Burning Man is about participating fully in all aspects of your life, something that most people are too afraid to do on a daily basis. We feel we are alone, that no one else can relate to our vices and troubles. However, through emotionally and physically challenging experiences such as Burning Man, we are given the chance to remember how connected we are to our fellow human. An instant community is created, and for once we can experience the virgin frontier, the growth of a functional city, and its iminent destruction-all over the course of a week. This cycle is duplicated over and over in our personal lives, as well as the world around us.

Allowing yoursef to experience, sense, grow, and change is not an easy process. But change is the only thing that we can depend on, so we’d better try and cope with it rather than sticking our heads in the sand.

Going to the Burning Man festival has given me the courage to change parts of my life that I thought were lacking, and to develop areas that I had never thought possible. Many Burning Man participants have experienced the same changes upon returning home. Since getting anyone’s attention these days is pretty tough to do, there must be something inherently RIGHT about what is happing every year in Black Rock City.

By creating The Tower project, I intend to give back to the community that has given me so much, and hopefully provide space for other people to reflect on their own lives in a constructive manner.

That is the focus of the Tower; to represent the intangible, yet real blocks that we have built for ourselves, and show that you can change your life by examining them.

There are countless ways that people seek help in overcoming their obstacles and defeating feelings of separateness; psychotherapy, drugs, religion, self-help books, self torture. They each have their own benefits and merit for their followers. This project is based on symbolism and lessons that I have learned in my studies of western mystery traditions. However, I feel that the idea of the Tower will ring true for many people. No matter what you believe happens to you after you die, it is what you do NOW that will have an immediate effect on yourself and the world around you. For me, this includes finding my own "truth" and not forcing my ideas onto others. History shows that the righteous often commit hideous crimes against humanity. I feel that this shows weakness and a fear of independent thought, not the will of some supreme being.

I firmly believe that if we all spent a little more time healing our own wounds and trying to achieve personal balance, we would spend less time reflecting our inadequacies onto others. A little love and tolerance go a long way toward the positive evolution of our species.

I invite you to read the evolving legend of the anonymous traveler as they journey towards the mysterious and haunting Tower. Experience the lessons that they learn and draw parallels into your own life. I greatly appreciate any volunteers, performers, builders, and healers that come forward. And I welcome you to join me and over 10,000 others in the desert this year- see you in September!

Sincerely,

Rebecca Pitt