VISION QUEST: Peaceful Spiritual Practice of North American Indians
By Dr. Sasha Alex Lessin, Ph.D. (Anthropology, UCLA), Co-author with Janet Kira Lessin of Anunnaki: Evolution of the Gods
📽️ Watch the VIDEO here — click the words “VISION QUEST” to start it:
👉 https://youtu.be/VJb7oQf-6nM
For more on the spiritual traditions of pre-Columbian peoples of North America:
👉 https://wp.me/p1TVCy-7PJ
If Facebook deletes the internet address above, copy the URL from the picture with this post, paste it in your browser, and hit enter.
The Vision Quest in Native Traditions
A young initiate on a two-day vigil, fasting and praying on a high ridge as dawn breaks.
Pre-Columbian Americans universally valued visions and respected others’ visions as a sacred communion between human and nonhuman spirits. These quests—still honored today—are practices of transformation, prayer, and deep connection with the unseen world.
Vision seekers prepared according to tribal customs and the specific guidance they sought. During quests, they prayed continuously, fasting from food, water, and social contact. Communities supported the questers by releasing them from daily duties.
- Adolescents often undertook 1–2 day vigils as rites of passage into adulthood.
- Adults sometimes extended their quests for 4–7 days or longer.
Questers sought contact with immaterial and physical beings, receiving personal power and healing abilities to serve their people. While many details remained private revelations, the strength gained was dedicated to community well-being. Some individuals emerged with ongoing healing gifts (Benedict, 1922, 1923).
Zuni & Hopi Accounts of the Flood and the Anunnaki
An elder keeps night-long prayers beneath a star-laden sky
Clifford Mahooty (1944–2020), a respected Zuni Pueblo elder, Kachina Priesthood member, and wisdom keeper, told of ancient encounters with the Ant People—known to some as the Anunnaki.
Clifford Mahooty, Zuni elder, Kachina Priesthood member, and wisdom keeper who preserved accounts of the Ant People
According to Mahooty, during the Great Flood, the Anunnaki used flying craft to rescue stranded Zuni and Hopi, transporting them to a lush cave sanctuary near Sedona, Arizona. There, the survivors were instructed to gather others as floodwaters receded. Generations later, the Anunnaki relocated them to their present homeland.
Flying craft guide Hopi and Zuni survivors to a high cave sanctuary near Sedona after the Great Flood.
As the Zuni and Hopi migrated southward, each settlement achieved ecological harmony with its environment, retaining elders as teachers and sending new groups onward. These journeys were encoded in ritual songs Mahooty learned as a child, whose meaning he only fully grasped as an adult.
Reflection
The vision quest tradition invites us all to recall our own moments of communion—whether in nature, through sport, meditation, or psychedelic exploration. What vision has guided your life? How is it relevant to your journey now?
Resources & Further Reading
- Evidence: https://wp.me/p1TVCy-1zg
- References: http://wp.me/p1TVCy-2cq
- Timeline: http://wp.me/p1TVCy-1Km
- Who’s Who: http://wp.me/p1TVCy-1PE
- New Articles: www.enkispeaks.com
📷 Suggested Illustrations
- ADOLESCENT VISION QUEST
- Caption: A young initiate on a two-day vigil, sitting on a mountain ledge in prayer, awaiting a vision.
- Placement: After “Adolescents hold vigils…”
- ADULT VISION QUEST
- Caption: An elder in solitude, fasting and praying, under the stars for several nights.
- Placement: After “Adults extend quests…”
- ANUNNAKI RESCUING HOPI & ZUNI
- Caption: Flying craft transporting survivors to a cave sanctuary in Sedona after the Great Flood.
- Placement: Before “The Anunnaki helped provision the Indians…”
- CLIFFORD MAHOOTY, ZUNI ELDER
- Caption: Portrait of Clifford Mahooty, Zuni elder and wisdom keeper who preserved the stories of the Ant People.
