The Fortune Fish Temple
Black Rock City 2023
The Fortune Fish Temple (FFT) is an immersive divination temple based on the I-Ching, the ancient Chinese divination text, and Human Design. Inspired by traditional East Asian temple architecture, its sweeping curved roof line and cantilevered roof joinery will interplay organically with the contours of the mountains surrounding BRC. Within the temple a wheel circumscribed with all sixty four hexagrams of the I Ching can be spun - when the wheel comes to a stop, a unique oracle is communicated to the participant. The FFT inspires people to consider themes of free will, predestination, and the illusion of reality. How does one face the invariably changing seasons of life? How do we have free will if there is no self?
The Fortune Fish Temple was installed at Black Rock City, Burning Man 2023 and experienced by thousands of people. It is now available for permanent installation.
Humans have been using divination as a tool for thousands of years to connect with the vaster intelligence of Life and Consciousness. The Fortune Fish Temple uses the traditional I Ching, arranged in a wheel according to the Human Design system, to invite participants to ponder what it means to boldly meet change, their relationship to free will, and how to accept the illusion of reality (the Maya) itself.
The fish theme asks participants to consider: Fish live in water, yet are unaware they do so. As humans, what is our water? What are the greater forces guiding and shaping our realities?