness Dance Vision Quest is to see clearly the ever present temptation of the false self (egocentric self) to see ourselves as separate and in control. Our quest is a descent into the mystery of nature to shed this inauthentic identity. The concern is not with transcending ego, solving everyday personal problems or helping anyone feel happier or better adjusted. Rather, we are committed to breaking the spell cast by our competence-addicted society and liberating souls via deep-structural shifts that transform the ego thereby eliciting a new freedom and a new joy. When this transformation enlivens vision quest participants it is easily transmitted to other people and serves to further the healing of the entire “e-air-rth” community. Deeply sharing this good news creates vitality and aliveness in a world that craves this kind of contribution from visionary leaders and artisans of cultural innovation.
A vision quest is the ancient tradition of people spending 4 days alone in the wilderness while fasting with the intention of receiving profound insight about themselves and the world they live in. It is a rigorous challenge for most people today but ultimately safe and easily do-able when properly prepared and competently guided. If you have doubts about your capabilities we can adjust the experience to best match your abilities and tolerances at the time. We will help you determine healthy limits and adapt your vision quest accordingly; with proper guidance this experience can be modified for all ability levels.
The spiritual way of life is not a theory! It can be likened to a dance but our world does not teach this dance. Where are the elders who know this dance? It has become both a necessity and an obligation to stop what we are doing and who we are becoming as we do it, to join the dance. We take stock of our lives and wonder what is essential; the love we’ve withheld, the life not lived, creativity grown stale, an idle existence not vibrant living. Wherever you are on the spiritual path there is always a next step to take.
If a vision quest is your next step then we would love to have you join us on the next Wilderness Dance. There are 28 days of preparation where questers are guided through at-home activities designed to facilitate a clearing of the mental, emotional, spiritual and physical aspects of the self. During the quest our guides use ritual and ceremony to create an environment suitable for men and women to examine their lives, face their fears, release attachments, and to just be. It is our experience at Wilderness Dance that everyone receives a vision.
Terry has a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a D.C. from the Southern California University of Health Science. His 33 yrs of solo practice has resulted in expertise in manipulation, manual therapies, and neuro-muscular rehab. He is as at-home in the wilderness as he is in the office with 35 years of backpacking, 25 years chasing whitewater and canoe tripping in remote places. He has been designated as a Wisdom Elder on Men's Rites of Passage through Illuman.org. Terry's life journey has contributed to his being a man of strength and peace. He is a generative man who creates peace in the people he works with.
“As a soul seeker and wilderness guide, I use nutrition, emotional release, 12-Step Spirituality, and Soulcraft Techniques to guide people that are stuck in life towards new FREEDOM, ECSTASY, and JOY!”
Jill lives out her soul centered gifts as a physical therapist and as a leader of Women's Rites of Passage in Austin, TX. She was an actor/director in San Antonio and Austin before receiving her Physical Therapy degree from Texas State University. Jill has been involved with many soul deepening experiences over the past two decades and is grateful to be able to share the blessings she has received. She and husband Terry have been on many wilderness adventures in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Europe.
Stephen is a studio artist and creates/implements ritual. He has worked in theater, performing with the experimental play "Now the Revolution" in New York. There he was part of The Trees, a contemplative group that wrote and performed sacred music. Back in Texas he got his B.A. in art from Corpus Christi State University, and began work in a studio. He's developed ritual and worked as ritual elder for a men's rites of passage in New Mexico, as well as created rituals for other events. He recently created rituals for the Wilderness Dance vision quest, which he co-leads. He lives above his studio in Corpus Christi, working in painting, sculpture, and photography, and continues to help guide ritual events and experiences.
“In a troubled time, the willingness to proceed like you’re needed is a radical act.”
Wilderness Dance has held Vision Quests in a variety of locations. Each experience involves a unique setting, but the benefits are always the same. Afterwards we return to our busy lives transformed by nature, having taken stock and journeyed ever-further towards the collective spirituality of the Earth and the Universe as whole. (Scenes below are from Texas and Colorado.)
“I felt in need of a great pilgrimage
so I sat still for three
days and God came
to me.”
If you would like to talk to us about participating in a Wilderness Dance Vision Quest, or should you simply have a general question, please get in touch by filling out our contact form below. Whether you’re looking to discuss an upcoming event or simply want to say hello, we’d love to hear from you!
“To live is so startling - it leaves little time for anything else.”
