Anyone with a vague understanding and working knowledge of what Burning Man is can tell you that the event is huge. 60,000 people attending a festival, harsh weather, lots of money, etc.
And while Black Rock City can be a harsh mistress, she can provide such insight and clarity or mind that it is bewildering.
Let go? The Playa said, "James, you want to let go? Here we go!". While at BRC I lost some very important belongings. My jacket, my camel-bag (which was gifted to me), both pairs of goggles, my eye-glasses, my cup, etc. Material objects that I felt to be somewhat important, all stolen by the Playa. That is of course, until I learned to let them go. Once I did that, the majority of my "important" items came back to me.
Now, having learned this important lesson while on the Playa, I saw myself surrounded by clutter, needless items, and just could not feel comfortable in my "default home".
I came back with a desire to expand myself, provide service to others, deeper my spiritual connection with myself and the planet, and to be a part of something that was larger than myself.
Then, I found Dicentra Farm.
I've wanted to farm for a while. Even before the events which transpired at Burning Man. I just never knew how I would achieve it. How would I pay my bills? What would I do with all my stuff? What would happen? Blah blah blah. "Let go", said the voice in the back of my head. That important lesson from the Playa carried over into my default life. So let go, I did.
After speaking with Carly (a co-host from the radio show outlined in my previous blog post) and getting all the specifics, I decided to travel light. I sold/donated/trashed all of my belongings which I did not need.
That was an awesome and freeing experience.
The trip up to Dicentra was about an eleven hour journey. I left at 3:30 in the morning, and arrived a little after 2:30 in the afternoon. I was so excited when I arrived, I could barely stand it! When I drove up to the farm, I was greeted by my friend Carly, and her adorable dog, Tai.
A somewhat exhausted Carly gave me a tour of the primary farm grounds, with instructions on how to escort myself into the woods to see the Forest Sanctuary. I spent the rest of my day unloading my stuff into my new living quarters.
The next day I woke up around 7:00am. While the rest of the farm was still sleeping (minus the geese and chickens) I decided to take a walk back into the woods as Carly suggested. My journey mate was Tai. I had no idea what awaited me after the mile and half (or so) walk back into the woods. Let me tell you how excited I was when I saw it all.
The walk to the woods was a beautiful one. I was surrounded by fall colors, fields, and gorgeous skies.
The woods provided such unimaginable and breathtaking sights.
The greeting sign once inside the woods I found to be quite cute. (Random tid-bit, Leave No Trace is one of the principals of Burning Man)
Once I walked deeper into the woods, I saw ritual spaces, prayer flags, an awesome swing, bells, and even a hammock.
At the very end of the woodland journey, I found a beautiful river.
Now, I sat by this river for some time. Ran my hands under the cold water, gave thanks to the river and nature for it's beauty, and meditated for a bit. What was to be experienced next was something I was not expecting.
Samhain is quickly approaching, a time where the veil between the worlds (living and dead) is thinnest. It is during this time of the year where the strongest spiritual and ghostly presences can be sensed.
While sitting and meditating at the river I felt a sense of ancestral energy creep up, then I felt the direct presence of my father and grandfather. I was so shocked, and caught off guard by this experience, that I quickly left the area. Not only did I promptly leave, I bolted. When I returned the next day, no presence was felt.
So far my experience at Dicentra Farm and Forest Sanctuary has been incredible. I very much look forward to writing about the experiences which are to come.
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