Burning Man
Guided by the values expressed by the 10 Principles, Burning Man is a global ecosystem of artists, makers, and community organizers who co-create art, events, and local initiatives around the world. Most recognizably, tens of thousands of Burners gather annually to build Black Rock City, a participative temporary metropolis in the Nevada desert.
The nonprofit Burning Man Project produces the annual Burning Man event in Black Rock City, and provides year-round support, connection, education, and grants to an ever-growing network of Regional Burning Man communities in more than 40 US states and 35 countries.
The Ten Principles
Radical Inclusion - Anyone may be a part of Burning Man. We welcome and respect the stranger. No prerequisites exist for participation in our community.
GIfting - Burning Man is devoted to acts of gift giving. The value of a gift is unconditional. Gifting does not contemplate a return or an exchange for something of equal value.
Decommodification - In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to protect our culture from such exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for participatory experience.
Radical Self Reliance - Burning Man encourages the individual to discover, exercise and rely on their inner resources.
Radical Self Expression - Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual. No one other than the individual or a collaborating group can determine its content. It is offered as a gift to others. In this spirit, the giver should respect the rights and liberties of the recipient.
Communal Effort - Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. We strive to produce, promote and protect social networks, public spaces, works of art, and methods of communication that support such interaction.
Civic Responsibility - We value civil society. Community members who organize events should assume responsibility for public welfare and endeavor to communicate civic responsibilities to participants. They must also assume responsibility for conducting events in accordance with local, state and federal laws.
Leaving No Trace - Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better state than when we found them.
Participation - Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deeply personal participation. We achieve being through doing. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play. We make the world real through actions that open the heart.
Immediacy - Immediate experience is, in many ways, the most important touchstone of value in our culture. We seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and a recognition of our inner selves, the reality of those around us, participation in society, and contact with a natural world exceeding human powers. No idea can substitute for this experience.
Reflections on the meaning of Burning Man - It must be remembered that the Burning of the man in 1986 was a celebration of Summer Solstice. While the Burning Man organization shies away from defining the meaning and significance of Burning Man, there is some background information on the celebration of Summer Solstice that can add to our understanding of the event.
While the Spring Equinox begins this journey and represents new beginnings, the Summer Solstice represents the next step of this divine rhythm. Always occurring at the start of the Cancer Sun Season, the Summer Solstice reminds us to turn inward and find the nourishment needed to grow and evolve.
Ancient and modern Pagans celebrate winter solstice as it marks the Goddess giving birth to the Sun God and it is one of eight celebrations in the pagan wheel of the year!
Bonfires. Lighting and jumping over bonfires on Midsummer's Eve dates to pre-Christian pagan customs. It was thought to keep demons away and bring good luck to lovers.
Litha is one of Wicca's eight sabbats during the year and occurs on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. It celebrates the beginning of summer and celebrates nature's growing fertility.
The Celts also lit bonfires and sent wheels of fire down hills, and people also jumped through rings of fire to bring themselves luck. The Celts believed that the higher the people jumped through the rings of fire, the luckier they would be. Feasting and dancing also took place during the celebrations
Pagans celebrate the Summer Solstice – also known to them as Litha – by honoring fertility, and honoring achievements, joy and fulfilment. Rituals include staying up all night with a roaring bonfire to await the morning sunrise, dancing around the fire and using sacred herbs to bless plants and animals
It's often said to be a time of new beginnings; with the changing of the seasons, we say goodbye to a long, stagnant period of self-reflection and welcome the fiery energy of the sun to propel us forward. This very physical changing of the seasons is a powerful time to manifest spiritual transformations
Solstice Blessings:
· As the sun spirals its longest dance, I bless you. As nature shows bounty and fertility, I bless you.
· May you live with loving intent, to fulfill your truest destiny
· May the summer solstice bring abundant blessings, prosperity, and growth into your life.
· May you reap the fruits of your labor and experience abundance in all areas of your life