Are We Home Yet? - Burning Seed

We arrived at Burning Seed at about 11:00pm on Tuesday night and the first words to leave my lips were, “Are we home yet?”  Unless you’ve been to a Burn event, you won't understand that question, so before I go into my experience at Burning Seed I need to explain what it is.   But before I can do that I need to explain what Burning Man is. (“Luuuucccyyy, you got some splaining to do!”)

Me, Pete, and Bongo getting ready to hit the road.  
About 30 seconds after this photo and we were officially 
on our way Pete said, "Wait, do we even know 
where we're going?" Thank goodness for GPS!

Bongo, gummy bears, and GPS.
The half way point.

I’m not sure when it was that I first heard about Burning Man.  I stumbled upon pictures online and was attracted to the unimaginable art I saw captured in photos which do the art installations no justice compared to the overwhelming grandeur experienced when taking these pieces in in person.  I saw the pictures and knew I needed know no more to know I would one day go.  Thankfully for me, my friend Rex mentioned wanting to go and after that it was a done deal.  Tickets were purchased.  Tents procured.  Costumes assembled.  Then we were off.  At this point I knew little of the event other than the fact that it was about self-reliance (bring everything you’ll need… food, water, shelter, etc.), leave no trace (then take leftovers from said food, water, shelter, etc. out when you leave), and self expression (crazy costumes and unimaginable art).  Oh, and there was a massive fire where a man was burned (not a literal man, obviously, but just thought I’d clarify in case any of you thought I was suddenly into human sacrificing).

My first Burning Man experience in 2010 was unreal.  My head started spinning the second I arrived and didn’t stop the entire time I was there.  It took me weeks to wrap my brain around all that I had experienced and the person I’d transformed into in less than a week.  I could lay it all out, but this blog is about my Burning Seed experience, not my Burning Man experience.  I will share a few details though, which explain my desire to return.

I walked into Burning Man a ball of insecurities – other than Rex I knew no one and though I’m outgoing with people I know I’m quite shy when it comes to strangers especially large groups of them, my body didn’t match the tan, airbrushed perfection seen in pictures and ads so I chose my attire accordingly, I’m not an artist and didn’t really fit with all these creative people, and the list could go on and on.  My four days there taught me my body is perfect.  Every wrinkle, every stretch mark, every smooth patch, every freckle, every pound of my flesh is perfect as is and will remain perfect as it changes throughout my life as those wrinkles become exaggerated and those stretch marks multiply along with the freckles and those smooth patches morph into rough ones.  I saw so many different bodies in various states of undress and no one was judged.  The naked people, the clothed people, the skinny, the not skinny, the black, white, tan, olive, tall, short, medium, blonde hair, brown hair, red hair, blue hair, pink hair, no hair… no one cares because they’re not interested in the wrapping, they’re interested in the soul beneath it.  I walked out with a renewed sense of self and a desire to live authentically, which has grown since that initial experience.  I left feeling confident and full of life craving interactions with strangers rather than dreading them.  Holding onto those feelings once back in the “default world”, as it’s called by burners, was a challenge which is what led me to Burning Man the following year.

Since Rex and I were Burgins (Burner virgins) we
had to do dust angels on our stomachs and backs.

Then we got to ring the gong.  Only after dust angels and
gong ringing could we enter the Black Rock City.

After my first Burning Man adventure I ached to hold onto this new person I’d become and to feel that connection with myself, with others, and with the Earth that I felt in those four days so I started to research the event and find out more in hopes of holding onto this renewed sense of self.  (Perhaps something I should have done before going, but better later than never especially since at this point I was considering myself a member of the Burning Man community).  In my research I discovered the Ten Principles.  Any regional event, such as Burning Seed, which is Australia’s Burning Man, also hold these same principles. 

Putting a Burn event into words for someone who has never experienced it is impossible.  Hopefully a read through the Ten Principles will help clarify that this event is so much deeper than a festival where dirty hippies go to do drugs and have orgies in “pleasure tents” as my roommate, Bee, likes to say.

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 his or her 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.

Burning Man Founder Larry Harvey wrote the Ten Principles in 2004 as guidelines for the newly-formed Regionals Network. They were crafted not as a dictate of how people should be and act, but as a reflection of the community's ethos and culture as it had organically developed since the event's inception. (This information is directly form the Burning Man website http://www.burningman.com.)

