Gathering Of Circles
2004
Updated 09/04/2004
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Vision Quest with Bear Heart

Thursday noon, September 9 thru Sunday noon, September 12, 2004
Cloudcroft, New Mexico
Suggested donation to Bear Heart: $200 to $300 for Questers, $150 for Supporters
(According to your life style, no one will be turned away for monetary reasons)

Questor info   -    Supporter info   

This information is for the men and women who will be participating as questers and support persons for the Vision Quest that will take place in the mountains near Cloudcroft, New Mexico from Thursday, Noon, September 9 thru Sunday, Noon, September 12, 2004

The limit for the number of questers is 12. There will be a four door sweat before you go out, a sweat for the supporters during the quest, and a one door sweat for the questers upon their return.

About the Sponsor:   Marcelius Bear Heart Williams is a full-blooded Muskogee Creek Elder born in Oklahoma.  He is one of few remaining traditionally trained Medicine Men and carries the Sacred Pipe in the Lakota and Cheyenne traditions.  His fields of study include Psychology, Cultural Anthropology, Sociology and Theology, majoring in Biblical Greek and Comparative Religion.  He received an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities from St. John’s University.  Bear Heart conducts Vision Quests, Sweat Lodges, Teepee Meetings and has a counseling and traditional healing practice.

Donation:  For questers the suggested donation per person is $250.  You may contribute more or less.  Each of you should listen to your own heart and consider your own financial circumstance as well as the work that Bear Heart performs for you while you are “on the hill.”  Men and women supporting the Quest but not actually fasting will participate in prayer and ceremony with Bearheart and help maintain the vigil for the questors.  The suggested fee for these supporters is $150. You may work out a payment plan with Bearheart if desired. No one will be turned away for monetary reasons.

The following is adapted from Bear Heart’s notes on Vision Questing

Why you might consider a Vision Quest:

If you feel that you are at a crossroads in your life or if you have questions about the intent and purpose for your life then you may benefit from a Vision Quest.  What is my life purpose?  What is my gift?  How can I manifest my special talents?  What are my special talents? What am I supposed to be bringing to the world to make it better?  These are some questions that a Vision Quest can help answer.

How to prepare:

Your Vision Quest begins once you have made a commitment to Quest.  It is suggested that you take some time each day to reflect on your purpose for questing.  You may keep a journal during this time to record any insights you may have.  Think about what you want in life: How can you best serve?  What is the path?  What role will you play?  What are you here to fulfill?  Have you felt it?  Have you sensed it?  If not, these are things to strive for.  This is the best preparation to make.

How to prepare physically:

  1. Continue with your regular exercise program.

  2.  Set aside regular periods for meditation and reflecting on the purpose of your Quest.

  3. Learn to eat light.  Eat until you are almost full and then leave the table.

  4.  The month before your quest attempt to eliminate meat, dairy and all animal products from your diet.

  5.  Gradually over the month eliminate caffeine and tobacco.  This will decrease cravings and the side effects of caffeine and nicotine withdrawal.

  6. The week before the quest attempt to eliminate sugar and sweets from your diet.

Attempt to drink at least eight glasses of water daily as this will help remove toxins from your body.

What to bring:

  1. A prayer stick or power stick. (You may make this from a one or two-foot long stick with objects that have meaning to you.)

  2. A tobacco offering for Bear Heart.

  3. A tarp for inclement weather.

  4. Comfortable clothes for the Quest itself.  I suggest layered clothing with cold and rain protection because we will be in the mountains and the weather can be warm and mild or snowing raining and freezing even in September.

  5. A sleeping bag and ground pad.

  6. A blanket or pad to sit on.

  7. A note-pad and pen to record your visions and reflections.

  8. Two sets of sweat lodge clothing (gym shorts, bathing suit, towels, etc) for two Sweat Lodges, one at the beginning and end of the quest.

  9. For the nights you aren’t actually “on the hill” fasting, you should bring camping gear with food and water.

  10. A Give-away item (This is an object, keepsake or possession of yours that may or may not have some intrinsic value that has some special meaning for you.  The idea is to give this item away in ceremony and associate any attachments you may have with it.  This is done as a way to let go of the past and release any attachments you may need to let go of.

  11. A food item to share in a light feast following the Quest.

Plan to arrive by noon on Thursday, September 9.  We will try to finish by noon on Sunday, September 12, 2004.

If you are planning to attend, please send a check for $50 (to reserve your spot) along with some tobacco  to:
Bear Heart
PO Box 15281
Rio Rancho, NM 87174 

Also, please include a letter of intent for your vision or e-mail directly to Bear Heart at: 
bearheart_1@msn.com You may also negotiate a payment plan with Bearheart at this address also.

Please e-mail Cliff Buchanan at Cliff@ISISoftware.net so that I can add you to the proper category either Quester or Supporter. Remember we have a limit of 12 questers. There is no limit on the number of supporters.

Directions: Go to Cloudcroft, New Mexico. Take Hwy 130 South out of Cloudcroft for 1.2 miles. Turn left at Sleepy Grass Campground or 0.7 miles. Turn right on 5661 for 3.9 miles. Turn left at 5661 marker, look for forked tree on left before turn. Then turn left again immediately (about 40 feet) and follow road. Signs will be posted.

