Anyone going to Burning Man this year?

[MsNobody]

This will be my third burn, my plans changed and I'm most likely going solo this year.

Is anyone from the Actualized community going? It would be great to meet up on the playa! 

[Yimpa]

I have never been there and don’t know much about it, but now I am curious about what it’s about! I am going to watch this documentary to learn more:

 

[Lyubov]

I had friends who went, they weren’t burners but burner adjacent. This was back in 2013/14. As I understand it has changed a lot since then. It’s now more a festival and a lot of normies go. 

[Joseph Maynor]

I would go, but I imagine it would require a lot of planning.  I want to go at some point.

[Leo Gura]

Too much dust.

I don't like dust. It's coarse and irrirating.

Edited Sunday at 08:30 AM by Leo Gura

[Joseph Maynor]

It depends on where you live somewhat.  If you live in the desert you are going to crave getting near water.  If you live in forest, you might get a lot out of going to the desert.  

[Basman]

Sounds fun. Plenty of casual sex with hippie hipster girls.

[LordFall]

One of my old business partners went last year. He said it was really cool and allowed him to relax and get work out of his head. 

[PsychedelicEagle]

I'll be at https://icelandeclipse.com/ in case someone is going.

In some ways the opposite of burning man 😂

Edited Sunday at 10:01 PM by PsychedelicEagle

[Joseph Maynor]

Burning Man is a week-long large-scale desert event focused on "community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance" held annually in Black Rock Desert about 100 miles (160 km) north-northeast of Reno.  (Wiki)

[MsNobody]

@Yimpa I just finished watching, I wish they spoke more about the principles of burning man, but overall it was a good documentary.

I love the energy there so much, its like a vortex of raw chaotic matter, my first burn I did LSD, some K and Hash and right when the man was burning I saw those entities, it was like black tornados with pure chaotic energy full of possibilities, just going around rubbing its energy in all people, in order to be spread out in the real world, it's really pure magic that a temporary city functions so well with no money in such an extreme environment. The community there is unreal, and the art is out of this world, you ride your bike at night and it feels like you are in a dream, because the dust goes up and its all foggy, all art cars are lit up. Everyone must go once. 

[MsNobody]

@Leo Gura

I wanted to comment on the dust, it's actually just very dry, which I personally love because you don't really sweat. Since you're already used to the dryness in Vegas I think you'd be totally fine.

I have severe allergies in California, yet somehow I've never gotten sick at Burning Man, even though I'm pushing my body to the extreme every year. The dust was one of my biggest worries before my first burn, but it ended up being much less of an issue than I expected.

I really hope you go one day and experience the magic for yourself, there is nothing quite like getting completely lost in a whiteout dust storm. It sounds miserable on paper, but in the moment it feels surreal and humbling.

[MsNobody]

@PsychedelicEagle

Wow, that looks really cool. I went to a festival in 2017 called Oregon Eclipse, built around the total solar eclipse. It was one of the strangest and most unforgettable experiences. In one moment the sun was shining and then suddenly the eclipse brought this eerie darkness and cold, the temperature dropped significantly, thousands of people started howling at the sky, it felt super primal, eclipses are powerful. 

[MsNobody]

@LordFall Yes! One of my favorite parts is being without my phone for a whole week. BM is basically a giant playground for adults, there are kids there too, but it's one of the few places where adults can truly reconnect with their inner child. There are trampolines, giant art structures to climb, incredible music, hilarious people everywhere, and you can randomly hop onto an art car and end up on some crazy adventure with complete strangers.. I struggle with FOMO because there's always something amazing happening somewhere else so it's hard for me to relax. I'm glad your friend was eventually able to settle into the experience.

Burning man feels a lot like a psychedelic trip, even if you're completely sober, it brings up the feeling of wonder, unpredictability, and openness just like psychedelic experiences.

[MsNobody]

@Basman I've never had sex there and have never seen anyone having, but yes Im sure it happens a lot, just not what I focus on. 

[MsNobody]

@Lyubov Yes, the internet definitely changed it. There are a lot more people with phones, filming and taking pictures than there used to be, the famous sparkly ponies (women who go there just to take pics). But it's also thanks to the internet that burning man has been able to grow, organize itself, and reach so many people, really two sides of the same coin.

My first burn was in 2022, and I can already see the difference, but in my opinion it doesn't take away the magic, though, burning man feels like a little bubble of another reality. Even the road that takes you to black rock city in the middle of the desert is strange dark, empty, almost like you're entering through a portal to other reality, it always reminds me of Michael Crichtons Westworld and Jurassic Park, where you buy a ticket to step into a completely different reality. BM has that same feeling for me.. you cross the gate and suddenly the normal rules of everyday life no longer apply.

And just like in everyday life, at BM you get back what you put out. If you're open, curious, and willing to participate, the playa seems to respond in kind. It's a beautiful place to play with the energetics of reality and see what emerges.

I had a huge breakthrough during my first burn, there are so many takers there and to be honest I was being one of them in my first burn, someone was kind to me in a moment of struggle when really they could've been doing something else with their time there, and that took me on a ride, I spent one hour crying with overwhelming gratitude for all the people who dedicate so much time, energy and effort to making something this extraordinary happen in the middle of nowhere. So yes all the newcomers that are takers eventually will become givers too, I like to be optimistic. 

[LordFall]

23 minutes ago, MsNobody said:

@LordFall Yes! One of my favorite parts is being without my phone for a whole week. BM is basically a giant playground for adults, there are kids there too, but it's one of the few places where adults can truly reconnect with their inner child. There are trampolines, giant art structures to climb, incredible music, hilarious people everywhere, and you can randomly hop onto an art car and end up on some crazy adventure with complete strangers.. I struggle with FOMO because there's always something amazing happening somewhere else so it's hard for me to relax. I'm glad your friend was eventually able to settle into the experience.

Burning man feels a lot like a psychedelic trip, even if you're completely sober, it brings up the feeling of wonder, unpredictability, and openness just like psychedelic experiences.

Why don't you have a phone there? There's no service or it's part of the culture to disconnect? That sounds like a cool aspect of it, digital detox is important once in a while for sure. 

[MsNobody]

@LordFall there is no service, it’s in the middle of the desert with not much around. Some people have starlink tho, it’s increasing every year but I prefer to totally disconnect.