The Burning Alchemist

A few of you who know me personally are aware that I am a "burner", a member of the community of folks who attend the Burning Man festival in the Black Rock Desert of northern Nevada (a Google Maps location of the festival).  Last year was my third year attending the "burn" and it keeps getting more interesting every year. 

My first year at the burn I came up with a description of what the city looked like at night that nearly every burner that I've told it to agrees is pretty accurate.

Imagine the Las Vegas Strip

as drawn by Dr. Seuss

on acid.

With a population of 40,000 people Black Rock City becomes the fifth largest city in Nevada for one week. And in that week you can find artworks and performances that will blow your mind and redefine what you consider "possible".  You'll find nearly anything you ever wanted to find, many things you NEVER WANTED to find, and a lot of things that you really needed to find but never realized that you did. 

The city holds many things for those who come: family, community, in-your-face artworks, forgiveness, romance, compassion, hate, pain, challenges, love, lust, altered states of consciousness, and much much more.  Last year it held solace, comfort, peace, and compassion for me.  Two days before I left for the event I lost my oldest brother to a massive stroke.  Being at Burning Man gave me seven days of uninterrupted peace and reflection that allowed me the time to grieve for his passing and let him go before I had to return to the "default" world with all of its demands and needs.  I'm not sure how well I would have been able to hold myself together afterwards if I hadn't had that time alone, and with a group of friends and people before whom I could express myself openly and freely.  And that is one of the core beliefs behind the Burning Man community, Radical Self-Expression, the ability to express yourself in any manner you choose.  It is a right and a challenge, for if you take up the right to express yourself you are also challenged with the requirement to accept the radical expressions of those around you.

Burning Man can be a delightful paradise to explore with its artworks and community, or it can be an absolute terror to some since you are living and partying in a harsh alkali desert that is actively trying to kill you.  What you find there is more of a reflection of what you bring in with you in your head and soul than anything else.

If you choose to make the journey, remember one thing, leave your expectations and inhibitions outside the gate, and open yourself up to the nearly limitless possibilities.

Now for what actually inspired this post.  Two videos shot during last year's Burning Man Festival.

Enjoy