How Big Can We Be
How Bright Can We Shine

We have arrived at the moment that shit is getting real. All of you should now have Burning Man Tickets. Many of you have submitted your workshops. Ante goes up next week. The Vibe team has crafted many of the ways that you can socket in to full participation. Done, right? Hardly.

This letter and another one that comes out in a few weeks will be chock full of boots-to-the-ground information that you will need to have a successful stay in camp.

Naked Heart has an out-sized impact on Black Rock City. Many of you are with us this year because you were personally moved and transformed by our presence last year.

Burning Man 2025 was an experience that, while life-altering in the moment, continued to reveal its layers and depth long after it ended. Naked Heart felt like our epicenter, and also it was clear that we had to camp with you again this year. It was the place where we connected most deeply with others, where love and good vibes were abundant. It truly felt like the heart of what Burning Man is all about— One of your campmates

Naked Heart was one of the most powerful parts of my first burn in 2025, and I'd be honored to contribute to the emotional and energetic care of that space this year. — Yet another campmate

This will be my fourth burn. I'd love to give back to and be a part of the camp that made my 2025 burn so meaningful. I attended the Emote-A-Thon in 2025 led by David Braun. Thanks to that workshop, I left burning man with an updated view on what it means to be a man, a list of characteristics I want to work on for myself in the coming year, and a refocused purpose for the rest of my 2025 burn— one where I prioritize self-growth. I returned several times, most notably for a self-love workshop wherein I realized I have a lot of work to do. It was at Naked Heart where I realized that some camps can be a rocket ship of personal growth. I'd love to continue that growth for myself in future burns and support the growth of others by being a member of Naked Heart.— A very inspired campmate

The intention answers in your applications are full of stories like these. People who left Burning Man and made major changes in their lives. Now they want to return to the source. People who had their minds freed from the lens of trauma 5 years ago and are now ready for the next step. These stories are all of us. And they ripple out in ways we can only imagine. Naked Heart is a powerful force for change in a tangible, somatic way. We need more of that in the world at this moment.

The secret sauce of Naked Heart is the combined efforts of all of you. It is not really what we do, it is how we do it. It is the love and the care that we embody. How we are with each other is how we radiate to all those around us. Experience has shown that this begins at the top and it begins at the beginning, This is the reason that we are focusing on the Build Team this year. This group of about 30 people has the greatest impact on who we are as a camp. If you feel called to be a part of this team of culture creators and heart openers, please pay close attention to the invitation at the bottom of this letter

Timeline

All times are Pacific Time

Ticket Aid

I have received notification from many of our campers that they have been approved to receive Ticket Aid Tickets. There are some changes to that program this year. You now have until the gates open to pay for your tickets.

Ante

Ante increases to $1250 on May 15. No one receiving this e-mail should be paying at that level. The reason that the tiers increase is that they reflect the amount of communal effort that has been invested. Everyone who pays after May 15 played no role in creating our art— workshops. Those who pay after July 15 have not participated in our new camper orientations and require a lot of hand-holding. Get it?

If you can't pay the full Ante now, no worries. If you pay 50% as a deposit it reserves your spot in camp and it locks in your price tier. Remember Ante is refundable in most circumstances if you make your request in a timely fashion.

Your Friends

In the application there is a question that asks about which friends you will be camping with. I have noticed that you many of you have listed a bunch of people who have not filled out an application. That means that they are not getting these e-mails and are unaware that we are getting close to filling. They may not be aware that Ante goes up $200 in a few days. If there are people in your group, call them. Send them this e-mail. Pull their chain and be certain that they have applied.

Burner Express Bus (BXB)

70% of our campers take the Burner Express Bus. This is important. When you take the bus, it means we do not need to dedicate parking area for your car. That gives us extra room in camp for fun stuff, like our Tipi or the steam bath. The Burner Bus skips all the lines to get in and out of the event. This year there are some changes to the Burner Express.

Burner Express Bus Tickets

Yurts

Yurt letters were sent out last week to everyone who stated an interest on their registrations. There are still a couple of yurts left. If you did not receive a letter, e-mail me and I will send you one.

Bicycles

A bicycle is mandatory equipment on the playa. The distances are large and without a bike, you will feel left out. We have a bike program to help campers access a bike for their burn as well as encourage more people to take the Burner Express Bus. A handful of members have been keeping this project alive to help campers have a better playa experience yet still travel minimally.

Our program is an equity sharing cooperative. The bikes are owned by individual campers. Many campers only come every other year and you have an opportunity to assume their ownership when they do not attend. The program fundraises for scholarships for Ticket Aid participants, as well as paying for the share of storage, transportation, maintenance and handling expenses that the bikes incur.

