Temple Burn -- one hour of silence and reverence possible?

[Simon of the Playa]

the temple is wherever you find it.

[youtube][/youtube]


remember man, that thou art dust.

[ZaphodBurner]

The 2005 temple burn happened the day everybody learned that the gulf coast had been destroyed and Katrina had flooded New Orleans. There were newspaper articles on the steps showing bodies floating in the streets of NOLA. Massive reason for the crowd to be solemn because you could hear people crying, and they meant it.

Some fratboy kept pointing his kewl green laser at the temple until a DPW dude very convincingly told him if he saw it again he was going to shove it up the guy's ass. Which would have been peacekeeping because others around the ignorant prick were equally pissed. I'm a huge fan of silence at the temple burn. It shouldn't be too much to ask the WooHoos to be quiet for an hour but this is what "fresh blood" brings to the deeper meanings of Burning Man.

Nothing induces calm and solemnity like a bunch of people yelling "SHUT FUCK UP!!!" "DOWN IN FRONT!!!" Somehow, though, everything became quiet. This was the other side of the burn. This was meaningful, and for a moment all you could hear was the crackling of the fire.

WOW!

...Then, naturally, some coke-head thirtysomething starts blathering about her job and her medical insurance, which is what they do.

It is what it is, friends, which is a party in the desert. It'll be better this year; but only if you make it so.

[lemur]

YOUR LASER POINTER IS HARSHING MY SOLEMNITY DUUUDE!!!

[*Kat*]

I also do not like the noise and laser pointers during the temple burn. I think it is because I am magically drawn to the temple again and again during the week. I have never left anything behind there to be burned but it fascinates me to watch the transformation that happens in people when they approach the temple. During the week, it is such a special, quiet place.

So in 2011, my friend and me decided to stay away from the hubbub of the temple burn. We went way out on the playa - far enough to still be able to make it out in the distance but away from all the noise. It was beautiful: The lights of BRC, the temple, the mountains and the sky overflowing with stars. We watched the burn from afar and the only thing we could hear were the gasps from the crowd as the structure collapsed. It had a truly apocalyptic feeling. We stayed out there til sunrise transformed the playa - one art car passed us by in the distance with a lot of people following it, it was almost like watching pilgrims setting out on a new journey. Most beautiful temple burn ever!

If you seek silence - go out there and watch it from a distance. You can't ask 50.000 people to be silent anyway.

By the way: This is my favourite picture of the temple from 2011:

[DoctorIknow]

For some, death can be cause for celebration and should be acted upon appropriately.

I think it was 4, maybe 6 burns ago, but the Rangers started, or contributed, to making a very successful wave about 15 minutes before the burn.

They would run around with the circular rhythm of people screaming their lungs out, arms waving, and each person would yell as long as they could: just enough breath expelled at great volume to set the speed of the rhythm.

It was incredible to be at 6 and hear the thousands screaming their hearts out over at 12, and then 1, then 2 , , closer,,, then 4, then 5 and take in a deep breath....wait for it, wait.... and yell/scream it all out.

For me, where I had been to the Temple that year grieving and letting go of two loved ones, it was the final release, more geared toward being at peace than all my tears and mental gymnastics trying to deal.

I doubt I was the only one. I saw many crying as they were screaming.

And for all those hyper protective of their idea that all should be silent out there, after the wave, and during the burn, it was the quietest I'd ever heard it.

[Marscrumbs]

I love the temple burn. I'm glad that it doesn't incorporate fireworks. It is a sacred experience to me and enjoy in peace and respect. I'm an not alone but obviously it's not a universal feeling.

[DrYes]

I love the temple burn. I'm glad that it doesn't incorporate fireworks. It is a sacred experience to me and enjoy in peace and respect. I'm an not alone but obviously it's not a universal feeling.

The idea that 'peace and quiet' is synonymous with respect is a subjective cultural one. Personally, I find the faux-spirituality of Temple burn to be kind of gross. It reeks of privileged Westerner.

[Marscrumbs]

I love the temple burn. I'm glad that it doesn't incorporate fireworks. It is a sacred experience to me and enjoy in peace and respect. I'm an not alone but obviously it's not a universal feeling.

The idea that 'peace and quiet' is synonymous with respect is a subjective cultural one. Personally, I find the faux-spirituality of Temple burn to be kind of gross. It reeks of privileged Westerner.

I find many of the privileged Westerners leave after the Man burns Saturday so not to be inconvienced at the gate. Some consider the whole Burning Man experience invalid from our inescapable Western identity. But I understand in India they really know how to party as to put us to shame.

