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cop stories....

Synergeodesic — Tue, 04 Jan 2005 18:33:42 GMT

I know we all have em’ so I wanted to share one of my favorites.... a long time ago I was standing in front of coffee time and had a phone number thrust into my hands. I called the number scribbled on the little peace of paper. It was an info line to a break-in warehouse party. Of course this wasn’t said but implied (of course) so an hour or two later I showed up with a friend or two, I followed the instructions and parked the car a couple blocks away, walked up to the spot and saw a hole cut into a cyclone fence. Looking through the hole down a hill I saw a glow stick tied up on a pillar, we went down the muddy embankment and stood where the glow stick shimmered and looked around till we saw anther glow stick 25 feet away, when we reached the next one we saw one nailed to a door, we entered the door way and followed these glow sticks through a maze of rooms devoid of any light till we entered into what I think used to be a cafeteria, with about 150 people dancing to some bangin beats, if my memory serves most the night blurred on. But then some one yelled out “Cops” at that moment every thing shuts down immediately, and 150 people in phat pants are sittin on the floor in pitch black and silence. Five minutes latter a single flash light peeks around the corner and the cop exclaims “what the hell??? Hey I found em!!” the next cop enters the room and says “is it a couple of hobos?” as he then enters the room shines the flashlight around the with the “oh my god!!!” they tell us not to move and are fumbling with there flashlight till some raver kid flicks the light on to expose the whole room of candy kids, ravers and various people that would show up to a break in party, they wanted to start searching us but after the second person to stand up with phat pants that have 20 pockets the cops were like fuck it. They wrote don our ID'S and said that the deal was since we had no visible signs of drugs or alcohol to consider our self warned with trespassing and the next time we were on the site we’d be arrested. then i went to taco bell, yay!!!

posted in Your Story - 6 replies

Story time continues...

Cheshyre and Lady Cheryl — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 00:31:51 GMT

Come on...I know you've got 'em. How about something positive that is happening in your life...tell us the story!

Dreamer John told me the story behind one of his visuals the other night that blew my mind!

Share 'em! Tell 'em! Relive 'em!

Chesh

posted in Your Story - 0 replies

my story...huh?

Fri, 05 Aug 2005 18:09:21 GMT

well i'll keep it short...my first party that truly counted was the first Goa Gil in portland, first time eating fire, and first time hanging with Molly all in one night....I still haven't recovered....it was four years ago. Other then that you might have to ask other people if I did anything like pee on sheets or anything to warrant being on 48 hrs.

posted in Your Story - 0 replies

Big Ass Field Party - July 16, 2005 near Eugene, OR!!!

Tronic — Sat, 09 Jul 2005 19:13:16 GMT

http://www.dj-tronic.com/party/

All the details on the site...2 stages of DJs, a live band, overnight camping...come join all your queer family in Eugene, OR for a wonderful night of dancing and fun!

Cost is $10 per person.

The website has the flyer, a map and driving directions to the party.

Hope to see you there!

posted in Your Story - 0 replies

Please help support me in this year's Cascade AIDSWalk!

Tronic — Mon, 04 Jul 2005 17:00:44 GMT

The Cascade AIDSWalk this year is September 25, 2005.

My goal this year is to raise $2,500.

Any size donation helps to achieve that goal. Please visit my personal donation page to make a donation. You can donate with a credit card, or with cash or check.

Remember all donations are tax-deductible!

http://cascadeaids.kintera.org/aidswalk/nbacheld

If you have any questions, let me know.

Thank you so much for your support!!!

posted in Your Story - 0 replies

You might have partied too hard when your story....

psychotty — Tue, 21 Dec 2004 10:13:07 GMT

... contains at least one encounter with the police while rolling.

...involves being dumped by your candy raver girlfriend and/or boyfriend for a person named <insert cartoon character here>

...contains two words that should not be next to each other: rave wedding

...takes longer to write than you slept any weekend you lived it

...includes an apperance on 48 hours

..can't be fully written for fear of its admissability in a court of law

..would make Martha Stewart jealous of your bracelet making skills

<please continue with parts of your story>

posted in Your Story - 7 replies

Pictures.....

Cheshyre and Lady Cheryl — Mon, 03 Jan 2005 21:48:03 GMT

Do you have any pictures of that first time experience for you??? If you do....feel free to post them here! We love all of you and are so glad you have become a part of our lives!!!!

