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Well. first: Everything I hated about Burning Man. Heat and dust. Just to make sure you didn't miss anything, that would be dust and heat.
Now, everything I loved about Burning Man. Naw. Most of it would be out of context and totally uninteresting to the reader. I will say, though, that the burning of the man was beyond anything I could have imagined.
The theme this year was 'nautical' so the man was atop a structure that looked like a lighthouse. There were 20,000 people (maybe twice that) around it. Fire dancers danced. Drummers drummed. I was near one set of drummers. It put me in my shaman head and it all became very spiritual.
There were a few drunks yelling stupid things and being assholes, but I quickly tuned them out. An hour of drumming. Deep rthyms that move the soul. It would have been enough.
Then a slighly over choreographed (in my opinion) fireworks from the lighthouse. The blaze was set from the inside. As I watched the man fall, then the lighthouse collapse I was filled with the most intense sadness I can ever remember. And it was pure. It wasn't connected to me or filled with a missing or longing. It wasn't about regret. It was without anchor. I talked to several people after who said it always feels like that to them.
Now, over 24 hours later, I can't recall the feeling. It came and went without touching me. I felt it, but it wasn't about me so none of it stuck.
That will rank high on my list of spiritual moments.
Will I ever go back? Once I figure out what to do with the heat and dust!
Now, everything I loved about Burning Man. Naw. Most of it would be out of context and totally uninteresting to the reader. I will say, though, that the burning of the man was beyond anything I could have imagined.
The theme this year was 'nautical' so the man was atop a structure that looked like a lighthouse. There were 20,000 people (maybe twice that) around it. Fire dancers danced. Drummers drummed. I was near one set of drummers. It put me in my shaman head and it all became very spiritual.
There were a few drunks yelling stupid things and being assholes, but I quickly tuned them out. An hour of drumming. Deep rthyms that move the soul. It would have been enough.
Then a slighly over choreographed (in my opinion) fireworks from the lighthouse. The blaze was set from the inside. As I watched the man fall, then the lighthouse collapse I was filled with the most intense sadness I can ever remember. And it was pure. It wasn't connected to me or filled with a missing or longing. It wasn't about regret. It was without anchor. I talked to several people after who said it always feels like that to them.
Now, over 24 hours later, I can't recall the feeling. It came and went without touching me. I felt it, but it wasn't about me so none of it stuck.
That will rank high on my list of spiritual moments.
Will I ever go back? Once I figure out what to do with the heat and dust!