31 May 2012
by luciuswheeler
in Events
Tags: spirit, warrior, teen, Rite of Passage, Oregon, Community, Sweat Lodge, Vision, Quest, Ritual, Bend, Central Oregon, Sisters, Redmond, Native
Preparations are well underway for our 2nd annual Spirit Warrior Teen Vision Quest at the end of June. A strong support team of elder mentors are gathering, the land at Deer Haven is ready for us, and our participant list is growing! Do you know a teenage boy who is ready to take the leap to manhood? Who is ready for a powerful inner journey which will give him direct knowledge of his True Self? Who is ready to strengthen his gifts and self-confidence in a supportive atmosphere? We are still accepting applicants for this year’s Quest, but only for a few days more.
Spirit Warrior Teen Circles is bringing back tried-and-tested ancient Rites of Passage to serve today’s youth and their families. 2012′s Teen Vision Quest will be a once-in-a-lifetime initiation experience for these boys: a true Rite of Passage into manhood which is extremely rare in today’s society.
We need your help! Due to their financial condition, many of our participants are not able to pay the full cost of their tuition. Would you be willing to make a small, generous donation to help a Spirit Warrior go through his Vision Quest? If so, we will connect you with one of the young Warriors, who will make a formal request for sponsorship. We are also seeking help with the Welcome Home Feast on Monday, June 25th. If you are able and willing to make a donation of time or money to this event, please call or email Lucius: 541-977-1717, or teenspiritwarrior@gmail.com.
Questions? Know someone who may be interested in our program? Want to help out? Please get in touch!
Thank you so much for your support of Spirit Warrior Teen Circles. Together, we can make a difference for these young men, for their families, and for our society at large.
Many blessings,
Lucius Wheeler
Director, Spirit Warrior Teen Circles
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26 Mar 2012
by luciuswheeler
in Events
Tags: Ceremony, Fire, Men, Mentoring, Prayer, Rite of Passage, Ritual, soul, spirit, Sweat Lodge, teen, Vision Quest, warrior
Preparations for our Fall '11 Lodge
Join us for a very special Spirit Warrior Sweat Lodge on Sunday, May 20th 2012. This lodge will be preparation for all participants in this year’s Teen Vision Quest, which takes place June 22-25th. This lodge is also open to non-Vision Quest participants. New Warriors are always welcome!
Our teen Warriors will be accompanied by a group of elder male mentors in this sacred ceremony of prayer and purification. Sweat Lodges have been used for thousands of years by many cultures around the world for rituals of cleansing. Our lodge will be a fun and potent introduction to this ancient practice, and a good chance for the Spirit Warriors to meet and connect with older men who can support them in their journey to adulthood.
Here is how the Ancient Ones used to do it:
A Crow Sweat Lodge
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22 Feb 2012
by luciuswheeler
in Events
Tags: Igloo, initiation, Mentoring, Oregon, Retreat, Shelter, Snow, spirit, teen, Teenager, Vision Quest, warrior
Here are some photos from last Sunday’s Spirit Warrior adventure near Swampy Lakes Snow Park, where we built an incredible snow shelter. Nice work, Warriors! Check it out:
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Our next adventure will take place on Sunday, March 18th. Hope you or your son can join us!
Save the date for the Spirit Warrior Teen Vision Quest, June 22nd to 25th, 2012 in Terrebonne, Oregon.
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15 Feb 2012
by luciuswheeler
in Events, Info
Tags: Adventure, Camp, Community, Desert, Mentoring, nature, Oregon, Rite of Passage, teen, Vision Quest
Greetings, Spirit Warrior Friends and Families!
I hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day! In the spirit of the holiday, I wish you hatun munay niyoq. That’s Quechua for “Great power of the heart” to you on this beautiful sunny Wednesday.
Like many of our holidays, under the veneer of greeting cards, red balloons, and chocolate, there is a deep significance to Valentine’s day. I love this holiday because it is an opportunity to give and receive love, to appreciate the ones closest to our hearts, and to be abundantly generous with our loving.
