There is a story told about the campfires of the Washington peninsula. It is of an old Quileute holy man who lamented over the terrorist attacks of September 11^th. Feeling great sorrow over the loss of so much innocent life, he decided to go on a fast. On the shore of the Pacific Ocean, he spent two days in deep meditation. Forsaking the consumption of food and water, he prayed for a vision that would yield an answer to the world’s troubles. On the third day of his fast, starved and thirsty, he climbed a cliff overlooking a stormy ocean. There, he preyed to god to deliver a savior to the world that would bring peace to all humanity. His prayers were answered only by the crashing waves, bitter wind, and drizzle of the icy-cold storm. Distraught and overwhelmed by grief, he began his descent back to the warm fire of his camp site below. Upon approaching the base of the cliff, he noticed an orange fabric wedged between the rocks of the tide. Upon closer inspection, he found that the fabric was that of a man. He was dressed in an orange survival suit, floating limp from exhaustion and barely conscious. The old man dragged him back to the campsite and broke out the food and water rations he had been saving for his trip home.

After a few hours, the young survivor began to speak. The old man asked him if he was the Kwaiya Ti'iyahl, the one who would save the world. He told the stranger of an ancient myth describing the return of a god from the sea at the beginning of a new golden age. The stranger replied that he was no god. That he was, instead, only a man. He said that he was from Seattle and was sailing for Tahiti when his boat was caught in the storm and capsized. If not for a raft and his survival suit, he would surely have perished. “A god, you may not be,” said the old man, “But god must love you dearly for you to have survived such an ordeal.” The two toasted and ate to the young man’s good fortune. Later as they fell asleep, the old magician wondered upon the incredible luck of this stranger from the sea.

It was as he slept that he finally had a vision. He saw a green forest bathed in light and mist. Upon an out-cropping of stone, he spied a dark wolf. The wolf spoke to him saying, “Feel no more sadness, for this is the man you quested. He is a fallen angel, for whom the prophecy of many states has fore told. Although he does not remember, he has fallen from heaven and must regain grace in god’s eyes through good deeds and self sacrifice. When he is finished, he will bring back the son of man, the civil war in heaven will be ended, and God will return to the Earth once more.” And at that moment, two large wings spread from behind the wolf and the animal took to flight. He rose above the old man and a great howl arose about the mountains. “Behold, the ways of your ancestors will return to all the lands. Light shall embrace the entire world!” Then, the man saw a sun of pure gold permeate all the forest and there were no more lies upon the lips of men for all was one and the same. Beholding this, he fell to his knees, overwhelmed with elation, he began to weep. It was at this moment, he awoke.

Upon waking, it was morning. The storm had passed leaving the first clear sunny day to be seen on the peninsula in a month. He wondered, “Had the golden age begun?” He looked about for his new companion. But the young man had snuck away in the night. It was not the new age, yet, but it was the beginning of spring.

This story is the genesis of what many describe as the birth of a new religion called Bastian affirmationism. Most would contest that affirmationists come in more than one faith. There are, after all, Christian, Buddhist, and pagan affirmationists. There are even ‘skinhead’ affirmationists out there. The affirmationist philosophy seems to encompass many points of view. But the Bastians are pure affirmationists borrowing little from the old world religions or dogma. Instead, they owe most of their beliefs to the teachings of the young survivor in the story above.

These days, there are many myths appearing on the Washington and Oregon coast describing the adventures of this wanderer. Like the Quileute myth, they describe almost magical tales of a young man hitch-hiking down the coast of Washington and Oregon along highway 101. In some of these stories, he brandishes a guitar, singing songs about the merits of human virtue, respecting others, and celebrating life.

Like most myths, these are based on real events describing the life a real person. This fellow set out from Seattle in a thirty-eight foot sail boat and disappeared off the Washington coast in the spring of 2002. After being fished out of the ocean by a local Indian elder, he decided to continue his travels south on foot. By April, after an assortment of colorful adventures, he finds himself all the way down the map in a small town called Rockaway Beach, in Oregon. It is here, that he decides to settle for a time.

