vision quest
“Our demons are our own limitations… As each of these demons is conquered in a Vision Quest, the consciousness of the Quester is enlarged, and more of the world is encompassed. Basically, the Vision Quest involves getting past your own limitations.”
Joseph Campbell said that…
God, how do you describe a Vision Quest? My supervisor suggested that it’s the extreme sport end of therapy. So – think base jumping.
On an empty stomach…
It is hardcore, four days without food, sitting on your own in a stone circle, WITHOUT YOUR iPHONE… But – and here’s why we do it – it changes people. Deeply. Don’t ask me how. Oh alright, ask me how.
Aaagh – it’s… it’s… I think it’s a left brain right brain thing. When you live in a city you get very left brain, you spend your life THINKING, intellectualising, being reasonable and rational. This can create a kind of numbed out over ritualised existence of habit and predictable routine, a comfort zone which Paolo Coelho describes as a ‘perpetual Sunday afternoon existence’. Gurdjieff (see the link on the Gonzo Therapy page) was convinced we are all machines, sleeping our way through life. When you do a Vision Quest you choose to step out of the comfort zone and it wakes you up, you enter a right brain, primal, animal, dare I say it mystical realm. We’re talking peak experience, heightened consciousness, an altered state of being and somewhere in that, although you may not get what you expect, you’ll almost certainly get what you need.
A Vision Quest is potentially one of the most powerful and life changing events you can undertake. Like running a Marathon, it requires significant mental and physical preparation. With this in mind I suggest if you’re interested you contact me and we do some preparatory work together to see if it’s the right time in your life to do it. Once we’re both agreed on that then I usually run a monthly group for about six months before the Quest to get you up to speed, and likewise we continue to meet for about a year after to process, integrate and make sense of your experience.
For the last five years Quests have taken place in a beautiful, secluded valley in Central France. The location is perfect, the environment sublime, the terrain stunning. The Quests have taken on a life of their own, they run smoothly and I’ve come to really feel that I know what I’m doing there. Which is why I’ve decided to change venue.
For me it is really important that everyone, myself included, involved in a Quest, is at their edge. If I become too comfortable, the Quests will become too comfortable, they’ll become predictable and there’s a danger that they’ll become stale. So, for 2012 I’m excited to announce that there will be two new locations, the first at Easter in the Kathmandu valley in Nepal – and to my knowledge no one else is currently running them in the Himalayas – and the second in late summer at the beautiful Spirit Horse Valley in Mid Wales. Dates and prices to be announced. I’m also delighted that from now on all Quests will be mixed gender and will be co-facilitated by my partner, Shamanic Soul Worker Nadia Hosein.
For more information visit Daemon Quest.
“If you strip away all the distractions of life, something yet remains that is you. This version of yourself doesn’t have to think or dream; it doesn’t need sleep to feel rested. There is real joy in finding this version of yourself because it is already at home. It lives above the fray, totally untouched by the war of opposites. When people say they are seeking, it’s this level of themselves that’s calling to them in its silent, untroubled way. Seeking is really just a way of winning yourself back.
But to win yourself back you have to get as close to zero as possible. At its very core, reality is pure existence. Meet yourself there and you will be able to create anything in existence. The “I am” contains all that is needed for making a world, even though by itself it contains nothing but a silent witness.”
From ‘The Book of Secrets’ Deepak Chopra.
“The Vision Quest was a wonderful and moving experience, and the personal growth and
camaraderie that I experienced far exceeded my expectations. What impressed me specifically about Jerry was his absolute commitment to the cause. He guides each participant through the whole process from beginning to end in a seamless and nurturing way. This is not a ‘job’ or some kind of ‘new venture’ for Jerry, but rather a deep rooted passion. And having experienced the impact of the Quest first hand, I now see why.”
Ian, Hypnotherapist.
“The Vision Quest has become a solid foundation in my life, a happy place to go back to in my mind. I think the fact that eighteen months later I can still clearly picture every corner of that beautiful valley says something about how deep the experience went for me.”
Ben, Ofcom.
“Four months on I am continuing to absorb the experience of the Vision Quest. I just re-read the journal I wrote in my circle and was struck by the profound realisations I had and the strength and clarity I found. Bringing this back into everyday life is a real challenge.
The preparation for the Quest with a great bunch of superior men both in London and in the beautiful setting in the Lot was perfect. I found the four days of fasting and solitude less of a physical and emotional challenge than I expected. In fact my time on a beautiful French hillside was frequently blissful and culminated in a visit from a beautiful red deer. I look forward to re-entering my circle again next September and I would not have missed this punctuation in my busy London-life for the world.
What have I got out of it? Time will tell but I definitely see myself and my life, warts and all, more clearly.”
Tim, Bureaucrat.
“Not for the fainthearted. Four days, no food, books, music, gadgets or anything but the soft whirring of an overclocked brain. Does you the world of good though. It’s incredibly valuable to know you can do things you thought you couldn’t. It’s also very useful to have periods of downtime and reflection and believe me there’s lots of time for that. There aren’t many places where you can find true silence, the Vision Quest is one.”
Dave, Internet Guru.
“The experience started long before our time in the serene French countryside and is still an unfolding story. The journey is individual and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world yet to put something so enlightening into words has been challenging… As we met in the months prior to our fasting I started to form an idea of what I thought I wanted to get out of the times ahead. The suggested reading has for me been nothing short of profound and a key ingredient to the whole experience. The attention to detail from the first meeting to me writing this now has come from Jerry’s very special talent of making a massively intricate and sophisticated task flow seamlessly and without effort. All this on top of having the privilege of visiting a very very special place on this planet. A magical timeless valley really is the perfect setting for a vision quest. Our hosts were charming and welcomed us as friends to their wonderful home providing us with fantastic food. A valuable and enriching life experience. I’ll be going back again.“
Hamish, Personal Trainer.
“Five years ago I was just another boring civil servant working for the Inland Revenue. Since meeting and working with Jerry I have opened the floodgates to all kinds of experiences and emotions. My most powerful experience in the last year was doing the Vision Quest, difficult and joyful all bound up together, it culminated in me being the only member of the group to shave my head and tie a red ribbon round it…”
Julian, Campaigner.
“I went on the Vision Quest after a long period of recovering from a family loss.
I had no idea of what to expect, but I knew that staying with my intuition would help me a lot.
We arrived and entered a valley that became our home for the next week. I found myself wanting to be accepted by mother nature, and to ask her to look after me. I walked her fields, swam in her river, climbed her cliffs, and for 3 days and nights I sat in her embrace within my circle of moss and stone.
She kept me safe, showed me the true nature of peace and the real length and value of a day. I saw nature going about its daily business, and noticed that even here where some trees were dying, they still managing somehow to keep a part of themselves alive, the part where their seeds were growing.
When the time came, I left my circle, and then, when time came again, it was time to leave the valley and to leave her. I was very thankful for being shown things, for being kept safe and for being looked after.
That’s the real message for me, that even though it was my mum that I’d lost, I am a much cared for man and a much cared for human being,
Going on the Vision Quest reminded me to take a good look around me, and to really see all thatI have.”
Anthony, Artist.
“That’s the best party I’ve ever been to in my life…”
Sean, DJ.
