Vision Quest - Any experiences?

First going to share a personal experience, one that impacted me a lot. Then would love to hear of sny other experiences.

My first apartment after getting out of the Navy had a decent sized swimming pool. One night, the last night it was going to be open before the winter, i decided to swim laps. Once i got in i didn't want to stop, being the only one in the pool i swam laps for about 2 hours. Somehow non stop, just kept going and going. Kind of tuned everything out to focus on just keeping the motion going.

After a while, realizing how late it was and that the pool should have shut down about an hour earlier, i decided it was time to quit. Except, my limbs felt like granite slabs of rock instead of muscle and bone. After some struggle i got myself out of the pool and upright. Only problem was next i had to work my way upstairs to my room.

That walk upstairs seemed to take forever, each step a struggle, with both hands on railing for support. Anyways i finally get to my room, step in, close the door, and immediately collapse on the couch right next to my door.

Sometime in the middle of the night i woke up and saw a nude woman sitting against the wall, knees up to her chest, arms around knees, and a look of despair on her face. Inexplicably i an not angry, confused, or anything except concerned for her. I immediately reach toward her shoulder asking if she is ok. As my hand reaches where her shoulder should be it passes through and then she is just gone.

This gets adrenaline pumping and wakes me up good at this point. Thinking I saw a ghost for the next few months i stayed out at bars as late as possible. Taking any excuse not to go back to my apartment at night. I had only started a job with a lot of promise for the future, not enough to move out then. Eventually i see nothing again for maybe 6 months i start to let it go and try to forget about it.

About a full year later, i am seeing a new woman and she stays with me in my apartment. Had no thoughts or concerns about what i saw for a while. Except while she is with me she stays in the bathroom for a very long time. Not answering when i call i finally open the door and right before me i see the exact image i saw one year earlier.

She is sitting in the tub, water completely drained, back against wall, knees up to chest and arms around knees with that same look of despair that affected me so much before. This was not different at all, it was that exact moment in time that i witnessed 1 year before it happened. Not only did i witness it one year before it happened it was also before I even knew who she was.

It turns out she was terrified her ex would fight for custody of her son and she was worried she would lose.

This made me consider many things. One is that it is a simple fact that the future can be seen, with no context chance of understanding it is near impossible. The thing with facts is they do not need people to believe in them to be true. Regardless of beliefs earth always rotated around the sun, earth was always round, stars were always balls of gas, 2+2 always equaled 4 and so on.

Another thing is i found stories of native American vision quests. Some involving sweat lodges and pushing bodies to their limits in extreme heat. They do so to try and catch glimpses of the future or visions. Somehow by pushing my body to its extreme limits maybe i was capable of detaching more from the physical world. In doing so maybe with detaching from physical limitations time could be perceived in a way other than linear.

I see no way i could have interpreted or used that information in any significant way. It was a moment i couldn't understandvat all until it actually happened. Although understanding that now other experiences are taken differently and potentially helpful.

Has anyone else had visions that you saw come true? Has anyone experienced vision quests either with sweat lodges alone or maybe some combination of something with peyote? Anything would be interesting to hear about and how you interpreted the information.

a reply to: seeking77

Yes, I have. It introduced me to myself. Past, and future. The present is covered. No mans experience will be relatable to your own.

Such is nature. Actually, quite simply several of mine over the years under various circumstances showed me my quest was to realize I was on one. See?

Full circle. Good luck.

*Over 50 yrs ago...1st of many

Years ago I couldn't sleep; it was around 1:30 AM and off to the left of my vision I 'perceived' my uncle, whom I hadn't seen in a few months.
He was not a man to show emotion, yet was crying and asking me to help him, saying he didn't know what to do. I told him I didn't have the answer, and he was gone.

I finally fell asleep, only to be awakened the next morning around 10AM by another uncle and his with. They had come to tell me my uncle-the one who I saw at 1:30 am- had died the previous night at 8PM in a tragic car accident.

