I had a recent conversation about sacred purpose that I wanted to share here. The talk focused on “knowing one’s purpose” and how people instinctively want to find – and fully live their purpose and sacred destiny. During this dialogue I spoke about how certain visionary experiences help us to know our purpose. One such traditional visionary experience with roots in antiquity is called a Vision Quest.
The need for visionary experiences is an ancient calling, one that has served people well. During visions people can receive understanding and knowledge that has otherwise been elusive. One of the main reasons for people to seek visions is for direction in life. People often times, have a vague sense of a “calling” but lack clear direction. This is a common condition and one that has been with humankind for generations.
The ceremony of the Vision Quest is one of the most universal and primal means to find purpose. The ancient indigenous people who lived close to the earth in tight knit communities knew about this need to find purpose – they also knew how to help people find “purpose”. The Vision Quest can provide deep understanding to the members of a community – helping them understanding their role in their society.
The traditional Vision Quest consists of a person spending one to four days and nights in nature in deep communion with the fundamental forces and spiritual energies of creation. During this time of intense spiritual communication a person can receive profound insight into themselves and the world. The insight received relates directly to their purpose and destiny.
When the person returns from their Quest and brings their Vision to the elders and medicine people of their community, it is anchored and solidified into reality. This is an essential component of any Quest.
To know one’s purpose and to receive a Vision is no small thing; it carries the weight of responsibility. Once a person has a Vision and “knows their purpose”, that person’s life and visionary purpose are entwined as one. The result being that the Vision and Purpose is now empowered with the person’s life energy. This is why the ancient ones say “you must give your life to the Vision”, because you literally do.
But what happens if a person chooses not to live their Vision and full fill their Purpose? That is their choice, but it has dire consequences. Once the person’s Vision/purpose/life are all one and the same, but they turn their back on the Vision, this means they are turning their back on life. A person that does this will become like a hollow shell and walk with death – which has far reaching consequences that go beyond just this life.
Understand this also; the concept of sacred purpose applies collectively to the species of human beings. Think of it this way, if a person has a sacred purpose but turns their back on it and walks purposeless in a life filled with death, what happens when an entire species has a sacred purpose but turns their back on it? Doesn’t it make sense that the entire species is then walking purposeless and with death?
So we have two questions here. One is; what is your individual sacred purpose? The other is; what is the human being’s collective sacred purpose?
Your personal sacred purpose is for you to find! Know that there are people who are willing and able to help you with this.
The collective sacred purpose of human beings is known and understood, and is written in every sacred text that I’ve seen. Our Sacred Purpose is to care for creation and ensure life continues. Our relationships to nature, each other, and ourselves are critical to fully realize this purpose. If you take our current state of human relationship to the world and environment, and how the collective understanding of our Sacred Purpose is missing, a person can start understanding the reasons for this modern experience.
Know also that the traditional ceremony of the Vision Quest is still with us, and the sacred communion it provides is still as applicable now as it was in the days of our ancestors. It is imperative to find Sacred Purpose once again, both collectively and as individuals, not for ourselves but for the children and generation yet to come!
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