A vision quest is supernatural experience in which an individual seeks to interact with a guardian spirit, usually an anthropomorphized animal, to obtain advice or protection. Vision quests were most typically found among the native peoples of North and South America.

The specific techniques for attaining visions varied from tribe to tribe, as did the age at which the first quest was to be undertaken, its length and intensity, and the expected form of the guardian spirit’s presence or sign.

In other groups vision questing was undertaken only by males. Some groups, notably in South America, limited vision quests and guardian spirits to shamans.

Usually an individual’s first vision quest was preceded by a period of preparation with a religious specialist. The quest itself typically involved going to an isolated location and engaging in prayer while forgoing food and drink for a period of up to several days.

In some traditions the participant would watch for an animal that behaved in a significant or unusual way; in others the participant discovered an object (often a stone) that resembled some animal. In the predominant form, the initiate had a dream in which a spirit-being appeared.

Upon receiving a sign or vision, the participant returned home and sought help in interpreting the experience.

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