Since the 1940s, John P. Milton has led over 10,000 vision quests into the wilds of the Himalayas, Bali, the Arctic, Mexico, and other sacred sites around the world. In this nine-hour retreat, which was recorded live in Arizona's Chiricahua mountains, this meditation teacher and former professor of environmental studies presents the six core principles for spiritual practice in nature. They are deep relaxation, presence, cultivating universal energy, opening the heart, cutting through to clarity and spaciousness, and returning to the source. Along the way, Milton shares with us inner and outer practices from various traditions including tonglen, the satori experience, the eleven directions ceremony, sky meditation, and the vision quest.
Sky Above, Earth Below is designed to tutor listeners in the link between Spirit and the natural world. Milton calls wild and sacred places "the church of the earth." Here nature is a wise spiritual teacher, a healer, and provider of food and nourishment for the soul. To learn these practices is to walk lightly on the earth and to constantly sing the praises of Mother Earth. A 40-page study guide accompanies this audio retreat.