Physical TOTJO Temple in Texas Project

I wasn't trying to say this would be where people live or stay. I meant it would have a little patio area, some special type areas and some vegetation and other totjo related things.

People would meet there in early morning then go to a hotel in the area. I agree a real housing temple would be very hard to implement. Restrooms seem like the only utility a temple would need in my opinion.

The land in this area is near desert. No one cares about noise pollution(there is only few houses in the area and fewer cattle farms), you can see the stars like no other place near a city. In fact its not far from McDonald observatory as well as big bend nation park.

The weather is no big deal, the rain is weak and never snow. In summer it's hot, in winter it's very good. Water would be brought in, but that would be up to the person.

The building materials would be up to the people.

Now insurance I am unsure of. I don't think insurance is needed on something of such little value but Idk. Legalzoom is a website that would help us out there.
Tax is $440 a year. (estimate)

Drexid wrote: I wasn't trying to say this would be where people live or stay. I meant it would have a little patio area, some special type areas and some vegetation and other totjo related things.

People would meet there in early morning then go to a hotel in the area. I agree a real housing temple would be very hard to implement. Restrooms seem like the only utility a temple would need in my opinion.

The land in this area is near desert. No one cares about noise pollution(there is only few houses in the area and fewer cattle farms), you can see the stars like no other place near a city. In fact its not far from McDonald observatory as well as big bend nation park.

The weather is no big deal, the rain is weak and never snow. In summer it's hot, in winter it's very good. Water would be brought in, but that would be up to the person.

The building materials would be up to the people.

Now insurance I am unsure of. I don't think insurance is needed on something of such little value but Idk. Legalzoom is a website that would help us out there.
Tax is $440 a year. (estimate)

But the problem is that we can either go through doing all of this, or we can just meet up in a park...

I'm a huge fan of having a Temple, I've always been interested in being someone charged with the long-term running of one (living there permanently) etc. I don't see a 'never ever ever' attitude amongst the Jedi I see discussing this, it is just totally unfeasible at the moment.

If someone wanted to contribute to the project then I would suggest actually getting a full architectural and costed plan done. As a member of the Council I would never endorse something like this if we never had a complete plan. If we have a plan then we have a guide-mark to aim for and an idea of what land would need to be bought. Even if we had the money that day it probably wouldn't be built immediately, because we would need the membership too.

But a plan (and as I said an architectural and costed plan - not just a 'I have this cool idea' plan) would be the very first thing - unless you know a pre-built site already available.

Well what type of building does it need to be? It would have to be solar powered since there is little electricity lines out there. That would be priced at $1,000 if commercially done, but we are a community for a reason. We could build it for only $200. Honestly, a simple building is not as hard as it seems. That is assuming it is very limited in function.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/diy/earthen-homes-zm0z12aszmat.aspx
How personal can our temple be if we didn't design or build ourselves?

All I am asking for is a well thought out plan and discussion. Only Once a plan is well developed can we truly wait for the time to come.

“Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”
― Warren Buffett

I agree with Akkarin. The will is there but the resources may not be. I bet you could count on a few people volunteering to aid in construction and maybe 1 or 2 people as live-in care-takers. These volunteers and caretakers will need food, water, shelter, etc.

On the other hand, you don't really need to increase membership. My mom goes to a local church that has like 8 people at any given sermon. It's just a converted house and everything was donated. Many people come for the social aspect. It doesn't cost much to run and the costs are crowd-funded by the members. They have classes, seminars, retreats, etc.

A few "outside the box" suggestions might include:
1. Schoolie: convert a school bus into a mobile temple
2. Tiny Temple: Put a tiny temple on a trailer
3. Tree temple: treehouse temple

As far as a detailed plan, there are lots of plans available for tiny homes and schoolies. My friend is building a tiny home and he got the trailer for free by tearing down a condemned trailer house. He'll probably spend about $10k when all is said and done. Schoolies cost about the same.

The cool thing about a mobile temple is you can bring it to the meet-ups and do time-sharing parking between different collections of Jedis in different regions. Take it to a media frenzy, get on the news, spread the word about Jediism, etc. If it works out then maybe there would be an increase in members and more than one temple would be needed, etc. Eventually it could just be parked permanently where the most Jedis go.

Another cool idea is to build a floating portable temple like a catamaran. Then you could sail it over to UK, etc, but it costs a lot to build one. I always wanted to build one and sail the world so I highly recommend this idea .

A floating portable temple would be cool if there weren't so many restrictions in air space. Its impossible tho.

I think its just speculation that only a few people would aid in construction. Everyone could help plan the construction while other people willing enough to visit would be able to go there and build it.

Lets get an actual number of people who are willing to go there and build it.
I am willing to. So count me.

People don't realize that you can get free building wood from shops if they are a little off size. You can also build with part of the land as well.

If I still lived in Texas, I would help. But, I'm in Indiana and I'll be (probably) moving to Colorado in a few years, where I'll be building IJRS's temple with the Faculty of that site.

Whyte Horse wrote: 3. Tree temple: treehouse temple

Hey, I could help with that one. I'm kinda Wookiee-ish.

to be realistic, most likely need to be in a touristic area, than in the middle of nowhere.
obviously more expensive to acquire but easy to reach, and make a profit from it.
BUT again, is that right?

