Question by Samhain: Native American spiritualists: could you explain this and maybe give some advice please?
A friends niece recently finished her training as a medicine woman (Cherokee). For some reason (I don’t know the belief system) she asked him to go on a vision quest. He agreed to do so immediately. First, why would she ask him to do that? Second, how can he do that, since he is an atheist? Third, is there a way to talk them out of it, since pointing out health issues didn’t work (heart disease)?
Best answer:
Answer by Ol’ Nick
What does atheism have to do with vision quests?
Does theism have a monopoly on spirituality?
NO.
Add your own answer in the comments!
From what I understand a vision quest is a way to get in touch with your animal totems and to become closer to the earth from which life sprang.
Having visions and/or having psychic abilities has nothing to do with the fact that someone is an atheist or some religion.
They are his health issues and his responsibility to do or not do anything that may or may not harm him.
I guess the Predators have to bring back the Alien Queens head if they want to be part of the clan.
whatever your friends niece is, she is not a medicine woman of any sort. it is not a course one takes and then finishes. she probably paid some fraud a lot of money to learn “authentic native teachings” but if she wants to know how authentic her “medicine woman” title is, tell her to go to the cherokee rez and see how accepted she is as a healer. they will run her off. she has been scammed.
and you have every reason to be afraid for your friend’s health on this so called “vision quest” as every year several people die because they are trying to do things they have no clue about and are unprepared for, including vision quests and sweats. that girl is playing with fire, so to speak and someone is going to get hurt.
First of all there is NO training to become a medicine “person”… A person either is or isn’t…PERIOD!!!