Many blessings...
Cheshyre and his Beautiful Lady

posted in Your Story - 1 reply

happy daze

da Uproarious — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 00:24:07 GMT

my first party was called happy daze 2 (with the flyer being a play on the show happy days) at the nile club in philly. i was 15 and the year was 1993. i didn't know much about dance music but liked meeting crazy people and psychadelic experiences. there was probably 300 people packed into a space suitable for 200 in this grimy, cracked out little club at 13th and Locust (there corner where mumia abu jamal was arrested) in the heart of the gayberhood. it was so hot there was literally puddles of sweat on the ground. i slipped and fell a couple times while dancing. the chill room was a veritable drug fest. people were rollin' face, snortin bumps o' crystal and k, smokin' weed and wet (fermeldahyde on mint leaves). from that night on i joined the ranks of suburban ravers across the east coast regularly going to partes in baltimore, nyc, dc, etc. the best was club fever in b-more with residents scott henry and feelgood (when we all danced to techno and acid house). within a couple of years drum and bass hit the scene, promoters turned into gangsters who flooded the scene with bad drugs and fucked up attitudes. the days of the candy raver seemed numbered but there was no shortage of "polo" ravers. i moved to oregon and ended up living next door to a couple of psy-trance heads (kevin and jamie of apollo's lute) and started going to parties again. the scene has not been corrupted (as much at least) as it was back east. the psy parties and outdoor festivals are usually a very fun vibe and some cats are throwing parties at clubs and arts spaces which focus on house and breaks music in there many forms. there's also the burner parties which have themes and everybody dresses up and plays games (a diverse age group repped as well). i'm now moving back east and will miss the party people here a bunch, many are still pure of heart which is rare anywhere these days.

posted in Your Story - 0 replies

group photos

squee-isme — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 18:28:26 GMT

we need more group photos for tribes like these. all of you need to make sure to get a bunch of us together and make dumb faces or something. capture 20 of us, what a great group of pictures we could come up with.

i will take my camera to psynami.

posted in Your Story - 2 replies

how did you meet your best friends?

squee-isme — Thu, 23 Dec 2004 17:58:14 GMT

What's your story? Do you remember a good story about meeting a special person in your life?

posted in Your Story - 7 replies

Mine Story

emmypearl — Wed, 03 Nov 2004 08:35:58 GMT

How I got into Electronika:
It was in 1997 or so that I first started listening to music other than Korn, Marilyn Manson, and Nine Inch Nails, which all satisfied my need for driving, pulsating beats-these bands introduced to me Industrial music, which, in turn, pushed me toward electronic music.
I started listening to dance music via MTV's Amp. There, I discovered Orbital, Wink, Chemical Brothers, Roni Size, Daft Punk, etc. I loved the abstractness of "computery" music and the driving force behind it.
I also found Plastikman and fell in love.
Then, living in Salem in '98 or '99 (its kind of a glittery blur), I went to my first rave. It was a Hyve party and there I met a ton of cool people and heard music and felt vibes that I couldnt even comprehend. Ever since then, I have been committed to dance music and the dance community...I cant imagine not being a part of it all.

posted in Your Story - 2 replies

ära of best partylocation went over

elvirawatson — Mon, 29 Nov 2004 08:32:52 GMT

for us europeans its always hard esp. in cold season to find a location which illegal but hidden enough that police wont find us.

there´s just one big hall which we can always use, its legal and cost a lil bit, but thats ok cause we can party on all night without fearing the bluelight.
but this time they came and they said its over and out no more parties on this spot, we were already too tolerant...whats true but the teknos never made stress, but i guess people from this town were scared every sunday to see such deadly faces in their area, looking like an big fat sound armee....

jeah shit happens....need new location

free party!!!!!!!!!!

posted in Your Story - 1 reply

Our Story....

Cheshyre and Lady Cheryl — Tue, 31 Aug 2004 02:07:14 GMT

Our Rebirth

As many of you know, Cheryl and I have been together for 18 years, this August 7th. We were the average American family…two kids, a dog and a cat, a nice home and all of the accoutrements.

Four years ago, I was diagnosed with a disease called Reiter’s Syndrome. I had a genetic defect that produced too many white blood cells in my body. Normally, white blood cells fight infections and illness. But since I wasn’t sick, they settled for the next best thing and settled into all of my joints and I developed Reactive Arthritis through my whole body. Every joint in my body was inflamed. My shoulders felt like they were dislocated at the sockets and I had horses pulling me in opposite directions. My elbows were swollen like elephantitus. My knees, feet, hands, neck and hips were throbbing constantly in pain. I was a mess. I hated myself and literally wished I would die.

Luckily, and I use that term loosely, the mill that I worked at shut down in April of 2001. I was now unemployed, but my body actually went into remission because I wasn’t putting so much stress on it. We had a great summer but when fall came, it came back with a vengeance. I had been taking medications, starting with 800mg Ibuprofin and moving progressively upwards through 7 different meds. The Indomethicin made my stomach and intestines bleed. The next level of medication would be liquid Morphine and then Chemotherapy to kill off the extra white blood cells. In the meantime, I also developed Bronchitis and kept it for 4 months. I finally kicked that and my daughter brought me home Strep throat and shared that with me. You can see I was pretty messed up. I actually bought a television and put it out in my shop area and stayed out there, hugging my shoulders and crying out in pain. I didn’t want my children to see me like that, so I stayed out there night and day. My daughter was in Junior high and going through changes for independence. Her and I fought constantly. We did not like each other very much. Our family was in bad shape. I almost lost them, because they could not understand just how bad I was, and I didn’t help things either. I was short tempered and acted out in pain.

