CA Women’s Vision Fast

One of a woman’s greatest longings is to be seen and known in her most wild and authentic self – a self that is intimately intertwined with the creative forces and cycles of nature. Like the waxing and waning of the moon, the feminine is reflected by the continual movement of light into dark, and back into the light. Birth death-and rebirth. She knows this in her own body as she makes the descent and reemerges anew, each time sourcing from an ancient wellspring of wisdom, passed down by a lineage of women who have traveled this route before.

No matter the circumstances, the gains and the losses, the wellspring never dries up. Perhaps, it gets forgotten, or dismissed, but eventually, the waters call a woman back to its source through the age-old, nature-based practice of a rite of passage. She is called to out alone, with an empty belly and bare essentials, into the spacious desert, for four days and four nights where she will find herself in perfect solitude. Here she can clear away the distractions of her busy life and tune her ears to the voices of wild nature around her and to her own inner nature; the truth of her being, a daughter of Earth.

Perhaps you are one of the many women who have been called to this ceremony. Perhaps it is time to move deeper into the questions: What is being asked of you? How do you source yourself? How do you recognize the ancient myth that guides your life? What is drawing you toward the threshold? A descent. A time for incubation? An emergence? Is this a time of letting go, or a time to reclaim?

This ceremony involves several days of preparation, 4 days and nights of fasting alone in a wilderness place, and a few days of incorporation:

PREPARATION: You will be readied physically, psychologically, mentally, and spiritually, that you might fully benefit from this experience of fasting alone in the wilderness. You will be given an ancient means of looking into the mirror of nature (“The Four Shields”). Preparation will also include the study of symbols, archetypes and ways common to vision fasts and rites of passage.

SOLO FAST: You will cross the threshold and enter into your ceremony, making it your own. You will fast alone in the wilderness as so many have done before. Your teachers will maintain a safe perimeter around the area and make sure you have sufficient provisions. Safety is our utmost concern and you will be given the tools necessary to support your well-being.

INCORPORATION: During the final days, we will join together for the sharing of stories. The guides will listen, help you to understand, and challenge you to give your vision practical feet—to live the life you have rightfully claimed as your own! When all the stories have been told, we will celebrate together before you return to your community with new understanding.

---

Time & Location: We will hold camp among the creosote bushes and open expanse of the desert of Death Valley National Park. We will be out at our desert base camp the entire time. We encourage people to arrive on Monday, November 8th, the evening before we officially start. The group will then come together at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 9th at Furnace Creek Visitor Center. We will complete our ceremony on Saturday afternoon, November 20st. (Camping fees are usually between $20-$40 for the entire time depending on group size).

Practical Preparation: The School makes no provisions for meals or equipment. We ask everyone to come prepared to live self-sufficiently. You will need to bring shelter and clothing suitable for a full range of inclement weather. We request all participants to purchase the vision fast handbook, “The Trail to the Sacred Mountain” available from Lost Borders Press (www.lostborderspress.com). Consult this resource for a detailed equipment list to help with preparation.

I see the Feminine defined as a reconnection to the Self, a commitment to the wildness within our instincts, our capacity to create and destroy; our hunger for connection as well as sovereignty, interdependence and independence, at once. 

– Terry Tempest Williams –