It was almost a year ago that I happened upon something wonderful. Allow me to give you a little back story on this event. As always I'm not using names here, because some people are not as open as I am.
I started dating this amazing woman. Not exclusively, neither her or I wanted to get into a real relationship. What we both desired was a companion to have fun with that we could say goodbye to either the same night or in the morning. I knew she was exactly what I was looking for on our first date when she said "I fell in love in Vegas for 24 hours". It was poetic, enduring and beautiful. To no surprise she turned out to be the perfect company for this stage in my life. I being recently separated, new to the adult dating world and looking to do some market research on what I actually wanted. I would call her and ask if she wanted to fall in love Friday night. It was a fresh breath of air, compared to all the other women that attempted to tie me down or to hold on. We could release our expectations of what this or that meant and what was going to happen tomorrow. We magically lived in the moment and fully enjoyed each other's company. I wanted to surprise her with something she never experienced before. I search all the typical romantic stuff and was not really impressed. I decided to ask my secretary if there was any show that friday. She loved EDM (Electric Dance Music) and was always going to shows. She replied "DAS, I've been telling you about it for months". I thought what the hell why not.
I was going to my first rave. I always heard about the underground drug induced raves of the nineties and was interested in experiencing it. I gave up on that idea and settled into my family life, but it was the moment in my life to experience new things. I needed to define who I was and what I wanted in life. My date and I went to the local party store to find costumes. I dressed her in a red and black bustier and black tutu. When I asked her what I should wear she said the same thing. I agreed and we made one sexy matching couple. As we entered the Great Saltair I noticed I was not out of place at all. So many people dressed in neon colors, barely wearing anything and so many nice bums. There was so much skin and so many interesting costumes. I was welcomed by many that loved that my date and I matched. They would stop us to grab photos. One thing I noticed right away was the bumping music, people's smiles and the unhindered dancing. They were like children. The thing that struck me and that I would hold onto for the rest of my life was the welcoming and friendliness of the people. Here I am a 35 year old man amongst children 18-25 and they didn't think twice about welcoming me in and giving me a huge hug. What they and I didn't realize is that hugging was my super power. That weekend I hugged over 300 people and lifted them into the air. The largest being at least 350 lbs.
Something happened to me that weekend. For the first time in a long time I felt loved and welcomed. The energy of the crowd invigorated me. It made me hopeful for the future. I was finally home. I had given into the idea that I would feel alone forever. Even amongst my loving family and close friends I always felt out of place. My ability to perceive the world without boundaries made me strange. This is what I was missing. The thumping music filling the air, the smiles of the faces of everyone around and their eagerness to know all about me. The love I felt here was beyond any love I had experienced. They did it with such ease and gratitude. I had found my people and they were all beautiful souls. Their energy called to me. They shined brighter than the stars in the night sky.
Rave stands for Radical Audio Visual Experience and I actually barely noticed the stage or the music. I was too involved with the people in the crowd. My date and I were adopted by a group lead by an amazing young 20 year old woman. We met her in a cuddle puddle. Where everyone just held each other and rubbed each others backs. Honestly I expected groping in these puddles and I didn't see any of that. It was relieving being held and touched without any expectation of sexual interaction. I had some experiences at this event that I would like to share.
A man with contacts that made his eyes look like lightening came to me in the cuddle puddle. He was so beautiful. He noticed I had no kandi, The plastic bead bracelets that were adorned by at least half of the crowd. Some had hundreds of these up and down their arms. He asked if anyone had shown me PLUR. I was confused. He put out a peace sign and told me to do the same and touch his finger tips. When my fingers touched his he said "Peace, now make a heart". His thumb pointed down and fingers curled at the mid joint making half a heart. I followed suit placing them together making a full heart he said "Love". He then laid his hand flat on mine palm to palm "Unity". He spread his fingers between mine and embraced my hand with his fingers. I embraced his "Respect". Then he pulled a bracelet from his wrist and ran it over our hand and onto my wrist. He then gave me a hug and returned to the masses of the crowd. This was it. PLUR. This was the reason this crowd was so welcoming. They lived by this movement. I could not think of a simpler way to be a good person then to follow the rule of PLUR. It was simple and powerful. It contained everything we needed in this world. This was a moment of enlightenment. It was like finding God without the dogma. Everyone was welcome here and appreciated for their differences.
