Blazing Swan is understood not only as an event, but as a way of life lived consistently with these 11 Principles.

These eleven principles are our guiding values. They are not rules, commands or requests and in some ways you may find that it seems as though they contradict each other. That is an intentional part of their design, you are free to interpret them and colour them with your own creative thought.

These Principles help not only define Blazing Swan, but all the other Burn events around the World.

Yet, each principle does not stand alone, they collide, yet are integral to each other, and their integrated whole is infinitely greater than the sum of each individual one.

The principles do not dictate how we should act, rather they are a key. A key that is our Gift to you. A key that unlocks the possibility that lies latent within our ethos until you activate it and choose to share what you find with the world. The principles are not in order, you can choose a principle that inspires you the most and embrace that one first. We hope that through the journey you have with our community, the power and purpose of each principle will reveal itself to you.

We hope that they push you out of your comfort zone. We hope that they force you to reach out. Finally, we hope that through personal, authentic experiences they connect you with something larger than you are and help you understand, in the deepest sense and through your actions, who you really are.

Larry Harvey, author of the principles, writes on the Burning Man website,

“William James suggested that the relevance of any idea should be gauged by answering a simple question. What real difference will it make if one believes it? How does that belief affect the way that we conduct our lives? Judged according to this standard, the principles have proven to be useful, durable and productive; they have enabled us to think and communicate, they have enabled us to act, and they have helped us to project our culture into the world. However, this could cease to happen unless we remain ready to constantly exercise and examine them.”

Radical Inclusion

Anyone may be a part of Blazing Swan. We welcome and respect the stranger. No pre-requisites exist for participation in our community. Every person in our community is a valued member.

Gifting

Blazing Swan is devoted to acts of gifting: giving freely, without expectations of return or exchange. The value of a gift is unconditional. A gift is anything given in this spirit, whether it is a physical item, a service or performance, or something less tangible, such as friendship or companionship. Everyone has gifts to give.

Decommodification

In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to protect our culture from such exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for participatory experience.

Radical Self-reliance

Blazing Swan encourages the individual to discover, exercise and rely on his or her inner resources.

Radical Self-expression

Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual. No one other than the individual or a collaborating group can determine its content. It is offered as a gift to others. In this spirit, the giver should respect the rights and liberties of the recipient.

Communal Effort

Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. Volunteers are the life force of our community. We strive to produce, promote, and protect social networks, public spaces, works of art, and methods of communication that support such interaction.

Civic Responsibility

We value civil society. Community members who organise events should assume responsibility for public welfare and endeavour to communicate civic responsibilities to participants. They must also assume responsibility for conducting events in accordance with local, state and federal laws.

Leaving No Trace

Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better state than when we found them.

Participation

Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deeply personal participation. We achieve being through doing. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play. We make the world real through actions that open the heart and create connection.

Immediacy

Be Here Now. 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. Be aware of yourself, of others, of your surroundings and your place in our community and the world. No idea can substitute for this experience.

Consent

Our new 11th principle!

Respect the autonomy of the individual: every person has the right to make decisions about their own body, property, and personal space. What you see as a gift might be a curse if it is unwelcome (or unwanted), so when giving a gift, entering someone’s personal space, taking a photo or video, or using someone’s property, ask permission first. Only proceed if there is consent between all parties.

Do not ever assume that you have consent based upon what a person is wearing or how they are acting. Consent must be mutual, definite, and given consciously, and persons are free to change their mind at any time. Remember that consent for one act does not imply consent for all acts, and consent given once does not mean that you have consent every time. No always means no.

Our 11 Principles