At Spirit Warrior Teen Circles, I and my fellow mentors and guides teach the importance of being a Warrior of the Heart. A warrior of the heart is one who stands up for compassion despite all odds. Driven by a vision of a world filled with peace and mutual respect, powerful beings such as Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, and Mother Teresa have walked on this earth, and left their example behind for us to follow. Through our outdoor adventures, one-on-one mentoring sessions, and Rite of Passage experiences, we strive to create an atmosphere of support which affirms the deepest gifts of our participants.
One of my roles as Director of this program is to create a safe space where boys feel like they can show their more tender spots and difficult emotions ~ in essence, so that they can more fully reveal their true hearts. I have found through my own journey that opening the heart is one of the greatest journeys of this lifetime. This journey leads to a state that my mother likes to call “invincible vulnerability” ~ almost magically, we 
are able to stand in the face of great intensity & challenge, feeling them fully, while remaining rooted in the profound Love that we are. At the ‘heart’ of Valentine’s Day ~ and all days ~ is this opportunity to open ourselves wide in loving expression towards our partners, families, and loved ones, and rest in the invincible vulnerability of a transparent and fully-feeling heart. This takes years of practice, but it is available to all of us. In our Spirit Warrior Adventures, teenage boys and young men have an opportunity to learn these incredibly valuable skills at an early age, potentially saving years of much more difficult work later on as adults.
Check out what’s next for the Spirit Warriors:
This weekend, on Sunday, February 19th, our Way of the Spirit Warrior Initiatory Journey continues with our next adventure. If weather permits, we will be taking another snowshoe adventure into the mountains to build a snow fort and enjoy the quiet forest. If snow conditions do not improve before Sunday, we’ll be taking an alternate — and equally cool — adventure to Alder Springs, a remote and beautiful fresh-water spring hidden in the wild High Desert north of Bend. Either way, we’ll be having a great adventure. Please RSVP for Sunday’s adventure if your son will be joining us, and I can stay in touch with you regarding snow conditions and our final plan.
Is your son ready for a Rite of Passage into manhood? This June, after school finishes for the year, I will be leading our second Spirit Warrior Teen Vision Quest. We are blessed to be able to use the beautiful land of Deer Haven, between Sisters and Terrebonne, for this contemporary version of a ancient rite of passage ceremony. Participants will be prepared by circles of elders and mentors for their solo Quest, when they will be placed, alone, in a spot out in wild nature to seek a vision of their lives. When they return from their time ‘on the mountain’, they will be welcomed by their families, friends, and community and honored for having entered a new phase in life as Men. Dates are still being finalized ~ please let me know via phone or email if your son might be interested in joining us for this year’s Quest, or if you have questions about this profound and transformational adventure, and we will talk further about details.
I have made a slight adjustment to tuition arrangements for our day-long outings. I understand that all families have a different ability to pay, and so I have changed the day adventure tuition from a fixed rate of $75 to a suggested donation of $75. My hope is that this change will make this program more accessible to a wider range of participants. I ask, if you are able to pay full tuition, that you continue to contribute the full amount ~ your payment helps to offset those who will pay less. All proceeds go to support our mentors, to support the cost of space and transportation, and to purchase snacks, equipment, and other necessary supplies. I and the rest of my helpers appreciate your kind contributions to support this work, which has truly been a labor of love since its inception a year and a half ago.
Lastly, are you looking for more focused, one-on-one support for you or your teen? I offer private healing sessions for both adults and teenagers to support you on your personal journey. Sessions include dreamwork, emotional and spiritual healing, energy balancing and clearing, massage therapy. They are an opportunity to dive more deeply into the soul’s journey, and catalyze the healing process. You can read more about my healing work on my website. Please call or email for information, pricing, and scheduling.
Sending you best wishes on this fine day. Enjoy the sun, and I hope to see you and your son at a Spirit Warrior Adventure, class, or private session soon!
In Community,
Lucius Wheeler
Director, Spirit Warrior Teen Circles spiritwarriorteencircles.org
Owner, Chakana chakanahealing.com
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09 Feb 2012
by luciuswheeler
in Events
Tags: circle, Community, Mentoring, nature, Quest, Retreat, Snow, soul, spirit, teen, Vision, warrior
Here are some photos from our last Spirit Warrior adventure on January 22nd at Swampy Lakes Snow Park. I’m looking forward to our next excursion back out into the snow on February 19th, when we’ll be snowshoeing and building a snow shelter, where we will gather and have our sharing circle by candlelight. Cool!