 

Questers:
Mike Andrews - Arroyo Seco NM (Confirmed)
Thelma Phyllis Landis - Taos NM (Confirmed)
Suzanne Greenwood -Alamosa CO (Confirmed)
Cliff Buchanan - Odessa TX (Confirmed)
Eileen Moyer-Mertz - Yucaipa CA (Confirmed)
Les Mertz - Yucaipa CA (Confirmed)
Shawna Mitchell - Abilene TX (Confirmed)
Raymond Dodson - Abilene TX (Confirmed)
Jay Green _ Kerrville TX
Kay Casey Nash - Abernathy TX
Mike Kelley - Lubbock TX (Confirmed)
Mick Hill - Wichita KS (Confirmed)
Karen Greene - Albuquerque NM (Confirmed)

Supporters:
Regina WaterSpirit - Albuquerque NM
Ruby Quail - Albuquerque NM
Enrique Hynes - San Antonio TX
Charles Conatser - Lubbock TX
Sue Morningstar - Wichita KS

 

BearHeart
BearHeart is a Muskogee Creek Indian. He is a medicine man and respected elder of his tribe. Bear Heart lives in Albuquerque and is a roadman of the Native American Church. He is in great demand as a public speaker and has made numerous television and radio appearances. He was the keynote speaker in 1999 at the Spirituality and Wellness Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Bear Heart shares a lifetime of training that includes ceremonies conducted in the sweat lodge and the Native American Church, chanting, and smoking the sacred pipe to teach us how to walk the Spirit Road. Bear Heart wrote: The Wind Is My Mother: The Life and Teachings of a Native American Shaman. Author: Bear Heart with Molly Larkin.

QUESTING AT THE VISION QUEST

Comments from Cliff and Mike:
You will go out around Thursday noon. find your spot. Make a circle of your perimeter and stay inside your circle until you have your vision (except for maybe taking a dump) or until Sunday around noon or until you decide its time to come back. There will be a sweat before you go out and again when you return. The supporters will be awake all the time you are out and take turns "keeping the fire". The task is to be by yourself for the three days in order to get to know yourself. The supporters will "check" on you from time to time. The elements are the easy part. Being without TV, phones, conversation will be the hard part. 

You also might want to read (or re-read) the next-to-the-last chapter of Bear Heart's book, The Wind Is My Mother, since it covers the Vision Quest--it also provides some assurances on the way he works to protect you while you are out on your Vision Quest--by fasting and going without water (and possibly without sleep if you so chose), you are stressing your body so that the normal mental responses are short-circuited and you are more open to a vision--some people might chose to have a little water and/or food, but i am not sure what Bear Heart's directions will be regarding taking food and water--the Vision Quest is a VERY powerful experience and one that you will remember for a long time--it isn't an accident that it is in the next-to-the-last chapter of the book because it is so important in Bear Heart's tradition.

You may take a tarp to get under in case it rains and to use as a sun shade--i am also going to put up a small backpacking tent, but I don't intend to use it unless it rains a lot (and maybe not even then)--some people might chose to go out with only a wool blanket, but I find i can have a vision without stressing my body too much because I have done a lot of activities where I open myself to the Creator, so I am going to take more to my spot on the mountain. 

You will also get instruction directly from Bear Heart immediately before going out.

SUPPORTING AT THE VISION QUEST

What does it mean to "Support" at the Vision Quest? Some  people attending the Vision Quest as Supporters have been Supporters in past Vision Quests, and some may have been past Questers on a Vision Quest, so they all have a pretty good idea of what it means to Support at a Vision Quest.  For those that have no direct experience attending a Vision Quest, this will introduce you to the responsibilities and benefits of being a Supporter at the Vision Quest.

Ideally there will be at least as many Supporters as Questers since each Quester can have a specific Supporter that places them on the Quester's spot on the mountain, prays for the Quester, and can check on the Quester (without disturbing the Quester) during the time that the Quester is out on the mountain. In addition, the Supporters will help support Bear Heart and all the other Supporters.

We are asking that Supporters arrive before the start of the Vision Quest and stay until after all Questers have returned and gone through the closing sweat lodge. We feel an important part of the Support process is creating a community focused on supporting the Questers and Bear Heart, the Sponsor. It is important to close the circle with all those that opened it. Others who would like to support the Vision Quest process may attend whatever time they can, but they will not be Supporters.

Supporting is a form of Quest in itself. Those that are Supporters will have a time for reflection and meditation like the Questers, but they will not necessarily be fasting like those that are the Questers. The Supporters can look for insights in the company of the other Supporters. In addition, you will have daily interaction with Bear Hear and will participate in a sweat lodge for the Supporters.

The Supporters also will participate in keeping the fire burning until all the Questors have returned. This is an excellent time to meet and get to know the other Supporters. Usually the all night vigil with the fire is shared among the supporters in shifts. The Supporters also will assist in the communal kitchen in preparing meals (including bringing food donations for some meals for the camp) and in cleanup/ doing dishes.

One significant benefit to being a Supporter is that you will have first-hand experience of a Vision Quest and it may help you eliminate some of the fears you  might have about the question "Can I do a Vision Quest?" Seeing the Questers coming back from the mountain with their visions and all the benefits of their visions might encourage you to "sit on the mountain" in the future.

As you can see, being a Supporter is NOT just going on a camping trip.

 

 

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