Greetings Temple Guardian team member!
Welcome to the first issue of The Guardian Watch, our new community newsletter. We hope you will find this to be an informative and helpful guide to preparing for and getting the most out of your Temple Guardian experience and our Temple Guardian community!
The Temple burns in 40 days and there is much to do in that time!
Important Dates and Announcements
Temple Voices Needed!
If you have served as a Guardian in past burns and are ready for more responsibility, we encourage you to consider becoming a Temple Voice. As the shift leader, the Temple Voice holds the space for the other Guardians on duty, manages resources, handles emergency communications, and carries a radio to call for additional support if needed. There are still some Temple Voice shifts are still available this year To learn more about being a Temple Voice, please click here:
To get added to the Voice group, email templeguardians@burningman.org
Pre-event Guardians Needed!
We still have a few Work Access Passes (formerly known as Early Arrival) for returning Temple Guardians who are available to volunteer a few pre-event shifts. If you have flexible travel plans, please email templeguardians@burningman.org and we will do our best to match your availability to the shifts that are still open. Thank you!
Sunday Closure Volunteers Welcome!
The Temple closes to the public on early Sunday morning to allow the crew to make preparations for the burn that evening. Temple Guardians establish a closure perimeter and compassionately escort the last remaining participants out of the Temple. After the Temple is closed to the general public, Temple Guardians will assist the Temple crew by protecting participants from dangers associated with the burn prep. Some Guardians designated as Offering Carriers will be allowed to carry last minute offerings to their final resting place in the Temple, safety permitting. Would you be interested in serving as a Guardian in either of these roles? We invite you to sign up for a Sunday Closure shift on Babalooey: https://www.babalooey.com/dept/19
T-Shirts and Hoodies!
Temple Guardians shirts and hoodies are now on sale, you can find them here: https://store.templeguardians.net/
The OMG Sale Starts Soon!
Still need a ticket to Burning Man? The final batch of tickets will be released for sale on Wednesday August 2nd at Noon PST. In order to be eligible to purchase one of the nearly 2,000 remaining event tickets, you must first register for the sale between Noon PST Wednesday July 26th and Friday July 28th. Go to your Burner profile in order to register for and purchase tickets! More information about the sale can be found here: https://ticketsupport.burningman.org/customer/en/portal/articles/1391809-how-do-i-register-for-the-omg-sale-
Today’s Top Ten
The Top Ten Ways to Be Prepared for Your Shift
- Be sober and rested. You are our eyes and ears on the ground. We count on you to be awake and alert, mentally and physically able to hold the space and ensure your safety and the safety of all participants.
- Wear proper clothing. Daytime volunteers should wear lightweight clothing that breathes and should consider wearing a hat or other covering that offers protection from the sun. Nighttime volunteers should bring extra layers to stay warm. All volunteers, as representatives of the Temple, should wear their bandana and wear reasonably modest attire.
- Wear proper shoes. Make sure you will be able to comfortably stand and walk for long periods of time.
- Be ready for the given light conditions. Daytime volunteers should bring sunscreen and apply it often. Nighttime volunteers should make sure they have enough light to see and be seen- bring lights, extra batteries, and make sure your clothing is properly lighted, particularly when traveling to and from the Temple. Also, consider how the light and temperature conditions will have changed by the end of your shift when making your preparations!
- Bring snacks and extra water. While we will have limited water for volunteers at the outpost, you should be ready and radically self-reliant to be able to safely spend at least 5 hours in harsh desert conditions away from your camp.
- Go Potty Before You Start. Of course you are always welcome to heed nature’s call as needed (just let your Voice know first!) but please try to maximize your time serving as Guardian by hitting the porta-potty before your shift commences. Portas are available at the outpost before check-in.
- Arrive 15 minutes early. Early arrival at the outpost will allow you time to check-in, meet your Temple Voices, and familiarize yourself with any unusual situations at the Temple.
- Know your team before you need them. Acquaint yourself with your Voice, Rangers that are working at the Temple, and the other Guardians on your shift so that you can identify them quickly and work seamlessly with them should an emergency arise.
- Consider and Take a Breath. Guardians are always calm and restrained. Be sure you are prepared to respond to all circumstances without excessive emotion or anger and that sometimes the best thing to do is nothing at all.
- Act Skillfully – Intruding into someone’s space at the Temple is a break in your invisibility as a Guardian. When you have taken the time to fully understand a situation and action is necessary, move, speak, and act in a way that is designed to cause the least interruption of the space and the participants in it. Remember that small pushes from a great distance is the heart of our work.
Guardian Spotlight
NAME: Steve Cabrera
PLAYA NAME: Cherub (aka Angel)
YEARS AT BURNING MAN: 11
YEARS AS A TEMPLE GUARDIAN/VOICE: 7
CAMP: Do More Now 7:30 & C
WHAT IS A FAVORITE TEMPLE MEMORY OF YOURS? I was working before the Temple was finished, when we protect the space for the Temple builders by keeping curious participants from entering the site. A participant cycled up to the perimeter and asked me what the building was. He was a virgin burner and knew nothing about a Temple and was just riding around checking out the playa for the very first time, fresh from the gate. I briefly explained what the Temple is and why we have a Temple. He then found himself talking to me about his life. Painful and intimate stories came up for him and he regularly stopped to say, “I don’t know why I am talking about this, I don’t even know you, but it feels important for me to say.” A lot of pain was revealed to him mainly from difficult situations with his parents, much of which he had buried within himself for years. Both of us in tears, we were present to the power of the Temple even before it was open.
More information about all things Temple Guardians at: http://templeguardians.burningman.org
If you have any suggestions on how to improve this or other Guardian communications, please reach out to the Temple Guardian Communications team at templeguardians@burningman.org.