Thankfully, we had new neighbors move in that summer and she had MS. She had got to the point where she couldn’t function and was having to have someone take care of her, when a friend of hers suggested this purple powder called OPC-3. It is the top 3 anti-oxidants in the world. She started taking it and within a few weeks, she literally got her life back. She told me that it works on all different ailments because all it does it make your cells function the way they are supposed to, so they can combat the illness. I had nothing to lose at this point and bought a bottle from her. After taking it for one week, I noticed that I had more energy. The doctor told me that I had to work through the pain. Easy for him to say. Every night at about midnight, I would feel good enough to say tomorrow I was going to exercise. I would wake up the next morning and feel miserable. After week two, the swelling started to go down throughout my body. After week three, I became the person that those of you who know me see today! I actually got my life back.

One blessing during that time was that I was receiving full unemployment for 2 years and was able to go back to school for retraining. Now that I could function again, things were starting to look up. I was able to start becoming a human being again and was able to listen to my families needs and be there for them. We all had a second chance together as a family….

During that time period, I had watched the movie Blade and really liked the soundtrack. I had grown up in the 80’s and was an old New Waver turned to domestic Dad and husband. I still listened to my 80’s techno, but this stuff was pretty awesome (intro to trance). I found Paul Oakenfold first, then moved on to Psy-trance. I was sharing this music with our friend Ellen aka Princess Honey Bee and last summer (2003) she heard about this outdoor music festival in Eugene.

We didn’t know what we were going to experience when we got there, but we knew that we needed to get away for a few days and this would be the perfect opportunity. Since I wasn’t working yet and my unemployment had run out, Ellen said that she had a friend that could put us on a list to get in for free. That was just the price we could afford, minus gas.

Cheryl and I had a great trip to Eugene and we were in great spirits when we pulled up to the gate. I roll down the window as the girl comes up to us. She says it will be 80 dollars, so I tell her that we are on a list. She says what list is that. I say, I don’t know, our friend told us to come to this event and that we would be put on a list to get in. She looks on her list and no US. She starts spouting off about people wanting to come down and try to get in for free. She then asks me what we thought we were coming here to do. I told her that we came down to listen to some music and the only reason we came down there at all was because we were having financial difficulties and we were invited, and were told we would be taken care of. Then the guy who was working the gate with her had come up by this time and says “your drive a pretty nice vehicle, looks like your doing all right to me. You can listen to music in your vehicle.”…..Now I’m pissed.

I replied, “I don’t know what is going on, but your being very rude, I’m going to pull off to the side and see if our friend shows up and can figure this out.” They said, “You do that.”

We parked and were wondering what the hell was going on and were just about to leave when we see Ellen walking towards the gate. She had seen us pull in and came out to meet us. We told her what was going on and she went over to talk to the people at the gate. She came back over and said that the girl was being a bitch. She said that she could pay for one of us if we could take care of the other one. We figured what the hell, since we really wanted to see what this was about, so we gave her the money and we were let in. (Imagine what would have NOT happened in the last year if we had left).

We parked and started unloading all of our things. Cheryl always laughs at me, because I bring everything except the kitchen sink, and this time was no exception. It took me about 3 trips with our son’s old 3 wheeled stroller and I got our camp set up nicely (inflatable mattress included!)

Ellen introduced us to her friends from Portland, Katie and Eric and we all hung out and got to know each other, while keeping cool (it was about 100 degrees that day!) The only problem was that when the sun went down, I got down right cold! I didn’t realize that up in the mountains the temperature dropped pretty severely at night and wasn’t prepared at all. I had only brought shorts and tank tops to wear!!! Luckily, Katie and Eric were able to round up some warm clothing for us and now we were doing much better!

Ellen and I had discussed her new experience with “E” and now we were ready to try it ourselves! We were old potheads, but I had to give it up to look for a job, but we had never done anything stronger than that. Eric proceeded to tell us all about it, how it worked, what possible side effects were, and what to expect. He also gave us something called 5htp. He told us it would replace the seritonin levels that the drug would deplete. We thanked him and then went with Ellen to find the person we were supposed to get it from. It was about 10pm by now. We were told that the person was sleeping and to come back around midnight….(but we wanted it now!) Two more of Ellen’s friends had come up from San Francisco and at about 10:30pm we were able to take our first dosage! It was a blue tablet with a unicorn pressed into it.

