Since time immemorial people have gone to the wilderness to seek guidance and renewal, to let their old selves and old lives die and to find the conditions where spirit may be rekindled and reborn within them.

The Hartwell Vision Quest has been created to assist those who seek to find their true nature in Nature and who wish to ‘knock on the door of spirit' in a gentle yet profound way. Much of the time will be taken up with preparation and integration. The true work of the Vision Quest awaits us when we return to our people.

Participation on a Vision Quest starts long before one walks into the wilderness of nature. The seeds of participation may have been planted long ago, in childhood, and your arrival may seem part of a process unfolding steadily and naturally. Or the decision may be sudden, a crisis of transition causing something long-hidden to burst forth with compelling force, a force one cannot deny or refuse. Or it may just seem ‘the right time', an affirmative way to answer a question, mark a change or renew the spirit. Whatever path brings you to this Vision Quest, whether you feel called or driven, participation brings one to a process that is solitary, unique and universal. Alone, in nature, we stand before our mother the earth; we stand before our gods and goddesses; we stand before ourselves.

We quest in Penwith in Cornwall, an area rich in ancient sacred sites. We quest in early summer when the flowers are out and the days should be warm.  And for the time that you are out, you really have an opportunity to rest, deepen, open to the natural world, to Spirit and to that inner wiser part of yourself that is generally lost under the rush of everyday life.  For some people these Vision Quests have been full of revelation and intensity and change; for others, they have been a time of rest, a time to recharge, recover and luxuriate in the experience of being held by the earth herself.

During our time away we spend two days in preparation, giving teachings both spiritual and practical, getting to know the land, finding your place of power, letting go of your everyday world.  You go out on the land alone, preferably fasting but with plenty to drink and a tent for shelter.  The days of reintegration are important: each story is witnessed and teaching is given to help illuminate the visions, dreams and signs that have come.

This is a powerful ceremony so we encourage people to make up their minds for it as soon as possible so that they have a good preparation time before they arrive at the site.

I aim to send out about four to five people and am assisted by a woman
called Cathy Shea, see our faculty page.

As this is very much a personal ceremony, I suggest that if you're
interested, you phone Annie Spencer on 01225 312728 to talk around it. 

Vision Quest 2011 will be held in Cornwall from 21 - 29 August. This includes time for a four day or three day quest; preparation time before and integration time on your return. Vision Quest is a ceremony and therefore we do not ask for a set fee but accept donations which hopefully will reflect teaching given, rental of the space and an honouring of the ceremony. We are happy to talk with you about this.