Heading Home? Burning Man 2012
This Burning Man video using the song “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros captures the joy, vitality and energy that is Burning Man. It encapsulates the art and the vibe, and more than anything, what it means and feels like to go “home.” For many Burners, or people who attend Burning Man, where they feel most at home at Burning Man–and with the friendly, accepting and accommodating people who live there.
I fi
rst discovered Burning Man in 1992, when I was in grad school at the University of Nevada Reno; then there were only 600 of us out in the Black Rock Desert. That year, by day many of us ventured to the Black Rock Hot Springs where we slathered on the mud and soaked in the sun. At sunset the night of the Burn on Sunday, the wind kicked up and we hid out in a huge canvas tent and ate dinner. My first dust storm caked my hair and skin with fine sand and thoroughly invigorated me. I removed a wreath of sage from my hair and burned it with the man.
I attended again in 1995 with about 6,000 other people. I started spoken word in the Cafe even though Larry Harvey said it wouldn’t work but he wouldn’t stop me, then continued every year from 1996-2002 as Burning Man steadily grew in size. In 2005, 07, 09 and 11, we brought our son –who is now almost 9! That’s him riding the bike at Peter Hudson’s zoetrope in 2007…
This year, the BLM permits restricts attendance to under 60,000.
As you’ve probably heard, Burning Man sold out during an ill-conceived and poorly-executed lottery. Lots of long-time Burners were burned and left out. And now, as the gates of Black Rock City prepare to open, there are plenty of tickets floating around, squelching the desires of the scalpers to make a killing.
Me? Am I going to Burning Man this year? You never know. I am praying for a miracle. Since I MUST work this week, I desire a winged passage, a flight to take me to Black Rock City on Friday and return me to Southern California on Monday or Tuesday before 2pm…
If you have a lead, please let me know! I would love to bring my doctoral field work out there–to do some experiments in social dreaming and in writing in altered states of consciousness.
Because yes, I am feeling homesick. I do want to go home.
There’s lots of info about Burning Man on this site including stories, photos and advice. And I’ll add a few more posts this week if I can find time, reflecting on my Burning Man experiences, past and present.
Speaking of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, I heard they just recorded a new album in nearby Ojai CA and they will celebrate with a concert at Libbey Bowl on Thursday, September 6, 2012. Presented by Ojai Valley Community Nursery School in association with Club Mercy, tickets are $40 and the gates open at 6:30; showtime 7pm. For Ticket Information & Questions, call 805-390-0937.
Poetry (Photo credit: Kimli)
We’re more than halfway through the 20th year of the 3:15 Experiment. But you can still join in! This year, I am also inviting people to record and track their dreams and other active imaginational experiences of writing in altered states. I’d also love to lead some social dreaming out at Burning Man this year and host a active imagination writing experiment. I was actually the first person to do spoken word in the cafe at Burning Man and I’ve also done magnetic poetry on my car and on a refrgierator door that I brought out there! We’ll see if it comes to pass that I get out there again this year…
But what is the 3:15 Experiment?
The 3:15 Experiment is an unusual and annual writing experiment where poets around the globe wake every August morning at 3:15am and write. By exploring hypnogogic and hypnopompic states (between sleeping and waking), the exercise challenges writers, provides insight into the collective sleeping/dreaming mind, and creates an epic conversation through an unusual ritual that is individual yet collaborative, disciplined yet open.
In 2001, Anne Waldman described The 3:15 Experiment as an act that Read more…
Big House Birdman & Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at Beach
Great wine for outdoor adventures including BBQs and Burning Man! Remember the oysters! PS What’s your favorite fair food? Memory?
If it’s the first week of August, it’s time for the Ventura County Fair.
And that means Fair food and Fair entertainment including fireworks every night and music too! Last night we were on the Ferris Wheel when the fireworks went off; another highlight was a deep fried hot dog with a spiral of potato chips which my son and I were going to share but he polished off by himself!
This year, like most,
don’t tell anyone but
my family, friends and I ride our bikes down to the beach to enjoy the fair’s concert from the “cheap seats” –our bike seats or a bench on the beach!
That’s what I did on Saturday to see Joan Jett and that’s what a bunch of us did tonight for Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.
Out there by the 
beach the sound isn’t too loud–a bonus as we’re not blowing out our…
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Where did July go?