Though I did not know it at the time, this is where my journey to Burning Seed began.  After my second burn I felt content in not going again.  I saw, I did, I learned, and I checked it off the bucket list.  The following year came and I did not go.  Another year went by without my stepping foot in Black Rock City.  Seeing photos and hearing stories ignited that desire to return.  While in New Zealand I found out their burn, called Kiwi Burn, was taking place the week after I left.  Devastated, I came back to Australia and decided there was no way I was missing Burning Seed.  I needed to feel that sense of self again.  I needed to feel that connection with the Earth that comes when you completely disconnect for a week.  When all of your interactions take place without technology interfering (with the exception of background music that plays 24/7).  Without the “dings” of text messages, emails, Facebook messages, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat or whatever other notifications there are on cell phones.  Without conversations held while one person stares at a computer screen or an iPad or a television or some other device.   I needed to feel like part of a community again.  Throughout my 18 months of traveling I’ve formed small communities here and there, but burning events are an entirely different breed of community.  There is complete and utter acceptance from the second you’re greeted by the welcoming committee until the moment you drive out of the gates to return to the default world.  You are looked upon with love and kindness and compassion.  You can fly your freak flag as high as you want and you will be met with hugs and cuddles from strangers who thank you for being who you are rather than judging your quirks.  I longed for my burner community.

The week leading up to Burning Seed was spent studying.  It was my last week of class and I had a final to take the morning I left for Seed.  My week consisted of a series of thoughts that went like this… “Sustainable development is defined by the… I really need to spray my tutu so there isn’t any loose glitter littering the ground… dammmmnnnn it Tawny, focus! … Ok, sustainable development is defined by the World Commission on I can’t forget to add a blanket to my list of things to buy because it’s going to be almost freezing at night and I hate being cold especially when I sleep… dammnnnn it I did it again! Seriously, Tawny, focus focus focus!”  Tuesday morning I took my final exam and then my dear friend, Pete, and I were in the car and on our way and all my thoughts could finally shift completely into Seed mode! (My exam went well by the way.  My first year of grad school is done! Wahoo!) We drove and drove and drove for what felt like forever until, finally, we arrived at the Matong Forest where Burning Seed was held.  This was great, until we couldn’t find the entrance so we drove and drove and drove some more. Alas, after 8ish hours of driving we found the somewhat discrete turn off which led us to Burning Seed.  As we pulled up to the gate I rolled down my window and asked, “Are we home yet?” to which the man working the gate replied, “You asked the right question so yes, you are home.”  In that moment I let out a sign I’d been unknowingly holding in for two years.  Pete and I got settled in and for a moment debated “going out” and mingling with the other early entree-ers.  Once the tent was set up though that thought went as quickly as it came and we settled into a brilliant night of much needed sleep.

This was my life leading up to Burning Seed... books, snacks,
write, read, write, read, write, read... So. Hard. To. Focus.

We were the second group to arrive at our camp.  That's my
little blue tent in the back.  Over the course of the next
3 days this area blossomed into a beautiful tent city.

The following morning I went for a wander.  While taking pictures I stumbled upon a Rangers meeting.  Rangers are essentially the eyes and ears of the event.  They walk around and make sure things are going smoothly and if not they call it in and the appropriate people take care of business.  They have no authority despite their official look of orange construction hats, high visibility vests, and walkie-talkies.  Halfway through the meeting I approached one of the rangers and asked if I could do it.  Without hesitation they said absolutely.  And there it is.  That’s how I became a Ranger.  I did two rounds of rangering, which basically consisted of wandering around talking to people and giving out hugs.  Because I did it during the first two days of the event I spent a lot of my time welcoming newbies to the wondrous place that is Seed then explaining how things work and welcoming veterans home.  This was a great way for me to break out of my shy shell and get to know so many new people.  As a result, throughout the rest of the week I would randomly hear “Hey Biz!” from across the paddock or at a bar or on the street.  (Biz is not only one of my many nicknames in the default world, but it also happens to be the name I go by at Burn events.  A veteran burner is supposed to give you your name, but I chose mine before I knew the rules and after two burns being Biz there was no going back.)  It was so nice to approach strangers only for them to later on approach me and having those strangers quickly turn into friends. 