Now it was time to head to the music! As we walked over the short bridge and came into the main field, what I saw…blew me away! There was a giant laser in the parking lot that was being projected onto the mountainside at the back of the field and used the mountain as one giant screen! There was a fire cannon shooting huge burst of fire, 50 feet into the air, there were people spinning fire, there were lights, fluorescent structures and the most fucking incredible music I had ever heard. That was my first introduction to Psy-Trance. I had found trance music, but this stuff was awakening something in me that had laid dormant my whole life! We went over to the dance area and just as we got there, about 20 elemental dancers came out and formed a circle and began, one at a time to dance in the center of the ring in wild abandonment. It was surreal. The music changed and the most incredible visuals were now being displayed on the screen behind them. There were images of Ganesh and Shiva moving throughout the fantastic morphing screen.

I happened to look over at Cheryl and she was shivering from the cold. Worried about her, I told her to go and cuddle up with Ellen and I would go get her a blanket. I proceeded to run back to our camp and started to get the chills myself. I remembered seeing a fur coat hanging on a post at Ellen’s friend’s camp on the way back to ours. It was still there and I grabbed it and tried to put it on. It didn’t fit. So I put my arms through the sleeves and pulled it over me as best as I could. I made it back to our tent and wrapped a blanket around myself and grabbed one for Cheryl. I ran all the way back to the dance floor to find Cheryl and I thought that I found her, but it wasn’t her. I turned around and all of our new friends were laughing along with Cheryl at the panicked look on my face. Cheryl said that she was fine as she had started to dance and warm up. I realized that the “E” had taken effect and instantly my mood turned from panic to “let’s have some fun!” I gave everyone a big ‘ol hug! It was like a switch turned on and I was feeling fantastic! Cheryl had borrowed a furry hat and coat from Ellen and I was looking at a Goddess! I always knew that she was gorgeous, but damned woman…..she was looking fine!!! We danced for a little while and then it was time for a bathroom trip. We told everyone we would be back and off we went. As we made our way across the field, there was a fairy spinning fire in front of us. She put on a wonderful display for us and when she was through, we went up to her and thanked her for a wonderful experience. She started to prance around us, saying “Una, Una, Una, Una….Thank you!” Then she pranced away!

When we came back, everyone had gone. We looked all around for them, but they were nowhere to be found. We wandered around for a while looking for them, doing about 20 labs around the field, strolling with our arms around each other and just enjoying the atmosphere and each other’s company. About 4am, the mist started rolling in. We had both just finished reading “The Mist of Avalon”, so this was just one more addition to the surrealism of the night. The music was playing, the stars were out in all of their fullness, the mist was there, the lasers, the lights…everything was beautiful and wonderful.

Eventually, we watched the sun come up and knew in our hearts that we were changed forever. We had discovered a whole new world of people and beauty. We were home.

posted in Your Story - 7 replies

Welcome to Your Story!!!

Cheshyre and Lady Cheryl — Tue, 24 Aug 2004 05:20:15 GMT

I am glad to see that others are interested in hearing peoples stories about their first time experiences in "the scene". When I get some time, I will definately be posting mine.

Your story can be as long or as short as you want. This forum will be a way for some of us to get to know each other better and also to help others who may be missing out, find the way to enlightenment. For some, it may be the first time ever putting your experiences down in written format.

I would like to thank everyone who contributes in advance!

Love you all!
Uniting the Tribes....One Person at a Time!
Cheshyre

posted in Your Story - 27 replies

My Story

irule — Fri, 05 Nov 2004 00:46:08 GMT

I'd always secretly liked electronica but growing up in the Inland Empire area of Southern California (San Bernardino - Riverside area) during the 80's meant Butt Rock and Heavy Metal were the order of the day. So I felt wierd because I secretly liked techno. My story is a progressive three parter.

It started a little over three years ago at a corporate "bonding" event (those of you working in corporate America know what I'm talking about). That's where I became acquainted with my, now, good friend Samir. We were both looking for people that wanted to blow that corporate shindig and have some fun so we took off in Samir's Lexus and headed for some bar. He drove like a maniac and had on some awesome progressive trance...I loved it. Samir told me that he was going to a rave that weekend and invited me along. That weekend I drove up to Seattle where Samir lives. I didn't have any "rave" clothes so Samir and his friend Roman (who'd flown in from NY) hooked me up. Before heading out we watched the movie "Groove". So what can I say about the rave and my first E-xperience? It was awesome. I danced for the first time in my life (I was always very self conscious about that), met random people, and got a massage. :) I left the rave wanting more (of everything) and so I jumped at the opportunity when Samir asked if I wanted to go to something called Moontribe in the Mojave desert in Southern California.

