Burning Man

Read this in a recent BM newsletter, and it echos my sentiments, of the fantastic times I have enjoyed at this diverse, and transforming, yearly gathering of creative souls. Looking forward to my new adventure there, 8-28 thru 9-4, 2006 :-)

"My first and only year at Burning Man completely overwhelmed me. I went expecting a good time, some interesting art and open yet crazy people. I saw all of that in the first 5 seconds steering onto the playa. What I experienced the other 5 days will take a lifetime and many subsequent trips to process. To say Burning Man changed my life would be too simple and obvious. To say that it revolutionized my life is getting more accurate. Many of the people I met said that they could be themselves and that was liberating. I could both be myself and be outside myself, looking in. Now that is liberating. This would be the sort of thing from which religions are born if it were not so healthy for the soul. Burning Man is a cultural, spiritual journey and is different one for each person fortunate enough to experience it. One cannot just attend; one must breathe in the culture, love and community that is Burning Man. The story of its growth and evolution parallels that of its citizens. We all grow and evolve a little faster and freely because of that which is Burning Man. The ecological effort to keep Black Rock city clean is phenomenal. Leave No Trace is the motto and I saw most people pick up their own trash. If something needs to be done, do it! The community effort is overwhelming. I was offered coffee, food, mojitos, massage and gifts ranging from necklaces to clothing. The gifting community with no money accepted is truly refreshing. I brought a few things this year but am preparing a booty bag of great things for next year. I just had no idea how sincere it was. The burns themselves are breath taking. The burn of the Man was massive. Imagine completely circling this giant wooden man, 40,000 people all cheering and dancing. When the man falls everyone runs to the center and is just completely going crazy. Yet no one is hurt. the most orderly, civilized gathering of chaos I have ever seen. By contrast, the [temple] burn . . . the following night is so tranquil and reflective you could hear a pin drop. Equally awe inspiring but evoking a completely different mood. Both have value and both transform you in ways you would never imagine or expect. Burning Man not only promotes individual creativity but downright demands it. One can't just show up to Burning Man, you must participate. This I love and it would not etch itself on the soul so deeply if this were not part of the experience. The best thing is that there are no rules. If you want to build a space ship and dress like you are from Mars well then you will probably be in good company and meet your neighbors from Venus. It's about community and creativity, art and love. It's about self expression, growth and of course, having a good time. To say that Burning Man has changed and grown and therefore is not the same as it was years ago is limiting one's outlook of what it is about. It may reach the point that it is too big for the Black Rock desert, then it will maybe reach it's potential. The event is now bigger than life, that's the whole point. Now it is time we are bigger than life! So, my feedback you were looking for, my input... Don't change a damn thing, it's perfect!"