The lovely flowers that covered the paddock.

The Galah pre-burn.

Street signs

This piece of art in the works.

Everyone in the photo helped erect this beast.  I'm on the
bottom right in the orange construction hat and brown jacket.
(Photo credit: Ellen Duffy)

Rangers at the ranger meeting explain how it's done.

Bec taking her ranger duty very seriously.

After the first day, all the days blurred together, so I’ll just share some of the highlights that I can remember.  On one of the first days there was a sketch club held for artists.  They needed models to volunteer to pose nude.  I’m all about pushing boundaries to grow.  Though I am a bit of a nudest, it’s one thing to say I have a body, you have a body, we all have bodies and parts and bits and piece and there’s really no need to be ashamed of it, and it’s an entirely different scenario to be standing nude with several sets of eyeballs inspecting every inch of your body in an attempt to capture it on paper.  I was recalling the experience to someone while at Seed, though I can’t remember who, and I said, “The thought of having someone stare at your naked body and record what you consider to be all your imperfections is terrifying which is why I did it” and they replied, “The artists are not recording, they’re interpreting.”  That simple statement changed the way I viewed the experience.  The artists created a safe, comfortable space and were lovely and grateful to have models.  They were flexible and allowed me to pose in positions I felt comfortable.  Occasionally, I mustered the guts to glance down and look at their drawings.  Some were abstract while others took a more realistic approach, but none of them drew portraits that exaggerated any of my so called “flaws” which I feared, and even if they had, that is their interpretation of what they see.  This experience is one I'm quite proud of because I had a fear and I faced it.  Though these people did not know I was terrified of doing this, the comfort and acceptance and love they exuded was enough to convince me to remove my clothing and stand in front of them naked for an hour allowing them to interpret my body as they saw it.  And lucky me, one of the artists offered to send me the pictures she drew of me.  What a gift to be able to see yourself the way someone else sees you. 

Tea Kettle House (one of the theme camps).

Tea cups and tea at your disposal.

Just a few of the many teas they offered.

Just a few of the lovely artists doing their thing.

Sketching away

I snapped a few photos before I took
my place in front of this lovely group.

At Burning Seed there are different theme camps that people put together.  You can, of course, camp on your own, but it’s so much fun camping with a theme camp.  This year there were 50 theme camps each one created by the attendees with a variety of themes ranging from tea to country clubs and sunsets to birds.  (The entire event is a product of the participants rather than a planned festival where people simply attend.  Burning Seed is what it is because we burners make it what it is.  This year there was around 2,300 of us.)  One theme camp I stumbled upon the first day was called Spoonology. It was here, while Rangering that I met Emily, who happens to be a fantastic face painter and was kind enough to gift myself, and fellow ranger Bec, a face painting.  It was then that Spoonology was explained to me as a dome tent specifically created for the purpose of non-sexual, consensual spooning.  Later this same evening Pete, Kevala, Rahn, and I went for a spoon.  There was one loan spooner who invited us to come in for a spoon.  Once comfortable I asked her name and she replied Emily.  How exciting it was to gift a spoon to Emily after she gifted me a beautiful face painting.  On this particular evening we spent a couple hours in the spoon dome and a number of people stopped by joining the spoon chain.  I’m not sure what the final count was but I’d say at our max we had 12-15 random strangers spooning each other in one long line.  For most of you, this will seem very strange, but I assure you, at a burn it’s all about the love and on this particular night there was nothing but warm and fuzzies floating through the air.

Emily painting Bec's face.

Emily's artistry on me.

This was face painting from another day... it's an elephant!

