Vision Quest

This was given to me during a workshop on Native spirituality this morning (given by Debbie Barry).  I was surprised by many of my answers.  Apparently it was used by marketers to become more aware of symbols and I'm guessing was put together by some psychologists.  It's best if it's read to you so you can really visualize but I suppose if you jot your answers down as you go you'll be okay, just take it all in!  I hope you're surprised too, and that it will give you an idea of where you're at now, and maybe where you want to go.  Feedback in the comments is much appreciated!!  xo -Katie

VISION QUEST

You're going for a walk.  You leave your house.  Notice the weather, the temperature, the sky.

You begin walking, wandering, and you see a forest ahead of you.

You come to the forest, you notice the trees.  What kind of trees are they?

You enter the forest.  How do you feel inside the forest? 

You see a path, what is it made of?  What does it look like ahead of you?  Can you see it end?

On your left, dangling from a tree, you see a key.  You approach it.  What kind of key is it?  Is it new or old?  What does it look like?

You continue on the path.  You hear sounds coming from behind a bush.  

When you look, you see an animal.  What kind of an animal is it?

You continue walking on the path.  You see a vessel ahead, and a vessel is anything that can hold something.  What does it look like?  What’s inside?  Is it full or empty?

You leave the vessel and continue walking.

You come to a body of water.  A body of water could be anything from a puddle, to a stream, to a raging ocean.  What kind of body of water is it?  How do you interact with it?

You begin to cross a bridge over this body of water and come to a giant fallen tree blocking the path.  What do you do?  Do you climb over it?  Do you go around it?  How do you get past the tree?

You continue on your path.  Suddenly, you’re face to face with a giant snake, a python, breathing and looking right at you.  What do you do to the snake to get past it?  How do you handle it?

You continue walking on the path.  You come to a fence and a gate.  What is the fence made of?  Is it worn or is it new?  What does the gate look like?  Is it locked, or is it open? 

You walk through the gate and see a dwelling.  A dwelling can be anything one would live in.  What does it look like?  What is it made of?  Is it old?  Is it new?  

You look inside the window, or walk through the door.  What do you see inside?

You walk to the back of the house and come to a cliff.  There is a bench, a rock, a chair that you can sit on, as you look over the edge of the cliff.  What do you see?  What does it feel like?  Are there people there?

You walk around the cliff and come to a bridge.  That bridge takes you right back home, you walk inside your door, take a deep breath, and when you’re ready, you open your eyes.

KEY

Temperature:  How you feel inside, your emotions, your general feeling.

Trees: Your friends, are they protective, are they small and wiry.  

How you feel about them.  When you enter the forest, that is the community you are a part of.  How does it make you feel?  Comfortable?  Irritated?

The path:  Your path.  Some people see it paved, very clear, some see it winding, changing, etc.  Did you see the end?  Maybe your goals are clear, maybe your path is still winding its way.

The key:  Education.  If it was old-fashioned, education important to you.  Keep it?  Traditional, wanting higher education  New: Perhaps less of a priority in your family.  What do you do with it.

Animal:  Who you are inside.  Qualities of animal. 

Vessel:  How you see love.  Full/abundant, etc.

Body of water: How you see yourself.  Calm, peaceful, raging, etc.

Fallen Tree:  How you deal with obstacles in your life.  How you get around them. 

Snake:  How you deal with big crises in your life.

Fence and gate:  Parenting.  Big strong/broken down, tired.  Gate is tradition.  Is the fence keeping something in or something out?  (Culture)

Dwelling:  How you see yourself in the future.  Castle/quiet, etc.

Cliff:  How you see the afterlife.

*You don’t have to go through life blindly, you can make your own path.