We are star
dust Billion year old carbon
---Joni Mitchell
The winds pick up to
Force 6 and swirling clouds are coming
at us, port side. The ripples in the
sand are like the telltales in the water, broadcasting direction and intent. We are bracing for the wind with our goggles
and masks. Pinging sounds on the ceiling
signal rain but we are in the desert, and the sand is rain, and the air is
thick with dust. We are becoming golden white with the dust of dried
prehistoric trout.
Joan and I are in
Black Rock City, Nevada for the annual
Burning Man Festival. Miju and her
wonderful friends have been venturing out to Burning Man for the last five
years as a part of Camp Star Bar F. They
are ecologically minded, self sustaining, smart, funny, and brilliant young
people who remind us that we are all star dust, billion year old carbon… Miju and Gideon were engaged here last year
and they have decided to get married here too. They had intended to have multiple weddings with the Burning Man wedding
for friends and like minded people.
However, when Gideon's grandmother decided to come, it set the tone, and
we all came to the playa.
Burning Man is
Biblical. There is dust. There is wilderness. There is the Golden Rule practiced
well. They have promoted the 10
principals (Radical inclusion, Gifting, Decommodification, Radial Self
Reliance, Radial Self Expression, Communal Effort, Civic Responsibility, Leaving No Trace, Participation, and Immediacy). The harsh environment forces "radical
inclusion." People help
people.
There is
Gifting. There is no expectation of
return of the gift, just the savoring of the act itself.
Everything and
everyone accepts you as you are. Born
naked into the world, some people revert to that state but only as a form of
self expression. Innocence. Acceptance.
Beauty. All in the cauldron of
the unrelenting desert. A city of 70,000 people convene, live and love and dance and
leave no trace.
We looked at the
videos beforehand on YouTube. The
public at large are fascinated by the
bugs, nudity, and people in odd dresses.
We tend to compartmentalize thing
we don’t understand. I think what really
frightens people are the 10 principals and so the media looks at Burning Man as
a lawless sex, and drugs, and alcohol driven event. They could not be farther from the
truth.
We landed in
Reno at Midnight and checked into the
GSR, a bastion of twenty first century commerce. Sad people sat around brightly colored slot
machines hoping for a payoff. What they
will do with the money I do not know, but they
seemed to be the living dead. A
fantasy land of fast wealth and the promise that money can bring happiness
is a caricature of the American Dream. This is the antithesis of Burning Man.
Since we are not
"Burners", we loaded our rental with too much junk at Costco and
Walmart. The Walmart in Reno had done a
million dollars of business the day before.
They had hired temporary stockers for the event. It was Christmas in September. Little did we understand that food is not
Burning Man. You only need water and
some nuts and probably some beer.
Vinegar, lemon juice and skin moisturizer are more important. The playa dust is alkaline and is a
desiccant.
The best stocked place was Sportsman's Lodge
where we were able to get a large cooler and camping equipment. We did not come in an RV but resurrected our
15 year old tent, Trango 2, that has held up well. We probably would have been more comfortable
in a RV but it was not in our budget. I
am not sure people go to Burning Man to be comfortable.
The playa is not
kind to machinery and to people and the hardship is part of the cleaning
experience. Art is agony. Creation and birth are painful. To those who come in RVs and fly into Black Rock City Airport,
it is more of a civilized exercise. We
were envious at times but perhaps they were also jealous of our hard worn BM
aroma. Memory, afterwards, is kind to those who suffer.
The drive out to
Black Rock City was uneventful. Large
well equipped RVs passed us on the
Indian reservation roads. We were
asked to respect the speed limit and followed a yellow Burner car that had many
stickers. We saw Pyramid Lake in the distance. A mirage like natural lake, Pyramid Lake
looks unspoiled and undeveloped as it is mostly on Paiute Tribal land. As a geographic sink of the Truckee River
Basin, it depends on the outflow of water from Lake Tahoe. A drought has been the dominant weather
pattern here and the shores of Pyramid Lake have receded.
We stopped in Gerlach for some last minute items, and
there were spotty vendors selling "Burning Man outfits." They looked out of place. There is very little advertisement and decommodification is one of the 10
principles. A week free of
advertisement except for "free hugs" is good for the soul. We did not miss television or cable or the
constant friction of one sports team vying against another. Opiate for the masses perhaps.
Burning Man is well
organized. You do feel you are entering
a kind of Disney World with multiple lanes and traffic control. Each car is greeted with care. We received a paperback book full of
information and a schedule of events.
Each camp gifts crafts and learning opportunities. We can learn ribbon art, make parasols,
participate in Gong Vibe Yoga, eat pancakes, eat naked bacon, make music.
The actives are too numerous to fit into a pamphlet, so there is a book!
We arrived near dusk.