I was walking toward the main stage on the beach breathing in the salty night air. Something from behind me grabbed my attention. She called to me with her energy. I turned and there was a stunning beautiful woman. Not one I was attracted to in a sexual way, but stunning nonetheless. I walked 50 feet over to hear and said "You are beautiful". With a coy shyness she said "Who me". Her energy called to me and I didn't know it at the time, but she and her friends would become my Rave Fam. We have had many adventures together since that night. I have watched as her energy and power moved crowds to her movement. When she dances you can't help but feel it and move with her. My Rave Fam turned out to be one of the greatest gifts I've ever recieved in life. When I'm down they can always pull me up. When we are all together and raging time stands still. Yet moves by so quickly an hour is over in minutes. These are my life long friends. Ones I will hold to and never let go. No matter our differences we are there for one another. My heart finally found a home and it was glorious.
Since that night I have been to countless shows and met hundreds of people that have all touched my life profoundly. I decided later that week that my life from this moment on would be about raging at raves and my new and only goal was to make a living raving. I wasn't sure how but I would make it happen. Now here I am a year later giving in to every moment and truly enjoying life. I have put on two of my own shows. We are working on making a safe space for children 6-12 to experience a rave and to learn of PLUR. My goal is to change the culture from a drug culture to a sober culture, so PLUR can be calibrated by society. All of you that have never experienced a rave. The ones that think I'm not old for this or I went in the nineties and this isn't for me. We welcome you to go and experience the change in your life that only an atmosphere of acceptance and love can bring. Come and allow us to welcome you home. Bang your head, move strangely, let loose, forget about life and allow the child inside you to come out and play. You know you need it, because although we may suffer in this world of pain. Here we suffer united in love and peace through respect for each and every path we have traveled that lead us to this moment. Where we can embrace each other under the stars and say welcome home we've missed you.
I Love You All
Photo Credit
I started dating this amazing woman. Not exclusively, neither her or I wanted to get into a real relationship. What we both desired was a companion to have fun with that we could say goodbye to either the same night or in the morning. I knew she was exactly what I was looking for on our first date when she said "I fell in love in Vegas for 24 hours". It was poetic, enduring and beautiful. To no surprise she turned out to be the perfect company for this stage in my life. I being recently separated, new to the adult dating world and looking to do some market research on what I actually wanted. I would call her and ask if she wanted to fall in love Friday night. It was a fresh breath of air, compared to all the other women that attempted to tie me down or to hold on. We could release our expectations of what this or that meant and what was going to happen tomorrow. We magically lived in the moment and fully enjoyed each other's company. I wanted to surprise her with something she never experienced before. I search all the typical romantic stuff and was not really impressed. I decided to ask my secretary if there was any show that friday. She loved EDM (Electric Dance Music) and was always going to shows. She replied "DAS, I've been telling you about it for months". I thought what the hell why not.
I was going to my first rave. I always heard about the underground drug induced raves of the nineties and was interested in experiencing it. I gave up on that idea and settled into my family life, but it was the moment in my life to experience new things. I needed to define who I was and what I wanted in life. My date and I went to the local party store to find costumes. I dressed her in a red and black bustier and black tutu. When I asked her what I should wear she said the same thing. I agreed and we made one sexy matching couple. As we entered the Great Saltair I noticed I was not out of place at all. So many people dressed in neon colors, barely wearing anything and so many nice bums. There was so much skin and so many interesting costumes. I was welcomed by many that loved that my date and I matched. They would stop us to grab photos. One thing I noticed right away was the bumping music, people's smiles and the unhindered dancing. They were like children. The thing that struck me and that I would hold onto for the rest of my life was the welcoming and friendliness of the people. Here I am a 35 year old man amongst children 18-25 and they didn't think twice about welcoming me in and giving me a huge hug. What they and I didn't realize is that hugging was my super power. That weekend I hugged over 300 people and lifted them into the air. The largest being at least 350 lbs.
