The Menagerie goes to BitF

For the past four years, I have replenished my soul in summer by heading either north or Southeast to go to the local Burning Man event (Burn in the Forest, or BitF hereafter). There's something really satisfying about camping outside with friends and locals while sharing our stories, art, and sometimes our bodies. This year, my entire polycule (which I call the Menagerie due to all the animals therein) went to BitF together. We camped mostly together, went to events together, cuddled together, laughed together, and had a great time.

A polycule is: A romantic network, or a particular subset of relationships within a romantic network, whose members are closely connected. Also used to describe a sketch or visualization of a romantic network, as these drawings often resemble the depiction of molecules used in organic chemistry. Elements of friendship also have space in a polycule.

This was the first time that I've had all three of my current poly people together in one place for more than a few hours. It was a bit challenging at times regarding time management (three lovely folks to spend time with, plus all those parties/events/workshops to go to!) but I feel as though I managed it fairly well. I think that the communication I did beforehand with each person helped to clear expectations and intentions as well.

It was really nice to be so openly with all three of my humans - the Bear, the Birdfriend, and the Yak. It's rare that all three of us occupy the same space together, and it felt really enriching and affirming to be myself with my loves in a public environment. Really freeing! I know that at times there was a bit of mild jealousy floating around regarding sex but I think for the most part it went really well for all three of us. I tried to spend dedicated time with each person, and we hung out as a group pretty much the entire weekend.

Birdfriend also had Meerkat to spend time with, so there's another link on the polycule chain. Plus my previous comet (let's call her Lizard) was also there and I had a really sweet moment with her.

Having my three loves around me also showed me how natural polyamory is for me. I feel the flow of love move through me and want to share it with my dearest ones. I don't move/act based on hierarchy or "shoulds" - I move/act based on authentic feelings of connection. But I recognize that others don't necessarily feel the same, and so I try to be as conscientious of the feelings of whichever person I am with (or all three of them if all are around). I hope that my partners feel that I succeed in this matter.

Random online platitude that rings true for me.

It's really gratifying to feel the bigger poly picture having space and support in my life outside of my relationships and blogging. Since writing this blog, I have been more open to share with people in the world (face to face) about my orientation and life. I feel as though because I am an approachable fox, that folks can ask me questions about my perspective on poly, relationships, and sex and not be judged for their curiosity (or ignorance). I am by no means an expert on this topic, but I do feel as though sharing my story with the world has helped others understand poly (and LGBTQ2 topics) and has hopefully helped folks feel connected when they read about how my experience is similar to theirs or has helped folks with clarifying their feelings around poly.

My foxy selfie at BitF 2017.

Thanks to all my readers out there. I appreciate your following and I appreciate your kind and honest queries about poly, how things "work," and sexuality in general. Keep being curious! Keep exploring yourselves and each other! Keep wondering, searching, and striving!

My next blog post will likely be about either Pride or some heavier topic (giving you a fair warning). My head is very full during these busy summer days, but I want to get my thoughts down in print to share with y'all. Have a blessed weekend.