What??????

WTF????

I'm so shocked right now.

Peace be with her soul whether she is here with us or elsewhere. May good memories comfort those who knew Sunshine.

No no no no NO!

I sure hope this is not true. If it is I hope she got her poney.

This sucks. I hope everyone who knew her is OK.

WTF?

This is starting to remind me of a neighborhood where everyone is getting cancer...wtf?...i've never been in a group that had so many deaths, accidents and suicides...is that because we have in common that we like an event that warns us of our death on the ticket?

Claudia was a troubled soul; I'm not shocked. I am saddened though, and baffled. I too was part of the camp Moose mentioned.

She had a passion for families with autistic children, personal growth and transformation, and old-school funk music. She loved Burning Man.

I pray for peace for her soul.

Owl

being as big as this community is...it is not surprising to hear of another loss... :(.....sorry! :(

the Boston community has suffered a loss of their own.

and as a reminder to all:

REMEMBRANCE PLAQUE FOR BURNERS LOST - NAMES BY JULY 20

Since 1996, an anonymous Burner has created a plaque to commemorate
members of our community who have passed away in the last calendar
year. This tradition continues today to honor people who have impacted
our Burning experiences and participated in making Burning Man happen.
This is a call out to you, our community, to please let us know of any
Burners lost this year who you feel should be added to the Remembrance
Plaque.

Submission of names: remembrance@burningman.com


Love & hugs to all who have lost someone this year...

I received an an email from one of Sunshine's best friends this morning, describing who found her and how she ended her life. I've not heard anything about funeral arrangements though.

My sense is that a dark force was present in her that she just wasn't willing to deal with, so it kept getting bigger until it dealt with her. I saw it at Burning Man but I didn't recognize it for what it was. It got so she pushed everyone away. She hanged herself and was discovered by someone her uncle had sent to check on her, since he was worried about her.

This is confusing to me. At what point does one intervene, or allow them to hit rock bottom and reach out? What guarantee is there that someone will reach out when they do hit bottom? What beliefs got in the way of her reaching out? I wish I had answers.

Owl

hi all,

I have recently spoken to claudia's good friend Gerald and he let me know for certain that Claudia hung herself recently.

I don't know much more than that, beyond that both myself and another friend Tribe 'oola' who both tune in to other realms from time to time heard a giggly claudia say 'peace and blessings'...

she may no longer be physical, she is however, in spirit and buzzing about with great glee! :)

peacefully,
nick

oh no...

*guilt*

I hope that she finds the peace that eluded her here on the physical plane.

Does anyone know about a memorial service?

I'd like to pay tribute to my lovely Sunshine and meet those who knew her.

Love,
Mona

I camped at the BRBH in 08 with Sunshine as well and she was so amazing to be around. I felt that meeting her and getting to know her and feel her "Sunshine" in my life was truly a blessing. She was a constant source of radiance and beauty at the Burn. I was there with my husband at the time (we recently got divorced) and she was so kind to us and her and G had their tent next to ours in our camp and I would sit and talk to her about life and she had such great insight and words of wisdom to share with my young, naive, confused mind. She actually taught me a lot about myself, and I got the impression from her talking about the various lessons that she learned in life that she was a generally happy person, but had been through some really trying times. After the burn was over we kept in touch on here and on the phone and she was a great friend to me and helped me greatly through my divorce, one of the most difficult times in my life. She was so full of love and generosity (at least that is how I perceived it). I am in total and complete shock right now that she took her own life. Let me quote something that she gifted to me at this last burn (and ultimately her last burn) that she handed to me at just the moment that I needed, and know that she is still a Spiritual Warrior. She is still present. She is still fighting for the light. She is just doing so from another realm now, but she goes on, just as we all do, just as we must do.

THE SPIRITUAL WARRIOR

Life offers us the opportunity to become a Spiritual Warrior.
A warrior is one who bravely goes into those dark areas within themselves
to ferret out the Truth of their being.
It takes great courage, stamina and endurance
to become a Spiritual Warrior.

The path is narrow, the terrain rough and rocky.

You will walk alone:
through the dark caves, up those steep climbs
and through the dense thick forest.

You will meet your dark side.
The faces of fear, deceit, and sadness all await your arrival.

No one can take this journey but you.
There comes a time, in each of our lives,
when we are given the choice to follow this path.

Should we decide to embark on this journey,
we can never turn back... our lives are changed forever.

On this journey, there are many different places
we can choose to slip into and hide. But the path goes on.

The Spiritual Warrior stays the course, wounded at times,
exhausted and out of energy.

Many times, the Warrior will struggle back to their feet
to take only a few steps before falling again.

Rested, they forge on, continuing the treacherous path.
The journey continues. The Spiritual Warrior stays the course.
Weakened, but never broken.

One day, the battle, loneliness and desperate fights are over.
The sun breaks through the clouds;
the birds begin to sing their sweet melodies.

There is a change in the energy.
A deep change within the self.

The Warrior has fought the courageous fight.
The battle of the dark night of the soul has won.
New energy now fills the Warrior.

A new path is now laid before them.
A gentler path filled with the inner-knowing
of one who has personal empowerment.

With their personal battle won, they are filled with joy.
A new awareness that they are one with the Spirit beams
as they go forth to show others the way.

They are not permitted to walk the path for others.
They can only love, guide and be a living example of the Truth of their being.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wish I could have sent this back to her in her time of need. I wish I would have known she was in trouble. I hope these words can still guide her where she is now, and she stays the course of her path, even if it is from the other side.

RIP Claudia. I loved you. You touched my soul and brought the Sunshine into my life when I needed it most. I am sorry I couldn't do the same in return.