Something happened to me that weekend. For the first time in a long time I felt loved and welcomed. The energy of the crowd invigorated me. It made me hopeful for the future. I was finally home. I had given into the idea that I would feel alone forever. Even amongst my loving family and close friends I always felt out of place. My ability to perceive the world without boundaries made me strange. This is what I was missing. The thumping music filling the air, the smiles of the faces of everyone around and their eagerness to know all about me. The love I felt here was beyond any love I had experienced. They did it with such ease and gratitude. I had found my people and they were all beautiful souls. Their energy called to me. They shined brighter than the stars in the night sky.
Rave stands for Radical Audio Visual Experience and I actually barely noticed the stage or the music. I was too involved with the people in the crowd. My date and I were adopted by a group lead by an amazing young 20 year old woman. We met her in a cuddle puddle. Where everyone just held each other and rubbed each others backs. Honestly I expected groping in these puddles and I didn't see any of that. It was relieving being held and touched without any expectation of sexual interaction. I had some experiences at this event that I would like to share.
A man with contacts that made his eyes look like lightening came to me in the cuddle puddle. He was so beautiful. He noticed I had no kandi, The plastic bead bracelets that were adorned by at least half of the crowd. Some had hundreds of these up and down their arms. He asked if anyone had shown me PLUR. I was confused. He put out a peace sign and told me to do the same and touch his finger tips. When my fingers touched his he said "Peace, now make a heart". His thumb pointed down and fingers curled at the mid joint making half a heart. I followed suit placing them together making a full heart he said "Love". He then laid his hand flat on mine palm to palm "Unity". He spread his fingers between mine and embraced my hand with his fingers. I embraced his "Respect". Then he pulled a bracelet from his wrist and ran it over our hand and onto my wrist. He then gave me a hug and returned to the masses of the crowd. This was it. PLUR. This was the reason this crowd was so welcoming. They lived by this movement. I could not think of a simpler way to be a good person then to follow the rule of PLUR. It was simple and powerful. It contained everything we needed in this world. This was a moment of enlightenment. It was like finding God without the dogma. Everyone was welcome here and appreciated for their differences.
I was walking toward the main stage on the beach breathing in the salty night air. Something from behind me grabbed my attention. She called to me with her energy. I turned and there was a stunning beautiful woman. Not one I was attracted to in a sexual way, but stunning nonetheless. I walked 50 feet over to hear and said "You are beautiful". With a coy shyness she said "Who me". Her energy called to me and I didn't know it at the time, but she and her friends would become my Rave Fam. We have had many adventures together since that night. I have watched as her energy and power moved crowds to her movement. When she dances you can't help but feel it and move with her. My Rave Fam turned out to be one of the greatest gifts I've ever recieved in life. When I'm down they can always pull me up. When we are all together and raging time stands still. Yet moves by so quickly an hour is over in minutes. These are my life long friends. Ones I will hold to and never let go. No matter our differences we are there for one another. My heart finally found a home and it was glorious.
Since that night I have been to countless shows and met hundreds of people that have all touched my life profoundly. I decided later that week that my life from this moment on would be about raging at raves and my new and only goal was to make a living raving. I wasn't sure how but I would make it happen. Now here I am a year later giving in to every moment and truly enjoying life. I have put on two of my own shows. We are working on making a safe space for children 6-12 to experience a rave and to learn of PLUR. My goal is to change the culture from a drug culture to a sober culture, so PLUR can be calibrated by society. All of you that have never experienced a rave. The ones that think I'm not old for this or I went in the nineties and this isn't for me. We welcome you to go and experience the change in your life that only an atmosphere of acceptance and love can bring. Come and allow us to welcome you home. Bang your head, move strangely, let loose, forget about life and allow the child inside you to come out and play. You know you need it, because although we may suffer in this world of pain. Here we suffer united in love and peace through respect for each and every path we have traveled that lead us to this moment. Where we can embrace each other under the stars and say welcome home we've missed you.
I Love You All
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