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In 2024, I embarked on my first vision quest – a type of shamanic initiation for those who want to work with ancestral medicines down the line or cultivate a deeper connection with spirit.
At the time, I was volunteering in a medicine community in Peru, immersing myself in the world of shamanic healing, working alongside maestros, and deepening my understanding of these ancient traditions.
After sitting in about 25 Ayahuasca ceremonies over the last few years and spending around 9 months working in various medicine communities in South America, I had already gotten a strong feel for the shamanic path. Still, I had been feeling a call to step deeper into service.
After some discussion, the healer I was working alongside at the time agreed to offer me a space to do a vision quest under his guidance, about 3,400 meters above sea level. This vision quest was a deeply transformative process and marked the beginning of a long series of initiations that will ensue for the next 10 years or so.
In this article, Iโll share everything you need to know about doing a vision quest, if it’s worth it, and what I experienced along the way.
What Is a Vision Quest?
A vision quest is a rite of passage in certain shamanic traditions, such as the Red Road (El Camino Rojo). Vision quests have been a core part of Indigenous American culture for thousands of years and are designed to grant the quester (the person who undergoes vision quests) deep spiritual insight. They also facilitate personal transformation and deepen the quester’s connection with spirit, the natural world, and their ancestors.
Although there are many reasons why people do vision quests, they are often undertaken during times of transition, self-discovery, or healing. Likewise, people committed to the Andean shamanic path often do a series of these rather grueling initiations as a form of training to share ancestral medicines.
People generally do vision quests for the following reasons:
- Theyโre seeking a deeper fulfillment, meaning or purpose in their lives
- They are seeking deep healing and spiritual transformation
- They are at a transition point in their life and seeking direction
- They are looking to connect more deeply with their spirit,ย spirit guides, and ancestral spirits
- They are a student of sacred plant medicines and want to share medicine in the future
With that said, imagine a vision quest as going into the wilderness by yourself for several days to completely disconnect from everything, including food and water, for self-exploration. Although vision quests are more formal happenings by following a strict tradition, the essence is the same.
The seeker abstains from everything – people, food, water, and shelter to seek answers by giving oneself an audience without any distractions. This search for answers can feel especially necessary when you feel deeply lost, disconnected, or are gravely suffering because it forces the seeker to go inwards. No phone, no TV, not even water to take your mind away from the quest.
During this period of isolation, the quester may experience profound insights and realizations, epiphanies, or visions, which is where this journey gets its name. Within these ancient traditions, they say that the quester returns to their village with a newfound sense of direction, purpose, and understanding, allowing him to step deeper into his growth.
Traditionally, someone studying to be a medicine man or woman must complete a series of vision quests, followed by a sun dance. The quester may then get a blessing from an elder of the community to share the sacred medicine of Ayahuasca or Wachuma, depending on the studentโs calling.
Do You Need to Do Vision Quests to Become a Shaman?
For someone to train up as a shamanic healer, they must follow a particular tradition which often involves rigorous training, discipline, and initiations. There are several traditions that allow the student to become a facilitator of ancestral medicines, but they all require deep commitment, years of study under a maestro, and direct transmission from a lineage holder before they have the right to serve Ayahuasca.
The two most well-known paths to train up as a shamanic healer are via the Red Road (Andean traditions) or Master Plant Dietas (Amazonian traditions). Several other medicine tribes have their own unique processes, which often incorporate elements of the Red Road and Master Plant Dietas.
In Andean traditions, people who are interested in working with the sacred medicines of Temazcales, Ayahuasca, and/or Wachuma must participate in a series of vision quests and sun dances before getting the blessing from an elder of the lineage.
For someone to follow the Red Road, they must return to the same mountain yearly to complete a series of initiations, some being vision quests, others being dances. Each consecutive vision quest is longer and more arduous, and the student cannot progress until they have completed the previous vision quest.
- Year 1: 4 days and nights with no food or water
- Year 2: 7 days and nights, with a small amount of water, fruit, and the sacred medicine of Wachuma
- Year 3: 9 days and nights, with a small amount of water, fruit, and the sacred medicine of Wachuma
- Year 4: 13 days and nights, with some water, fruit, and the sacred medicine of Wachuma
- Year 5/6/7: Sundance | Usually 3 or 4 days of continuous dancing led by a shaman with no food or water, + blood sacrifice
- Blessing: The quester may receive a blessing by the elders to work with Ayahuasca and Wachuma
In most medicine communities that offer vision questions, a financial contribution is required to participate. The financial contribution for a vision quest is generally betweenย USD$200 โ USD$500, depending on where you do it.
What Happens During a Vision Quest?
Vision quests involve solitude and fasting in a designated setting in nature under the guidance of a shaman. During a vision quest, you typically isolate yourself on a mountain away from civilization. The community in which the quester lives supports the process and โplantsโ the quester โ which is to bring them to their location and leave them there.
