It’s been a long three years since we last came together. We’ve lost loved ones, relationships, jobs, and community. Many of us have been isolated from the people and places and activities that make us feel alive and whole. We may have learned important lessons. We may be on the precipice of change for the better. And yet, there is still the grief for lives and a way of life lost. Grief for a world that feels chaotic. Grief for the suffering we continue to inflict on each other and on our earth. So we co-create the Temple this year as a place to come together. To hold ourselves in grief and loss, in hope and love.
We co-create this Temple as a symbol of our belonging, to each other and to this earth.
This will be the 20th incarnation of the Temple. It has become a treasured civic component of Black Rock City and our communities around the world. The Temple provides a safe place for all to embrace and let go of the trauma, loss, and pain that is an inevitable part of our human existence. Every person contributes their own meaning to the Temple.
All are welcome to participate, bring offerings, celebrate, create unions, offer mementos of loved ones, write messages, cry, and meditate. On the final day of Burning Man, the Temple is burned; a symbolic gesture to bring closure and healing.
We believe that the Temple has had and will continue to have a profound impact on the community of people that it serves, and we are honored to work on a project that has this effect. We build the Temple for all, particularly those who can’t… and it can’t be built without your help.
Funding
Burning Man Project grants us about 25% of the cost to build the Temple. The rest must be raised from generous donors like you.
In early 2020, many of you supported our first crowdfunding campaign. To raise the rest of our funds we planned on launching another campaign later that spring. As you know, the COVID-19 pandemic began shortly thereafter, and we had to put our fundraising plans on hold. Now that we’re gathering again for Burning Man, we have a short amount of time to raise the rest of the funds so that we can bring Empyrean to Black Rock City this summer.
After 3 years of planning, we are well-positioned to build a spectacular and meaningful Temple for the reuniting of our community on-playa. How much of the project that is ultimately built, and how many get to participate, is dependent on funding. To date, we have secured a grant from Burning Man, and received funds from our first Kickstarter campaign. We still need to raise a considerable sum to bring the Temple to life in Black Rock City. Temple expenses include: construction materials, off-playa build site rental, tools, heavy equipment rental, transportation, and caring for and feeding ~80 volunteers on-playa for ~30 days.