Burning Man 2009: Day 7 - The Temple Burn -- I Get It Now
By now, the playa dust was everywhere. Everything I owned that was black had now turned a pale gray. After living off of jerky, cold cuts, fruit cups, and granola, I was starting to look forward to a hot meal and a shower like I had never done before. There was still so much to see and do, though, that I didn’t spend more than a passing thought on it.
Sifting through the ashes of the man - By James Pitman
The pace and feel of our personal camp was quite chill, though, as strong winds drove dust storms through most of the day.
Burning man 2009 - by Kathleen Quilllian [via chiliberto]
In a stroke of genius, one of our camp mates busted out a Hookah, and some fine tobacco was shared by all, as we recounted our tales from the night before. As the sun started to go down, the winds shifted and the weather cleared. We started to head out to the temple.
Now I had gone out to the temple earlier in the week to check it out. It was covered with writings and pictures, memorials to friends and family. I have to admit, I picked up a really weird vibe out there…but I couldn’t pick out what it was. It seemed like there was a lot of sadness out there. I now realize what that was all about.
The Temple - Early Photos - 12 - by thebesinc
As we headed out there, the population had dropped by about half…a mere 20,000 people…but the mood was much different. Solemn, respectful, reverent…a mass congregation attending what was truly a spiritual event. A small procession walked the perimeter, chanting and singing. And then the temple burned, and I understood.
Burning Man 2009 - The Temple is Burning - by lou piote
The sheer presence of such a large group of people…totally and utterly silent…wrapped in their own thoughts, was the most profound experience I had in the desert.
It was impossible to deny that the spiritual/psychic energy of a collective of people that size, having a personal experience together, is a life changing event.