We all have our stories. Our gift to you is not the telling of our experiences, though they be many, but the extent to which we can help you to find your own path, voice, truth, and authenticity.
Sparrow Hart, founder of Circles of Air and Stone, began his deep exploration of nature and wilderness in 1971 with a 5-month solo pilgrimage through the Cascades and Canadian Rockies — and undertook his first vision quest in 1980. Over the last 30+ years he has studied with a variety of native and non-native “medicine teachers” in the United States and Mexico, and taught and practiced both modern and indigenous approaches to healing. Read more about Sparrow.
He shares his knowledge through the many Circles of Air and Stone programs designed for groups and individuals, bringing wisdom from the great, perennial teachings focusing on today’s issues we all struggle with. Most programs have Sparrow as guide. He is often assisted by others, particularly Dan Roden and River Strong in the men’s programs, and Len Fleischer and Lauren Chambliss in the Elder Quest and Dream Workshops. Click here to view all programs.
Our Team
Sparrow Hart
Sparrow Hart, vision quest leader. In 1986 he apprenticed in the art of the vision quest with Steven Foster and Meredith Little (authors, ‘The Book of the Vision Quest”), who called him “the best we’ve ever had.” Since the he has led over 180 vision quests in Vermont and the American Southwest, and undertaken 35 quests of his own.
He has authored “Letters to the River: A Guide to a Dream Worth Living” and “The Vision Quest: A Guide’s Training Manual;” created The Mythic Warrior Training; founded of the annual Men’s Wisdom Council at the Rowe Conference Center; and is a proud father and frequent workshop leader around the country.
His work stands firmly in the tradition of “joining Earth and Sky” — bringing spiritual life out of the heavens and into the nitty-gritty issues we face daily — and affirms the importance of the emotional, imaginative, and sensual landscapes (our non-rational capacities) on our individual soul journeys. He is currently completing a workshop training manual, a second book on vision quests, and an audio version of Letters to the River.
Although well-versed in mythology and the sacred traditions of the world, Sparrow’s work comes out of his own experience. His personal journey includes a wide range of shamanic practices; apprenticeship with the Native American teacher, Sun Bear; dream exploration; the twelve steps; psychodrama; inner child work; and a long immersion in the Toltec and Castaneda tradition.
He’s known for a unique ability to bring ancient wisdom into the present, to translate the perennial spiritual teachings about the connectedness of all life into terms relevant to our modern and personal worlds. In the spirit of “reducing self-importance,” he aspires to embrace the shadow and light of our full humanity, which — coming from the same root as “humus” — means, in simple and profound ways, to joyfully be a person of the earth.
River Strong
River Strong is a teacher, environmental consultant, outdoor educator, and heart guide. He holds an MFA in creative writing; has published in the Greyrock Review, Berkeley Fiction Review, and Baltimore Review; and has served as the Executive Director and instructor with ArtsReach, a non-profit education organization serving student populations on the Yaqui, Pima, and Tohono O’odham reservations in southern Arizona.
River is a Senior Fellow in the Environmental Leadership Program, and an instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School, the Adirondack Mountain Club Winter Mountaineering School, and the Appalachian Mountain Club Mountain Leadership School.
Since 2010 he’s participated and co-led men’s programs and vision quests with Circles of Air and Stone. He resides in Amherst, MA with his two daughters, and tries to live by the motto: “Take chances, make mistakes, get messy.”
Sebastien Butterfly
Sebastien Butterfly describes himself as a “wilderness midwife,” supporting people in finding their wisdom and discovering their authentic nature within Nature. A natural storyteller and lover of myth, he shares this passion, along with poetry and song, in reconnecting people with Spirit and with the deepest longings of their souls.
Sebastien is a member of the Wilderness Guide Council, and has co-facilitated vision quests and workshops in the United States and Canada. He’s on staff and a frequent contributor to the annual Men’s Wisdom Council.
Amanda Rader
Amanda Rader has an M.A. in Peace and Conflict Resolution and has worked extensively as a teacher and leader in international experiential education. Passionate about our interconnectedness to all living beings, and committed to living an awakened life, she’s been an advocate for social justice and a mentor in building bridges to transcend our taken-for-granted boundaries.
She undertook her first vision quest in 2011, is a lover of wilderness, and recently trekked over 2,600 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail.
Dan Roden
Dan is a health counselor, Kripalu Massage bodywork therapist, and facilitator of therapeutic programs for youth and older groups. He honors the Sacred in all beings and is passionate about serving his community. With a strong artistic background that supports the healing arts, he encourages individuals to discover and develop more authentic and balanced identities in relationship to the greater world.
Noble Chute
Noble Chute works as an artist, wilderness guide, and facilitator of men’s work. With his wide-ranging interests and adaptable tool-kit he’s proven effective in connecting seemingly disparate groups as well as bringing people closer to their deepest selves. Currently he’s working on new and creative ways to support lost-feeling young men in their journeys toward healthy and meaningful adulthood.