Miju and our boys, who had come a
few days earlier, greeted us and led us to find our campsite. Joan and I are near the boundary at location 4:30 and L (Laffing Sal). The city is organized as the spokes of a
large clock from 10 to 2 O clock. Our campsite
neighbor was Ken, a commodities trader from Reno, who provided delightful
company and help.
The sun set
quickly. The horizon here is broken by
the Black hills. They look rocky. Our GPS says we are in Lovelock, Black Rock City. The night sky is clear but there is
omnipresent wind. We did not have much
wind protection but the Trango tent held with the rain fly lashed down
like Gulliver at Lilliput.
We percolated coffee on the Coleman stove. We could be
sitting on the back deck of Enchantress,
but we are over 2200 miles away.
Music wafes by from the central playa. Mutant vehicles drive by with partygoers on
board. Dust storms come and go. We are part of the landscape. The wind
caresses the campsite. It is
beautiful.
Tuesday brings fair
weather, and we visit the line of PortaPotties.
Music, Art, Food, Shelter and PortaPotties. Bathrooms are priorities for Burners. The civility is culture. There is no passing in line and everyone
seems to respect people's autonomy.
Several of the PortaPotties are decorated with flowers and lights and
extra nice hand fresheners. Someone has
gifted their time and bathroom décor to make it more comfortable.
Nudity is self
expression and naturalness. We did not
see Burning Man as a festival of sex and
nudity. The desert is not kind naked
people. You just don't see Lawrence of Arabia in the buff. Our western society commercializes sex and
makes nudity shameful rather than natural.
At the same time, it sells sex as a commodity rather than as a
relationship and as part of intimacy. Perhaps natural nudity is the
Decommodification of the body as one of the 10 principles of Burning Man. I am reminded of Puritanism as the concept that someone, somewhere, is having
fun.
The art is breathtaking. In the night, the playa is
filled with mutant vehicles and art comes alive. There is mind bending music as large music
cars filled with amplified sound transforms the playa into a concert hall. People sparkle. People are lighting bugs, fireflies parading
around the playa in search of Immediacy.
Our families are at
the playa for the wedding. Mark and
Abbie are back home awaiting the birth of their first child. Ben and Megan are adapting well and seem
perfectly at ease. They are happy. Exuberant Reuben is dancing and having
fun. He is a Burner. Noah is young and old and seems to be
soaking in the experience. He is a
sponge.
Gideon's family is
warm and amazing. His uncle Justin has
become an Internet marriage authority to officiate the wedding, He is like someone you think met before
but haven't. He is irreverently
traditional. His humor is inclusive as
he is laughing with you. Gideon's
parents are brave and it is their willingness to come to the desert that
brought the families together. His
brother and sister are also impressive people, our best young bright hopes.
Miju is
beautiful. She is a fragile little girl
who is still growing up and now getting married. Outwardly calm and poised, she must be
worried about us bumbling around Black Rock City. She has gifted us her friends and life from
San Francisco. Courage is needed to
expose your parents to your friends and your friends to your parents,
especially at Black Rock City.
Sometimes, as our
children grow up, they must look at their parents with a shocking eye. They can see our foibles and limitations too
clearly. In their newly invented adult
lives, they might be stunted as to think about where they came from. Perhaps we are too conservative, too rich,
too poor, or too Catholic or Jewish. We were probably too busy missing their childhood or too involved, helicoptering. For no matter how far we
go into our professional lives, we come from our parents. A basic
component of our genetics and culture still stays with us. It might be a reactionary component for we
might be opposite of our parents, but the kernels are still inside. Brewing.
Miju and Gideon are
a stunning couple. They stand under the Chuppah with the desert dust
swirling. The wedding was supposed to
be at the Burning Man Temple but the dust storms and the high wind simply make
the logistics too difficult. So Ilyse and Justin just go with the flow and the wedding occurs at Star Bar F camp. Their
neighbors, Sexy Pirate Ship Camp, were
going to have a loud party but they turn
down the music and attend the wedding.
There at the intersection of 4:30 and E (Erastrz) is Star Bar F
camp. As the wedding occurs, life
happens. There are people walking and
riding and if they choose, they stop and attend. There are no walls. Motion of people and
dust and traffic make the boundaries.
We did not know what
to expect. There is no walking down the
aisle. There is no aisle. Gideon's Godfather plays the
electric piano. There is a two person
string ensemble. An Australian Aboriginal blow worm
pipe leads Gideon and Miju to the gathering.
They simply walk in from the street.
A blend of people in the
background, and they magically appear.
I am reminded of the chiascura.
A series of
attestations from loved ones follow.
Joy recites a beautiful play poem.
Best friends, brothers, fathers talk about Miju and Gideon. Gideon speaks his heartfelt thoughts and
feelings about Miju. He seems to be
transformed and he is beautiful in his honesty and earnestness and love. Miju promises to Joan that she will one day,
in the future, have kids. They share a
bubble together that is unique and private.
A ritual is transformative and this wedding changes us as well as the
couple.
