Friday, December 6, 2013
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Sunday, July 8, 2012
Vision Council Consensus for Montana in 2013
Consensus reached @ 8:50 PM Eastern Time for Montana.
"We all celebrate that we feel the unity of the spirit and we recognize the oneness of heart as we have the desire to follow spirit calling us to beautiful Montana for the Annual Gathering of the Rainbow Family of Living Light in the Summer of 2013.
~~~ Please copy and share freely ~~~
I've created a blog for 2013 where I will be posting information on the 2013 annual gathering.
http://montanagathering2013.blogspot.com/
"We all celebrate that we feel the unity of the spirit and we recognize the oneness of heart as we have the desire to follow spirit calling us to beautiful Montana for the Annual Gathering of the Rainbow Family of Living Light in the Summer of 2013.
~~~ Please copy and share freely ~~~
I've created a blog for 2013 where I will be posting information on the 2013 annual gathering.
http://montanagathering2013.blogspot.com/
What I Love About Gathering
I wasn't able to make it home this year, but listening to people who were there talk about how wonderful it was or how horrible it was, make me think about why I gather.
In 1994, a lot of folks I know from gatherings went to work the camping areas at the second Woodstock Music and Arts Festival. We had it pretty cush because we were camped on the hill in a private area with showers, great food and no mud. Some earlies were getting paid to do this and lot's of us (not so earlies) got paid to help out so it was a working vacation.
Well Woodstock Music and Arts Festivals being what they are, things went a bit wacky pretty fast. The fences came down and no more tickets were required. A bunch of people set up their tents by the stages instead of in the designated camping areas. A few of us tried to explain to people that the mosh pit would be in the spot they put their tent, but very few people took us seriously. Fantuzzi even went so far as to start carrying people's tents from the spaces in front of the stage, up the hill to the designated camping areas. People actually looked at me with serious faces and said, "There can't be a mosh pit here cause my tent's in the way." (Stop laughing it's totally true). Well as you can imagine with bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Primus, the tents didn't last long.
By the end of day one, I think the entire thing was a mud pit, the porta potties were placed in such a way the trucks to service them couldn't get in, and there were so many people crossing the bridge to the electronica area that the railings on the bridge broke and people fell into the creek which by that point was a pee and poop drainage. YUCK! It's true, I witnessed it and had to help rescue people.
Yet people banded together and one out of every ten tents became a dedicated bathroom (statistics are made up but you get the point).
The day after it was over, all us happy Rainbows woke up, got our gloves and our trash bags and went to clean up the mess. Boy where we overwhelmed. I remember just standing there and gazing around at a huge field of mud, tents trampled into the mud, clothes strewn about and who knows what else. Most disgusting thing I could every imagine. A total nightmare. But we spent the day trying to clean up and scoring sleeping bags and other cool stuff in the process.
After two days of that, I had to head home. I was taking the bus back to NYC to catch a flight home to Cali. The bus was full of people who had been at the festival. All they talked about was how cool it was that everyone banded together, created communities, shared food with each other, and made communal crappers out of tents. They had discovered that working together, we can create the world the way we want it to exist. Their world views had been revolutionized.
Coming together with my family to solve common problems is what keeps me coming back to the gathering. So to those who had a great time and those who didn't, when you see a problem start talking to other people about it, call a council, talk in a circle and figure out how YOU are going to deal with this issue. Too much of our lives are spent in relinquishing our agency to the "authorities" and depending on other people to solve problems. Too much of our lives are spent in looking for that cool event someone else created. Too much of our lives are spent waiting to be alive and live.
So to my beautiful, crazy, wild and brilliant family, no one is in charge and that means everyone has to be responsible for creating the type of gathering we want to have and which makes space for the wide cross section of humans that want to gather.
The big challenge is that my ideas of a good gathering and your ideas are probably going to be different. I'm sure we can reach consensus on some things and not on others. So when we don't reach consensus we always need to be thinking of how peaceful respect can be used to allow each of us the freedom to be who we are, while create a safe and healthy gathering for all of us. To do that, we need to spend a lot of time talking to our family who have different opinions.