- Placement: Before “Clifford Mahooty (RIP)…”
🔖 Tags
Vision Quest, Native American Spirituality, Pre-Columbian Traditions, Anunnaki, Hopi, Zuni, Clifford Mahooty, Shamanism, Ancient Anthropology, Flood Myths, Spiritual Practices
📣 Social Media Descriptions
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🌄 The vision quest is a sacred practice of transformation among Native American peoples. Dr. Sasha Lessin explores its meaning—and how Zuni elder Clifford Mahooty connected it with ancient Anunnaki legends. Watch the video & read the article.
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Native American vision quests: fasting, solitude & communion with spirit. Dr. Sasha Lessin links them to Zuni elder Clifford Mahooty’s Anunnaki accounts. 🌄👁️ #VisionQuest #Anunnaki
🖋️ Contributor Bios
Dr. Sasha Alex Lessin, Ph.D. (Anthropology, UCLA) – Anthropologist, therapist, and author of Anunnaki: Evolution of the Gods. Sasha bridges academic research with open-minded inquiry into humanity’s ancient extraterrestrial connections.
Janet Kira Lessin – Co-author, experiencer, and researcher who integrates ancient astronaut theory, metaphysics, and multidimensional consciousness. CEO of Aquarian Media and co-author with Dr. Sasha Lessin of numerous books and articles.
VISION QUEST: Peaceful Spiritual Practice of North American Indians.
https://youtu.be/VJb7oQf-6nM
Click https://wp.me/p1TVCy-7PJ for more on the spiritual traditions of the pre-Colombian people of North America. If Facebook deletes the internet address above—as it sometimes does—just copy the URL from the picture accompanying this post, type it in your browser, and click enter.
By Sasha Alex Lessin, Ph.D. (Anthropology, UCLA), Co-author, with Janet Kira Lessin, of ANUNNAKI, EVOLUTION OF THE GODS.
Description: A Native American vision seeker sits in deep meditation within a quiet forest clearing, hands pressed in prayer as he encounters a luminous, ethereal spirit. The glowing figure mirrors his posture, symbolizing the sacred dialogue between human and nonhuman realms during a vision quest. The soft, natural light and reverent atmosphere evoke a sense of transformation, guidance, and the timeless power of spiritual connection.
Pre-Colombian Americans universally valued their visions & respected others’ visions (they still do) as a communion that they seek, often in solitude, but sometimes in groups, between themselves and nonhuman spirits.
Questers choose how they prepare according to what they seek & the customs of their particular tribes.
Vision seekers transform themselves throughout North America based on nonphysical experiences in isolated retreats.
In their vision quests, questers pray continuously. They abstain from food, water, & social contact.
Their communities free them from everyday duties while they quest. Adolescents hold vigils for one or two days & nights as rites of passage into adulthood responsibilities. Adults extend quests from four to seven days or longer.
Questers seek waking contact with immaterial & physical beings that may give them personal power & medicinal abilities to benefit their community.
They keep some particulars of their experiences as private revelations, never fully sharing them with others. But they use the power they gain for their entire community, which thanks them when they return from their quest. Some quests give questers ongoing assistance for healing other people. [Benedict, 1922 & 1923]
THE ANUNNAKI IN FLYING SAUCERS TOOK ZUNI & HOPI STRANDED BY THE GREAT FLOOD TO A HIGH-GROUND CAVE SURROUNDED BY LUSH VEGETATION NEAR SEDONA, ARIZONA, HAD THEM GATHER FLOOD SURVIVORS, THEN MOVED THEM TO THEIR PRESENT AREA
Description: In this close-up, a Native American vision seeker prays in reverence as he encounters the Ant People, revered in Hopi and Zuni traditions as rescuers during the Great Flood. The ant-like being, with its dark eyes and textured form, faces the man in solemn silence, symbolizing a moment of sacred exchange between human and nonhuman spirit.