Plans are also being finalized for our Teen Vision Quest, which will take place here in Central Oregon after school gets out in June. More details coming super soon!
Enjoy the photos…
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In the land of white, breaking trail
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“I think the trail’s over there!”
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Smile!
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Ah, nothing like a warm fire and a cozy shelter
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Loading back up into the Time Machine
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Max, aka “Nugstock”
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Jared, aka “Walt”
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Dorian, aka “Mohawk”
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Lucius, aka “Diablo”
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Snow Beasts!!!
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12 Dec 2011
by luciuswheeler
in Events
Tags: Ceremony, initiation, Mentoring, Retreat, Rites of Passage, spirit, Sweat Lodge, teen, warrior, Winter
On Sunday, December 11th, the Spirit Warriors undertook what may have been their boldest adventure yet: a traditional Native American sweat lodge, led by local elder and teacher Sweet Medicine Nation. At nine o’clock on a cold, grey morning, our young Warriors piled into Lucius’ trusty red VW Bug and rolled out to Deer Haven ~ a piece of ancient sacred land now stewarded by the Four Winds Foundation, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching and preserving the “natural ways” of the human being. There was great anticipation in the air, as two of the Warriors had never participated in a sweat lodge before. As you can see from the pictures below, things turned out just fine!
We had a magical day ~ a small whirlwind blazed through our line as Sweet Medicine said the opening prayers, the stones glowed red inside the dark lodge, and our prayers and songs were strong and heartfelt. Each one of the Spirit Warriors had a big, fresh smile as we crawled out of the lodge, steam still pouring off of our bodies in the cold air. This ancient rite of initiation and cleansing ended up being the perfect way to spend a winter day. Thanks so much to Sweet Medicine, Amara, Dreamer, and the Four Winds Foundation for hosting us. We look forward to joining you all again for another lodge in the Spring!
In the meantime, save the date for Sunday, January 22nd, when the Spirit Warriors will gather again, this time (weather permitting) for a snowshoe adventure to a wilderness hut, where we will gather around a warm fire in the middle of the snowy forest. Get ready to rumble!
Until next time, enjoy the holidays, and keep in touch!
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20 Oct 2011
by luciuswheeler
in Events
Tags: A Story That Could Be True, Desert, Drumming, Mentoring, Oregon, Poetry, Retreat, spirit, teen, Tipi, warrior, William Stafford
Many thanks to all the young Warriors who came out to Deer Haven for our immersion last Sunday. What a beautiful way to start our Way of the Spirit Warrior journey to manhood! On a quiet morning, we shared some sweet time around a sacred fire in the tipi, surrounded by thick fog and light rain. Around the warmth and light of the fire, we read poetry, spoke on many different subjects pertaining to our lives, and did some primal drumming to get our blood flowing. Nice rhythms, guys! Once the sun came out, we had a beautiful hike out into the wild High Desert, where we practiced Invisibility and gratitude, found an animal skeleton, and enjoyed a gorgeous, warm, Indian summer afternoon with a stunning view of the whole Cascade Range. What a special day!
Nice work, guys!
Hard at work, getting those tipi pins out.
Here is one of the poems that began our tipi sharing… a poem that brought me to tears as I read it on Sunday morning, and that ended up being our guiding theme for the day. Wow. Good poetry has a way of cutting right to the essence of truth. This piece by William Stafford, from the classic collection of men’s poetry called The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart, is an incredible piece of work which speaks right to the heart of a man’s struggle to find his true essence amidst the challenges of the world:
A Story That Could Be True
If you were exchanged in the cradle and
your real mother died
without ever telling the story
then no one knows your name,
and somewhere in the world
your father is lost and needs you
but you are far away.
He can never find
how true you are, and how ready.
When the great wind comes
and the robberies of the rain
you stand in the corner shivering.
The people who go by -
you wonder at their calm.
They miss the whisper that runs
any day in your mind,
“Who are you really, wanderer?” -
and the answer you have to give
no matter how dark and cold
the world around you is:
“Maybe I’m a king.”
-William Stafford
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