The Temple was my favorite spot at Burning Man.
People wrote heartfelt messages in marker onto the wooden surfaces of the Temple. By Sunday, every square inch was covered in writing.
The most touching was: "To John XX. Why is it that I can forgive the men who set up the I.E.D. which took out you and your troop, but I can't forgive the men who sent you over there? Sergeant XXX XXXX."
Another was from a girl "Cassie" to her younger sister "Laurie", about how smart and warm Laurie was, and how proud Cassie was to have known her for the fifteen years of her life before Laurie killed herself. Reading it brought tears to my eyes.
I also liked a simple line that read "There is no love without mystery." On top of "mystery", someone else had written "annoyance." :)
On Sunday night, around 25,000 people gathered in an enormous circle around the structure. Art cars drove up blaring music, and the air was loud with laughter and chitchat as people waited.
But when a single vocalist began singing over a microphone, and a small procession walked toward the Temple, everyone fell quiet. For two minutes, the entire crowd was silent, and the faint crackle of the fire provided the only sound.
Nice photos, especially the one with the Temple in the dust storm during dawn?
ReplyDeleteThat's amazing. I've never seen any pictures from the burning man before, and really never had much interest too. Your pictures make me want to go to the next one however. Very serene.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos, and great post. I don't think you need the "It was beautiful" at the end.
ReplyDeleteschobogenzo:
ReplyDeleteYeah, you're right. I took out that line.
your blog and photos make me wish i was there too. sounds like lots of people gravitated to the temple and had deep, profound experiences. *halcyon* blogged about it too. here are more cool pix.
ReplyDeleteok.. it's the second time this month something came up relating to suicide. hidden message?
ReplyDeleteWhen was the first suicide mention? The postsecret video?
ReplyDeleteWow, the temple is (was) awesome.
ReplyDeleteWhat did Camp N00b do for Burning Man?
The most touching was: "To John XX. Why is it that I can forgive the men who set up the I.E.D. which took out you and your troop, but I can't forgive the men who sent you over there? Sergeant XXX XXXX."
ReplyDeleteLiberal Pussy
That hour of the burn was the most amazing hour of my life. The quiet that you talked about was amazing and the wave that went through the crowd was equally memerable. The entire experience was so indescribable.
ReplyDelete