Mid-life Crisis, Post-Graduation Identity Crisis, Post-Retirement
Identity Crisis--household
terms in our culture--how did the passage from one stage of life
to another come to be characterized as a crisis? Each stage of
life contains within it an opportunity for growth, change and a
deepening of Soul. To pass from youth to adult is to acknowledge
and take on certain rights, responsibilities and most importantly
a sense of one’s true destiny or mission
in life. Mid-life can viewed as the true adulthood, when human
beings have the greatest opportunity to fulfill their dreams, be
of greatest value to the community, become leaders, and begin to
understand more precisely the unique contribution they are capable
of making. Elders may complete their missions and give back in
a variety of unique ways. To honor such transitions and to help
with the discovery of a truer and deeper Self is the core purpose
of the Vision Quest Ceremony.
He
not busy being born is busy dying. –Bob
Dylan
In traditional
and indigenous cultures ceremonies such as Vision Quest exist to
help people to become more fully themselves. In the alone time
of the Vision Quest a person communes with Spirit, Nature, and
Inner Voice to bring forth a clearer and more powerful manifestation
of True Self or Soul. With this vision of Soul a person can more
beautifully and dynamically embrace the subsequent challenges of
living life on life’s terms. Each life transition, youth to
adult, adult to mid-life, mid-life to elder, and others, requires
a profound reassessment of goals, desires, and motivations to live
as one reborn instead of one simply growing older.
Process: Preparation
begins as soon as you decide to quest. Your guides provide preparation with regard to safety
considerations, general philosophy, and individual goals and concerns.
They camp nearby while you are solo in the circle of your creation.
They provide spiritual, psychological and physical support for your
efforts. After the alone time of the quest everyone sits in council,
listens to the questers’ stories, and mirrors their stories
back to them. To tell your story to the elders is powerful. To hear
your own story told back to you is a marvelous and wonderful gift.
Who:
All who are ready or may be ready for initiation into a deeper
sense of their own unique human life: youth, adult, mid-life, or
elder.
Where:
Northern Sierra Nevada Mountains in the watershed of the Feather
River
Guides: Howchi Kilburn, MFT and Associates
How
to learn more or decide to join in the venture: Call
l Howchi at (707)303-3238
or (707)536-6117, or email Howchi at keithhowchi@howchi.net
Payment: by
donation to Wilderness Guides Council, a non-profit organization,