Throughout history cultures around the world have used some form of rhythmic drumming and/or dancing in their ceremonies to connect with the spirit world. It works.

There is something that is just over the hill or around the bend, we just don't see it until we get there. Sometimes we can get a glimpse of what is a head, but we seem to be cursed into forever looking behind after we have passed it. It's like being a passenger in a car in a seat that faces backwards. We aren't looking up front unless some thing gets our attention.

originally posted by: MichiganSwampBuck
There is something that is just over the hill or around the bend, we just don't see it until we get there. Sometimes we can get a glimpse of what is a head, but we seem to be cursed into forever looking behind after we have passed it. It's like being a passenger in a car in a seat that faces backwards. We aren't looking up front unless some thing gets our attention.

Kinda like how powdered toast man flies backwards?

a reply to: [post=26788772]seeking77[/post
There so much I can say in regards to visionary shamanic plants... That's what I do ... I have a beautiful temple that I built..... Apprenticed in many medicines... However ats does not allow talking about what it deems to "substances"

a reply to: seeking77
Also keep in mind that the plants produce entheogenic visionary states. But your body is capable of releasing its own trough meditation ... And physical challenges ...... The body is but a piece of biological tech that is an interface for our soul/spirit to navigate in this reality ...... It is quite remarkable.... It shows intelligent design..... And not some random occurance trough evolution... Your brain is a walking talking laboratory capable of releasing its own visionary compounds... Have to watch my language or this will get deleted... I don't understand the ATS policy in this regard.... Entheogenic plants and compounds violate its rules..... I find that odd
I follow the law of the land not the law of men

a reply to: Hiram33

This thought is interesting although nothing fully substantiated on this that i can find.

I understand dmt at miniscule levels can be found in our brains and there are speculation and theories as to our body producing it, how much can be produced, if it is produced intentionally or if it is produced as some offshoot of other processes in the brain.

Did find a story referencing the potential of visions, religious experiences, or near death experiences being triggered by that. However dmt is also listed as causing hallucinations or visions that are not real. I would have been willing to accept that possibility initially until the moment in time that i saw happened right in front of me.

Most that i can find on that is people agree much more research would be needed to draw full conclusions.

Definitely an interesting thought though and something sure happened with me seemingly as a direct result of pushing my body to its limits.

a reply to: seeking77
It can also be produced at high levels..... I have had this happen to me...
I have plenty of my own stories so for me the living experience is the proof I need

What ever you do, avoid Federal and State parks and remote recreation areas.

They are magnets for people seeking inner solace and taking little sojourns.
Many get "stuck" and do not come back, and that is a fact.

a reply to: seeking77

I tried to simplify this stuff in my mind years ago by concluding our bodies essentially run on chemicals.

I know nothing about vision quests but I've had a few experiences over the years and 2 things stand out. The body being placed into a high stress environment and the body being placed into a peaceful environment that is 'zen' like.

As Hiram33 mentioned we can affect our bodies naturally or artificially, to add on that idea I'd like to add that the brain has atleast 2 operating systems. One is the physical/chemical based one and the other is the mind. The difference between too much coffee and a panic attack is what I'm getting at, the first is purely physical whereas the mind can produce stress or peace without direct input.

I guess a third system could be the unconscious?

These things tend to come about when the brain approaches or passes that magical spot between the two consciousness. Lot's and lots of ways to approach that space it would appear.

Admittedly I'm definitely the idiot in the room when dealing with this stuff, my conclusions are slowly leaning towards it all being manipulative and I don't vibe well with that kind of mindset... Name a place people can go to learn about this stuff without strong egos and manipulation then I may enroll in that school.

If you want it to somewhat stop never be too stressed or comfortable is one of my conclusions, if you want more there's much better opinions here than mine

Best of luck on your journey!

What do people on here make of Tom Brown, Jr.'s vision quests?