He moves into an abandoned church where he begins to offer his services as a wilderness guide. Most will agree; it was at this point that he wrote The Rockaway Beach Papers. These are a collection of writings describing a virtuous humanity that lives in a state of freedom, love, and beauty. They propose that people question basic assumptions, bringing philosophy back into the lives of people. Upon introspection and a new self definition, a rebirth of the human spirit occurs through a ritual called the affirmation. The affirmation is a rite of passage equivalent to graduation. It is a creative expression of one’s self in art such as music, dance, writing, or painting. It is designed to give the person dignity and a sense of self worth in a world overwhelming in size, complexity, and lacking meaning. Affirmationists say anything is possible when you go on a quest of self discovery. The key to this examination is honesty through an unwavering faith in the truth of reality, a realization of human imperfection, and tolerance of other people’s actualizations. Although many people can come up with many differing viewpoints on a quest like this, it is believed, because material nature is constant, that the essential true nature of reality can be found through a philosophical evaluation. The world being constant, people, being honest with them selves and freed of the inhibitions or influences of society, will find a world view that is consistent with each other, yet, is new and original.

It is in this philosophical soup that Bastian affirmationism was born. Initially, their beliefs rose out of the later pages of the Rockaway Beach Papers where the author describes a tenable spirituality. Here, it is suggested that people can achieve a healthy spirituality based on primary experience rather than secondary sources. Ancient writings or the testimonies of priesthoods hold less value than personal experience in one’s life. This is accomplished by being open to everyday miracles and becoming honest with one’s own soul.

The Bastians also hold some other, more practical beliefs. They believe in kindness toward animals. They hold with especially high regard cats, which, they say emulate preferable traits in humans. These animals are independent, beautiful, strong, and loving but only on their own terms. Hence this is where the Bastians get their name, for it is after the Egyptian cat god, Bast. But they are not cat worshipers. They merely hold the animal in high regard. Unlike cats, Bastians refrain from eating meat from animals higher than fishes. Mammals and birds are considered a good source of milk and eggs but should be treated with respect and never molested for food or sport. They also believe in being environmentally responsible toward the planet. They propose people lead ecologically sound lives and serve a purpose as indigenous elements within nature. In this they preserve and protect the biosphere. They, for the most part, dismiss conventional notions of heaven, hell, or life after death. They do suggest something beyond which all souls go to but that process can be joyous or hellish depending on the goodness or evil of the soul in transit.

A material expression of this group’s idea of Utopia was achieved in an illegal squatter’s village in the forest above Rockaway. This camp was called Bucky Ball City because its buildings were composed entirely of geodesic domes. At its height, it had a population of over forty permanent residents and supported over a hundred visitors at any given time. Many of these visitors were brought in as a part of the group's thriving trail guide service. They would sometimes stay for weeks in order to escape the rigors and stresses of their lives.

It was in the forests of western Washington and Oregon that this new philosophy reached critical mass. People from all over the world were hearing about and coming to listen to this new prophet. Lessons were largely composed of songs and short stories around the campfire. As time went by, the lessons got better as more and more were given by other speakers, relieving the group’s prophet of his leadership mandate.

This transfer was insurance that the group would survive despite whatever might happen to its founder, the church, or Bucky Ball City. This was an act of great foresight. In the late spring of 2003, the young “Kwaiya Ti'iyahl” as he was called by his followers, called together his people to announce his retirement. They gathered in the evening into a large round house or geodesic dome in the forest above Gold Beach, Oregon. Here, about a blazing fire, they would receive his last lesson. This meeting is called the Bastian Sermon. In it, he preached kindness to animals and of environmental consciousness. He also told of his coming departure and promised to return some day. It was unknown to anyone at the time that the young prophet would disappear without a trace the following morning.

What actually went down that morning is subject to debate. He was last seen heading to a jetty where stray cats were known to live. Some believe that, while feeding the cats, a rough wave may have washed him out to sea. In this, the Indians believe he returned to the ocean from which he came. Some even went so far as to hold a funeral. But many others believe he just walked away. There are stories that he is still seen from time to time wandering the beaches of Rockaway and the trails of Hoh National Forest. There are sightings also in Europe, California, South America, and Mexico.

After his disappearance, the church was quickly vacated. His papers were gathered and published to the best of our ability on various sites. Bucky Ball City would be abandoned the following winter as the Bastians moved back to their cities and hometowns scattered about the country. Some might suspect this the end but, in truth, it was only the beginning. When the prophet walked among us our membership numbered in the hundreds. Now that he’s gone and we’ve all gone home we’ve come to number in the thousands. It’s easier to spread a good idea when you’re surrounded by a million other people in close quarters. Perhaps the young prophet knew this. Maybe that’s why he left. Whatever the case may be, affirmationism is here to stay. Although it will take many forms and names it is likely to achieve the hearts of most everyone in time. So perhaps that old Quileute shaman was right. Maybe this young man is a fallen angel. Maybe he will usher in a golden age after all.