Temple Community Announcement

SOAK Community,

Following the recent announcement regarding the restriction on wood-based burns this year, we know there are a lot of complex emotions. We share in that grief and frustration, as we all look forward to the profound catharsis that the Temple burn provides. However, approaching this challenge with a mindset of malleability and growth affords us a beautiful opportunity to adapt and reimagine what our rituals can look like.

Here is what you need to know about Temple for this year’s SOAK.

The Temple is Still Going to SOAK First and foremost: The Temple will be at SOAK. Our crew has been pouring our hearts and energy into this build, and the structure will be standing in Tygh Valley as a dedicated space for reflection, connection, mourning, and celebration.

A "Cleansing by Water and Light" While we cannot have our traditional wood burn, we are stepping into a new kind of catharsis. On Sunday evening, in place of and at the time of our typical Burn, we will be hosting an alternative ceremony: a "Cleansing by Water and Light." This event will include a gathering as we typically would for Burn at 9:30PM. The cleansing will beginning with short precession of lantern bearers at 10:00pm and will take approximately 30 minutes, and hopes to give a sense of catharsis, community, and continuity for all. 

 For those who have offerings they feel the desire to see completely resolved before leaving SOAK, we will provide dissolvable paper throughout the event and the evening following the  ceremony that evening. Following the gathering, the Temple will remain open through the night, and participants will be invited to dissolve their offerings

Guidelines for Physical Offerings The Temple will still be accepting physical offerings throughout the event, exactly as we always do. We welcome your photos, letters, mementos, and art.

However, because we will not be reducing these to ash on-site, we kindly ask that you be mindful of the size and weight of your offerings this year. If you have any questions about specific offerings or size limitations, please reach out to directly at temple@soakpdx.com or prepared@soakpdx.com.

What Happens After SOAK? We know how sacred the items left at Temple are, and their sanctity remains our highest priority.

Following the event, the physical structure of the Temple will be disassembled. While the ultimate fate of the wooden structure is yet to be decided, please rest assured that all Temple offerings left behind, including every piece of writing on the Temple walls, will be carefully and respectfully uninstalled. These offerings will be kept strictly private, held secure by the Temple Crew, and will be burned in a timely manner off-site, navigating the current Oregon burn bans as safely and respectfully as we can manage. You can expect community updates about this following SOAK. 

Thank you for your continued support, love, and flexibility. Striking, re-transporting, and eventually burning the offerings will take a lot of effort, and we will be looking for help from the community in the weeks to come.

For now, we can’t wait to share this space with you and experience this new ceremony together.

Your Temple Crew