Vision Walks – Pilgrimage
I have always found that my clearest visions come from the simple act of walking. Whether it is to see clearer and further in my work or whether it is for deeper soul-searching. I am passionate about guiding and supporting others on such walks.
Glossary
Pilgrimage : walking long distances in a sacred – or religious – way for soul searching. Practised by many religions, spiritualities and cutlures around the world.
Vision Quest: ancient rites of passage practised by indigenous people. Typically this refers to the Lakota tradition of going into the wild alone and fasting 3 or 4 days solo. [I am not currently offering].
Leadership Walk: walking in nature with a guide to unearth fresh insights and crystalise vision
Vision Walk: my signature approach of combining the ancient art of pilgrimage and vision quest. OF course, many cultures would have had both movement and moments of stillness. This seems like a more natural approach.
My Approach
JRR Tolkien said that “not all who wander are lost”
In fact, Bill Plotkin wrote that as a wanderer, you must be true to yourself. You cannot continue to follow the crowd”
This is why we do Vision Walks or Pilgrimages to find your own truth.
Since antiquity we have gone into nature to seek insight and vision whether to climb mountains, wander forests or to spend time in the desert. Sometimes we walked to sacred sites, and sometimes we wandered until nature claimed us back.
Indigenous people across all continents considered it was critical to have rites of passage at important junctures of one’s lives
In the 21st Century there is a renaissance of rites of passage including pilgrimage. Half a million people now walk the Camino across Northern Spain to Santiago, but others are also becoming popular including the Shikoku in Japan , the Olle in Korea or a plethora of ones across Europe.
The ancient act of walking across the land has both benefits for finding clarity and insights as well as the health benefits of being in nature. In fact pilgrimage is listed as one of the top 10 wellness trends in 2024
Having a guide or someone who designs your vision walk can amplify your experience and raise the chance of a breakthrough.
My own rites of passage came at the age 16 and 17 trekking across the Brecon Beacons, Dartmoor and Southern France. Since then I have done solo or led vision walks – or pilgrimage- around the world including the mountains of Korea and Japan, the rainforests of Mexico, and Guatemala, the jungle in Hong Kong, the St Francis Way in Italy, and now regularly in Snowdonia, Eryri, in Wales.
There are many teachers of meditation around the world, uncountable numbers of yoga teachers and other forms of spirituality. But there are few who guide vision walks or pilgrimage. I now offer Leadership Walks for leaders seeking foresight to Vision Walks and Pigrimages , deeper rites of passage for soul-searching.
Offerings
All walks can be tailor made to the individual.
- Leadership and Foresight
I can take leaders away for 3 full days to create visions for their future.
There will be time to converse with this futurist about the future . And time to reflect, journal and dream.
Designed into the program might include a physical challenge such as ascending a mountain, and the possibility to do other physical practices like wild water immersion/ swimming.
Typical program
Thursday night: settle in and do some preparatory work
Friday: Climb mountain such as Snowdon (the quiet side). Reflecting on your life and what needs to be let go of and what you are seeking. Journal at the top of the mountain.
Saturday : Morning walk along the coast. Over brunch: conversations about where the world is heading
Afternoon: Going deeper into the forest to reflect.
Sunday: Crystallization and new vision: mark with a ritual such as an immersion into a cold water lake.
2. Vision Walk
The Vision Walk I offer is a deeper and more gruelling rites of passage – a mixture of a pilgrimage and an indigenous vision quest.
This is 8 days or more and is designed to maximise the possibility that this rites of passage will have a long lasting and irrevocable impact on your life. It could be described as a blend of a Pilgrimage and an indigenous Vision Quest It is designed for soul searching – to crack open the shell of your old life and begin to open yourself to a new story. It is especially useful at times of large change and thereby potential transformation.
Rather than just walking from A to B the process can be enhanced by doing any of the following practices: silent meditative walking, meditation, solo time in nature, fasting, immersion into wild rivers or lakes, meditation, journaling, dream work, storytelling and working with the myths of the land and deep dialogue.
3. Three Day Vision Walk
This is a shortened version of the Vision Walk but can still have a powerful impact when guided 1-1.
4. Pilgrimage
I can join you on an established pilgrimage route often to sacred sites. Along the way I support you with some of the practices above, and to hold space for you as you go through your transformative process.
Availability
I will post group events on this website. Otherwise please enquire about 1-1 walks
If you come to my base in Eryri or Snowdonia, we will be able to also immerse into the local mythology of the landscape here.
However, I am available to travel internationally. We can walk along an existing pilgrimage path or if it is a country about which I am familiar, I can design a program.