Sacred Passage (Excerpts)

Adapted from an interview with John P. Milton

Lauren L Dasmann

John P. Milton is the founder of the Sacred Passage wilderness programs. He was an early pioneer of the deep ecology movement and has conducted numerous expeditions and field projects in wilderness areas throughout the world. John has served as chairperson and director of several public foundations, as professor of environmental studies, and as a consultant in environmental protection and renewal. He has authored numerous books and articles on ecology, environmental conservation, and inner development. Sounds True recently published his six audiocassette tape complete course on spiritual practice in nature, entitled Sky Above, Earth Below.

Lauren Dasmann participated in a Sacred Passage program with John Milton in 1989 and felt moved to get the word out, and so interviewed John about his work. She was raised by an ecologist and grew up in tents in the wilderness. She is currently living in Bisbee, Arizona, with her husband and child. “A Sacred Passage” first appeared in Chrysalis magazine.

The great sacred spiritual paths of the world traverse a varied landscape of culture and tradition but nearly all have passed through and been strengthened by time alone in the wilderness.

—John P. Milton

There has been growing interest in recent years in the revival of a traditional rite of passage, the vision quest. In this interview, John P. Milton, founder of the Sacred Passage wilderness programs, explains the value of the vision quest: how it can serve us in modern society and how important it has become as a tool for reconnecting with the earth and with the spirit, healing the imbalances of our personal lives and of the planet as a whole.

LAUREN L. DASMANN: Can you tell us a little about the historical role of the vision quest?

JOHN P. MILTON: It’s a very basic rite of passage which helps awaken the heart to the profound unity of all life. It’s been u*ed throughout the world, for thousands of years, as the most direct and powerful way to contact guidance, inspiration, renewal and the sacred view.

Traditional peoples, for whom the quest was the rule, lived in a way very closely integrated with the earth and with the spirit, and they remained so closely integrated partly as a result of the vision quest. Most often, this was the ritual that defined passage from childhood to aidult- hood. On quest, people received deep and powerful insight into their true nature, contacted the purpose of their lives, received their true name and made the transition into a new phase of life with a deep understanding and respect for the interconnectedness of all life.

LLD: And how does the quest experience you offer today compare with the traditional vision quest?

JPM: Traditionally, questers went without food, shelter, clothing, sleep, and, in some cases, even water. Today we haven’t been raised with the same preparation or with the same trust and familiarity with nature. So now we take a few more supports: water, a sleeping bag, a little food, clothing, and a small tent. Also, where traditionally questers were confined to a very small spot, we’ve extended the site to a circle of 108 yards. We tend to be veiy distracted, given the state of modern culture, and staying within this "sacred circle" helps us to settle down. While on solo, we become thoroughly integrated with our site, one with it. It becomes the foundation of our Sacred Passage. . . .

LLD: What do you think brings people to a point where they want to (take a week off work for a quest)?

JPM: There’s a push and a pull involved. The push comes from realizing how crazy our lives have gotten. We live in a state of high stress and distraction and we seek to fill our needs through material means. We are pressured and distressed in many ways and at some point we awaken to feel that something's really wrong with this. The push may also come from realizing that we are facing an environmental crisis which threatens the earth and all life. And we are brought to the pull side when we want to find a way to help change ourselves, others and the planet as a whole. The pull comes from a desire for change, from a desire to simplify our lives, and from recognition for the need and real possibility for reconnection with the earth and with pure Universal Spirit. It’s important to emphasize that great peace and a natural state of happiness come very spontaneously through a Sacred Passage. It is the bliss and the profound opening of the radiant heart that is central to the quest. If people know that, it can help in overcoming the obstacles to allowing themselves this experience. . . .

Almost without exception, when people go through this experience, they afterwards evolve into leadership roles. It’s become obvious that this is going to produce very powerful leaders in what we call deep ecology or sacred ecology, and this is going to have a profound effect on our culture. People emerge from Sacred Passage with a tremendous amount of inner insight, wisdom and energy, almost as if they receive an^initiation directly from Mother Earth herself. And that empowers them to go on and do things that are often unbelievable in their effects. As more people and institutions begin to recognize the value of this, I foresee the quest becoming an incredibly powerful vehicle for positive and healing change in our culture.