Tree Vision Quest
Friday 9th February 2024 – Sunday 11th February 2024
Venue: The Beauty Way, Hout Bay (previously known as Sacred Ibis)
Beloved Ones,
Traditionally, Vision Quests take place in Nature, either on mountains, or close to rivers, or even buried in the Earth, and usually on your own, in solitude. There are many forms of Questing. Much preparation is required for these types of Quests, where some can last from three to eleven days.
I have created this “gentle” inner city farm space Tree Vision Quest for those who wish to step out of their busy lives, and connect with Mama Nature in Ceremony, and receive many teachings along the way. This is a great step towards questing on a mountaintop! A time in which to Seek Vision for yourself and your life, your family, your Community and our Sacred Mother Earth.
I received this VISION directly from the Tree Being, who is known as “The One Who Holds Many.” It calle to me to be in Communion and Union with us all. It has a great Spirit and Generous Energy. It has called countless Ceremonies together with many different Tribes. There exists a strong Vortex of energy surrounding this Mother Being…come, slow down, and rest alongside her.
“Every aspect of life and every state of Awareness is accessible to those who seek the Serenity of Silence,” Sacred Path Teachings.
Tree Beings are Ancient Spirits Co-Creating our world with us, just as the Mountains are our Ancient Ancestors and the Stone People our Record Keepers.
The Ancient Symbol of the Tree Archetype has been found to represent physical and spiritual nourishment, transformation and liberation, union and fertility. They are seen as powerful symbols of growth and resurrection. In many of folk religions, trees are said to be homes of Spirits.
The World Tree, with its branches reaching up into the sky, and roots deep into the earth, can be seen to dwell in three worlds – a link between Heaven, the Earth, and the Underworld, uniting above and below.
This great tree acts as an Axis Mundi, supporting or holding up the Cosmos, and providing a link between the Heavens, Earth, and Underworld. In European mythology, the best-known example is the tree Yggdrasil from Norse mythology.
In both India and Sri Lanka, Buddhists venerate the Bodhi Tree of Bodh Gaya. It is said to have protected Gautama Buddha when he was meditating to attain enlightenment. The Bodhi Tree symbolises enlightenment and wisdom and people may continue to meditate under it in order to obtain Buddhahood
The Shamans Tree, the Axis mundi (immovable central pole) is the primary gateway to worlds beyond this physical dimension. This has been an intrinsic symbol in shamanic lore and journeying from ancient times.
The Shaman is known for having their feet rooted into the earth and their head in the Cosmos. They are able to move between the worlds within a frame of stability… like the Tree itself with its deep roots and branches reaching to the skies.
The Tree represents the central interconnections of the Earth, humans and non-ordinary reality within Great Mystery (all that is). This tree interconnects all worlds within the element of Fire (sun) Air (oxygen) Earth (seed) and Water (moisture). All of these elements make up the tree in full growth.
We will form a Sacred Circle Surrounding our Ancestor Brazilian Pepper Tree, The One Who Holds Many
Protocols
This is a SILENT QUEST of FASTING for Saturday, and half day Sunday.
CONTRIBUTION: R2 500pp
This Includes:
* Camping Accommodation
* Sweat Lodge Ceremony
* Vegan Soup, Fruit and Bread after Lodge on Friday Night
* Teachings throughout weekend
* Medicine Song Circle
* Fire Ceremony
* Pipe Ceremony
* FEAST on Sunday
LIMITED NUMBERS of 13!
Further Protocols and Preparation will be emailed directly to you.
Cleansed and prepared by sweat lodge, guided by drum, song and teachings, those of us, questing were led through the North American Medicine wheel. Learning about the gifts and guidance that is contained there. After each direction we had time to integrate and to process.
Throughout, the Pepper tree stood. Witnessing us, going deeper into ourselves. Observing the tears, the healing and the deep reflections that started to rise to the surface. Each one of us, experiencing what we needed to experience. The medicine perfectly personalised. On the last day, my breakthrough came.
Quietly the tree whispered to me ‘Fear is no longer your narrative’ and with that my heart cracked open and the tears were released. Six words, said by a tree changed the course of my life irrevocably. Looking back at that experience and where I am now is 100% because I listened to my heart and the gentle whisper of an ancient Pepper tree.
I am forever grateful. And the only thing I would change, is that I wish I had done this sooner.
My First day of sitting and fasting under ancestor tree was spent trying too hard for the profound to happen. Instead of profound, I was met with projections, judgments, boring thoughts, a fussy brain and exhaustion. But because there is nowhere to go and no cups of tea or snacks to distract from the mundane, unprofane discomfort; and because Michelle and Gordon and their team hold such a strong space I luckily started to shift into a great surrendering to the present. Surrendering of all ideas, fantasies, or expectations. I started to really witness Tree; this witnessing was not with the eyes and the brain but with the heart. Now I was BEING with the experience and as I recognized what was happening it kept expanding. I could feel the energy of tree pushing up against me as a force field of LOVE I could feel a synchronized pulsing between us, the quality of the energy was so fine, so loving. I felt how we were essentially the same love energy and it broke my heart open.
Tree showed me that we are also conduits of fine divine energy between Sky and Earth and that we are all made up of the same stuff. it's one thing to read/ hear it but to experience it is a gift from Spirit.
I can say a lot more but perhaps it’s enough to say that showing up for this vision quest is a very meaningful thing, the intention and the dedication of the quest is a very powerful act and if you go empty, just holding those things as an offering you will NOT leave untouched by Tree and by great Mystery.
During a whole day and night, this full immersion into Self offers a beautiful reset - at the rhythm of the giant ancestral Tree.
A time for listening deeply, without being interrupted in the process, while Michelle and Gordon lead us in a magnificent dance, visiting the four directions and their Elementals. Each time I opened my eyes, I was in my childhood, as if in a dream, as landscapes and colors were changing in front of me.
Once in a lifetime experience, within easy reach.
