Burning Man: Naked People and Drugs… or Something Else?

I know Burning Man has quite a reputation… People I encounter have various reactions to Burning Man and the fact that I go.  I get “oh, I didn’t know you were ‘that’ type”.  I smile.  I didn’t know once either.

I’ll be honest.  Before I went to Burning Man, my reaction to it was fear.  Fear of feeling uncomfortable.  Fear that my boundaries were going to be pushed in every way possible.  Fear of isolation, like I wouldn’t belong.  Fear I wouldn’t be weird enough to have fun.  Fear I was going to be the only one who felt that way.  Whole lotta fear.  When we got there, the greeters rolled me in the dirt at the gate and I can’t remember having a moment of fear the whole time I was there.

Here’s what I found the experience to REALLY be about.

• Living in the Present Moment -Leaving the structure of your life behind opens the space for all that is… right in front of you.  That really is all that really exists anyway, but Burning Man has a way of really making it impossible to be anywhere but in the moment.
• Connection – There is a space that is created when masses of people are truly present that leaves the door wide open to real connection.
• Community – Being a part of such a huge event that has so many subcultures within, there are so many ways to engage in a community that really resonates with you.
• Creativity – What I am sooooo impressed with is how important creativity is in some peoples’ lives that they invest their time, energy, money, heart and soul in creating unbelievable structures and experiences all for us to enjoy, partake in and discover our own deeper creativity.
• Expression – Wear the wackiest things you can think of just because it’s fun.
• Play!
• Exploring Beyond Social Norms – you can always experience something you wouldn’t normally, if you want to.
• Leaving Connecting Through Technology Behind - as much as I love social media and my online world – only connecting in person for a whole week is amazing.
• Awakening New Possibilities for Yourself
• No Money – no selling, no buying, no advertising.
• Self Sufficiency - pack-in, pack-out everything you could possibly need or want for the week.

I believe Burning Man can be anything you want it to be.  So I’m off!  I’ll come back and share the juice from this year’s magic place… did I mention I was camping with clowns this year?