“Let it go. Let it flow.”
A few hours before the rains began (on Friday morning of Burning Man 2023) I spied this^ graffiti mantra scrawled by clairvoyant prankster in a porta-potty and snapped a photo.
While most visitors would have interpreted this as a diarrhea joke, my stool passed solid that morning—and “LET IT GO” felt like the universe patting me on the head for how enlightened & competent I’d become at releasing things.
Stepping onto the dusty playa in a mustard linen caftan—finally free after gifting my precious time to 5 days of cello performances with the Black Rock Philharmonic—I knew I deserved to party.
Wholly unconcerned by the charcoal bank of clouds gathering near the Temple, my ego began to swell…
If you’re partying sober in the Black Rock Desert, even non-certified Life Coaches will tell you “ego swells” are dangerous…
And yet I remained unprepared for how severely my ego was about to be challenged & humbled; not just by the flood, mud, & mass inebriation of almost everyone around me—but by my own selfish patterns & expectations of what I thought the universe should provide.
WHY WON’T YOU SHUT UP ABOUT IT?
When I shared that I’d enjoyed the gift of two fully sober Burning Man experiences at an alcoholics anonymous meeting this week, someone with 3 days of sobriety came up and said, “That’s awesome. That gives me hope man.” And that’s one small reason why I’m writing this.
Cause this was my 4th burn since 2014. And one of my most obnoxious traits (and I have many) is I’ll go toe-to-toe with anyone to defend Burning Man as among the best investments of time, energy, & money.
We’ll tackle my own sublimated economic resentment in a later essay under the principle of PARTICIPATION (including some cost breakdowns), but for now what I hope to help non-attendees understand:
the loud parts of Black Rock City that often get filtered back to social media—music festival, influencer photoshoots, wealthy tech-bro wellness retreat—are kind of like cliques in high school that get featured in the yearbook. It’s a big part of the culture, sure—but it’s not wholly representative of what it FEELS like to be there.
While this year especially was an easy (and fair) target for schadenfreude, maybe the reason people don’t shut the f*ck up about it is because it’s often a really powerful experience that scratches humanity’s deep itch for meaning and raw connection & we can’t help but want other people to experience that too?
Anyone can get a taste of this experience through the imperfect practice of what are known as the “10 Principles.” Hard to define & often paradoxically applied, these principles (defined & listed below) help sustain a culture that has taught me how to mostly flow with the chaos, instead of blindly reacting with anger, fear, or selfishness.
So if you come back to read the rest of this essay series: there will be sexual liberation. Plotted revenge & regret. Yes, there will be spiritual connection. An old friendship deepened. There will even be a bit of civic optimism…
10 PRINCIPLES & 10 DAYS
Welcome to this “10 Principles” essay series, cataloging the 10 days I was able to participate in Burning Man. And whether these principles are familiar or foreign to you, we’ll be investigating age-old questions like:
Who actually practices the “10 Principles” & when they contradict each other, how do we decide which one to follow next?
How do we hurt/heal ourselves when we embark on an adventure as “extravagant” as Burning Man?
Does this experiment exist in harmony or hypocrisy within our radicalized political, economic, & environmental climate?
What really happened in the mud that the media (and your toxically positive friends) didn’t tell you about?
But I hope by sharing the grittier details of these experiences, burners and non-burners alike to say YES to more messy experiences, acknowledge the paradox of our principles, & expand your definition of “fun.”
Participate in this writing project (& ensure I stay committed) by subscribing & sharing this blog.
OFFICIAL DEFINITIONS OF THE 10 PRINCIPLES
A taste of what is to come. The following 10 essays will be published as they are completed the next few weeks…
DAY 1 // 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.
topics include:
selling 95% of all that i own
stalled by anticapitalist / climate protest
community that stepped up to help me on a tight budget
DAY 2 // RADICAL INCLUSION
Anyone may be a part of Burning Man. We welcome and respect the stranger. No prerequisites exist for participation in our community.
recovery meeting 7am
“you’re always two lunges away from happiness”
meet someone at yoga camp burning sober cause they follow my tiktok
DAY 3 // 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.
jump naked on trampoline
phone gets bricked
miss date with hot boy; get revenge
DAY 4 // 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.
no sleep! sober robot heart sunrise
naked bike ride & getting hit on
first cello performance w/ symphony
DAY 5 // RADICAL SELF RELIANCE
Burning Man encourages the individual to discover, exercise and rely on their inner resources.
low point feel like shit
do group meditation at russian camp
go to temple to bathe in other people’s grief
DAY 6 // 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.
feeling of relief in being selfish
then go to recovery meeting… where the rains begin
worst fears coming true; surrender is the answer we can’t control this?
DAY 7 // 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.
yurt fully flooded; all day cleaning with a funnel & a neon wig
trudging through city & absorbing pain & anger
the clarity i found in a muddy temple
DAY 8 // 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.
FOMO in sobriety reaching all-time low/high
shed all physical things; relying on higher power & butthole Steve
“against all odds, we turn towards each other not on each other”
DAY 9 // 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.
insanity of clearing camp with rugs in the mud
finally playing naked cello & making someone cry
watching people’s faces watching the man burn
DAY 10 // 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.
accepting deeper friendships
leaving legacy at the temple
ephemeral feelings that felt infinite
Have a topic you want to be sure I cover? Requests granted.