From August 25th to September 5th (Labor Day Monday), revelers from all over the world will dance, carouse and “express themselves” in a temporary city that has been created entirely by its citizens. This festival is part Mad Max, part Woodstock and part Eyes Wide Shut, and many “Burners” look forward all year long to these eight days of completely unrestrained hedonism.

30 years ago, Burning Man began as a small beach gathering in San Francisco. Initially held during the Summer Solstice, it quickly took on a life of its own and was moved to Nevada in 1990. Ever since then, this eight day party has not stopped growing, and people literally fly in from all over the world to witness one of the most bizarre spectacles in America.

To say that Burning Man is “weird” would not be doing it justice. In this very isolated corner of the Black Rock Desert, you will find nudists (lots of them), palm readers, neopagans, “ecosexuals”, witches, sorcerers, shamans, New Age gurus, “goddesses”, Satanists, “polyamorists” and just about every type of fetishist that you can possibly imagine.

The reason why the festival is called “Burning Man” is because of the gigantic effigy that is burned toward the end of the eight day celebration. Nobody is physically harmed during the burning of this enormous “wicker man”, but it does seem to parallel the human sacrifices that the Druids would do in ancient times

Ultimately, the truth is that you are not going to find meaning in life through sex, drugs, public nudity, weird art and loud techno music. You can try every pleasure under the sun, but it is still not going to fill that hole that you feel deep inside of you. In America today, there is a greater spiritual void than ever before. People are searching for meaning and purpose in all sorts of places and not finding it.