Clifford Mahooty (RIP), a Zuni Pueblo Indian elder, member of the tribal orders of the Kachina Priesthood, Galaxy medicine society, Sun Clan, and wisdom keeper of the Zuni history and spiritual practices, told me that the Anunnaki (Ant people) in flying saucers took Zuni and Hopi stranded by the great flood that affected the earth into flying saucers. The saucers first deposited the Indians in a high-ground cave surrounded by lush vegetation in Sedona, Arizona.
The Anunnaki helped provision the Indians, whose job, the Anunnaki said, was to gather survivors from the floods as the waters gradually receded from the still-drenched but gradually drying-out area. After many generations, they boarded the rescued population in their saucers & transported them to their present locale.
A detailed close-up of the legendary Ant People of Zuni and Hopi tradition, depicted as humanoid beings with ant-like features—large dark eyes, textured skin, and antennae. Their appearance conveys both otherworldly mystery and ancient wisdom, reflecting their role as rescuers and guides during the Great Flood.
The Zuni said Mahooty protected the Hopi, especially from Navajo invaders.
Hopi/Zuni groups continued to migrate south. Each new settlement they created during their migration learned to achieve ecological harmony with its environment, kept some of its elders in the settlement to teach succeeding migrants what they had learned, & sent the following groups of migrants further south.
Mahooty said he had memorized the journeys as part of the Kachina ritual songs he had sung as a child initiate, but did not understand their meaning until he was an adult.
Please share this post and facilitate respect for & learning from the people who lived in North America before Columbus brought disease, slavery, theft & a plethora of broken promises to this land.
HAVE YOU EVER HAD A VISION QUEST OR ITS EQUIVALENT—PERHAPS IN NATURE, SPORT, OR A PSYCHEDELIC JOURNEY? RECALL IT. RELIVE IT. CONSIDER HOW WHAT YOU ACCESSED ON YOUR QUEST IS RELEVANT TO YOU IN YOUR LIFE NOW.
ANUNNAKI & ANCIENT ANTHROPOLOGY EVIDENCE, REFERENCES, TIMELINE & WHO’S WHO
Evidence https://wp.me/p1TVCy-1zg
References http://wp.me/p1TVCy-2cq
Timeline http://wp.me/p1TVCy-1Km
Who’s Who http://wp.me/p1TVCy-1PE
New Stuff www.enkispeaks.com
References
- Ruth Benedict (1922), “The Vision in Plains Culture,” American Anthropologist 24(1):1–23. Classic analysis of how Plains nations used fasting/solitude to seek a guardian spirit; age, duration, and technique vary by people. JSTOR
- Ruth Benedict (1923), The Concept of the Guardian Spirit in North America. Sweeping survey of guardian-spirit traditions across regions; underpins the “private revelation used for community benefit” frame. Internet Archive+1
- Britannica, “Vision quest.” Helpful neutral summary: rite of passage; techniques and meanings differ by nation; often linked with guardian spirits. (Use sparingly; your voice leads.) Encyclopedia Britannica
- Lakota (St. Joseph’s Akta Lakota Museum), “Haŋbléčeyapi – Crying for a Vision.” Short cultural explainer noting pipe, Inípi (sweat lodge) purification, and aim of oneness/understanding with Wakȟáŋ Tȟáŋka. Aktala Kota
- Your prior coverage on temple/sacred-site orientation: notes that sweat lodges/sacred spaces often face East (useful bridge when you mention practice logistics). Enki Speaks
- Clifford Mahooty (Zuni elder) content on your site, including the “Ant People / Anunnaki” rescues and migrations (ideal for your Mahooty section citations). Dragon at the End of Time
Related Articles
- THE ANUNNAKI (Ant People) … moved Zuni & Hopi to their present area — your Mahooty piece that directly matches Sasha’s section; perfect as the first “Related.” Dragon at the End of Time
- “GODS” & Ancestral Memories Meet You at Sacred Sites—Here’s How & Why — includes the east-facing orientation note and sacred-site practice context; nice bridge to “how quests are prepared.” Enki Speaks
- Ancient Temple Meditation Enlightens: Here’s How — earlier exploration of ritual spaces (brief note on sweat lodges and orientation). Enki Speaks
- ENKI’S HAND: The Cosmic Origins of Democracy—Humanity’s Eternal Struggle for Liberty — touches Native traditions in a broader mythic-historical frame; good as a tangential “Further Reading.” Enki Speaks
- Our ET Creators… Imprinted Us With Dominator Consciousness — contains Anunnaki context and your editorial POV; relevant for readers following the ET/human-history thread. Dragon at the End of Time
- ANUNNAKI: Who’s Who (with illustrations) — handy roster for newcomers landing on this article from social feeds. Enki Speaks
Tags
Vision Quest, Native American Spirituality, Pre-Columbian Traditions, Guardian Spirit, Shamanism, Hopi, Zuni, Clifford Mahooty, Ant People, Anunnaki, Sacred Sites, Fasting, Rite of Passage, Anthropology
Social blurbs
Facebook
🌄 VISION QUEST is a sacred practice of transformation across many Native nations. Dr. Sasha Lessin explores fasting, solitude, and guardian spirits—plus Zuni elder Clifford Mahooty’s account of the Ant People (Anunnaki) guiding flood survivors to safety. Watch the video and read more.
