Buddhist Vision Quest in Crete’s Elemental Lands
Dates:
21st May - 2nd June (13 days) including arrivals and departure days
Costs:
Cost of Quest: Sliding scale: £650 | £950 | £1150
Cost of Accommodation (extra): £190 - £330
Please see photos and details of accommodation below.
How this Buddhist Vision Quest came into being:
A Personal Journey
In March I returned home after two months of living life in slow motion, on an almost silent meditation retreat. This gifted me with a coming-together and a still-emerging-understanding of how ‘Nature of Mind’ within Buddhist practice might meet solo time on the land, in forms such as vision quests and spiritual fasting in nature.
During the retreat, there was some interest from others: Would I co-guide a Vision Quest for Buddhists.
That question stayed with me.
For reasons I don’t fully understand, my path into vision fasts and quests over the past decade has felt largely separate from my Buddhist practice.
It has been clear that both invite a profound experience of interconnectedness and communion with a sacred dimension of life.
This proposed quest is open to Buddhists and also for those drawn to contemplative practices who would not call themselves Buddhists.
Our time together will follow the traditional structure of a vision quest. In addition, Natasha will host three post-quest Zoom sharing circles, offering space to share and reflect on how Buddhist practice and philosophy intersect with the tradition of the vision quest through your experiences on the land.
This summer ‘26, I will undertake a quest myself - for the first time consciously weaving in the threads of my Buddhist practice with this land-based ceremony.
An Invitation
If something in this resonates with you, I would genuinely love to hear from you.
We have created a four tier sliding scale cost, especially for this quest to include more financially accessible options for those who might not otherwise be able to attend.
Do I need to be a Buddhist to join?
No, you don’t need to be a Buddhist to join. We welcome anyone who resonates with other contemplative or Buddhist practices.
“ She sees that the flower is alive, joyously alive, even as she is alive, and that there works through the frail perfection of its leaves and blossoms the same spirit of life whose creative impulse she feels pulsing in the depths of her very own being. ”
Photographs of the land
[The hermit] takes the purple heavens to be his hut, the encircling sea to be his pond, roaring with laughter in his nakedness, walking along singing with his hair hanging down.
-Zhiang Yan
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Our twelve day programme will held within a secluded and remote location in southern Crete. The land we stay on is beside the ocean and below the mountains.
Over ten years ago we came upon this very special place which is still barely touched by modern fast paced life.
The elemental landscape reflects the four directions map that will accompany our days. With the rising sun in the East (Fire), the sea to the South (Water), the caves and deep gorges to the West (Earth) and the majestic eagle and griffon vulture found in these Asterousian mountains to the North (Air).
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Accommodation during the preparation and follow-up phases are in a very small village beside the sea, which is characterised by the warm hospitality of the few locals who live there during these quiet times of the year.
Accommodation Costs are extra.
Shared double room x 11 nights is approx £189 | 220 Euros
Single rooms in a shared villa x 11 nights cost approx £235 | 275 Euros
Single studio x 11 nights costs approx £332 | 385 Euros
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£1150 Abundant Rate – for those who can pay-it-forward and support access for others who would not ordinarily be able to participate.
£950 Sustaining Rate – for those who can cover the true cost of this service.
£650 Subsidised Rate – for those experiencing financial hardship
(3 places).One BursaryPlace - cost to be negotiated.
We offer a sliding scale for our vision quests because participants’ economic situations vary a great deal. If you can afford to pay the higher end of the scale this really supports us to keep offering much needed bursary places and subsidised rates.
This Includes: Natasha’s offer to host three post-quest Zoom sharing circles, offering space to share and reflect on how Buddhist practice and philosophy intersect with the tradition of the vision quest through your experiences on the land.
What is not Included:
Accommodation
All quests are self-catered
You need food for the preparation days and incorporation days (6 days).
We will provide a hearty shared meal on the first evening, and also the celebration meal after the solo.Travel costs are not included.
Eurowings, Ryanair or Aegean Airlines fly to Heraklion. From Heraklion we recommend continuing by bus to Moires (roughly one hour costing 7 Euros) where we will collect you.
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Testimonial (extract from a letter) from June 2023
Natasha and Werner create and hold a container for transformation, where deep work and synchronicities can unfold in the most potent of ways. They complement each other so well. Natasha brings a fiercely feminine perspective, filled with love, raw authenticity and connected somatic movement skills; Werner brings a strong, protective, calm male presence full of insight, intuition and courage. Together, they guide with such humility and grace, you're free to seek whatever medicine the land has to offer you. It's a real gift and real wonder to behold: the power, magic and story of wild nature speaks through them.
Thank you will never do it justice. As I said on the retreat, although everything on the surface seems the same, the ground beneath me has shifted - perhaps it's my core? Or the presence of my spirit? It feels stronger somehow, more secure, and connected to nature - in a way I've always wanted - like the mosses, bracken, wood sorrel and ivy are holding me to the earth.
I re-read my letter of intent, you opened the way for me to experience all I hoped for - and so much more - the full expression of love and life.
For more testimonials please visit our dedicated webpage.
Experience & Guiding Principles
Read more about our experience as vision quest guides and our emphasis in this work:
Your Guides
Natasha Lythgoe| Nagadipa
I’m Natasha, also known by my Buddhist name Nagadipa which means light in the depths. This name was given to me twelve years ago, after fifteen years of training to become an ordained buddhist. It serves both a mirror of my inner essence and as a life teaching.
I guide individuals and groups through transformative nature-based experiences. The way I work weaves together the main threads of my life; creativity, dharma, mythic journeys, the intelligence of the body and nature.
With over twenty years of experience leading programmes I have been moved and honoured to witness countless stories; listening and tend to what has purchase on folks’ hearts.
Werner Pilz
Werner Pilz is an experienced Vision Quest guide and Wilderness Facilitator with more than twenty years experience as a lead guide. He started his spiritual journey 30 years ago at the Buddhist Naropa Institute in Colorado later training with the SOLB in the US.
He has been guiding Vision Quests for over twelve years and facilitates guide training programmes at the Eschwege Institute. He’s also on the board of The German-Speaking Wilderness Guides Network.
His current passions are guiding sacred soul-journeys for men and mentoring young adults. His work is informed by Rites of Passage, The Four Shields, Council, Focusing, IOPT, Music and the Art of the Trickster. He is a very proud father of two blossoming 29 year-old women.
Art Credit: with thanks to Tserin Sherpa for the use of his painting.