IMMEDIACY: the quality of bringing one into direct and instant involvment with something, giving rise to a sense of urgency or excitement.
Almost a year ago, Alex and I popped our Burning Man cherries. Burning Man is a one-week festival in the middle of a dried lake about 2 hours north of Reno, NV. The landscape is about as minimal as it gets, no trees, no stones, no wildlife. But one week a year, 70,000 people get together and construct a full-fledged community equipped for one of the biggest parties in the world. And shortly after it ends, there is no trace that it even happened except for the memories (and photos) that people take with them. From skydiving to classes on quantum physics to all night dance parties, it’s there. The world is at your fingertips. So the question becomes: If I had one week to experience virtually anything I wanted to, what would I do?
Like many first time burners, we poured over a schedule of events that is released as you get your ticket and a music lineup not released until you are on the playa. You could spend hours looking at it and try to parse down the most important moments. Or, you could get on your bike and just start experiencing them, letting it all unfold one moment at a time. And all the time you spend at your campsite planning, is valuable time you could be spending meeting people, learning new things, meditating on a beautiful piece of art, or participating in creating something. Eventually, we got the memo to ditch the book and get out there and let the playa provide— embracing the Burning Man principle of immediacy.
There are ten principles of the Burner community:
Radical Inclusion
Gifting
Decommodification
Radical
Self-reliance
Communal Effort
Civic Responsibility
Leaving No Trace
Participation
Immediacy
Read more here.
All of these tenements of conscious community are equally important to sustain the Burner ecosystem, and healthy communities in general, but it was the lesson of immediacy that has really stuck with me long after leaving the playa. Burning Man’s Principles Definition of Immediacy is: 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.
Acceptance There is no way that you can experience all of the things. Yet, to really come to terms with that can be difficult. On any vacation, we have to face the same questions. When going to a new place, you have to accept that you will not be able to share the same experiences that all of those Instagram photographers have, that you have spent weeks, maybe even months or years, pouring over while sipping your coffee on your couch or at your desk procrastinating booking the trip. To accept immediacy, you have to embrace every moment and experience is just as important as the next. That instead of spending an hour getting frustrated at being lost in a new place, to stop, take a look around, and open your mind to loving that exact moment. To accept that you are exactly where you are supposed to be, right now.
Choice Now, to accept the present does not mean that you have to say “yes” to everything. It does mean, however, that you need to be able to say no quickly, and with conviction. That feeling in your gut? Listen to it. Boundaries are always in-flux. Something you would have never imagined doing before, could be your one true calling a few months later. For those of us who say no more often than yes, test yourself with a “no-limit”. Allow yourself three times to say no, and challenge yourself to be uncomfortable. The more we embrace the unknown, the more we learn about our abilities, limitations, and interests.
Surrender “The playa provides” is a phrase that you will hear over and over throughout the week, and it’s true. Once you surrender to the experience and trust in universe, synchronicity kicks in.
One afternoon, Alex, our friend Phil and I decided to go out on our bikes and explore. After a little while, Phil calls out “I could really go for some bacon right now”, and next thing you know we were on a mission. Continuing to explore our way through the playa, about an hour later, we met a great group of people who had a game show spinner. We stopped, spun the wheel and played the game. (My task was to read a sex scene aloud over a microphone 😂). After we finished, our new friends mentioned that they had a bunch of left over bacon from breakfast…. BAM! Bacon manifested.
When you surrender to the universe and stay true to your heart, the beauty of immediacy really kicks in. We could all use a little less anxiety for the future and longing for the past in our lives, on an off the playa. For those of you going to the Burn this year, don’t stress over trying to pack it all in at once; stay open to receive what the playa has in store for you.
Bacon is always a good idea and the playa provides.