Vision Quest Roulette - What did you find?

theshaman · Post by **theshaman** » Fri Sep 05, 2003 12:24 pm

The Shaman here. I was one of the creators of Porch Camp at Dudious and Creed.

My Gift to the people of BRC was Vision Quest Roulette, three roulette wheels that gave you a crosstreet destination and a Vision Quest to perform.

Many people came back to the Porch and told of t6heir experiences but I know there are more of you out there. Please post what you found! I want to compile a collection of them.

Thank you all for taking the journey!

sweettart · Post by **sweettart** » Fri Sep 05, 2003 12:47 pm

Lots of em. Kissed one in a bar (Where'd you go, short dark and hansome Alexis?) Honored one as a hero across Dogma, and experienced sweeeet northern rhythms from my Fresh shiatsu soulmate. I have a newfound respect for our niegbors to the north. eh?

TimberNala · Post by **TimberNala** » Sun Sep 07, 2003 2:29 pm

My husband was named (Thunder Bolt) by a lady at the roller rink, (not sure if it was at the right cross streets, but what the hay! I myself, did a little dance for the simple joy of it, ....not nakid this year

as it was our first time, and I am shy....tho I may leave my mask behind on our next visit...and dare! (not so far as to have my VAGINA admired and photographed by one camp near 3:00???)
tho.........
I wanted so much to have my breasts painted, but could not find an artist to paint me...I think you had one at your camp, but there was flesh under the brush and we were out of water, far from camp.....plusssss...I lacked the courage to.....

excuses....
My only regret.

Alexiis · Post by **Alexiis** » Mon Sep 08, 2003 10:19 pm

So....living in Nuclear Family and having Vision Quest Roulette easily accessable was an opportunity to practice the fine art of syncronisity<sp?> Every morning, I'd spin the wheels and get my Vision Quest for the day. I think this was tuesday or wednesdays mission.

"Go find someone to teach you to drum".

OK. I'm no drummer by anyones lowest standard, but what the heck...it's a vision quest. So off I go, stopping by SoLoCo to lure a couple of friends to embark upon this fools mission. Essentially, I figured there was much more merriment and chance of diversion in numbers.

As we cruised up the radial street, away from the bustle of the theme camps and the center hub, the air moved more freely through the suburbia of BRC. In the wind I could hear them, drums, and my dancer feet got itchy. So I followed 'em. And there, sitting around and in a fairly well worn van, were four people happily pounding away in the blowing dust of the afternoon.

"Hi, I'm on a vision Quest, and I'm supposed to have someone teach me to drum"
My hosts were adorable and open, even offering me a tasty orange Sobe to wet my whistle, as they tried to teach me the finesse of drumming a djembe. Plainly put, I sucked and proudly acknowledged it. None the less, I had a super time meeting this group and if'n anyone knows this story and is aquainted with the brown haired, soft spoken, sweet man in the red, white and black hawaiian style shirt with the orange tinted glasses, puka shells and stellar smile, please let him know how much I appriciated his kindness and hope to Mendhi him one day, too.

Oh, and yeah, I'm sorry we spilled orange Sobe when we left.
Dusty Chinchilla-hugs and kisses,
Alexiis*

orlando · Post by **orlando** » Mon Sep 08, 2003 10:39 pm

I wish I'd seen it-can you desribe it more fully?

theshaman · Post by **theshaman** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 11:24 am

Vision Quest roulette was a set of 3 roulette wheels right on the corner of Dubious and Creed. It was next to a windmill.

The two small wheels gave you a cross street destination (Imagined and Gospel for example) and then the large wheels gave you a vision quest (for example "Annoint a holy man, let him know he is a Man of god from now on, Give him something so he doesn't forget")

I am still trying to find someone that did one of my favorite Vision Quests on the wheel. It read - "Make a sign that says 'Destiny' Someone will find you, love them fearlessly"

Didi anyone really take this on? I saw at least 3 people get this quest and would love to know how it went.

orlando · Post by **orlando** » Tue Sep 09, 2003 11:28 am

I know I suck because I didn't see it...but can you list more of the quests?Again - gorgeous idea. NExt year come see me at Abstininthe!

theshaman · Post by **theshaman** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 12:03 pm

Here is a complete list of all the Vision Quests on the wheel. Maybe it will remind some of you who went on the quests, I would LOVE to hear more great stories and compile them! I also have a not so great picture of the wheel, still looking for a better shot.