I grew up in the desert and had been to Mojave a number of times so I new what to expect from Mother Nature...but the rest was, well, unexpected. My flight took me through SFO where I met up with two girls Samir had recently met, Jenny and Jerrica. On the plane from SFO to Ontario (California, not Canada) Jenny made some friends and gave them directions to the party. We met up with Samir and Roman in Ontario where we rented SUV's, hit a grocery store, and headed for the desert. It seemed like it took forever to get to Mojave (it was more like 3 hours) and then we discovered that the last bit of the directions were wrong. And we weren't the only ones lost. There were people all over this sleepy little town near Lake Isabella trying to figure out WTF was up. Finally myself and another guy decided that the directions were no good and we deduced, using his map, where we thought we were supposed to go. Luckily we were right. Everyone was getting a little touchy as we pulled into the party at 2am. But once we got on the dancefloor none of the crap we went through to get there mattered anymore. What I saw and experienced that night blew my mind and opened my eyes. I heard music and sounds that I didn't know were possible and saw people from all walks of life partying together and getting along. There were hippies, candy ravers, pot heads, metal heads, punk rockers, bikers, yuppies, and on and on. And the setting under the full moon in the Mojave desert was out of this world. The next day after the event I knew I'd experienced something special and couldn't wait to go again.

The actual event where I knew my life had changed was the following March at my second Moontribe Full Moon Gathering. This time it was just Samir and I heading down to the Mojave. We had no problems with the directions and got there with enough time to set up a tent (Samir had actually never pitched a tent before). At the first Moontribe event I had been with a group so I didn't really mingle with other people. This time I did. I met so many amazing people from all walks of life. I was stunned by how open everyone was and how easy it was to walk up to them and start a conversation. And the music was amazing, stunning, out of this world. I really can't think of the right words to describe it. Sunrise found me sitting on top of one of the walls of the canyon that the Gathering was in with 4 or 5 other people. The music was echoing off the walls of the canyon. The dance floor was absolutely alive. We were all living in the moment and experiencing reality in our own unique ways. My mind was wide open as I absorbed everything around me and realized what amazing things music is capable of. For the first time in my life I was comfortable about just being me. In that moment I knew that my perspective on the Universe was changed.

Growing up I never went to a concert. I've never gone to one in my adult life either and I don't think that's going to change. But I have been all over the west coast of America and to London and Ibiza in search of our "scene" and all for the love of the music.

Thank you to all of you out there that make our scene so special.

- Derek

posted in Your Story - 1 reply

Reiki

Thu, 28 Oct 2004 20:05:42 GMT

Blessings~

I am a reiki practitioner in the Portland area. I have recently decided to dedicate more of my life to the healing arts. I am trained in Usui Shiki Ryoho and also work with other variations of this energy system.

By advertising my training and sharing my experiences I hope to generate more clients and better establish myself as a full time reiki practitioner. This will allow me to focus more on my physical and spiritual development so that I may become a better healer and offer more to the community.

www.whitemirror.com

In light and love

Pierre
reiki@whitemirror.com
503-830-1327

posted in Your Story - 0 replies

Damn you Cheshyre

Sandwichman — Thu, 23 Sep 2004 00:10:24 GMT

I told myself I did not need another Tribe but the pull was to great. And at the urging of a special friend in New York I feel like sharing a bit of my life and writing.

To start you off, here is an interductory bit about my experience the night of the temple burn at Burning Man.

We first need some background here to set the tones the moods and to give my general sight.

The whole week of Burning Man I was graced with the prescence of Jenn. Jenn is from New York and studies african dance. She works in TV production for a company that works with ads.

Jenn and I had many wonderful nights on the playa. We spent our first night together walking aimlessly. It was weird considering all the sensory attraction to camps and what not. We just kept walking. I think we racked up about 15 miles and a few blisters to show for it. That first night when we got back to camp I washed Jenn's feet and lotioned them up.

The whole week Jenn and I kept rampaging the playa. We shared a tent. Things were very innocent and it was very special to me that we could connect the way we did and not cross each others boundaries. It was like two horses racing through a field each on one side of a fence feeling each other there but not going to close to the barbed wire.

As the week came closer to an end we made the promise that we would watch the temple burn together. The night of the temple burn we got our bags ready for a night of drinking and debauchery so synonimous with Burning Man. We loaded up the usual supplies.

"Vodka" She says
"Check" I reply
"Goggles" She says
"Check" I reply

And so on we went through the necessities. We got our comfortable shoes on and began our departure for the night of fire and embers.

We originally took off with our campmates but this only lasted five minutes before we altered our path to be together. We come upon the temple in all of its magnificent shape and work our way through this throbbing crowd. The energy felt as if someone had released bees and they were transporting this emotion all over the crowd. We managed finally to squeeze up near the back of the groups of sitting people. Jenn stood in front of me leaning back into my arms. We were right next to the Space Cowboys mutant vehicle. All of these speakers strapped to the front almost like in the movie "Pump up the volume". They were broadcasting the singer over the speakers so crystal clear we here a soft womans voice almost filled with tears singing "AveMaria". It was beautiful. We just sat quiet feeling this moment as the crowd was pulsing with anticipation. We listened as people with thier laser pointers were thwarted and forced into compliance with the general consensus.