I am shocked that it is already August, the naked ladies and hydrangeas are in full bloom, and somehow I neglected Art Predator in July.
I know how it happened–just way too busy with teaching and writing projects, not to mention graduate school.
Somehow I missed reminding people to set their alarms at 3:15am to join the 3:15 Experiment!
And I never got around to posting about the two poetry readings I was in last week!
I have been posting over on my other blogs including Wine Predator. So if you’ve been missing me, nip over there and subscribe!
In the meantime, know that now that summer school is over, I have a few blog posts up my sleeve and I promise to attend to you a little more regularly.
So where did July go for you?
There is still room in next weekend’s Poetry Bootcamp in Ojai! Hope to see you! And if you can’t make it, but you know others who might be interested, please share this on twitter and facebook; feel free to reblog!
Is your writing on the flabby side? Do you need a good workout to get your poetry in shape or revitalize your writing practice?
Next Saturday, I will be teaching at the Ojai Writer’s Conference Poetry Bootcamp which runs Saturday, June 30 and Sunday, July 1.This is the last weekend of a month long series of writing activities, workshops, and events.
You can attend one or both days–it’s $50 for either Saturday or Sunday or $99 for the whole weekend which is a great deal for 6 hours of workshops from 4 teachers!
Saturday, June 30:
1-3 pm: “Hello, Nature, What Do You Have to Tell Me Today?” with Gwendolyn Alley {Read Bio Here} – Take the lessons learned from Haiku (expressing emotion through observations of nature) and apply them to other forms of writing. Also learn to transform writing (prose) into poetry.
3-5 pm: “Speak Your Heart – Unravel…
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Venus Visits The Sun: What does it mean?
This has been quite the month for astronomical and astrological phenomena: a solar eclipse two weeks ago with the new moon, a lunar eclipse two weeks later on Monday with the full moon, and now Venus will cross in front of the sun for the second and last time in this century. 
What might it mean–these three examples of what was easily viewed then obscured or blocked? What is revealed in the shadow?
Astrologically, an eclipse is a time of transition, of change, when something is revealed that has been obscured, when we can see what is in shadow.
But what about Venus, the planet of love, crossing in front of the all important sun? Here’s one person’s ideas on astrology.com:
The power of women is that sleeping force that is now awakening. Remember all bodies, including males enter the world only through the feminine. The transit of Venus plus the Full Moon eclipse on June 4 herald the love of women but more importantly women’s love and compassion for others, starting with the child and radiating outward. And should women remember their ability to love, the world would change.
What do you think?
Watch Venus pass in front of the sun live: here’s a list of places with online streaming. We like the one on Mauna Loa:
A Pair of 2012 Eclipses: Solar & Lunar
How did you experience the May 2012 annular solar eclipse? Or the June 2012 partial lunar eclipse?
My family and I joined The Ojai Mythological Roundtable seventh session: The Labyrinth the evneing of the solar eclipse. Guest speaker Kayleen Asbo, a cultural historian and professor at Sonoma State University and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, shared the historical, mythological, and psychological aspects of this phenomenon tracking its influence from Greece to Medieval France, and sharing slides to illustrate her points.
We also walked the labryinth at the Ojai Foundation during the eclipse, and we watched it progress thanks to a simple device someone shared. Before we went back in to learn more about labyrinths, I took this shot with my iPhone. I used no special filters but was able to catch the shape of the eclipsed sun thanks to the leaves.
Eclipses always come in pairs. The second in this pair of 2012 eclipses starts around 2am on Monday June 4. 
On Saturday, June 3, we backpacked to spend the night on North Dome in Yosemite and to take advantage of the lunar light. We set up our tent under two gnarled firs on the edge of the dome, cooked our dinner, made hot cocoa, and watched the nearly full moon rise over Half Dome. The granite surrounding us sparkled in the night. I had quite a few dreams, too. In one of them, I dug into the carpet of my house and struck sweet crude oil.
It’s nice to be home and clean after nine days of camping (a fuller report to follow!) but every night of our trip we enjoyed clear skies. I wish we were there on North Dome tonight so we could watch the moon eclipse over Yosemite Valley!
It’s too foggy to see it here, but if your skies are clear and you’re awake and on the Pacific coast, you will notice a change in the moon’s color at 145am, and you will see the shadow begin to eat the moon at 3am and continuing until 5am. And If you’re up when the sun rises, check out the 6am moonset for some cool color!