X (Twitter)
Vision quests: fasting, solitude, and communion with spirit. Dr. Sasha Lessin weaves Native traditions with Zuni elder Clifford Mahooty’s Ant People accounts. 🌄👁️ #VisionQuest #Hopi #Zuni #Anunnaki
Footer
- Video: VISION QUEST — https://youtu.be/VJb7oQf-6nM
- Further reading: Evidence, References, Timeline, Who’s Who, New Stuff (your links stay as-is in the draft).
- Credits: By Sasha Alex Lessin, Ph.D. (Anthropology, UCLA) | Contributing editor Janet Kira Lessin (CEO, Aquarian Media)
Additional Internal Links
1. Hopi
- ANT PEOPLE (Anunnaki?) Rescued Hopi from Earth Changes & Flood — recounts the Ant People and Hopi survival narratives Google Cloud StorageDragon at the End of Timeenkispeaks.com+3enkispeaks.com+3Dragon at the End of Time+3
- Hopi & Zuni Teaching Temples: Kivas & Their 3 Mesas Mirror Orion’s Belt to the Pleiades — explores sacred architecture and cosmic alignment enkispeaks.com
- Extraterrestrial Ancestors Built TEMPLES to Teach Us Astronomy, Home Planets, Geometry & Cosmic Consciousness — touches Hopi myths of world cycles and imagery enkispeaks.com+5enkispeaks.com+5enkispeaks.com+5
2. Zuni / Clifford Mahooty
- Pueblo – THE ANUNNAKI (Ant People) IN FLYING SAUCERS TOOK ZUNI & HOPI… — the narrative captured in your article, excellent for continuity enkispeaks.com+3Dragon at the End of Time+3Dragon at the End of Time+3
- Glenn Bogue — another voice in the “Anunnaki/Hopi/Zuni” constellation, deepening context enkispeaks.com+8Dragon at the End of Time+8Dragon at the End of Time+8
3. Clifford Mahooty (Elder / Wisdom Keeper)
- (The Pueblo post is already the prime Clifford Mahooty-centric link; there may not be others explicitly under his name. Let me know if you’d like a broader “Anunnaki” or “Zuni Elder” tag list instead.)
Related Articles
- ANT PEOPLE (Anunnaki?) Rescued Hopi from Earth Changes & Flood — Hopi narratives of survival and cosmic guardianship.
- Hopi & Zuni Teaching Temples: Kivas & Orion’s Belt — Sacred sacred sites encoded with cosmic geometry.
- Extraterrestrial Ancestors Built Temples for Astronomy & Cosmic Consciousness — Cross-cultural myth and architectural insight.
- THE ANUNNAKI in Flying Saucers Took Zuni & Hopi Stranded by the Great Flood — Clifford Mahooty’s personal testimony of sacred rescue.
- Glenn Bogue — A modern voice in the living tradition of Anunnaki-linked wisdom.
