Dear Mike and Judy:
I want to express my gratitude for your work in Portage County through Shared Vision. As a physician in this community for the past 9 years, I am grateful that Shared Vision is a strong spiritual resource for those who seek healing.
In the past, I have sent people seeking spiritual health for the weary, direction for men lost in our society, encouragement for those recovering from addiction, focus for those grieving after loss. Because of the Kent-Ravenna community’s tragic and violent past, there are many wounds that run deep. Fortunately, you provide a resource that is not available in our hospitals and clinics. People needing spiritual direction have few places to turn today where they can feel safe to probe the hard questions.
As one of Cherokee heritage, I am blessed to know that the practices of my people are being honored openly, reverently and clearly in a world that is at times closed and afraid.
After getting to know you and the work you are doing, I was delighted when you accepted the invitation to do a pipe ceremony at my medical office as a part of our International Day of Peace 24 hour candlelight vigil. It was certainly a high point for many attendees.
Blessings to you as you continue this essential work. Thank you for your sacrifice, your care and your love.
Wha-ho,
Dena
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I am writing to support the work of Shared Vision. I have known Michael and Judy Conway for over 10 years. Judy and I attended our first Vision Quests in October 1995 in Texas. Judy and Michael have studied Native American spirituality, healing, tracking, and survival skills from a variety of experts to develop programs that blend deep spirituality with a sense of safety. They have offered many wonderful experiences on the land of Shared Vision. Both of them are wonderful group facilitators, who strive for inclusion of all members. I have attended (Ceremony) lead by Michael and Judy and experienced deep emotional healing and peace. I have been to social gatherings at Shared Vision where I met others who share views of reverence for the earth, respect for diversity, and development of our relationship with God and each other. Judy and Michael have shown an unfailing determination to learn and grow in the ways of wisdom and have shared their knowledge with me and many others.
Susan Russell
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I was brought home on a cold January night in 2003. Saying yes to an offer from a friend to participate in a (Ceremony) was just the next right thing for me to do. So it began. There was a certainty in my heart that this was the connection that I had been missing. I have been coming to lodges ever since that bitter cold sat. night. My mind has quieted and my heart has learned to open to receive the sunlight of creation. I have come to re-remember that we are all connected to one another everything on this planet is a sacred thing to be cherished and loved. I have come to practice mindfulness and intent and togetherness with what is real, not what is the dream. I have come to learn about sacrifice and offering and opening up and receiving all that is willingly given to help to bring me closer to creator. THEN I said yes to vision quest. I prayed, I danced, I observed all that paraded around me in the dance of life. I struggled, I felt feelings, and I sang. I walked out of my spot after 4 days an awakened person, grateful, sad, confused and relieved. It is a wonderful thing to be human.
I am so grateful for Michael and Judy, who have provided all that is needed for anyone to come and learn and grow. The Lodges, the workshops, the work days all are wonderful opportunities to stay close to healing. There are no words to express the thankfulness in my heart that I have been guided to such a wonderful group of people.
all my relations….spirit dancer
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I have attended a few lodges and two Men’s Gatherings. Each has been a unique experience. My time at the Shared Vision Space has been both trying and rewarding.
When my father was dying I attended a lodge and had to leave during ceremony. It was a time when I could not look within because of the pain, or more accurately my perception of the pain. I held a resentment for a long while on this, but in looking back it was an opportunity to grow. When the Lodge ceremony ended I was called into the circle by Daniel and it was a very powerful experience. There had been a lack of communication and I was entirely wrapped in self and self-pity yet Spirit welcomed me into the community and I was indeed strengthened by this. This experience allowed me to be a part of my father’s dying and my living.
While a part of the Men’s Gatherings, I was immersed in sharing, community, and ceremony. There was a call to re-connect with Spirit and remember that we are not alone in this time/space. I was touched at each Gathering in very special ways. As a man in this American Culture I am often disconnected from Spirit but through the Shared Vision Community I have been able to reconnect with that which is greater than me. I know that I am alive.
Thank you Judy & Mike for your love and caring.
