Soul-O / Vision Fast

Some people call this a vision quest or vision fast, or sometimes a prayer fast. I don’t use the term vision quest because people immediately think of a Native American vision quest ceremony. I am not doing that and don’t pretend to be doing that. Many cultures have a tradition of spending time alone in the wild to connect deeply with their soul and Spirit or the Divine.

I learned the Soul-o name from one of my teachers and use it because this ceremony is not just a solo (time alone), but it’s also a journey to your soul. You get the opportunity to remember and feel the unique gifts of your soul.

This is an important question because this is not an easy process. I could wax rhapsodic about all of the different beautiful aspects of this ceremony, but I’ll spare you the reading for now. Many times this journey is done simply because people hear a calling or feel a yearning, and that calling may be mysterious. Indeed, it may be the Mystery calling to you. It may be your wild soul calling to you, or it may be the forest or the land calling. You may feel a pull to have a deeper understanding of or attunement to your soul. You may be pulled to enter into a deeper relationship with the more-than-human world or with Spirit or the Divine.

This ceremony is a rite of passage, so you may want to embark on, be initiated into or just mark a new phase of life. Perhaps there is a shift that you desire in how you walk and present yourself in the world; you desire to let go of something and welcome in a new way of being. This rite of passage is a powerful ceremony for that transition with my guidance and the land resourcing you. 

These are just some of the reasons you may do this, and there are many others that are possible.

I would love to say this is easy. In truth though, this process can be hard in different ways for different people. I’ve had people ask about my “retreat,” and I gently correct them that this is not a retreat. Some people have said even though they have backpacked for weeks alone, these four days were the hardest time they’ve experienced in nature. It will invariably push some of your edges. Rites of passage always include some kind of challenge. That’s how they serve you and elicit growth. The particular edges that are pushed for you are good information for your journey.

Well, apart from my overall brilliance, wisdom, wit, charm, strength, charisma, and, of course, humility 😂, the experience with me has a different feel than many of the larger groups. I’ve participated in programs with some of these groups myself, so I know how they work and feel. In this experience with me you work closely with me directly, for better or worse, some might say 😁. Journeys with me are small, so there is an intentional and sacred intimacy relative to many of the larger groups, and it feels more personal. There is also some flexibility to the ceremony, and indeed some ability to cater to your specific needs.

Tent camping gear and layered clothing for the variable weather in the Colorado mountains are the basics. I encourage people to use a tarp for their solo time rather than a tent because it feels more exposed and connected to the natural world. You can also use a sleeping bag and pad to sleep on during this time. A tent for our nights at base camp is also useful. I’ll provide a gear list to give you more specifics.

Camping experience helps, and it might help you be more comfortable in the wild on your solo, but it is not necessary. I’ll work with you to help you with setting up gear and your camp if you need it.

We use beautiful, privately owned land in the mountains approximately one hour outside of Denver. The elevation is approximately 7,500 ft.

I ask for $750 for my guiding time. The cost for the land is additional and varies depending on the number of participants. That is, the total land cost, about $250, is divided among the participants. If you are feeling a strong pull to this work, but the cost is overly burdensome, we can talk about some approaches to ease that burden.

We can discuss what your needs are while staying within the basic structure, or “bare bones” as we say, of the ceremony. If you have a group of friends that you’d like to do this with, I’m very open to running a ceremony for just your group.

I will meet with you and the other participants together several times, either in person or online, before the soul-o. During these meetings, we’ll explore and refine your intentions for this work, and I’ll provide additional guidance on what you may expect or do on the soul-o, with the understanding that much of this is not about doing anything and it is always spontaneous. 

You will also want to do some preparation on your own. This may take the form of regular prayer or meditation practice, frequent wanders on the land near your home or other practices that come to you. I’ll also offer reflection on preparation practices. 

Some people practice fasting a few weeks before the soul-o as well just to know what it feels like. Personally, I have never done that, but I do a full-day fast every year for the Jewish holidays. It is a good idea to wean yourself off of caffeine, if you drink a lot of coffee or other forms of caffeine, before the soul-o.

I’ve learned to call that process incorporation because we want the learnings and new awareness that we’ve received to be brought into our corpus, i.e., our body. We start this process on the day that you come back to base camp from your solo when we sit in council and hear the stories of what you and the others received out there. I’ll then offer some other ideas on how you can continue this incorporation on an ongoing basis after the soul-o.