We had just lit the Sacred Fire at Vision Quest a few hours earlier and it was pouring down rain. It was raining so hard, anyone tending the fire was drenched to the bone in a matter of minutes.
It was a cold, unforgiving rain that stood to create as much sneezing and runny noses as it did good will for the planet.
I had a decision to make and I needed to make it fast. We had a fireplace inside the lodge that we could use for the Sacred Fire, but it was right next to the kitchen—not an ideal setting at all—but then neither was outdoors it seems.
Being outdoors is a great blessing. You get to see things like a deer standing a safe distance from the circle and offering a clear blessing to a woman as she is being welcomed into elderhood. It provides an amazing opportunity to actually experience our direct connection to Mother Earth and her creatures—all as beings of Divine origin.
But it was raining hard and finally I made my decision. We built a new Vision Quest Sacred Fire indoors and moved our sacred space.
What a difference. We had simple chairs to define our circle. We learned to cook very quietly as not to disturb the fire tender or anyone meditating in the circle. Together we created a sweet and loving space for our meditations and prayers, but something was missing.
I couldn’t feel the ancestors we had invited into our sacred circle.
Without their presence, love and guidance, ceremonies feel weak. So I asked them why they seemed to be so far away, and they responded that they were watching my experiment. I asked them what they needed to feel truly welcomed into this very different sacred circle.
As we created a more inviting space for them (and ultimately for us too), we once again felt their loving embrace and guidance in our ceremonies, meditations and dreams. We experienced their loving arms of protection and assistance.
They held us in love as we held you in love at Vision Quest.
Many of us have learned not to trust the spirit world. And some of us have been told it doesn’t even exist.
Yet, there is something powerful and wonderful that occurs when we allow ourselves to experience connection with our loved ones on the other side, particularly those across time and space that have cared for us and still do.
In their love, at Vision Quest and throughout our lives, we continue the great human journey of finally experiencing life on earth as the gift it was always meant to be.
