An update on the affairs of the temple

We received some sad news this week that the Lotus Seed would not be renewing their lease at the retired Highland church building where the Bike Temple shop is located. This is not only an inconvenience for the lotus seed, its programs, and its tenants, but also for your fellow bicycle believers, as we will need to vacate our current shop space by the end of this month.

What does this mean for the Bike Temple shop? It will most likely be slightly down-sized or re-configured, at least temporarily, and definitely relocated very soon. We are currently looking for a new space to host us, if you have any ideas please let us know. We will be sure to keep you updated on moving plans once they have been decided on.

What this does not mean is that the Bike Temple itself is any less active or has changed its philosophy or practice. The shop has always been only part of what we do, and we will continue to help meet all of your spiritual and cyclical needs, no matter where that takes place.

Thank you all for all of your continued support and interest. We are very excited about what is to come!

Many religions say to watch for signs from a higher power...

So what is this supposed to mean?

Join us for another Joy of Monogamous Sects!

The Bike Temple is pleased to announce another edition if its popular Joy of Monogamous Sects rides, each JOMS ride features a bicycle ride to visit a new and different house of worship in Portland, followed by discussion and review at a nearby watering hole.

This is a respectful visit to an established place of religion, in most cases this will be the first visit for everyone in the group.

This month's ride: Realizing the Humanist Ideal
A visit to a meeting of the Portland Secular Humanists. More info about this group can be found here.

February 21st 9:15am
Random Order, NE 18th and Alberta.

We will then ride to the Friendly House at 26th and Thurman, the festivities start at 10:00.

Those festivities being: "Realizing the Humanist Ideal" From the description on the calendar:

Realizing the Humanist Ideal presented by Steve Jacobs Like all philosophies and religions, Humanism exists to solve human problems. The Humanist manifestos define the philosophy in terms of a worldview, the values derived from that worldview, and a method “established for realizing a satisfactory life”. The method (the focus of this presentation) is embodied in the set of processes Humanists use to define their worldview, establish their positions, and evolve their philosophy. How well Humanists and Humanist organizations embrace and hone these processes will determine the degree to which they can realize their ideals.

Then perhaps on to New Old Lompoc at 23rd and Raleigh?

Any route advice between the Broadway Bridge and 26th/Thurman? I can navigate on my own, but I'd prefer to have a clue if I might be leading a group!

Bike Temple Shrine on the move

The Bike Temple Shrine got moved over the Rejuiced Trailers shop today for some welding work. See the video on Youtube on the RejuicedBikes channel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSdJ7qByCms

Last spring we built a mobile shrine, we intended to cover it with flower leis, incense, pictures of fallen bicyclists, saints, and misc. shiny sacred stuff, but we never quite got around to decorating it. Then some of the welds gave out when riding it to Multnomah County Bike Fair, and it's been parked awaiting renovations ever since.

Today Johnnie from Rejuiced Bike Concepts, Amos, and The Kernal took it out on the road to again, and, as always, it handled well.

Do you have stuff to put on a Bike Shrine? Start gathering, and you can hang it on the Temple Shrine, or save up for our Home Shrine Construction workshop.

Yours in The Faith,
Pasture Ted

"There's a Pedal-Powered Goddess in the Sky"

Lee Henderson, the "Fossilosopher," is in the Holy Bike City of Portland OR for a couple weeks, he's visiting his son while his own city descends into a month of martial law for the winter Olympics.

I met Lee in the late 1990s in Vancouver BC, he was part of All Things Bicycle there, from the co-op bike shop Our Community Bikes to the bicycle advocacy group B.E.S.T. to the homespun "Dinosaurs Against Fossil Fuels" bicycle activist dance troupe. A lesser known credit is that Lee was one of the movers behind :"Bikesummer 2001" in Vancouver, which inspired "Bikesummer 2002" here in Portland and the creation of "Shift2Bikes."

Lee is an inspirational character, an organizer, and an ardent believer in bicycles. The results of Lee's efforts helped motivate me and my peeps out at UBC to start the UBC Bike Co-op and Bike Kitchen, and probably motivated a lot of other people, too.


Singing is one of Lee's many pastimes, and he had composed a series of lyrics to popular songs based on bicycle worship, which contributed to the formulation of my own beliefs about bicycles, religion, and the possibility of organized bicycle religion.

So I was delighted, Wednesday, when who should pop into the temple but Lee himself. We chatted, he caught me up on news from Vancouver, and he performed for us in the shop, singing "There's a Pedal-Powered Goddess in the Sky" for Josh Gould and myself.

Video on facebook: --- http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=329694280984&ref=mf ---

So, cheers to Lee, welcome to your home-away-from-home in P-town, and may you and your fellow believers enjoy blessings from the Pedal Powered Godess in the Sky!

Yours in The Faith
Pasture Ted

Go Dinos!

Portland's "2030 Bike Plan" needs to know if you believe!

Twenty years ago there weren't nearly as many people Active in the Bicycle Faith in Portland. There may have been many believers, and fewer of them riding, or maybe there have been a lot of converts since then.

A big factor in the massive revival of bicycling here, as a pastime, as transportation, as a conviction, has been the steady improvement in bicycle routes. In 1990 you had to be a real die-hard, fearless bicyclist to use a bike for transportation. Now, it's still a bit of work, but it's much safer, much more commonplace. When it's illegal, impossible or suicidal to ride a bike, even the most ardent believers will rarely mount their steeds to go anywhere.

Why?

The 1996 Bike Plan called for massive improvements in bikeways, across the city. In particular, widening the sidewalks on the Willamette River bridges and building the East Bank Esplanade. And building "Bike Boulevards" all around the city. Most sensible Portlanders would have said it would be pretty much impossible to go from 1% of people commuting by bike to the 8% we have today. But they were wrong.

Because, the city built bikeways, and the bicyclists materialized.

Now, the 2030 Bike Plan has the same level of ambition. 25% of all trips by bicycle in the year 2030.

The 2030 Bike Plan is the Bible of how it can be done. Or Textbook. Or instruction manual. 400 miles of new bikeways, several new "superbikeways (like the Springwater Trail), and lots of improvements across the board.

Want to see it happen? We, as individuals and groups, need to tell the City to "Build It."

2 ways to show support:

1) Come to the rally tomorrow, City Hall, 1:30 - 2:00. And pack the council chambers with supporters for the first half your.

2) Email or voicemail your city councilors -- today, or in the next week or two, while it's still on their minds. Be passionate, be articulate, or just call/write and express your opinion. And tell them to "Build It!"

Sam Adams: samadams@ci.portland.or.us 503-823-4120
Amanda Fritz amanda@ci.portland.or.us 503-823-3008
Randy Leonard rleonard@ci.portland.or.us 503-823-4682
Nick Fish nick@ci.portland.or.us 503-823-3589
Dan Saltzman dan@ci.portland.or.us 503-823-4151




Yours in The Faith,
Pasture Ted






http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/02/bicycle_master_plan_peddling_a.html


http://www.facebook.com/BuildIt2030

Healing Services at The Temple tonight

Come bless your bike, heal your bike. 6:00 - 8:30.

You can also worship or marry your, but the focus is healing. Rubbing brakes, squeaky chain, loose headset? Come on in. NE 9th and Going, downstairs.

Pasture Ted officiating, with a possible guest appearance by the Fossilopher -- Lee Henderson himself. If we're lucky, he'll sing us a few Bicycle Hymns. Like "A Mighty Fortress Is My car.

Yours in The Faith,

Pasture Ted