In
June and July of 2005 my Ukrainian friends, Georgi and Katya, and
I had the immense and awesome pleasure of guiding a group of Ukrainians
on a Vision Quest in the Carpathian Mountains near the western
border of the Ukraine. We went to the same location in June
of 2006 with a group including 6 Ukrainians and 2 Russians. See
our website, www.howchi.net,
to read about the 2006 journey. These
ventures have been so amazingly rich and culturally exciting that
I would like to share this cross-cultural experience with other Americans
and Western Europeans. This year’s
journey will take place during the weeks encompassing June 28th through
July 7th, time enough to fly to Kiev and back and in between spend
about nine days in the Carpathian Mountains.
During
the sojourn in the mountains each participant will be prepared
by the guides to spend four days and nights alone fasting and praying
for a vision. During the alone time the guides will be available
for any extraordinary needs, physical, psychological, or spiritual,
that may arise for those who are questing. Upon return to base
camp each quester will have the opportunity to tell a story of
their experiences during the quest. Most importantly the guides
will then retell or mirror their stories back to them. To know
that one’s vision
has been heard and understood by the elders of the community is a
healing and a source of guidance from that time forward. Preparation
and story-telling will be bi-lingual, Russian and English.
The
Ukraine is a large fertile country with broad river valleys and mountains
resembling those in the northeastern U.S. The people are cordial,
warm and full of good humor. Their interest in Western Europe and
America creates a lovely interaction between them and us, which once
experienced is unforgettable. My initial contacts and travels were
in connection with the Cherkasy Women’s Center, Yazhinka, which
is supported in part by the Ukrainian American Women’s Action
Project based in Santa Rosa, California.
Participants
will be met at the Kiev airport. Travel, lodging, and food in Ukraine
will be arranged. Additional days with a Ukrainian host in Kiev can
be arranged at the front or back end of the journey for $50 per day.
If you have any interest in taking part in this extraordinary cross-cultural
experience, please contact Keith Howchi Kilburn via email: keithhowchi@howchi.net or
phone (707)303-3238 or (707)536-6117.
Cost:
$1000 plus airfare.
Guides:
Keith Howchi Kilburn, MFT and Georgi Kushnir, Ukrainian Psychiatrist.
Read
about the Ukraine 2006 Vision Quest
Download
a printable information brochure in PDF format
The
above file requires the free Adobe Reader.
Creek
near basecamp
White
birch near camp 