I’m a bit of a wanderer and as a result I spend a lot of time alone… sort of.  I would go out with the group of friends I was camping with (Pete, Kevala, and Rahn as previously mentioned as well as Jeannie, Two Finger, and Kat… also known as “The Family” which includes Laura even though she wasn’t camping with us she’s an honorary member) then I’d go to take a picture and turn around and they’d be gone.  Or I’d stop to talk to someone and when the conversation was over they were nowhere to be found.  I’d love to blame this on them and say they’re horrible friends for not waiting for me, but the truth is there is so much happening and so many people it’s hard not to get swallowed up in crowds.  And also, I’m a wanderer.  My Shiny Object Syndrome kicks in and I follow the sparkles or the lights or whatever else catches my eye and I just have to explore.  One night Pete and I lost Kevala and Rahn three tents away from our own.  We were on our way out to go dance the night away when Pete and I stopped to talk to someone and Kevala and Rahn continued on without us.  Then as Pete and I were trying to catch up I stopped to take a picture and when I turned around Pete was gone.  Then I proceeded to spend my night without my friends, but certainly not alone because you can’t walk 10 steps without someone saying hello to you.  This was how I spent a lot of my time at Seed - heading out with “The Family” and then getting lost. On this particular night I stumbled upon some fire twirlers, which I photographed, on my way to a theme camp called Trash Mansion, which is a circus tent erected complete with a full bar set up, lounge area, stage, and dance floor.  On this night a few musicians came together to have a jam session that included two guitarist, a saxophonist, a keyboardist, and a drummer who was also the singer.  They’d never played together before but they created this incredible sexy in a jazzy way music.  I’m not sure how long I listened for but I was there for the full set.  I started out dancing and then got the inspiration to write so I sat down on the floor and used a speaker as my table and wrote…. And wrote and wrote and wrote.  It was such a good vibe and the perfect atmosphere to record ones thoughts.  Those lines will at some point form a poem titled “An Ode to Seed”.

Each night this eye was set afire. 

This question mark was lit up as well.

One of the art pieces.

It took me a few minutes to figure out what this
picture was as I was going through all of them...
it's a close up of a piece of sparkly fabric...
Shiny Object Syndrome!

Another dragon - this one was lit on fire.

Burning dragon

After the dragon finished burning I left.
When I looked back this was the view.

This beautiful bride was an art piece
positioned perfectly in front of the Galah.

Elza lighting up her fire stick getting ready to twirl.

She makes pretty pictures.

What happens when you give
a kid a fire twirling stick?

He, too, makes pretty pictures.

I love this photo.  It's as if they have control.  No need to 
twirl. Simply holding the fire is enough to declare your power.

This kid walked by and saw the fire twirlers.  He asked his
mom if he could give it a go.  Mom talked to the fire
twirlers and they gave him a hula hoop to practice with.

Then they lit him up and told him to spin
fast and drop it if it got too hot.
(Drop it like it's hot, drop, drop it likes it's hot)

Kiddo rocked it!

Two kids having fun with fire.

This is my favorite fire twirling photo.

Making the decor part of your costume
by dancing under a lamp shade.

The dance floor.

Trash Mansion dance floor. 

The amazing band that became my writing muse for the evening.

This was a wicked game
of Jenga in the lounge area.

A few people transformed a car into a
pizza oven and drove around gifting pizza.
This is how my night ended.  That was the
best slice of pizza I've ever had!

