Every August, my Mom asks me if i am going to “Birmingham” again. It’s a little joke we enjoy sharing and though I’m not attached to going each year, I do appreciate the chance to travel down to Nevada and enjoy the “Birmingham Festival”…
For many people, this event is a pivotal point of change or transformation in their lives. This is especially true if they have not had the opportunity to experience a loving community or art that comes from the heart. For me, Burning Man has always felt like a seamless continuation of my life in Vancouver. Even though there are large scale art installations and big parties going on in every block at Burning Man, it doesn’t feel that different from the collective vibe of the creative communities in Vancouver. We’re so blessed to have found each other en masse and get to play together all year here.
Interestingly, I often hear the term “default world” from people coming back from Burning Man. Yet Magic, Love and Creativity are everywhere and in everyone…not just in that week in the desert! This wonderment can flow seamlessly from one place to another because it is actually our perception that allows such a continuum of beauty. Yes, i deeply admire the efforts of all artists and activists who play hard at Black Rock City but i also feel the same about people in our very midst who play hard all year!
Since whatever we appreciate will appreciate in value, it’s really humbling to find gratitude for the magic, love and creativity of our everyday lives and not just during that week at “Birmingham”…
Some Highlights from My 2011 Burning Man Experience
– having fresh salad and fruit on the Playa
– witnessing the various projects that friends had worked so hard on
(including the CORE effigy project and the Temple)
– attending a sunrise hand-fasting ceremony of two dear friends
– washing my sweetheart’s hair
– visiting the Black Rock medical tent due to a mysterious burning eye
– receiving thoughtful eye wash gifts from several friends
– learning about the engagement of some beloved campmates
– riding on a salmon trawler art car created by an Alaskan fisherman and watching the crew catch another art car with their fishing nets
– meditating at the Temple
– catching the sunrise and feeling the solar energy renew my internal battery
