Rites of Passage
Seven Generations is an Australian business which was birthed by experiential connections with Rites of Passage, Inc. United States, whose mission is to reintroduce meaningful rites of passage for people of the modern world, so that they may be able to mark and celebrate important life transitions with courage, strength and wisdom. Since its founding in 1977, it has guided thousands of adults and youth from a wide variety of backgrounds, occupations and geographic locations on Vision Quests, Leadership Quests, retreats, and training programs.
Seven Generations philosophy, processes and trainings are based on the Rites of Passage model. Michael Bodkin, M.S. has been the executive director of Rites of Passage since 1987. His first Vision Quest, in 1980, was with Steven Foster and Meredith Little, the original founders of Rites of Passage. Mike is a mentor to Seven Generations and came to Australia in February 2008 to lead its first Vision Quest down under and to train Australian Guides, a role he will continue with.
Together we affirm an unbreakable bond between the human and natural world, and all our programs incorporate time spent alone in nature, from the wilderness locations for a Vision Quest to a local park for a weekend workshop. We nurture community, from the circle of friendship and support that develops with each new group, to ongoing friendships with past participants. If the Wilderness Quest or other programs or training opportunities call to you, then perhaps you’d like to join us.
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We’re not so far from the lives our ancestors lived, close to the intimate rhythms of nature. Travel back a hundred years, a thousand years, and it’s all right there: the sound of birdsong cutting through a crystal clear morning, the majesty of a sky full of starlight so bright that you can walk around under its glow, the wind whipping through a terrain of deep silence, the feeling of animal beings in their own home territory. We are not separate from the rest of creation, and the loss of our relationship to nature has meant losing part of our own soul. In the natural world, a mirror of “human nature,” we can rediscover our wholeness, and there we have the capacity to renew ourselves.
In traditional cultures, rites of passage ceremonies served to support individuals to recognize and take possession of their unique gifts and potentials, for the benefit of the entire community. We hold this same principle in offering the Vision Quest ceremony and other Rites of Passage programs to the modern world. Our programs will appeal to people who are at a point of change or crisis in their lives, and to those who wish to deepen a leadership, spiritual, or healing path.
With its core elements of wilderness, solitude and self-reliance, the Wilderness Quest provides an opportunity for people to test their courage, self-understanding and capacity to live independently. There are many circumstances that may bring people to a Quest or other Rites of Passage program. Just to mention a few—grieving the end of a love relationship or marriage; facing an “empty nest” as children leave home; entering elderhood; marking one’s accomplishment of long-term sobriety; facing career change or seeking clarity of purpose; and marking the healing of childhood wounds. For each passage undertaken, corresponding gifts of understanding, forgiveness, love and compassion flow back to loved ones and community.
Note: This practice goes by many names and has roots in many cultures. In calling it the Vision Quest, we acknowledge being inspired by Native American teachings (and teachers), among others, as well as our own connection to this land called Australia and our Aboriginal history. But we must also make it clear that our program, which has been developed for people living in our modern society, is not a “Native American Vision Quest.”
You’ll know if this work speaks to you. What will bring you to undertake a Quest, or any of our programs, is an inner calling, or perhaps something even more insistent - “a roaring in your ears” like Jumping Mouse heard in H. Storm’s story (Seven Arrows). This situation is like that faced by the hero or heroine at the beginning of their great journey:
“The familiar life horizon has been outgrown;
the old concepts, ideals and emotional patterns no longer fit; the time for the passing of a threshold is at
hand.”