Teach 3 people a song and sing it together
Find out why they are laughing
Offer to pray on someone else's behalf, ask them what to pray for and who to pray to.
Make a sign that says "Destiny", someone will find you. Love them fearlessly.
Ask someone to tell you about their scars.
Bring a stranger back to spin the wheels and go on a Vision Quest.
Pronounce a woman as a priestess, Bring her holy garments and a crown.
Annoint a Holy Man. Let him know he is a Man of God from now on, bring him something so he doesn't forget.
Preach a sermon.
Find out a Secret.
Ask someone what message they have for you, tell them Buddha sent you.
Find the quiet man in the Hat and ask him for advice on something really important.
Take off your clothes and dance like an idiot, then point at the sky and laugh.
Ask two people where you can find the Shaman
You will know her when you see her, tell her you are on a vision quest, ask her for the next step.
Communicate a sacred thought using only dance.
Perform a ritual with 5 other people.
Sit quietly and forgive them all, realize that no one has done anything to you.
Bring something to worship and get 3 people to worship with you.
Stand in the intersection and hand out gifts, don't accept any.
Start a game of TAG! how many people can you get?
Ask someone to name you.
Be of service to others, offer to help with something for no reason.
Give away something very precious to you.
Get someone to trade clothes with you...they have your clothes!
Find someone who will teach you how to Drum
Ask a woman to tell you god's name. Tell her she is beautiful.
Give away a piece of clothing, tell them the story of how you came to own it.
Find a stranger who will go to the temple with you.
Get someone to give you something that they love...give it away.
Bring someone back to your camp and feed them. Kiss them goodbye.

TimberNala · Post by **TimberNala** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 1:10 pm

Ask someone to name you.

he asked minutes after they met at the roller rink, she thought on their conversation up til then, and named him Thunderbolt.
fitting.

Communicate a sacred thought using only dance.
i did, though back at the tent...in private.

Flux · Post by **Flux** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 1:35 pm

What a great idea for a camp! I'm sorry I missed it.

I love ideas that increase participation, community, and interaction between people who haven't met before. Those are my favorite things about Burning Man anyway; activities like Vision Quest Roulette which facilitate that kind of thing are marvelous!

Thanks for doing that! I feel all happy and inspired just reading about it.

(Damn, now they'll think I'm one of those dreadlocked hippie moonies everyone's bitching about. Oh well, fuck it.)

theshaman · Post by **theshaman** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 4:11 pm

So glad you liked the idea Flux! Don't worry, the wheels will be back in 2004...only bigger!

I wanted to share one of my favorite Vision Quest Roulette stories: Two people in my Camp spun the wheel and got "Pronounce a woman a preistess, bring her holy garments and a crown." They went back to their tent and got a beautiful robe and a wizard's hat. They asked me to bless them as a Shaman, which I did.

Their location was way out on the back streets (the wheel was designed to send people deep INTO the city) They stood there with their gifts and looked for their preistess. Then they saw her. She was walking slowly and seemed a little dazed. They walked up to her and said "we are on a vision quest and we are here to pronounce you a preistess." She stood, dumbfounded as they put the robe and crown on her. She then began to laugh and cry at the same time. She pointed to a car that was about 30 feet away. "That is my car" she said "I just got out of it!" She had literally, just pulled up and walked 30 feet before being pronounced a preistess! Oh and, by the way, it was her VIRGIN burn!

Flux · Post by **Flux** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 1:45 am

That is so cool! Bet she's not over on that other thread bitching about the lack of love and sharing and community!

nymphgonebad · Post by **nymphgonebad** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 3:12 am

no shit. i thnk all anyone needs to do to prepare for an amazing experience is leave their expectations at home, expect to work your ass off, and get out of the car with a sense of wonderment.

