“… You only have to let
the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.”
– Mary Oliver
The Wild Quest is a The Wild Quest is a guided 9-day journey of self-discovery in the highlands of Southern Norway. Immersed in wilderness and away from everyday routines, you reconnect with yourself, others, and the living world. Fresh perspectives on your life and your place are waiting to be explored.
The seminar language will mainly be English. However, participants are always welcome to share in their own language as well, and translation will be available in German and Danish when needed.
Simple outdoor living, shared meals by the fire, and a temporary community shape this Quest. An optional 24-hour solo in nature invites a personal vision for the path ahead. The week is gently supported by circle songs with live guitar, and guided to create a safe, intimate, and supportive space.
On Tuesday, June 2nd at 8 PM, we will offer an online info call. Please send us an email at bijan@openvision.earth and we will send you the invitation.
The Wild Quest creates space for personal encounters with longings, vulnerability, inner wisdom, and responsibility in relation to society and Earth.
We will spend almost all of our time outdoors — sleeping in a tipi, simple wooden shelters (gapahuks), tarps, or underneath the star-filled sky. With our (usually heavy) backpacks, we are going to hike for 3-4 hours to get deeper into the mountains. On the last day we hike back the same way we came (though backpacks will be a bit lighter because they carry less ). On all other days, we have a basecamp and hiking is optional (not a group activity). All meals are prepared over the bonfire. It will be vegan, organic food. Together we form a community in which practical collaboration plays an important role. 
We spend the first two days by the sea and then travel two hours further north. There we spend 6 days in the Åseral region, near Bortelid.
To keep the group size manageable and allow enough space for individual self-exploration processes, we plan to take a maximum of 13 participants. No specific prior experience is required, but you should have enough physical endurance for a 3–4 hour hike with a heavy backpack into the wilderness and back out again.
What matters to us is an openness to engage in inner processes, as well as the willingness to be present with the processes of others. Sufficient psychological stability is essential for this journey. If you are currently experiencing a psychological crisis, we ask you to refrain from registering and instead seek psychotherapeutic support. Please also feel free to contact us if you have any further questions about this.
Travel to Norway is by bus and ferry via Hirtshals and Kristiansand.
There are two available pick-up spots: Hamburg (Germany) and Aarhus (Denmark).
1) Hamburg: Friday, August 25th at 1am at the Institute for Movement Sciences (Turmweg 2, 20148 Hamburg).
2) Aarhus: Friday, August 25th at 5am (exact location TBD)
Return times are Sunday, 3rd of September around 10pm in Aarhus and for Hamburg around 2am Monday 4th of September (very early morning).
If you need local transport after arrival in Hamburg, there is an option to stay overnight at the institute before continuing your journey home. 
Wir schätzen den CO₂-Ausstoß dieser Reise auf etwa 40–45 kg pro Person. Zum Ausgleich unterstützen wir Rettet die Naturvölker e.V., eine Organisation, die indigene Lebensräume und Wälder schützt. Dabei verwenden wir einen CO₂-Preis von 200 € pro Tonne – in Übereinstimmung mit den Empfehlungen des Umweltbundesamts und deutlich höher als übliche Kompensationssätze.
Bijan is an experienced guide for nature-based programmes centred around the search for purpose and meaning in life. He is a Psychotherapist (Gestalt Therapy) and a trained Vision Quest guide in the tradition of School of Lost Borders. Trained as a guide in Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects to hold space for people longing to create a more sustainable planet and society. Bijan lives in Hamburg, Germany.
Anna is a wild gatherer of people, and a weaver of human and other-than-human communities. Anna is trained in anthropology, outdoor education (friluftsliv), nature-based rites of passage (School of Lost Borders), Ways of Council (circle work), and has worked for School of All Relations and Kaospilot. Mostly though, they have their learnings from experiences of love and loss and connection and disconnection and from engaging deeply with communities, relationships and the natural world. www.wildbeing.dk
Anna lives in Aarhus, Denmark.
Musical facilitator encouraging group resonance and voice exploration.
Find me @IG: saphir_musik
Alex lives near Freiburg, Germany.
To make participation accessible and encourage solidarity, we offer a sliding scale:
If none of these options fit your financial situation, please contact us — we are open to further reductions on request. 
Please register before June 15th.
Cancellations within 4 weeks of departure incur the full seminar fee.
To confirm your spot, we will ask for a deposit at our host association: Institut für Naturorientierung und Lebensstil e.V.
Before the journey, we will hold an online meet-and-greet — date and access details will be shared after registration.
Please feel free to contact us, if you have any further questions. We are also happy to arrange a brief phone call, as we value personal contact and believe it is important to connect directly and clarify any open points.
bijan@openvision.earth