I had earlier in the day gone and written my message to my grandfather who had passed and my oldest brother who had left me nearly ten years ago. I felt so much emotion just looking at these messages and photos of people passed and I think at this moment the impact of the temple really sunk in.

So back to the temple burn. As we are standing the crowd is getting larger and I am feeling people pushing on my back just trying to get a better view. I really got upset with this at this moment. I got past it quick thought as I see three mylar kites flying right above the one span of walkway that leads to the temple. These kites to me looked like jellyfish just hovering with an eye over the crowd. The slowly swooped and moved. Before I knew it one went crashing down almost as if the jellyfish had lost one of their own and stayed high up to pay their respects. Finally the moment was here. I see the torch in the hand of my guess would be David Best.

I swear that David Best has got to be a very giving person to be able to build such structures and to allow people to add their memory to his work. Then after all of it he burns it to ash to only begin again. It makes me think of Sisyphus pushing his boulder up the hill only to start again. The repitition must be a maddening feeling.

So with the torches the first flames are lit on this giant structure. With the flame starting the outline of this massive space really starts to overshadow the size of the crowd and the vehicles parked close. Two more torches are lit. They are placed in the columns in front of the temple. Slowly this fire snakes its way upward wanting to carry the messages of so many to the skies. As the flame rises to the main tower the smoke and ash are flying. Jenn and I are in the path. We watch at the temple spits embers of hot burning wood onto the people. Almost spiting them reminding them that they are human and subject to pain. Jenn being from New York is getting a bit worried and wants to get out of the line of fire. We are smelling burnt hair at this point. People around us are slowly panicing as the smell drifts. This crowd is so enveloped in the moment most do not look up to see the embers raining fire on their bodies. Jenn grabs my hand and proceeds to drag me through the crowd. She is darting and dodging every which way until she gets to a point she feels comfortable. We both crack open a beer because we have triumphed we are unscathed.

As the burn goes on we hold eachother tight. Jenn and I then decide to get a unique view of the fire and walk to the trash fence. I swear it felt like miles but with the light of the fire illuminates the dust in unique ways. We got to the trash fence and sat down just holding eachother and watching the flames from a distance. At about this point the tree that was directly behind the temple begins to burn with such an intense yearning to be like its bigger counter part. People are drifting between the two fires. We turn in time to see the moon giant and bright rising. At first we thought it was a ranger or police vehicle turning its attention on us. The wind slowly is picking up and the chill is descending.

We sat for a bit sharing a lot of quiet moments and a few sparse converstaions. Slowly we made our walk from the trash fence to the furthest point we could see. We walked and talked already with visions in our eyes of next year. We went back to camp after this hike. We curled up together and each shed a tear over the sadness that was starting to close in. The following day was departure. Time for the real world. We shared a quick kiss on the cheek and then it was lights out.

So now I hope you are happy Cheshyre. This is for you and better read the whole thing there is a test in the morning.

Jason

posted in Your Story - 1 reply

sunday night temple burn

isk9 — Sat, 11 Sep 2004 08:12:31 GMT

sunday night was such an amazing night. the day dragged on a bit because of all the partying i did the night before, but all i could think about all day was how great tonight was going to be. it's such a crazy feeling knowing this is the last night. the week seemed like it lasted forever and now it's suddenly about to end. when the time finally came to leave, i left everyone in my camp behind and took off on foot with the neighbors that i'd made friends with. trish(NY), tim(NM), patrick(CA), and i talked about all the things we did and people we met that week on our way out to the temple. when we finally made it all the way to the temple tim hopped on a random swing that was driving by. that was the last i saw of him for the night. soo many people around walking to the same place. the wind was blowing right to the spot most of the people were walking too, so we decided to head up wind to a less crowded place. patrick trish and i found a perfect spot where people hadn't settle into yet and sat down. we drank a little and smoked and talked about how long we thought it took to make something so beautiful. the love and energy that was put into it and all the things we and others had written on it. before we knew it people were everywhere around us. sitting around, standing. most of them really quiet, just staring at the temple. there were two silver kites floatin in the wind and in the distance bagpipes and some lady singing a song i'd never heard before. i remember putting my head down for awhile and just listened to everything around me and thought about the week i just had and the weeks i was going to have. finally it was time, i watched as someone walked around lighting flares starting different sections on fire. i don't know who, but whoever was behind me put their hand on my shoulder and squeezed. i looked back and smiled and turned back to the burning temple. as it started to get brighter from the fire i looked around and realized that everyone had tears in their eyes. my eyes where pretty blurry too and it was hard to make out the peoples faces around me. when the fire reached the center part of the temple it exploded with light and heat. it was so intensly hot and bright in the first row where i was sitting i had to cover my face and any part of skin that was exposed. i put on my goggles and put my hands over the rest of my face. it was SOO warm. i looked over at patrick and trish and they were doing the same thing i was. everyone had tears running down their faces and said nothing. as the fire died down a bit i could see the silver kites in the sky reflecting the fire from down below, it was so beatiful. the person holding my shoulder squeezed one last time then let go. the top part fell down and everyone yelled out for a minute, then it was quiet again. we waited for quite awhile for the temple to fall and finally decided to head back to camp. the walk back was nothing like the walk there. we got a lost for a minute and all of us walked around looking for the way back home talking about how we didn't want to go back to the real world but knew we had to. i thanked my new friends for sharing the experiance with me and made sure we had contact info for eachother. i gave them all a hug and wished them a good night and a safe trip home. i sat in camp alone for a few minutes before everyone else got back and made myself a drink.
looking back, going with these people instead of my campmates was more enjoyable for me. non of us knew eachother before, but now we all fealt connected together and are keeping in good contact with eachother. not the craziest story from burningman, but one of my favorites from this year.