According to Astrology.com, during this lunar eclipse, “The Sagittarius Moon opposes the Gemini Sun. You’ll get a big reminder that, as important as the cerebral focus of last month’s Solar Eclipse was, you’d better not forget to tend to your emotional state as well! Adding fuel to the flames, Mars will directly oppose this eclipse, possibly resulting in some rather heated discussions. Fortunately, if you can channel your energies toward accomplishing important tasks, most of those argumentative energies will dissipate. Also on the 4th, Mercury and Saturn will work together to ensure that practical matters go off without a hitch and that serious conversations produce useful results.”
Today, Sunday May 20, something special is going on around the world: an annular eclipse of the sun by the moon. That’s where the new moon passes in front of the sun, blocking the light from getting to earth.
Some eclipses are “full” which means the moon blocks the light the most and produces an eery twilight during day time. An annular eclipse produces a “ring of fire” for those who are fortunate to be in its path. This is the first eclipse in six years to be visible from the United States–the next one that will be this spectacular will be in 2071 according to NASA.
The eclipse of May 20, 2012 starts at dawn on Monday May 21 in China, traces a line going north through Japan, arcs just below the Aleutian Islands in the Pacific where it will be midday and at its greatest, then crosses into north America near the border between Oregon and California. It passes through Redding on its way to Lake Tahoe, through Reno to Pyramid Lake where thousands gather on traditional Shoshone Pauite Land at Symbiosis, slides over the Grand Canyon in Arizona, descends toward Albuquerque New Mexico and finally sets in Lubbock Texas.
For those not directly in its path, the event is still potentially dramatic; the closer you are, the more apparent the eclipse. This eclipse favors people in the population dense west coast most of whom will see it from about 5pm until sunset between 7 and 8pm as it passes over or near many of the larger metropolitan regions of the west including Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. These cities will experience 80% or more coverage of the sun; at its greatest, the moon will cover 96% of the sun–leaving the “ring of fire.”
So what can you see? And how do you see it? And where should you go to see the eclipse?
Whatever you do, no matter how tempting it is, even if it is sunset, don’t look directly at the sun because that will damage your eyes. Instead,
1. Criss cross your fingers and you will be able to see the moon taking a bite out of the sun. You will achieve the effect in this photo by Stephan Heinsius from APOD.
2. You can also cut a hole in cardboard and see the moon eating the sun.
3. If you know any welders, borrow their #14 helmet–that’s sun safe.
4. Use a mirror to reflect the sun onto another surface to watch the moon pass in front of the sun.
5. If there’s an observatory nearby, go there or search for a gathering of amateur astronomers.
6. Watch the sun on water.
We had planned on being in the White Mountains near the ancient bristlecones and the Nevada border or perhaps hung out at hot springs in the region but it looks like we will be in our local mountains, possibly at Pine Mountain or the Ojai Foundation which is hosting a mythological round table discussion and labyrinth walk during the eclipse. It is foggy on the coast so we will NOT be at home even though I have heard that people will be gathering on the pier.
Regardless, you should be some place for the eclipse that feels sacred to you, and take a moment to honor the sacred, the divine that is around us, animating all life on this earth.
Eclipses come in pairs; that means on Monday June 4, there will be a lunar eclipse. For those of us on the west coast, it will start around 2am and last until the still colored moon sets around 6am.
Eclipses are a time of change, of a shift. What seemed to be clear is obscured, and what was obscured comes to light. Obstacles and opportunities appear where none had been.
According to Astrology.com, “On May 20, Gemini will take control of the cosmic reigns as the Sun floats out of Taurus and into Gemini, while the Moon, already in the sign of the twins, immediately moves in for a Solar Eclipse.” Gemini, ruled by Mercury, is the sign of communication which means that “how you relate to and associate with others will come to the forefront now. Gemini also likes to do and know as much as possible, without worrying too much about going very deep into any particular subject. That makes this an ideal time to multitask, but also to think outside the box, since you’ll have so many random ideas floating through your head at any given moment…A Solar Eclipse generally has some lesson it wants you to learn, and since the focus here is on Gemini, your life lesson will have something to do with the traits mentioned above. Pay special attention to areas of your life that involve communication, learning and trying new things.”
The time of the greatest shift is the 2-3 days before and after an eclipse. During this time, Hindus around the world pray to Ganesh, who leaves his home in Mount Kailash to walk the earth before and after each eclipse.