Bike Registration Form

Motorhome Power

We have plenty of space for motorhomes and we have plenty of power for power subscriptions. We have a policy of disallowing use of generators in motorhomes. This is a sustainability issue as motorhome generators are very inefficient and very noisy. Our camp Generator is three times the efficiency of a motorhome generator. There is a cost for this power. Please fill out the following form:

Motorhome Power Form

I will send you an invoice based upon your power needs.

Oversize Tent Fees

We promise shade for every tent as a part of your Ante to Naked Heart. Shade is a limited resource and you must have a tent of a certain size to use this resource. The limit is 64 ft.² for a single occupancy tent and 100 ft.² for double occupancy. Any tent that is 100 ft.² but has a hexagonal footprint (the larger ShiftPods) is defined as oversize even when 2 people are occupying it.

Many people have been asking about the possibility of Shift Pods and tents larger than 100 ft.² being placed under the shade. For 2026 the policy shall be that larger tents are allowed provided they share some of the expense of creating the new shade structure.

The surcharge is roughly:

• $200 for each Shift Pod or oversize tent. (eg single person in tent over 64 ft.²)
• $400 for a single person in a ShiftPod or tent over 100 ft.²

All placements are on a space available basis. If you would like to have your oversized tent under the shade structure, please fill out the following form and I will send an invoice if we have room to accommodate your request:

Oversize Tent Form

We will be monitoring how this program is utilized and adjusting the surcharge yearly to meet space constraints.

Power Subscriptions

We have a big generator but it is a limited resource. If you wish to have a personal power usage greater than one amp, you need a power subscription. Typically this is a cooling load like an air conditioner. Please fill out the form here:

Power Subscription Form

Workshops

Many of you have been diligently crafting your workshops. I am enjoying reading your submissions. Thank you. There are other campers who have been attending the teleclasses and getting advice and input. I am trusting that you are putting together the polishing touches.

Then there is the other 50% of you. I know that you have these workshops ready to go. You camped with us last year. You mentioned them in your applications. What do you need to submit them? How can I help?

When you have overcome whatever hurdle you face, submit your workshops here:

Submit Your Workshop

The deadline for submissions is May 15th.

If you need some coaching or instruction, please read this e-mail. It has everything you need:

Workshop Issue Newsletter

Workshop Teleclasses

The last workshop teleclasses are:

• May 10 1 pm PST
• May 13 5pm PST

New Camper Orientations

This is the season that we begin to turn our attention to our own individual needs like what tent should I buy? What about tent stakes? Is there a shower? Should I bring snacks? etc.

Perfect. It is only when we have handled our own needs that we are resourced enough to work on communal needs. We have found that the best way to answer your questions is with our Wiki and through Q&A teleclasses. You can find the wiki here:

Naked Heart Wiki — What to Bring

The dates of the teleclasses are:

• 5/16 9 am pst
• 5/31 noon pst
• 6/13 noon pst
• 6/18 5pm pst
• 6/28 noon pst
• 7/9 9 am pst
• 7/25 9 am pst

Mattermost

Step 4 of our registration process is to establish an account on our Mattermost server. Mattermost is like Slack and it is how we build community and institutional knowledge. You have probably noticed that it has been pretty low traffic. That is always the case until about June.

The traffic heats up once people start preparing in earnest for their time in the desert. They have lots of questions and Mattermost is how we crowd-source answers. Before Mattermost, it was up to camp leadership to answer all the urgent personal questions in the same season that they are handling camp logistics. Major disaster for both parties.

Mattermost becomes a repository for all the questions that you ask. When new members join late in July they can just peruse Mattermost to get all the current info. If you have questions after we have all left for build week you can get answers either from the archive or from each other. The more you use Mattermost, the more valuable the resource becomes for everyone.

Buddies

The third away we help you find your footing in camp is our Buddy System. Your Buddy is a veteran camper that we assign to be your point of contact for helping you get your questions answered. They know most of the answers to common questions and when they don't they know who to ask.

Most importantly, they are someone that you can get to know before arriving on Playa. Even if you are arriving completely solo, you will have one friend prior to arriving. This system has been extremely valuable in helping the entire camp adjust in our first few days. We will begin assigning buddies in mid June.

Passive Interactivity

Workshops are Active interactivity. You lead them and if you were not there, nothing would happen. There are other kinds of interactivity that we call "passive interactivity". Last year we parked a bunch of massage tables in our public courtyard. People came and traded massages. It was beautiful. It happened all on its own. It still needed a campmate to change the sheets each morning but it was otherwise passive. We want to do more of that. Below is a list of some of the other passive ideas that we have. Maybe you want to be a leader of some of them, maybe you have a different idea:

• cuddle trap
• eye gazing
• cards against humanity
• acroyoga
• Consent playground
• Authentic relating games
• camp fire
• mirror work
• permission space
• body painting
• nakedness
• men's work- pull-up challenge, boxing?, wrestling
• conscious bar-tending

If any of these are calling to you or if you have further ideas, please register your interests on this form:

Passive Interactivity Interest Form

Pods

We have heard that many of you want more intimacy and familiarity in your connections at Naked Heart. Introducing PODS, the new camp within a camp at Naked Heart! If you feel like Naked Heart is a LOT, and you want to connect with people on a much smaller scale, then consider joining or leading a Pod! Pods are self-organized groups within Naked Heart that can create meetups, reserve tables at meals, schedule events in our domes at night, support each other, and create deeper connection in any way that you choose! You can be in as many pods as you like or taste them like a buffet.