Then I just enjoy a good bon fire with a few thousand friends.

PS. At least we don't have to ask people to turn off their cell phones here.

[vargaso]

I love the temple burn. I'm glad that it doesn't incorporate fireworks. It is a sacred experience to me and enjoy in peace and respect. I'm an not alone but obviously it's not a universal feeling.

The idea that 'peace and quiet' is synonymous with respect is a subjective cultural one. Personally, I find the faux-spirituality of Temple burn to be kind of gross. It reeks of privileged Westerner.

I find many of the privileged Westerners leave after the Man burns Saturday so not to be inconvienced at the gate. Some consider the whole Burning Man experience invalid from our inescapable Western identity. But I understand in India they really know how to party as to put us to shame.

Then I just enjoy a good bon fire with a few thousand friends.

PS. At least we don't have to ask people to turn off their cell phones here.

Well, there is coverage now, which I think is awful, but inevitable. I love the temple, of course, but have only seen one temple burn in all my years of going. I'm one of those who leaves Sunday morning, nice easy exodus. Does that make me a "privileged Westerner?" OF COURSE IT DOES, I'm at Burning Man. Just like you. But whatever, everyone, even privileged Westerners, seeks and hopefully finds their own source. As for it being quiet? Good luck with that. As some have mentioned, there have been quiet temple burns, and it wasn't admonishment or a pre-determined policy that made it that way. If it happens organically, great. If it doesn't happen at all, great. If you want to ensure a quiet burn, do as another poster mentioned and head out to deep playa. The fire is so damn big you'll have no problem seeing it from there. You'll find what you need if you let go of trying to control others' responses.

[vargaso]

the temple is wherever you find it.

[youtube][/youtube]


remember man, that thou art dust.

That is unbelievably beautiful.

[Ugly Dougly]

When the simoom strikes, so many of us are huddled and choose to feel miserable rather than dancing and enjoying the beauty.

[manamaddy]

Hi all. OP here. I feel pretty different about the whole situation 3 years later. I'm getting a kick outta reading all the replies. i think it's right that i was exercising my control freak to try and get 50,000 to be on the same page about how to experience the burning of the temple. This whole reaction was built on my first temple burn experience (2008?) which was mostly silent, with some people yelling out names etc, some giddy laughter, by no means "silence"... but no thumping bass throughout. I held onto this and created an expectation for a similar experience in the following years which of course never happened. Bad move to have expectations coming into burning man, as things are always of course evolving and changing. and i think it was ignorant of me to assume it was virgin burners.

i agree with some of the replies pointing out that it's ridiculous and overbearing to impose our own ideas about how the temple burn should be. with that said, i'm sticking to one hope: that people will decide to turn off their sound systems for the temple burn. playing music throughout assumes that your music is the best music in the world and is pretty arrogant. if you really wanna listen to a particular music through the burn, why not grab an iPod and headphones instead of changing the channel to your favourite and making the assumption that it'll work for everyone.

anyway, It doesn't really matter and having experienced more like 5 burns now I have a wider sampling of the realm of possibilities and have chilled out about having expectations since I know they'll just get stomped on, and they're at odds with a more immediate experience. For the sake of conversation, I find it really interesting that a lot of people are scared of or look down at the idea of a temple and are pretty keen to impose their distaste on folks who like the idea of a non-denominational ritual zone or however they want to think of it.

another thought: I'm definitely more closely aligned with those who're into everyone doing what they want, in keeping with the principles of Burning Man, than the camp of people who are yelling "sit down!" and "be reverent!" which is ironic and hilarious to me, and vastly more distracting than the sound systems that decide everyone wants to listen to them.

Oh, and to whoever said something along the lines of "just tune it out"... amen, but I haven't worked out how to tune out dubstep or any other loudass electronic music yet. and before everyone gets their panties in a bunch, i love music, electronic music included. i'm a musician. i find people's assumptions that i want to listen to their music instead of the built-in music of the temple burning and the humans doing their thing there, pretty arrogant. I'll include the idea in my original post that singing bowls could be played at regular intervals, as arrogant too.

just thought i'd post a follow-up, to get everyone fired up again. Looking forward to being called a bunch more names that ppl want to associate with my loosely-held opinions

see you around town

love,
m

[Ratty]

M, You burn however you like. Enjoy the diversity. Embrace the annoying differences. Wear headphones. The whole idea of telling people 'how' to act is futile. I'm with you. Plan your burn. Burn your plan.


I personally visit the temple once to admire the architecture. I'll try to do it this year before the gates open, (although it usually isn't ready), so I won't be bothering all the morose bodies laying around.