Now i am in south america, and hopefully I am going back home this year (South Beach)
Weather is great. lot of people from around the world.... extremely expensive...
it is possible to make money if you have something like a small hotel/hostal

but what is the porpoise of it?
I do like the idea, just because the idea itself, when my trip start (to south america) i was thinking to live here, for long, long time. and building one was not as difficult than in other countries. but looks like i coming back to US.

You need a real income, to have a real temple. is not a one time found rise
you need minimum to pay bills and one person to stay there.

and the only way I can think that works, is making the temple, a way to make money, and that MAYBE doesn't look right.
so the best option is to use it, as a hostel for jedi visiting, or for curious
for thaat you need, infrastructure, lot of permissions, and lot of money
can be done.... YES
if we found someone willing to give away a property with some characteristics, or a LOT of money.
and make that temple make his own money to survive.
Possible yes, but in a better location.
obviously if is me, I say south beach, or Manhattan .... ha ha ha,
if someone can donate a couple of millions, i can make this happen....

i don;t see a real temple in any time soon. without money.

steamboat28 wrote:

Whyte Horse wrote: 3. Tree temple: treehouse temple

Hey, I could help with that one. I'm kinda Wookiee-ish.

Couldn't be in Texas then... Texas doesn't HAVE Trees

666 wrote: and the only way I can think that works, is making the temple, a way to make money, and that MAYBE doesn't look right.

Why not? it's what every other organized religion does.

steamboat28 wrote:

666 wrote: and the only way I can think that works, is making the temple, a way to make money, and that MAYBE doesn't look right.

Why not? it's what every other organized religion does.

True

but because when you order something, (store) or IDs/diplomas, the temple try to make it without a real profit, make me think,
but you are right

all religions make money in one way or other

666 wrote: You need a real income, to have a real temple.

I can see the logic in that... in a Greco-Roman, Western, egocentric, compartmentalized, reductionist, fragmented, linear thought process that counts on cleverness kind of way.

I agree with Whyte Horse.

You know where this starts? It starts with two people getting together regularly. When, five years down the road, they have a "congregation" of 40, and they build a building... Money will be involved in some way. Possibly, they will have to sell things. Maybe it will be donated. Maybe we'll become a charity.

The one thing I know: Freedom lies in the present moment. We have an infinite number of choices for each special moment. By saying: "This will happen" in a prophecy-like manner, we are reducing the number of options.

Being realistic doesn't mean limited.

The Christian church I went to as a teen started with a tent in the woods and existed that way for its first two years until the congregation grew large enough to warrant building a church... everything has to start small.

Naya wrote: The Christian church I went to as a teen started with a tent in the woods and existed that way for its first two years until the congregation grew large enough to warrant building a church... everything has to start small.

Dude, Occupy Jediism!

The problem is that we do already meet together. On the internet.
We just need one connecting place for all of us. An official one.

Drexid wrote: The problem is that we do already meet together. On the internet.

And you see how easy it is to get people involved when literally all they have to do is open a browser. Try getting them to actually drive somewhere. Good. Luck.

We just need one connecting place for all of us. An official one.

We have one. You mentioned it in the previous sentence.

If I lived on the same continent as other Jedi, the solution for me would be simple. I would invite people for meals, to group meditations, to classes I found interesting, to share important days on our calendar. I would welcome the Jedi I knew into my home.

In short, you make your Temple where you are.

If you want more of a sense of community, then reach out to those around you and build one.

The idea of "build it and they will come"... sure. Eventually. But no religion started with a temple. I was in Malta about a year ago and got to see where St Peter was said to have started preaching after the shipwreck. On a raised piece of rock in a shallow cave. (its extremely creepy to be honest. had a weird vibe)


There will never be just one physical connecting place. we are scattered all over the world. And I doubt we will ever have a "Rome", nor would we want one i think!


As for your maths.... there is a struggle to get enough people to donate to keeping the website running, and if people will not even pay for the use of this Temple, they will not pay for a Temple that they probably couldnt even get to.

nooo, I'm not saying to build and people will come (even though there would be a boost of people) I am suggesting to plan a real temple. Not in the sense that we have deadlines and goals, merely as allowing us the room for expansion and development.

With an official temple we would be able to inspire other temples to rise like a domino effect. These temples would not serve as weekly or monthly meetings, that is not what jediism is about. A year or half a year gathering would be the main purpose of these temples.
Just like you would see in the jedi movies, people could still be there via video communication like skype. Its about the sense of reality.

Drexid wrote: nooo, I'm not saying to build and people will come (even though there would be a boost of people) I am suggesting to plan a real temple. Not in the sense that we have deadlines and goals, merely as allowing us the room for expansion and development.

With an official temple we would be able to inspire other temples to rise like a domino effect. These temples would not serve as weekly or monthly meetings, that is not what jediism is about. A year or half a year gathering would be the main purpose of these temples.
Just like you would see in the jedi movies, people could still be there via video communication like skype. Its about the sense of reality.

So... you want us to buy land with money we do not have and build a Temple that we would use once every six months, or maybe only once a year.