Virgin Burner 

…the name given to first time residents of Burning Man.

I learned a new acronym yesterday..TTITD. This is a somewhat benign reference to the annual event that is Burning Man, aka That Thing in the Desert. There are as many opinions about what Burning Man is as there are people who’ve never been. Is it a festival? A week-long communal rave? A hippie tripping art festival? Well, when I first learned about it (in an attempt to understand what some of my Burner friends were saying), I did my research. First of all, Burner is the affectionate name for those who have experienced the Playa and Playa is the name given to the desert and the culture that resides there for roughly one week a year.

It was a bit overwhelming to read all the various accounts and opinions on the internet. So I sought out as many veterans and recent Burners as I could find. Almost to a person, the message was clear, ‘whatever you think it is, it isn’t…it’s so much more!’ A blogger and guest writer for the HuffPost said, “It has always been a fossil fuel powered orgy of creative expression that doesn’t have much to say about politics or political engagement.” Anna Smith wrote in The Guardian, “Attending the Burning Man festival in Nevada is like landing on another planet: a vast desert populated by a peaceful, friendly, out-there people, with a culture all its own.”

According to Wikipedia Burning Man is an annual gathering that takes place at Black Rock City—a temporary city erected in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. It really is a city, but only for about a week a year. It is a roughly 6 acre site in the desert that is completely empty 11 months and 3 weeks a year, but for about 10 days around every labor day is populated by roughly 70,000 Burners and filled with art, music, and a culture that is likely completely foreign to most; and a week later there is nothing but some packed desert dust in the shape of the cities roads.

Whatever others say, I’ve been assured by those who have a bit of Playa dust in their veins and probably more than a little in an old suitcase that they open up every August or so, it will be the most remarkable experience _________ (fill in the blank). I’ve also been told to leave your judgement at the gate and keep an open mind.

Well this year I’ve been lucky enough to score a ticket and have been feverishly making plans and learning about the 10 principles and how to survive on the Playa. You can’t buy anything, but ice and coffee…no food or other supplies and you have to take everything away with  you…and I mean EVERYTHING! The 10 principles were crafted by one of the co-founders as an organizing guide for regional events (yes…it’s more than TTITD) to convey the culture that is Burning Man. The event is described as an experiment in community and art, influenced by these 10 main principles: "radical" inclusion, self-reliance and self-expression, as well as community cooperation, civic responsibility, gifting, decommodification, participation, immediacy and leaving no trace.

First held in 1986 on Baker Beach in San Francisco as a small function organized by Larry Harvey and a group of friends, it has since been held annually, spanning from the last Sunday in August to the first Monday in September. Burning Man 2017 is being held between August 27 and September 04.

I know this all may sound a bit unusual and maybe even a little out-of-character for those of you who know me in one walk of life or another, but if I view them as a lens for the ‘remarkable experience’ I’ve been told to expect, I’m hoping for something special and some fuel for Optional Thought!

So please forgive me in advance for any radically inclusive cooperative civic-minded self expression I may choose to gift to the community after I spend my time as a Virgin Burner savoring the dust of the Playa.

6 days until the Man Burns!!  

 

See you on the other side...