Working out problems is hard and I've made more mistakes than I've had successes but it's made me a stronger, more compassionate person. Folks have come up with lots of solutions over the years, some of them work out well, others not so great. The more we share our successes and failures with each other, the better solutions we can create for the future. We're not going to solve this in our lifetime - it's a problem that has existed as long as human have. But what we can do is work on processes that help motivate people to be constructive as opposed to destructive participants.
- I don't gather because it's full of enlightened people (as frankly I find enlightened people a bit boring).
- I don't gather because I want to prove how much better we are than others (because we're not and we're struggling to be kind and loving humans in the world).
- I don't gather because we have all the answers (because we don't, but we're willing to try to make things better).
In 1994, a lot of folks I know from gatherings went to work the camping areas at the second Woodstock Music and Arts Festival. We had it pretty cush because we were camped on the hill in a private area with showers, great food and no mud. Some earlies were getting paid to do this and lot's of us (not so earlies) got paid to help out so it was a working vacation.
Well Woodstock Music and Arts Festivals being what they are, things went a bit wacky pretty fast. The fences came down and no more tickets were required. A bunch of people set up their tents by the stages instead of in the designated camping areas. A few of us tried to explain to people that the mosh pit would be in the spot they put their tent, but very few people took us seriously. Fantuzzi even went so far as to start carrying people's tents from the spaces in front of the stage, up the hill to the designated camping areas. People actually looked at me with serious faces and said, "There can't be a mosh pit here cause my tent's in the way." (Stop laughing it's totally true). Well as you can imagine with bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Primus, the tents didn't last long.
By the end of day one, I think the entire thing was a mud pit, the porta potties were placed in such a way the trucks to service them couldn't get in, and there were so many people crossing the bridge to the electronica area that the railings on the bridge broke and people fell into the creek which by that point was a pee and poop drainage. YUCK! It's true, I witnessed it and had to help rescue people.
Yet people banded together and one out of every ten tents became a dedicated bathroom (statistics are made up but you get the point).
The day after it was over, all us happy Rainbows woke up, got our gloves and our trash bags and went to clean up the mess. Boy where we overwhelmed. I remember just standing there and gazing around at a huge field of mud, tents trampled into the mud, clothes strewn about and who knows what else. Most disgusting thing I could every imagine. A total nightmare. But we spent the day trying to clean up and scoring sleeping bags and other cool stuff in the process.
After two days of that, I had to head home. I was taking the bus back to NYC to catch a flight home to Cali. The bus was full of people who had been at the festival. All they talked about was how cool it was that everyone banded together, created communities, shared food with each other, and made communal crappers out of tents. They had discovered that working together, we can create the world the way we want it to exist. Their world views had been revolutionized.
~~ Just goes to show you that perspective is everything. ~~
Coming together with my family to solve common problems is what keeps me coming back to the gathering. So to those who had a great time and those who didn't, when you see a problem start talking to other people about it, call a council, talk in a circle and figure out how YOU are going to deal with this issue. Too much of our lives are spent in relinquishing our agency to the "authorities" and depending on other people to solve problems. Too much of our lives are spent in looking for that cool event someone else created. Too much of our lives are spent waiting to be alive and live.
So to my beautiful, crazy, wild and brilliant family, no one is in charge and that means everyone has to be responsible for creating the type of gathering we want to have and which makes space for the wide cross section of humans that want to gather.
The big challenge is that my ideas of a good gathering and your ideas are probably going to be different. I'm sure we can reach consensus on some things and not on others. So when we don't reach consensus we always need to be thinking of how peaceful respect can be used to allow each of us the freedom to be who we are, while create a safe and healthy gathering for all of us. To do that, we need to spend a lot of time talking to our family who have different opinions.
Working out problems is hard and I've made more mistakes than I've had successes but it's made me a stronger, more compassionate person. Folks have come up with lots of solutions over the years, some of them work out well, others not so great. The more we share our successes and failures with each other, the better solutions we can create for the future. We're not going to solve this in our lifetime - it's a problem that has existed as long as human have. But what we can do is work on processes that help motivate people to be constructive as opposed to destructive participants.
