Interested in camping with the Church of Mez theme camp this year at burning man? We would love to have you join us. We have put up some info (including this message) at http://www.mezziah.org/bman99. Check it often because the content will change as we prepare for the sacred journey to Black Rock. Here is some information to get you going.
As you may have heard, the theme this year is Self-deification and we will be providing a resource center for becoming your own self-styled divinity. We will be aiming for a camp spot close to center camp on the quiet side of town at Venus (of course). You can find us by either checking the main bulletin board or looking around for a 30 foot tower with a large mylar sculpture on top.
Check out http://www.burningman.com/events/themecamps/brc_99.html for more info on general layout of Black Rock City.
Some of the main features of the camp will include:
A path to higher consciousness (the entryway)
A forum for the epic battle between good and evil (a giant human jousting ring)
A means for ascension (a scaffolding tower)
A venue for self discovery (a meditation tent)
A lounging area suitable for your divine self
First, if you have never been to burning man (or even if you have) please be sure to thoroughly read over the hints from the burning man organizers (they have been doing this a long time) http://www.burningman.com/travel/survival/ and buy your ticket http://www.ticketweb.com . Ticket prices go up from $90 to $100 on August 1st and then go up again by $5 each day of the event.
If you do decide that you want to truly "feel the Mez" and camp in our spot then here are some suggestions to help you integrate with this year's Church of Mez camp:
Please let us know what your plans are. This is particularly important if you are prepared to bring something more substantial than a sleeping tent (yes, you need to bring your own tent). Also, we have asked a fairly small number of people to be in our camp, so please let us know how many people not on this list are coming with you. The man to talk to about this is david@mezziah.org. Layout of the camp can be found at http://www.mezziah.org/bman99/campmap.html. This is only temporary and is subject to change so please come back and check it often. If there is a way in which you would like to integrate your plans with a part of the camp or if you would like to help out with a particular aspect of the camp, lets talk!
We will try to reserve as much space as possible but would prefer to have our prime real estate filled with campers and not vehicles (exceptions if you are bringing an RV-type sleeping vehicle or fabulous art car or of course a bus -please let us know). Pull up your vehicle, unload, and then park in the outlying areas. We will help you get situated and set up camp. Yes, we will be including THE BUS as a part of the camp
We are bringing water from the "Pure Water" corporation in 5 gallon containers and will have 2-4 dispensers scattered throughout the camp. You are welcome to bring water in this format and integrate with us(the company insists that their dispensers are compatible with all "water cooler" bottles ). We have found this to be a cheap and convenitent alternative to buying 2.5 gallon bottles that generates less trash. Information on water is located at http://www.mezziah.org/bman99/water.html. Briefly, these 5 gallon containers will cost $3.65 a piece if you call and mention you are with "Ethan Zoller". Expect to use 2-4 gallons of water per person per day. Questions? water@mezziah.org
Bring food/utensils/cups/bowls/plates. We will have a stove set up and cookware along
with an area for doing dishes which you are welcome to use. We will be making several
small meals and a few large meals throughout the week which will be open for whoever is
around at the time. Other than that the "kitchen" area is free for your use. If
you are arriving later in the week and you bring us well packed fresh fruit/vegetables
then we will love you immensely. The bus is arriving Sunday night and will probably be
quite out of perishables by the time you arrive. Mmmm... peaches!
Questions? food@mezziah.org
Please save some space in your vehicle for trash. This year the Church of Mez is going to try to be a part of the general burning man cleanup effort. This will probably involve taking home more than we came there with. Think of the warm fuzzy glow you will get from helping to make this event possible by getting the site clean. The organizers of burning man mentioned bringing magnets to help clean up small metal debris (staples, nails,etc...) after the burn. Got a big magnet? Bring it.
This is just in case you haven't memorized the burning man website by now (http://www.burningman.com/events/volunteer/recycle.html). Recycle camp will be present to take your aluminum cans and turn them into art. Why bring glass when you can contribute to playa art?
We will have enough generator power to supply small needs (a string of christmas lights for example) but please bring your own extension cords and power splitters. This year we are trying to go for soothing colors and will be adorning the camp with blue and white christmas lights. It would be lovely if we could get the entire camp in these two colors, however, any monochrome string is just fine (blue, white ,purple, green) but please don't bring any of those cheezy multicolored or blinking or worse yet singing lights. We will run the generators for most of the evening on just about every evening. If you have more power needs then consider buying your own generator and PLEASE send mail to power-committee@mezziah.org. In order to keep the place liveable, we really want to avoid loud, smelly generators in our camp. Please keep this in mind when considering a generator.
If you are planning only to set up a small sleeping tent then you are probably fine using (large, strong) tent stakes for support. If, however, you are bringing a shade structure, larger tent, or whatever, then we strongly recommend that you bring ropes and rebar stakes (3ft x1/2 inch) to secure your structure. Check out: http://www.burningman.com/events/themecamps/secure.html for important info from the burning man people and http://www.burningman.com/travel/survival/weather.html for a great picture and some general weather info.
We will have pipes for bending the rebar and some caution tape for visibility on the ropes. Be sure to keep in mind when designing your part of camp that there will be moderate winds at all times becoming extremely windy for short periods of time.
Do you have any unwanted couches lying around? We are still in need of big comfy pieces of cat hair-free furniture that won't need to come back with us to be used in the public tents. Contact david@mezziah.org if you have any leads in the couch department. We are also accepting donations of souls at this time. Is your soul weighing you down? Sell it to us (or just give it away). Coming soon on line!
This year the Church of Mez bus riders will be using Motorola Talkabout radios to keep in touch on the playa. The cheapest of these (model 101) run at about 69-89 dollars http://www.motorola.com. All of the talkabouts are mutually compatible. Pick up one for yourself and stay in touch!
The Church of Mez will not be providing alcohol or other such things to the public this year at burning man. Bring your own if you feel so inclined and please pack extra water. I know we have mentioned it a few times but you can get pretty stinkin' dehydrated out there.
See you in Black Rock City!
XOXOXOXOXO,
The Mezbians
P.S. please send mail to David or me if you have any further questions/comments on this email