Vision Quest Ka’jen
May 6-11, 2024
When you transform your mind, everything you experience is transformed.
-Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
In the Vision Quest we plant ourselves in the forest without food, water, or distraction, so we can connect deeply with ourselves and with the earth. Our body goes without so that our soul may be nourished. Questers enter the temazcal and then are planted on the mountain from anywhere from four to thirteen days, depending on how many Quests they have completed. We offer our prayers to the mountain, and sometimes - the mountain offers us visions or messages in return. The sacred fire stays burning throughout the ceremony.
This Vision Quest is held in the mountains set in between the Mazateco settlements of Huautla de Jimenez and Mazatlan Villa de Flores, at over seven-thousand feet. The indigenous Mazatecos settled here nearly 1,000 years ago and live amongst the rivers, streams, waterfalls, and thick forest. The people here still live very similar to how they lived back then— self-sufficient and supported by the abundance of the land’s resources. Many of the old traditions remain strong - many households have their own temazcal, and various dialects of the Mazateco language are spoken.
Schedule
May 6th
10am - Reception
5pm - Opening Fire Ceremony
6pm - Dinner
10pm - Temazcal
12am - Planting of Questers
May 7th-10th
Vision
May 11th
12am - Temazcal
3am - Ceremony
9am - Breakfast
12pm - Closing Fire Ceremony
Guided by
Benito Tush’ku
Benito was born on Ka’jen, a mountain in the indigenous Mazatec community of Mazatlan Villa de Flores in Oaxaca's Sierra Madres. This region has a rich cultural heritage that places great importance on traditional medicine practices, which are deeply ingrained in the local culture. His early education in traditional medicine was shaped by his grandfather, a renowned curandero who practiced in the region for over fifty years, and who became a student of the apprentices of the famous Mazateca curandera Maria Sabina in his early teen years. At eleven years old, Benito began assisting his grandfather with guiding healing ceremonies, and at thirteen he completed his first plant dieta. Since then, Benito has continued to dedicate his life to facilitating physical, mental, and spiritual healing, utilizing his deep knowledge of plants, Temazcal, and modalities which have been passed down for generations. Benito is a wisdom keeper of traditional medicine and regularly hosts workshops and classes throughout Mexico and Central America.
Benito has been guiding Vision Quests on his mountain for the past eight years.