Wiccan/Pagan presence on the Playa

[ShadowCat]

I was introduced to Wicca about a week ago. No joke. There's a sense of being "home" only matched by being on The Playa and I am starving for knowledge and fellowship. Is there a Wiccan/Pagan presence on the Playa? How do I find you?

[tatonka]

[media]

[Token]

That is quite a curiosity. I know a bunch of practicing Wiccans who went/go to Burning Man but never really found much practicing of Wicca on the Playa.

Something maybe in the environment that doesn't mesh with the whole trance/archetype semi-possession nature of the rituals.

Maybe te events guide that gets filled later on in the summer will give you some hints on where to look.

[ygmir]

there are a few of us Pagans out there.........

[Dr. Pyro]

And our camp is full of wiccans, Druids, and Celtic neopagans. Real party animals those Barbiebarians.

[ShadowCat]

Ygmir and Dr Pyro, I'm in Foresthill and actually close to both of you. I figured there are probably groups in Nevada city & Grass Valley, but so far I haven't found any. Do you know of any open to someone new? If so, can you put me in contact with them?

Barbie Death Camp & Wine Bistro is a Burner event staple, and I've seen you guys several places. I'll make it a point to say hello.

Thanks for replying.

[ygmir]

yeah PM me for details.

[VultureChow]

And our camp is full of wiccans, Druids, and Celtic neopagans. Real party animals those Barbiebarians.

Hey, we hold our own.

[media]

[digital]

Isn't the whole thing, like, a pagan gathering?

[Eric]

Isn't the whole thing, like, a pagan gathering?

Nope. I think of it as recreating the 40 years in the desert of Exodus (the Biblical one) - specifically the Golden Calf party. A very Jewish ritual for me...

[digital]

Nope. I think of it as recreating the 40 years in the desert of Exodus (the Biblical one) - specifically the Golden Calf party. A very Jewish ritual for me...

Interesting. I'm working with a Jewish author friend who writes on the Hebrew Bible. Neat stuff. As an outsider looking in I can appreciate the underpinnings of Jewish tradition.

[EnergyFiend]

I've been pagan (traditional witchcraft, not wicca) for about 25 years and a burner for only 4, but I see very little overlap myself. The few exceptions being ecstatic dancing (trancing out w/o substances) and the energy raising that goes on with some of the fires being lit. I think it feels pagan to people raised judeo-christian, but it just feels secular to me.

A friend and I went to a pagan meetup at BM in 2013 that we found in the WhatWhereWhen and only 2 other people showed up, and one of those just wanted to talk about sex the whole time. It was super uncomfortable and I generally keep my religion to myself from now on.

This year I'm joining the Temple Guardians though, and maybe I'll find some spirituality there, especially with us having an organic-feeling structure to the Temple, rather than all the ones that looked like Christian churches.

That is quite a curiosity. I know a bunch of practicing Wiccans who went/go to Burning Man but never really found much practicing of Wicca on the Playa.

Something maybe in the environment that doesn't mesh with the whole trance/archetype semi-possession nature of the rituals.

Maybe te events guide that gets filled later on in the summer will give you some hints on where to look.

[Roy333]

I just want to point out that I am an older man, and a Christian.
Last year was my first burn, and I did have doubts that I would be comfortable around so many people of different backgrounds and beliefs. Not to mention different political leanings.

To cut to the chase, my experience was everything I had hoped it could be. I was accepted no matter my age or (non) experience as a Burner. I didn’t go around yelling that everyone needed to find Jesus, and no one called me names because I was a Christian. I had opportunities to have spiritual talks with people on occasion, and I listened to them without judgment, while they listened to me. All this was done without pressure or condemnation from anyone. I also spent time in the Temple without looking down on it because it wasn’t a “Christian Temple” and I Enjoyed the Sunday Playa Choir service, which is also not Christian, or any religion that I can tell. (also one of the singers was a minister)
Perhaps I just ran into the right people, but I experienced first hand Radical Inclusion, and Self Expression as I’m sure it was intended, and I learned to love strangers that don’t think the same way I do.

Now let me say this. It’s good to be around people with whom you have a lot in common. But is that really the experience you want at Burning Man?

If I had camped with a “Christian Only” camp, I’m sure by the end of the week we would be sitting together talking about the heathens all around us, and finding fault with everything. Not that all Christians are judgmental, but because that is human nature. If one group or another isolates themselves then they will end up thinking the whole world is against them too. Yes, that includes Wiccans, Pagans as well.

Perhaps instead of trying to find people with similar beliefs as us, we should enjoy the fellowship of everyone being different. We have 51 weeks a year to stick with our own kind and feel at home spiritually, and gain knowledge from our chosen group. Why not let lose and enjoy what the ‘other side’ has to offer for that one remaining week? This is a time to tear down barriers, not build them.

I am going back this year, and again I will remain a Christian, but not to try and judge non-Christians. I plan to just enjoy the fellowship Burning Man has to offer from fellow human beings.

[Eric]

Nope. I think of it as recreating the 40 years in the desert of Exodus (the Biblical one) - specifically the Golden Calf party. A very Jewish ritual for me...

Interesting. I'm working with a Jewish author friend who writes on the Hebrew Bible. Neat stuff. As an outsider looking in I can appreciate the underpinnings of Jewish tradition.

Sometimes my humor is too esoteric for it's own good - think of the Golden Calf scene during the Ten Commandments. You know, an outlandish overblown Cecil B. DeMille spectacle, badly performed, and scored with 1920s style music* ...




*note: I don't recommend actually watching the damn thing. It's dreck.

[Roundabout]

I Enjoyed the Sunday Playa Choir service

Thanks for the post Roy. All of it.

[smcookie]

I am A Wiccan, and a first year burner. I know and converse with other wiccans, but I view my spiritual journey as mine alone which sometimes cross paths with the journey of others. Most of us do not have a strict method of practice that we follow, but follow our intuition on what "feels right" for the individual. I realize that everybody has their own view and their own set of practices, some being very detailed and traditional, while others are more fluid. Very similar to how Christians have formed separate denominations within their main belief ( god, Jesus, virgin birth, etc...) I don't plan to do any serious rituals on the playa, I don't think it would suit the quiet connected energy I usually require, but I am bringing cards and in the spirit of the theme, plan to offer carnival style readings. I hope you find what you are looking for )'(

[MyDearFriend]

BRC is utterly real, no matter how we decorate it.

No map captures the terrain.

No words convey the spirit.

Be the presence you want to find; I am sure that presence is there, waiting to be you.