Depending on the tradition, the quester may be planted under an arcacia tree, which is said to have powerful energetic properties. They may set up a small ‘enclosure’, usually a few meters by a few meters, made from tobacco wrapped in prayer flags – representing an offering to Pachamama.
Generally, the student participates in a temazcal directly before the vision quest and after the vision quest. The temazcal is a cleansing process that removes any toxins or unwanted energies before the student embarks on their vision quest. Wachuma may or may not be consumed during these ceremonies, and theyโre typically facilitated by a shaman who oversees the process.
During vision quests, you can’t bring anything with you besides the clothes you’re wearing. You’re exposed to the elements, such as the intense sun and rain, and are confined to a small space with no human contact, food, water, technology, or entertainment. After the time finishes, the quester is then harvested (picked up and escorted off the mountain.
This process is designed to strip away all creature comforts, distractions, and sustenance, allowing the visioner to cultivate a deeper connection with oneself, their spirit, and the creator. It’s a time to go inwards to seek answers. Think of a vision quest as stripping off all the layers of artificial self, which opens one up to the sacredness of spirit, allowing the seeker to reach a state of spiritual connectedness.
The vision quest that I did wasnโt part of the Red Road, however, it incorporated the traditions of the Red Road. Rather than bearing it out in the elements surrounded by prayer flags, my vision quest was conducted in a Tipi for 3 days and 3 nights. I could build a fire in the Tipi and was given a shot of bobinsana each night to help open my channels and receive wisdom from the plant.
The vision quest is a deeply cleansing process that allows the seeker to return to the purity of self. This process helps the quester:
- Reach deeper states of humility and gratitude
- Develop deeper strength and endurance
- Gain clarity on oneself and oneโs life journey
- Cultivate a deeper connection with spirit
How to Do a Vision Quest
If youโre thinking about doing a vision quest, I suggest working your way up to it organically. I highly suggest spending some time working with sacred plant medicines and learning about shamanic traditions before jumping straight in.
What I mean is to volunteer or work in a medicine community in Latin America to gain some experience being in service to sacred plant medicines and then paying attention to the opportunities that present themselves.
I suggest doing this organically because the vision quest should find you, rather than deliberately seeking it out. Sometimes, people find websites and book in a vision quest as there are places that do so, however, this corporatization of the process can dilute the experience and strip it of its true teachings.
If you spend some time working in shamanic healing communities, I guarantee you the opportunity will arise. This also provides an opportunity to gain the blessing from the Curandero and the support of the community before embarking on this journey.
Before jumping on a plane to South America to attempt a vision quest, itโs important to note a few things.
- The vision quest calls the student:ย If the student is not ready, they will not hear the call or find the right place
- Your intentions must be pure:ย You should be a student of the path to do a vision quest, otherwise, you may not achieve what you are looking for
- Itโs not easy: A vision quest is designed to veer you toward deathโs door, where you can begin to perceive alternate dimensions of information. It shouldnโt be a light decision
- You must show commitment: If you truly want to do a vision quest, you need to have a deep commitment and respect for the process.
Can You Do a Vision Quest Alone?
Some specific curanderos and places offer vision quests, but can you do one by yourself? I mean, without the guidance of a shaman or medicine community, rather just going to a mountain yourself for a few days in solitude?
Yes and no.
If you want to train as a medicine man and one day work in medicine, you need to follow tradition. Not to say there aren’t other traditions to follow either, but apprenticing as a shamanic healer is a core reason why people follow the Red Road. Without following the traditions, the vision quests you do won’t be recognized in the medicine space.
It’s like independently studying the relevant material instead of doing a degree. Doing a vision quest under the proper guidance gives you a more formal structure and oversight, and nobody to assess if you are doing it correctly.
Likewise, it’s highly encouraged to do your vision quests under the guidance of a shaman who has the blessing to host vision quests for a few reasons. First off, a. vision quest involves more than just sitting in solitude.
By doing a vision quest at a proper place, you follow the real traditions. A vision quest typically also involves prayer flags, temazcales, some food and water for longer vision quests, and medicine for the longer quests. Likewise, vision questers are allocated particular spots to sit, which is usually under a specific type of tree.
A lot of the details will be missed if you do a vision quest by yourself. With that said, there are energetic factors at play too. A vision quest is an initiation that opens you up to certain energies. Doing one by yourself may be great for your spiritual growth and self-discovery, but it won’t connect you to certain lineages and energies like one under the correct conditions and guidance might.
Finally, vision quests can be dangerous, especially if you’re not monitored by someone who knows what you’re doing. When you do an official vision quest, you’re not only respecting the traditions laid out before you, but you’re under the care of the healer and community, which in some cases could be the difference between life and death.
With that said, I don’t necessarily say that you shouldn’t do a vision quest by yourself. If you feel called to, then why not? But it’s not going to be a particular tradition that you follow, you as a result you probably won’t gain as much as you would from the experience under the guidance of a shaman who has the blessing.