[goathead]

Freebird, just because I love to hear Coyote scream

[Sunbeam56]

Personally, i would prefer a crowd chant... Oooo waaah Oooo waaah, like the assembled believers before the Temple of Doom in "Conan, the Barbarian", Ahnuld Schearznegger, leading man .
(Ducking)

[FIGJAM]

Well, there was that year with some woman singing Ava Maria.

What the fuck was that about and how is it different from Free Bird!!!

[GreyCoyote]

Well, there was that year with some woman singing Ava Maria.

What the fuck was that about and how is it different from Free Bird!!!

No guitars, mostly.

[goathead]

plus, never heard Coyote scream to it.

[gaminwench]

That was a HOWL, I believe.

[Eric]

Well, there was that year with some woman singing Ava Maria.

What the fuck was that about and how is it different from Free Bird!!!

Ha! That's actually one of the only Temple Burns I'm sorry I wasn't up close for - I love Joan Baez, and probably would have been a mess if I had heard her sing that out there - especially when she did it for New Orleans. A very surreal end to the week, even by Burn standards.

And, honestly, it's not different than Free Bird, which is why I don't have a problem with it being played.

[FIGJAM]

It was beautiful and gave me goose bumps, but you get my point.

[DrYes]

I don't care about Temple, but I demand silence during the Man's burn.

Please shut up, or I will insinuate that you're rude for not placing my personal desires ahead of your own.

[BBadger]

This reminds me of that rube who wanted to shut down the entire playa as "his project" so everyone could stare at the night sky.

[FossaFerox]

I wish the temple burn were more reverent. I'm probably being naive in this regard, but I tend to assume the people cheering are sparkly tourists who don't understand that it isn't just an encore of the man burn.

I lost someone close to me last year and was shaking while I watched the temple go up in flames. The irreverence didn't really reach me, but it could have been better and I do resent the people who broke the silence with jubilant cheers because I believe they were doing it out of ignorance.

If they know what the temple is and what it represents for so many people and choose to act that way it would bother me less. Regardless, I'm not one to try to control them.

I'm just hoping I don't have to add a name to the wall this year...

[ygmir]

*still maintaining, don't build one temple, let small ones arise from small groups or individuals, and do what you want, where you want.............................

[Ratty]

Temples in other countries are very LOUD. I don't need those around me to behave in a certain way for ME to feel reverence. I'm self contained. I don't believe commercials. I don't care about the noisy bitch sitting next to me. To each his own.

[ygmir]

for a bunch of people who often want to "subvert the dominant paradigm", many here sure like the "this is how it is, how it should be, and how it will always be"...............

[FossaFerox]

Again, I'm mostly bothered because I feel like it's the "touristy" types who shout and cheer. I'm admittedly a giant idealist when it comes to this kind of thing. And while I've given up on thinking that I can or even should tell people how to burn, I will always resent the apparent spectators who don't get involved with anything if I feel like they're making my burn worse through their ignorance and resulting behavior.

Someone knows what's up and wants to burn that way? Good for them. Someone doesn't understand the difference between the temple burn and the man burn? Yeah, I dislike them. Fuck 'em. Though it's not like I'll harass them for it.

[Fan C]

Having been a mortician for the past decade and half in SoCal I find this thread facinating. I've had four families all having viewings on the same night. Being Socal It could be any combination of traditions. Try Having a mexican catholic family, a Samoan family, and a Filipino catholic family all trying to share the same lobby and courtyard.

Add in the "my family is the important one" attitude....

Now multiply that a thousand fold.

[Jackass]

Again, I'm mostly bothered because I feel like it's the "touristy" types who shout and cheer. I'm admittedly a giant idealist when it comes to this kind of thing. And while I've given up on thinking that I can or even should tell people how to burn, I will always resent the apparent spectators who don't get involved with anything if I feel like they're making my burn worse through their ignorance and resulting behavior.

Someone knows what's up and wants to burn that way? Good for them. Someone doesn't understand the difference between the temple burn and the man burn? Yeah, I dislike them. Fuck 'em. Though it's not like I'll harass them for it.

How does one get to the point where they " know what's up", and exactly what does that mean?

Theory above is painting with a wide brush and mostly horse shit IMHO.

How do we know, that you "know what's up"?

The only sure facts are:
It's a structure, built almost entirely out of wood.
It should burn on Sunday August 30th at approx. 8 PM.
People LOVE FIRE and celebration.

These temple be quiet threads are pretty much never ending ropes, continuously flogging a deceased equine.

Nobody's opinion really matters, mine included...