Once the PODs are established for this year an e-mail devoted just to PODs will be sent out.

Start your own POD

Maybe you want Yoga in camp daily. Ecstatic Dance meetups (great because Rhythmwave is with us this year). Sunrise at the trash fence? Tantra? Carnivores? Perfect! All these could be pods

If you're ready to start your own Pod, then fill out this form today:

Start a Pod

Curious Hearts Calls

(previously "Virtual Chill Dome")

Virtual Camp Community Calls… Curious Hearts: Ask, Meet, & Connect

We're excited to share that we are rebranding our Virtual Chilledome calls to something that better reflects the heart of these virtual gatherings: "Curious Hearts: Ask, Meet & Connect." This is a space for the entire Naked Heart community—whether you're brand new or a seasoned veteran.

In these video calls, we'll come together to ask questions, connect in community, and share wisdom. Whether you're seeking answers or offering insights from your own experience, this is where we foster community and support!

This year, we're adding something new: in each call, a veteran guest speaker will share their invaluable wisdom and insight around a specific topic that will make your time with NH even better!

Here is the full schedule:

• Sat May 16th noon pst
• Sat June 13th noon pst
• Sat June 27th noon pst
• Sat July 11th noon pst
• Sat July 25th noon pst
• Sat Aug 8th noon pst
• Sat Aug 22nd noon pst

CAD help needed

We have relied on people who are not in our camp to help us draft our layout maps. It has not always worked out well. If you have skills using AutoCAD or some other 2D CAD software, we could use some assistance. Reply to this e-mail to offer your help.

Vibe Team

The next Vibe Team meeting is Thursday May 7, Noon-1:30pm PST.

Dream of building Naked Heart from the inside out? One of the best ways to do that is to join the Vibe Team! We're in charge of building the camp's soft structures (not the physical ones). And we need your help!

The general Vibe Team oversees all the Sub Teams, but the Sub Teams are where the real magic happens! Each team is led by one person, who gets all their gift shifts (work shifts) covered for taking this role.

We are currently calling in all Leads to start managing the work! Each team Lead is in charge of a specific list of tasks, and can add more if they choose. If you're ready to join the integrated work of bringing the Naked Heart gift to Playa, email Lona now at LonaGarner@gmail.com

We most need a Gift Shift Coordinator, Kitchen Coordinator, and Workshop Coordinator, but other roles are available too. Check out all the roles here:

View All Roles

And if you want to know more about what the Vibe Team is and some FAQ's then check out our intro page here:

Vibe Team FAQ

To join the Vibe Team and get added to our separate email list fill out this form:

Join the Vibe Team

Build Team Intentions

Naked Heart is unique amongst all other Burning Man camps. Our intentionality and our reach beyond the playa is legendary. Our ability to make meaningful changes in the lives of so many is unparalleled. So, what do we do with that? What is our responsibility? How are we being called to show up?

These impactful questions are being addressed by the Build Team this year. We are the ones who set the stage, the culture and the rhythms that the rest of the camp arrives into. There actually is no other group that is better positioned to do this work. That means that our build team needs not only carpenters and mechanics and the logistically minded, it also needs our Shamans, our Mystics and our Mothers. In a changing world of battling perceptions of what is real, we need the heart-connected and those who can be present to the felt reality of other.

Naked Heart is a prototyping sandbox to develop new ways for humans to relate. This year we are expanding that mission to finding new ways for humans to work together to complete a common task.

It is our hope that we will complete build by Thursday night so that we can have 3 days of running workshops for ourselves.

The Build team is going to function very differently this year. A number of us will be gathering beginning August 13 in Eugene, OR. We will be learning the various infrastructure systems that our camp relies upon. We will have daily intention galvanizing sessions in our camp Tipi. We may even journey together. The last thing that we will do before we get on the road is to seal those intentions into the Tipi before we get on the road to Reno.

When we arrive on playa the very first thing that we will do is to erect the Tipi. The intentions and space that we reconnect with there will inform our work as we build the camp. Each morning and evening we will return to reconnect with the sacredness of the work that we will do that day.

Build Team Interest Form

Newsletter Past Issues

If you are just joining us, you may have missed some previous information. You can check out previous newsletters in these links:

Previous Newsletter

—David