The night of the “man” burn, which was actually a Galah (a type of cockatoo) I once again set out with “The Family” only to lose them.  We made our way to the effigy and picked a place to sit and watch the burn.  I started taking pictures and of course wandered.  So instead of spending the evening with them I spent it with a lovely couple whose names I can’t remember, but they shared conversation, gummy bears, a beer, and a shot of fireball (how fitting) with me over the course of the hour… hour and a half… two hours… or however long it took for the fire twirlers to put on their show and the Galah to burn.  I took heaps of photos lying in the grass at the front of the crowd and once the Galah fell everyone “rushed the stage”.  The crowd that was once behind me was suddenly in front of me forming a close circle around the once bird, now bon fire.  I took this as my cue to go find a tree to relieve myself under.  While peeing I looked up the tree and thought, “Hmmm, if I climb this tree I might be able to get some rad shots of the fire” so I set my backpack down and climb the tree I did.  It was far more difficult than I thought to manage not falling out of the tree and keeping my camera perfectly still while taking long exposure pictures.  After about 3 shots I decided it wasn’t such a good idea anymore and went to climb out of the tree only to discover I was stuck.  This led to what would have been an incredibly awkward situation anywhere else, but was yet another pleasant encounter at Burning Seed.  The tree I peed under and then climbed happened to be an unofficial wee tree as a number of people passed under it while I was up it.  This made me feel like quite the creeper… don’t mind me I’m just hiding up a tree in the dark watching you pee... in a tigger onsie might I add… it was cold… really cold… and also I really like my tigger onsie because it’s insanely comfy.  Actually, I was looking for a way down and trying to summon the courage to interrupt a fellow pee-er to ask for an assist.  Eventually, I admitted to myself that I was not getting down unassisted without falling so I asked a man for help.  He came to my rescue and in that moment I felt like a little kitten and he, my fire brigade.  With his help I made it down safely and vowed not to climb any more trees while I was there.  It was here I lost my backpack containing my head torch and without a light it’s very difficult to look for things in the dark.  After we searched for about 5 minutes I decided it would either find it’s way back to me or the person who found it and kept its contents (which is a very un-burner thing to do) really must have needed the water, granola bars, and my beloved Bongo.  I was most distressed about the potential of losing Bongo, but decided he would make his way back to me if it was meant to be.  At this point the drum circle around the bon fire called for me to come dance.  I said my thanks and parted ways with my fireman and made my way to “le dance floor”.  After a solid long while of dancing I spotted a friend sitting on a blanket admiring the fire and had a sit with her.  We shared the night together with a group of other lovely individuals and talked for hours until the sun came up.  I didn’t want this night to end.  Slowly everyone trickled off to bed until it was only Jemima and myself left and as much as I was desperate to keep my eyes open I just couldn’t do it anymore.  On my way back to camp I made a pit stop at the wee tree in search of my backpack and a lovely burner put it in said tree at eye level where it was certain to be found by moi.  Whoever that burner is, I thank you for doing what you could to ensure Bongo made it back to me.  

The lovely couple I shared the evening with (and Pete
and Kevala in the background).

Gummy bears at the burn... the universe
has a funny way of providing exactly what 
you need just when you need it.

The show before the show.

The fire twirlers showing off their skills.

The twirlers surrounded the Galah
in a circle.  This is just a few of them.

Just before these flames were lit the crowd
began chanting "Cook the Chook!" I
couldn't help but chuckle.

The man on the left looks as though
he's conducting an orchestra.
I found this scene to be poetic.

COOK THE CHOOK!!

Now to sit back and listen to your symphony.

The bird fell and the crowd rushed the stage.

The wee tree.  At this point I had already climbed the tree.
Photo 1

The bon fire.
Photo 2

This photo is me nearly falling out of the
tree and deciding it's time to get down.
Photo 3

Drum circle around the bon fire.

Dancing hippies.  I was one of those
hippies I just paused for a photo.

After dancing I spent the next several hours staring at these
flames until there was nothing left but ash and coals.

At this point I stumbled back to my tent and crawled into bed as everyone else was getting up.  It was maybe 30 minutes later that Pete announced breakfast burritos were ready.  This was a real dilemma.  Probably the biggest dilemma I faced while I was there.  The theme camp we were with was called Dirty Birds.  Each morning Dirty Birds cooked breakfast burritos for anyone who came to our camp to eat them (and we’re also famous for our slap shots which are just that, do a shot and get a slap… sounds terrible, but in fact, it makes taking shots amazing!).  I have no idea how many people were fed each day but I’d say well over a bajilliondy.  The previous morning I missed breakfast burritos and was super bummed.  So the dilemma was go back to sleep or get up and eat a burrito.  My inner Mexican won and I got up and wandered, very tired and scrunched faced, down to get a breakfast burrito and I will say it was delicious and so very worth it!  I clearly made the right decision.  I managed to somewhat grumpily stay awake until the afternoon when I passed out in a chair.  Lucky me, this moment was caught on camera, but really, I can’t complain.  Rahn took a nap and I, of course, jumped on the opportunity to photograph sleeping beauty… annnnnd maybe do a little art project.  Instead of going with the usual penis picture on the forehead I thought I’d be a bit more original so I drew the outline of her bikini and then I decided I should trace her hands on her chest and stomach as they were positioned with some minor alterations.  Oh man, it was funny!  I’m a comedian.  Rahn, however, is much kinder than I am.  You see I went to sleep a human and woke up a unicorn.  Not gonna lie, that was the best nap of my life!  Whilst sleeping, Rahn donned me with an inflatable unicorn horn and then dubbed me “Mystical Unicorn”.  Though my talents with a sharpie are top notch, I definitely got the better end of the deal.  Have you ever gone to sleep and woken up a unicorn?  My life is now complete.