They make their vows privately, to each other, as we stand around them with flaming sparklers. The sun is setting. There is a ring of people. We are friends and families of Miju and
Gideon protecting them while also holding burning sparklers that can harm. There is a crowd of people at the
intersection of this time event.
After the ceremony,
the worst formal reception follows.
Burners are not formal. We
forget the mints and watermelon. The
mints are in the cooler and we could not
cut the watermelon as it was too dusty.
The grapes are served in Ziplock bags.
The ice cream is made by liquid nitrogen. The cupcakes are from the Burning Man
bakery. The icing was lovingly applied
by Megan and Miju's brothers. Despite the lack of enteral food, there is much food for thought. Cassidy starts the rounds of toasts from a special sister's perspective. Tom and Jeff give heartfelt wondrous toasts. We almost forget Joan who has been working on her toast for weeks. She sends off Miju and Gideon with maternal love that is eternal. We toast with rising hearts as the wedding is not
about the decorations or the food. The party is not about what other people
think of the entertainment. We are the
party and the entertainment. We are the
food that succors.
Everyone gets their
nighttime gear on, and the the real party starts, The "Wedding Party" bikes to the
Mayan Warrior. En mass like a giant
multi linked organism across the sparking playa, we bike as a part of the
community. I thought this is what those
Harley Guys feel when they become weekend road gangs. The party goes until Sunrise. Joan and I peel off at 1 am as it is really 4
am Eastern Time. We dance with Miju and her friends. There is joy and happiness and a sensation
that time is at a standstill. Playa
feet gets the best of us, and we the parental units retreat back to the
boundary tent.
Gideon gives us the
landmarks to ride home. He is a
remarkable young man. We look at him in
new light and love. We feel a part of a
him and feel connected. Joan and I take
off for the Eye of Zorron and Thurderdome which marks the entrance to 4:30, our
Playa address.
Darkwads are a
constant threat. Joan has two crashes
into darkwads. Luckily she is tipsy and pliable
and she suffers no permanent injury.
Her bruises this week might put me into trouble with Adult protective
services, but they are playa burner purple spots. Her nails change color with her body
temperature and she has been a hot momma for most of the Burn.
A blur of two
Stetson hats passes me and two darkwads, riding a single bike crash into
Joan. The crowd helps Joan up. I am very angry at the Stetsons, but the
people surrounding us make sure Joan is ok, and makes us all do a group hug and
pacify the incident. This is a lesson
from Burning Man for everyday life. We
all make mistakes and we can be darkwads.
There is civic responsibility to make things better. We should all help each other. The fate of our neighbor and stranger should
matter. When a Mariner is in peril, the
closest to him come to aid. Burning man makes this dictum a practice.
Morning follows, and
we head for home. Joan and I are more
water people. The desert is an
ocean. We say goodbye to Ken our
campmate and head back to Reno and civilization. We are sad to leave Miju and Gideon and the boys behind.
We are all
negotiating life. We should have more
immediacy. We should leave no trace
except our memories. We should try to
make the world and not just people better.
We are all too constrained by our "lives of quiet
desperation" We should not have to
go to Burning Man to realize that civic self expression is important. We are reminded by Burning Man that we
should all participate in our society and that art and music and love are
important. We should not judge people
by their cover. We simply should not
judge but include.
Hotel Tonight takes
us back to civilization and we are decompressing today at the Peppermill, a
Reno resort. We let the waters take
some of the playa dust off. My skin is
raw and dry. It is sanded. My soul is clear and there is work to
do. We get breakfast in bed. Joan is looking for running water. It costs moreto clean the car than to rent
it. The Peppermill scrubs us clean but
the Playa dust is in our pores and in
our souls.
Saturday, the Man
burns. People are still coming into
Black Rock City to see the final ceremony.
The week of Burning Man is more than the burning of the statue. I am very impressed by the various camps and
the gifiting of knowledge, service and food.
Humans cooperating and gifting their talents is a prescription for a
Utopia. We should have more Burner
concepts in our society.
The winds are
suppose to pick up to near gale, Force 8 on the playa on Saturday. We will be back home tonight. I am sitting on the starboard part of this
jet that is riding the ocean of the Jet stream.
We are carrying back the playa dust along with the memories. The camping was difficult. The art was beautiful. The wedding was transformative.
We are all Star Bar F, billion year old carbon. We will return to dust and dust. Our bodies are mostly water. We
will recycle back to the atmosphere and then to the oceans.
Live life. Express your
love. Include people. Make beautiful things. Do not be afraid to change the world and
those around you for the better. Make
your life a gift to those people around you.
These are thoughts and sentiments that we bring back from Burning Man
and the brilliant couple. Thank you
Miju and Gideon. Thank you Camp Star
Bar F.
I am going to camp
out on the land I am gonna to try and
get my soul free…
---Woodstock, J.
Mitchell