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this year

wingnutlives — Sat, 18 Sep 2004 01:43:56 GMT

I liked reading other people's stories on here. Very cool. Well I'm at home and bored so I figured I'd write mine. Isn't very impressive, and it kinda just started, but I'll give it a go.

My first real intro to electronic music and the party scene was actually a house party that was about ten blocks from where I used to live. This was in May of this year, so not very long ago! I had been to a few all-ages clubs before, such as Klub Z, but found the music mediocre and the crowd about the same. Anyway, I went to this party alone, a little apprehensive, but once I got there I found the most WONDERFUL electronic music I'd ever heard: PSY-TRANCE! Spun by Apollo's Lute DJs! They had a whole psychedelic type room set up in the basement. I danced for quite a few hours, smoked a bowl and explored the rest of the area. Did some mural-painting, talking with people, sitting in front of the fireplace.. Met Cheylene (I think?), Carrie, Amber and others that night and everyone made me feel so very welcome even though I was just some random stranger from off of NWTekno.

First actual "rave" was technically this sketchy party at the Paris Theater. I went alone and had a terrifying experience (angel dust)... amazing that it didn't turn me off to the whole scene, but luckily I was smart enough to realize that there are all different types of parties and crowds and that now I knew which ones to avoid. I prefer to count SpacedShip as my first REAL party. I went with some friends, danced totally sober for most of the night and it was great. Then I tried E for the first time, very late into the party. Unfortunately I took three times as much as I should have, the consequences of which are pretty embarassing to think back on now. Didn't stop me from trying it again, though :)

Since then I've been going to parties nonstop -- Enosa, Soul Sessions, Fire, Love Rally, NET nights and some club events -- and it has just been one weekend of fun after another. I've met so many great people and feel a sense of community that I've never felt in Portland before. Good times! :D

-wingnut

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The Night of the Man Burning, a Virgins story, a New Breath

Aurei — Thu, 16 Sep 2004 22:22:58 GMT

Started off slow... my whole camp was in a rush to do their hair, and make-up, and pick out the perfect outfit to groove in on the night of the man burning at Burning Man. After much silliness in the camp we headed out early to get a good spot, in the circle of 35,000 people, to watch the man crash to his dusty death. Me in my home made white bunny suit and fairy wings.
Most of my camp took in the substances they were planning on for that night very early on. I decided to, as always, be the outcast, and keep any alcohol and such for later. I was nervous. After knowing about Burning man since 1997, before I met Carl and my new group of friends, I always heard about the "HELL YEARS" at burning man. When things were unorganized. No streets, no signs, no way of knowing where you are, no rules, and worst of all Crime (which included guns, and people getting hurt, or killed). Even though Carl and my new friends told me otherwise about how Burning Man is these days, I still had the stories in my head from friends who went in the past. So the night of the Burn, when your around 35,000 drunk and drug crazed people, you get a little nervous. I didn't know what to expect with people telling me to "be careful when the man falls, because everyone rushes to the man". I was afraid of getting trampled over. I was afraid there was gonna be guns, I was afraid of getting beat up, I just had fear written all over me, but I tried so hard, to block that and believe that everything was gonna be fine.

The Mans arms raised!

