09/04/2023
Group Distance Energy Healing Session: Mon, Sep 4 at 8 p.m. EST. Let me know that you are "in"!
PreambleâŠ
My son, his partner, and another friend are at Burning Man as I write. If youâve never heard of Burning Man before this week, you likely have now, as it has made national news.
In a nutshell, Burning Man is an amazing art festival, held in a 7-mile radius lakebed (affectionately called the Playa) in the Nevada desert. The event is held every year since it began as a small gathering of introspective individuals in 1986 on a beach in California. During their gathering, they burned The Manâa wooden human-like structure to symbolize the letting go of the old, outdated version of self, and to clear the way for the more authentic self to emerge. A transmutation of Self.
This small gathering in 1986 has morphed into a city of about 75,000 that since the 1990s springs up each year (except for the 2 years of Covid) on the aforementioned lakebed that is now called Black Rock City.
I could write pages about what I learned, not only about Burning Man itself, but about myself. And I wouldnât be able to scratch the multi-layered surface of what one can discover, create, express, and heal by experiencing this event.
After participating at Burning Man for the first time some 10 years ago, my son told me, âMama, you MUST go!â Apparently being there reminded him of me! Well, should you google Burning Man and see the extraordinary creativity of dress (or undress!) and the absolutely amazingly inspiring feats of artistic engineering, youâd wonder how on earth he made that connection đ€Ł. It brings me to tears to realize that it was the love, the positivity, the community coming together, the sharing, the solemnity, the generosity of spirit, the appreciation of beauty, the introspection, the respect, the opportunity for transformation, and ok, the âwoo wooâ aspect, that made him know that I had to experience this for myself.
I finally agreed that when I turned 60 I would go (pretty much expecting him to forget by then, lol). But no. He remembered. And held me to my word đ.
Iâm so glad he did. It was extraordinary. One of the best experiences of my life. Among other things, I felt totally and completely accepted as is. I was free to show up figuratively naked. No judgment. Total acceptance. Free to be Me. And how freeing it was/is to enjoy everyone else showing up as themSelves.
I started to write about this tonight because, if you have been listening to the news, you know that these 70,000 festival goers are literally stuck (crazy mud conditions created by rain mixing with the unmistakable dust of the Playa) and cannot leave to go home. The lakebed comes with nothingâno electricity, no water, no facilities (except porta potties that are brought in, thank heavens). As a participant you bring in EVERYthing: 4 gallons of water per person per day (7 days), and food for 7 days. Because participants now have to shelter in place, food and drink are running low. Hearing about this and getting sporadic texts from my son, I just KNEW, that participants are digging deep, finding their inner strength, helping one another, sharing their resources, encouraging each other. Such is the Burning Man way.
After assuring me that all is well in generalâhe, his partner, and their friend are making do with crackers and canned sardines and have enough water to last 4 days (Boy Scout training to the rescue!) â he shared that some participants are going rogue (my words, not his), are not heeding the directions meant for the good and safety of all, and are attempting to leave the Playa despite the impossible conditions. Only to have their vehicles become stuck in the deep mud and block the exit for thousands of others for when the conditions change and Exodus (as the leaving of the Playa is called) would be physically possible.
Upon hearing this, my indignation (with hands fully on my hips) yelled out âwhere are their parents? Did no one teach them to be kind, thoughtful, and think of the common good?â Harumph! I immediately assumed these thoughtless individuals were acting out of a sense of privilege, as in âthe rules donât apply to me!â My indignation continued: âWell, the jokeâs on you, buddyânow not only can you not get out but neither can anyone else. Happy?â Another Harumph for good measure.
NOW whoâs not in the Burning Man spirit? Hmmmm? Maybe they are scared⊠or have a family member who needs help ⊠or are at the end of their psychological rope after a week in the desert ⊠or are feeling anxious and trapped ⊠or are exhausted and vulnerable after a transformation.
Whether I am deluding myself or not (surely some, if not many, are acting out of a sense of privilege), I am not in integrity with mySelf when I am feeling indignant and thinking the worst of someone else. And Iâm not adding to the uplift of the world. Iâm bringing myself and the vibration around me down. So, if I am to be true to all I gained from my Burning Man and Life-to-date experience, Iâve got to dig deep and find the compassion and acceptance I am shown when I misstep.
I am not advocating doing nothing when I perceive a wrong. But when a deed is done and one is literally stuck, my feeling of annoyance and resentment is hurting only me. So as soon as I finish writing this, Iâm going into the Quiet and giving some virtual hugs to 70,000 Burners who just want to get home. Such is the Burning Man Way.
DustyMoose (my Burner name) signing off