Flux · Post by **Flux** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 3:23 am

Exactly. I guess I'm naive, but I had no idea until I started reading the posts here how difficult that is for a lot of people. One more thing to be grateful about in my own life, I guess!

theshaman · Post by **theshaman** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 9:17 am

since I am still not hearing any new quests I will share another one. (people bitching about things sure does get old)

This young kid, maybe 23, shows up and spins the wheel. He gets "ask them what message they have for you, tell them buddha sent you" He goes to this intersection and spots this guy, just a guy, no crazy costume, wearing nomal clothes. He goes and asks the guy what message he has and that the buddha sent him.

The guy tells the kid the old buddhist joke "A buddhist goes to a hot dog vendor and says 'Make me one with everything!'"

Well it turns out that the kid had a friend who used to tell him this joke EVERY day. The kid's friend had some condition that left him with no short term memory. He would tell the kid the joke every day not remembering that he told it to him yesterday. The kid's friend was killed in a freak auto accident.

So here is this kid at burning man and as soon as he hears the joke, he bursts into tears and falls to his knees, having not heard it for years. The guy who told the joke is confused but asks what is wrong. The kid tells him about his friend.

This seemingly normal "guy" takes the kid to center camp, gets him a cup of chai and proceeds to take the next 2 hours helping the kid complete all the anger and sadness he had around his friend dying.

The kid came back and told me this story and said that spinning the wheel and going on the quest was the highlight of his burn. He kept showing up on the porch offering to help clean up.

Alexiis · Post by **Alexiis** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 9:54 am

Shaman!!!
That last story is AWESOME! Oh my god! I can't belive it. My belief in the Vision Quest Roulette is even more profound than before....Powerful Mojo , man. P O W E R F U L ! !

KristieEB · Post by **KristieEB** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 9:55 am

I can't even tell you how much I love this idea.

I wish I had seen it. I wish I had spun.

theshaman · Post by **theshaman** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 12:46 pm

OK here is another. Young Starbubble who was camping with NucFam, spun and got "get someone to give you something that they love and then give it away" Her address was close (dubious and Dogma) so she walked half a block and saw this couple holding hands and looking all blissed out.

She told them that she was on a Vision Quest and that she wanted something that they loved so she could give it away. They starting going through their bags - Glowsticks, lipbalm, some necklaces "it is all just stuff, there is nothing here that we love"

The woman then paused. She looked at starbubble and said "we just got married 30 minutes ago, and not "burning man married" but REALLY married" she then took her new husband's hand and put it into starbubble's hand. "Take him around the block. When you are done have him give you a kiss. Then you will have to give that kiss to someone else. No matter how many times that kiss is passed it will hold alll the love we have at this moment."

Starbubble took the man around the block, returned him, and then passed that powerful kiss to a very lucky person.

angelface · Post by **angelface** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 3:59 pm

Hey Shaman.. I didn't get a chance to do a vision quest, but I sure did enjoy a bit of Jack and Coke on the porch with you guys.. thanks very much

KristieEB · Post by **KristieEB** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 4:28 pm

I love these stories ...

I keep getting teary eyed. That could just be me PMSing, but I don't think so. OK, I take that back ... I think that I could cry for an AT&T commercial right now, but please don't let that stop you from telling the stories.

nymphgonebad · Post by **nymphgonebad** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 4:38 pm

or the olympics. are you in cycle with the moon, like me?

que.f.o. · Post by **que.f.o.** » Sat Sep 13, 2003 12:44 am

Shamen, stories such as yours are why I keep coming back to Burn each year. Your creativity, providing the means and promoting interaction and participation, inspires me to work harder next year at developing my own ideas. Well done.

P.S. Your stories bring tears to my 47 y.o. eyes. Syncronicity is an amazing thing

helitack · Post by **helitack** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 7:32 pm

Vision Quest Roulette - What did you find?

Vision Quest Roulette - What did you find?

I found Canadians

We spun your wheels!!!!

Drumming lessons 101 @ Literal Theory <or there abouts...

!what a fantastic gift shaman!

what it looked like

more more more

A complete List of the Vision Quests

Thanks Flux!

more good stuff

here is another