There was a performance before the man was set to burn. It seemed like over 200 fire dancers came together in the front of the circle of watchers, in all forms. Butterfly wings on fire, poi, sticks, you name it, it was there. People were chanting at everyone standing up to sit down in the circle. But it was really hard to sit, when you'd either have an ass in your face, or be sitting in someones lap. My group and other stragglers wouldn't budge. But finally it got to be so much, that we gave in. But only knealing so we could see. It was a bit disturbing, and added to my fear of what would happen after the man fell. I watched the fire dancers in awe. I thought about alot of things, mainly about my dear friend Sasha, who couldn't be there with me because he had to move to California. He is a Fire Dancer. I put im deep in my heart that night.
After all the performances, the most amazing pyrotechnics went off above the man. Fireworks were exploding every where. Catching the man on fire as they went off. He burned a little slow at first, and the crowd grew eager. Everyone screaming, smiling, laughing, and waiting patiently for the man to fall to his dusty death. The Flames were sooo hot, even as far away as I was. And all I could think about was "get pictures" & "shit, I really really have to pee... why now!". I held it in till I was in the most pain I have ever experianced in that area. I had to! I was the only one in our group who loved taking photos, and was willing to give up my watching the actual burn, for documenting the whole thing so our group and myself could hold onto those memories forever.
Carl and I were smiling big, but I still had fears. He told me everthing would be okay. Dan and I were getting really excited, but I couldn't stop thinking about "peeing" (ha ha).
I just kept documenting the whole thing. I didn't really get to watch the burn of the man except through my digital cameras screen view. But I guess you give up alot sometimes, to hold onto it forever!
One by one, each body part would catch on fire. One by one the bright blue lights on each body part would go out. Right hand first, left hand second, chest, right leg, left leg, it was amazing to document each part being destroyed by flames that thousands of people came near, far and very far to see. There was such an intense energy as the man burned on. You could feel it through everyone. It was like a giant ball of energy and aura surrounding us all in the bright, hot, white light.
Best feeling I have ever experianced!
Then... the man started cracking, people cheered loudly, and CRASH! He went flying into a dusty, firey tornado of ashes and flames to the ground!
The energy was even more intense. It was beautiful. It was emotional, it was a pure self release!
Not many people rushed the man after that. My group told I would not be able to make it through the back of the crowd to use the bathroom, but as soon as that man fell to his death, and I took a breath for him, I rushed out, and pee'd with another woman behind a Black Rock Rangers car. HA HA!

As relieved as I was, it hurt, but all the pain went away as I got to look into the crowd surrounding the mans ashes.

INTENSITY, BEAUTY, and NEW LIFE!

I had Carl gaher some ashes for me to take home in a baggy. Our group decided to go wonder and see things, have fun. The night carried on. We all eventually split and went our own ways, but I am really glad I experianced what I did with the people that I did! I wouldn't have had it any other way. It was absolutely Amazing!

I felt I lost all the parts of me that I have been meaning to lose, that night. It was like taking a breath for the very first time in my life. PURE RELEASE.

Carl and I wandered all night, took photos, and danced and many theme camps. We had a new bonding experiance, and one I will never forget. We decided to stay up for the first time all week, and see the sunrise at the Temple of Stars. We brang our marker (that was unfortunately dying) our to the Temple at Dawn. Found a place to sit, and wrte peoples names on a piece of wood, of those who couldn't be with us, and things we wanted to let go. The list went on forever! I assure you, I forgot none of you on there. We placed it where it would be burned and curled up together, along with the other coupled thousand people, to watch the sunrise. It was brisk out, but it was worth it. People cheered and howled as the sun rose over the desert mountains. The sky filled with color, and the Temple looked beautiful. We went up onto the temple for the first time as well, and took pictures looking out across the playa. WOW.... you don't realize how big burning man is, until your exactly a mile away from it, and you see how huge it spreads across the playa! The people who put this on, put alot of work into it! I THANK THEM FOREVER!

It was amazing! It was Beautiful! It was Surreal! It was BREATHTAKING!!!

Rei

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Fire Dancing

Lady_Epona — Tue, 14 Sep 2004 02:51:38 GMT

My into to the fun was at a friend's House Party. That night was my first burn and i am hooked.

I didn't know what I had been missing and now I know and will never go back.

I fire dance at devoted, fire jam and anywhere else I can when I am not at work.

Thanks every one that has helpped me get out of my shell.

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define "the scene"

Cedwyn — Wed, 25 Aug 2004 23:42:04 GMT

this has needled me for some time now, because my answer for when i went to my first "rave" or whatever is very different from my answer for when i first experienced intentional community focused on group consciousness and evolution through music.

i was fortunate enough to attend no fewer than 17 grateful dead shows before jerry died; some of the energies i experienced and cosmic voyages i made at those events were awe-inspiring. they showed me an openness of spirit that i, in my overly-sheltered-army-brat world, just never knew existed. one of my favorites was looking around rfk stadium, sold out, knowing that we were all in the same space energetically. and, no, it wasn't just the drugs, or any penchant for trippy dippy hippie shizzle - i *felt* the stadium shaking under the impact of 50,000 freaks - one nation under a groove. the power and beauty of that moment was exhilarating.

so, yah...the music was neither electronica nor specifically geared towards trance, but the overall experience was still transformative and inspirational.

FREAKS OF THE WORLD UNITE!!!

caveat: i shall have to soundly spank anyone who chirps up with "but the dead play rock and roll" or any such drivel. the only people who would say that have never experienced a good drum~~>space set with a head full of acid. those are some of the trippiest, most explorative pieces ever.

love and spankins!

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