Where I called home for 8 days.  There are three tents 
there (and a camper van out of the picture) that housed 7 
people. Throughout the week that big tent slept between 3 
and 6 people. After one night freezing on my own 
I decided the next 6 days were to be a cuddle fest.

Rahn napping and Pete sneaking a
cuddle. It was this moment I became
inspired to do my little art project.
Rahn, darling, you are my muse.

This is the exact moment I became a unicorn.
Best. Day. Ever!

At this moment we were facing a crowd.  The second the photo
was taken they all started cheering.  We thought it was because
of our amazingness.  Apparently, the sun set at that exact
moment.  In other news, I'm totally rocking my unicorn horn!
(Photo credit: Diia Bourke)

Rahn, Kevala, Diia, Me, and Pete taking a selfie with Diia's
rad selfie taking phone camera on a pole contraption.
(Photo credit: Diia Bourke)

Camp Dirty Birds... Ka Ka, Ka Ka!
(Photo credit: Pratyush Chalasani)

Camp Dirty Birds by day.
(Photo credit: Pratyush Chalasani)

Camp Dirty Birds by night.(Photo credit: Pratyush Chalasani)

Slap shot time!!! (Photo credit: Pratyush Chalasani)

How do hippies take a bath?  They follow the water
truck of course! 8 days without a shower is a very long
time.  Baby wipes only make you feel so clean.  I made it
5 days and couldn't do it any longer.  I had a quick
rinse in a solar shower and then had a lovely water truck
bath a couple hours later. It's incredible how clean
I felt for how dirty I still was.

The following night was temple burn.  Temple burn is a very different feel from the man/bird burn.  Temple is constructed to be just that, a temple.  It’s a spiritual place that means different things for different people.  It’s also a space to record your thoughts whether they be happy or sad or depressing or uplifting… it doesn’t matter.  You share what you want how you want.  The walls are your canvas to write or draw or post pictures or do whatever you’d like to express yourself.  I went to temple earlier in the week and didn’t return until it burned.  For many, temple is an emotional place and each person has their own reasons for it, but for me, temple is a place of healing.  I wrote my thoughts privately and anonymously, had a cry while I held Rahn’s hand, then later watched them burn.  I watched my letter ascend to the sky in the form of flames and smoke tunnels.  What a healing process that was to put something out into the universe and let it go.  Of course, I lost “The Family” during the burn but they found me later dancing around the fire.  They found a rug with pillows and a table with candles randomly placed in the paddock just for us.  We laid on the rug and I stared at the stars until I fell asleep then decided to head back to the tent for a proper night of sleep, and also because I was freezing even though there were five of us in a cuddle puddle. 

Temple by day.

Temple by night.

Then it went up in flames.

All the observers.

One of the many tunnels that formed
while the temple burned.

The following day was our last day at Seed.  On this day most people are in the process of leaving.  It was a somber day for me which is very different from what I’ve experienced at previous Burns.  It’s a feeling I’ve struggled to shake since returning back to the default world.  One that can only be explained as the longing for the feeling of complete euphoria experienced when you live limitlessly.  When you exist in a space without judgment that allows you to completely eliminate the box rather than simply stepping outside of it.  In a space where love doesn’t trump all, but love is all.  A space that can only be described as home… “Are we home yet?”

The homie, Pete.

He's a goober and I love it!

A night of dancing at Trash Mansion.

Sometimes you just need a shoulder to lean on.
(Photo Credit: Rahn Lawrence)

I'm pretty sure my Shiny Object Syndrome
kicked in considering everyone is smiling
and I'm the only one who looks excited...
"Hey look guys, a sparkle... A SPARKLE!"(Photo Credit: Rahn Lawrence)

This is one of two photos that perfectly sums up my
experience at Burning Seed.  These three gave
me memories I will cherish for the rest of my days. (Photo Credit: Rahn Lawrence)

Photo two that sums up my experience.
Top: Kevala and Rahn
Middle: Jeannie and me
Bottom: Two Fingers, Kat, and Pete
These 6 people have etched their prints on
my heart forever. This right here is family
(plus Laura who's not in this photo or any
of my photos... not sure how that happened).