Your friend,
Fran Smith
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I am on a Vision Quest and Judy has solemnly pledged to go as far as laying down her life for me to keep me safe and separate while I am questing. This level of dedication to a project is unheard of. Why would this (admittedly very nice) woman offer me, or anyone, a week of her life and a vow such as the one she has just promised? The Vision Quest is just beginning and so I am clueless. My most overwhelming feeling is fear. I am afraid that I will be afraid. This is a free-floating ambiguous fear. And it has me tied up in knots. I fear that I will come undone while alone, that the Creator has nothing to say to someone as insignificant as me. By the final night I am crying out to the creator. Real tears. I have thought a million thoughts and thrashed through decades of the tangle of my life. I desire, no, require the Creator to chime in some way. It doesn’t need be a clear vision of a white buffalo spewing advice. An ant walking on my water bottle would do, anything, I have lowered expectations for sure. I lay down in my bedroll in the half-light of dusk, worn out from my fasting and dancing and begging the Creator. Then a bird perches on the bark of a tree, about 2 feet off the ground, that is at my feet, I can just barely make it out. This bird starts to sing and it is LOUD and POWERFUL and I know, even though I have never heard one before, that it is a whip-poor-will. I sit straight up astonished and it is close enough, I could touch it, but it doesn’t stop or startle or fly away, just keeps on singing. And I am crying for a different reason now. The Creator does care about someone as small as me, as old as me, as done in as me. In that one bird song I learn that I am stronger than I thought and braver and good enough to be the Creator’s child. And by the time I slowly trudge back up that hill the next morning to the beautiful fire and the miso and Judy’s smiling face I understand how she could sacrifice herself for my Vision Quest because the quiet power and strength of that time alone would transform the world one person at a time if we could all experience it.
Carol Busson, October 2005
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My experience with all that you have shared is a greater insight to all living things around me. My awareness of the physical, emotional and spiritual has been raised so that I cannot hide from the reality, “Gift of life”
Thanks, pc
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…The true glory of quest did not reveal itself until I realized that I use to live a life of doing what I felt I should do (and doing it pretty well, I thought). I then thought things were going great as I lived a life of learning what I should do to better myself and others. Now, a life of discovery is revealed. I experience the journey on a level I thought I had previously been on, but I wasn’t anywhere near this parallel path. The abundant analogies and experiences of quest seem to find their way into all aspects of my life and still bring tears to my eyes.
…I can’t share the experience; if you feel the calling, perhaps you will understand the magic of Quest.
Arul
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How have I benefited from Shared Vision?
I have benefited by learning. I have learned that life does not get easier just because I have taken a spiritual path, dispelling a myth once held and hoped for. I have learned that I can find my center, and that I am safe in the center of my circle. This knowledge has saved my life. In the depths of depression and unemployment, when at times I felt of no further use to my family, being able to “be present” within the safety of my circle is about the only thing that kept me from blowing my brains out.
I have learned that rather than try to kill those parts of me I do not like, such as abusiveness and neglect, that accepting and forgiving myself makes me whole, and begins the process of healing. I have learned that negative weaknesses can be transformed into positive strengths.
I have learned to listen, and through persistence, I have found healing.
The sweat lodge is my church. When I don’t participate every month, I miss it. I carry it with me. I am always there in my heart. When I emerge from a lodge, I am reborn, and can start my life anew.
I have learned to find fulfillment in service to others and in doing what I love to do.
When I was unemployed, and even now, from time to time, there is pressure to relocate to where the jobs are. Now that my kids are though school, I am free to move. But I don’t know where else to find a place to do ceremony, and that is important enough that I want to stay where I live now, and change my career to whatever I need to make my way in life here.
Roger Mitchell
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The Shared Vision (Ceremonies) that I attended were the closest thing to church that I have ever experienced, thanks to the amount of integrity, care & intention that you both bring to each one. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Crystal B
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Having had the opportunity to join Judy and Michael for two (Ceremonies), I can only express myself in the positive. Not only were both events educational, but they were also healing, cleansing, and a dynamic way to meet new and wonderful people. I am very grateful to have had these experiences. As an expression of what it means to be enriched, I highly encourage anyone interested to enjoy this opportunity.
Thanks guys!!
Libby
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Vision Quest
An undertaking of curiosity. A journey toward the light. A path taken to hear answers from the very core of my being. Answers to questions that have haunted me from my first memory. Who am I? Why am I here? What is my path?
Quest folded me into the very arms of Mother Earth itself. And held me until peace and belonging pervaded every cell of my body. Creating a memory that not only cannot be forgotten but can be recalled to the present any time it is needed.
Sandra Waid
Clouded Moon
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I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for all of the wonderful programs that you have provided for my family. This past year we have enjoyed Ceremony, Community Days and the Kids classes.
I have personally benefited spiritually and physically from attending the Ceremonies. What a great opportunity for cleansing in the toxic environment we live in! I feel calm, centered and cleansed after each one. I look forward to attending as many as possible in the future.
The whole family enjoyed the fellowship, music and delicious foods during Community Day. Thanks for installing the playground for the kids to spend hours of safe fun on. We also enjoyed picking and eating the fresh berries.
The kids learned a lot during the Kids Classes with Carleigh Fairchild. From building the shelter, to starting fires and tracking, they learned valuable lessons and a lot about survival. We are grateful for the healthy, environmentally sound conscious environment you provide all year long. Happy holidays and thank you for your dedication and generosity.
Dina Harley
Community Member