Read about Lord Ganesh’s home in Mount Kailash here.
On another occasion, a few years ago, I was at my wit’s end. We had tried everything to deal with our “unneighborly neighbors”–and so I turned to ritual on the night of a sunset lunar eclipse. We used out energy, set our intentions to protect my home and family and generate love, and by the next moon, the worst “unneighborly neighbor” was in escrow to move.
Read more about that eclipse and the rituals we performed here.
More about the top photo from APOD:
A Partial Eclipse Over Manila Bay
Credit & Copyright: Armando Lee (Astron. League Philippines), F. Naelga Jr., 100 Hours of Astronomy (IYA2009) Explanation: What’s happened to the setting Sun? An eclipse! In early 2009, the Moon eclipsed part of the Sun as visible from parts of Africa, Australia, and Asia. In particular the above image, taken from the Mall of Asia seawall, caught a partially eclipsed Sun setting over Manila Bay in the Philippines. Piers are visible in silhouette in the foreground. Eclipse chasers and well placed sky enthusiasts captured many other interesting and artistic images of the year’s only annular solar eclipse, including movies, eclipse shadow arrays, and rings of fire. Today parts of the Sun again will become briefly blocked by the Moon, again visible to some as a partial eclipse of a setting Sun. A small swath of Earth, however, will be exposed to the unusual ring of fire effect when the Moon is completely surrounded by the glowing light of the slightly larger Sun.
Before this dream—
The dream was of magical words.
If you spoke or knew the true word
they would burn themselves into the paper
and would be there forever or disappear
if they weren’t needed or heeded.
You could pick up a twig or a leaf
the message for you, to you would
inscribe itself into the object.
I don’t remember any of the messages
but when I knew the truth of words
and how they were inscribed,
I traveled to a getaway place
of eco-warrior scholars.
Having forgotten something,
before I could move on,
I return to my room
where others are dreaming.
I step over and through them
a river of humans, shifting, boulders of blankets.
On the stairs a waterfall of people
three across heads pointing downstream.
After that dream—
I climb a hill in the woods.
A young woman behind a fence
keeps sheep and shows me
how easy it is to escape “like this”–
she doesn’t because of family.
At the top of the hill, goats, and
a young woman there tells me her story
gives me a big burning kiss on the lips.
I return to my husband and say
“It’s always a good day
when you are kissed by a beautiful woman.”
He tells me those are true words.
With his kiss, they are transcribed
on my lips and I feel them.
2012 Dream Poems (April 10)
Tonight at 7:30pm I’m the featured reader at the San Buenaventura Artists Union Gallery, located on the Ventura Beach Promenade by the parking garage at 330 So. California Street–where “C St” meets the sea. An open mic follows and many of my college composition students will be sharing their writing from a class anthology; this is the poem I’m submitting.
In honor of Mother’s Day this coming Sunday, I’ll be reading mostly poems from my collection of 3:15 Experiment poetry, middle of the night poems from mother to daughter :: daughter to son which traces my journey from being a daughter to becoming a mother to losing my mother from the perspective of 3:15am August nights from 2002-2010.
Read sample poems and reviews of middle of the night poems from mother to daughter :: daughter to son. Mother’s Day specials on print and ebooks available from me or from the publisher en theos press: My book is also for sale at Bart’s in Ojai, Bank of Books in Ventura, Best of VC Marketplace in Santa Paula, and Mrs Figg’s in Camarillo.
Image above by C.G. Jung from page 1 of The Red Book.
Happy Star Wars Day!
It’s CycloMAYnia and National Bike Month is officially here in the US! With longer, milder days in the northern hemisphere, it’s time to recognize bicycling for the multitude of benefits it provides – improving our health, economy, and environment.
Here in Ventura, weather is a crapshoot. We’ve had rainy first Fridays every single month of the year–and 70 degree night rides too! Fortunately, for tonight’s Star Wars Day First Friday ArtRide “The Empire Bikes Back” the weather should be PERFECT.
So light your bike like your favorite Star Wars vessel, energize your light saber, find your robes, gather your buddies and meet us at 5:30pm tonight at the Artists Union Gallery or outside Aloha Steakhouse on the Ventura Beach Promenade for a ride to various galleries and art studios around downtown and the west side.
Because INVITED YOU ARE!
Here are three more ways to make the most of this…
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art predator 