Freedom and the Gathering
So this brother is making a documentary about intentional communities in America, maintaining mutual respect, keeping the peace, freedom and equality. and some of the more challening issues we face in being free. It's called The Idiocratic Life From - http://theidiocraticlife.wordpress.com
Part 1
Part 2
Part 1
Part 2
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Tri City News Covers Prayer for World Peace
Peace Circle highlights the week for those at Rainbow gathering By: | Bristol Herald Courier
"The day began with silent prayer.
It was not a prayer to any one god, or of any particular religion, but an all-inclusive effort to create positive energy for world peace.
The July 4th festivities were the
climax of this year’s Rainbow Family of Living Light Gathering of the
Tribes, which has drawn thousands of people to the Cherokee National
Forest in the past few weeks."
For the rest of the article, click here.
To Folks Worried About Loved Ones
Every year I and other folks I know are contacted by many people who are worried because they haven't heard from their loved ones in days.
This year is a bit different than usual because their is cell phone service for some carriers from the site. But here's some info that hopefully will help calm everyone down.
Even if your loved one has cell service at the gathering, it probably is sucking a lot of battery power to use. If someone has been on site for a few days, it is very probable that their battery is run down. Unless your loved one planned ahead and brought a solar panel and appropriate gadgets to recharge their cell phone, there's no way to charge a phone at a gathering as there is no electricity.
People can hike out to their cars to recharge their phone, but it's a 3/4 of a mile to 2 miles from camp to the road (depending on where you camp). From there it could be up to a 6 or 7 mile hike on a narrow road with no sidewalk to get to where your car is parked.
Folks on the land often recommend people stay inside the gathering instead of going to their car for the following reasons:
Its very hot and a five to seven mile hike in 95 degree weather can be dangerous - especially to people with ongoing health issues.
Walking on the road can be dangerous and the less time you spend on the road the less likely you are to
So in short, no news is good news. It means your loved one is at the gathering, having a reasonably good time and not causing anyone else a lot of grief. If your loved one is in the gathering without access to a telephone, it means the cops have not arrested them and no one has taken them to a hospital. They are being feed, have access to clean drinking water, and are probably having a good time.
People usually start heading out on July 5 and by July 8, 85% or more of folks have left. If you haven't heard from your loved one by July 9, drop me an email and I'll reach out to family on the land and see what we can find out.
This year is a bit different than usual because their is cell phone service for some carriers from the site. But here's some info that hopefully will help calm everyone down.
Even if your loved one has cell service at the gathering, it probably is sucking a lot of battery power to use. If someone has been on site for a few days, it is very probable that their battery is run down. Unless your loved one planned ahead and brought a solar panel and appropriate gadgets to recharge their cell phone, there's no way to charge a phone at a gathering as there is no electricity.
People can hike out to their cars to recharge their phone, but it's a 3/4 of a mile to 2 miles from camp to the road (depending on where you camp). From there it could be up to a 6 or 7 mile hike on a narrow road with no sidewalk to get to where your car is parked.
Folks on the land often recommend people stay inside the gathering instead of going to their car for the following reasons:
Its very hot and a five to seven mile hike in 95 degree weather can be dangerous - especially to people with ongoing health issues.
Walking on the road can be dangerous and the less time you spend on the road the less likely you are to
- Be arrested by the cops for something silly (most common cause of problems)
- Waste an entire day of your gathering going to your car
- Getting heat stroke by hiking 10 miles in 95%, 90% humidity weather.
So in short, no news is good news. It means your loved one is at the gathering, having a reasonably good time and not causing anyone else a lot of grief. If your loved one is in the gathering without access to a telephone, it means the cops have not arrested them and no one has taken them to a hospital. They are being feed, have access to clean drinking water, and are probably having a good time.
People usually start heading out on July 5 and by July 8, 85% or more of folks have left. If you haven't heard from your loved one by July 9, drop me an email and I'll reach out to family on the land and see what we can find out.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Parking and Cars Getting Towed
To prevent your car from being one of the ones that gets towed, make sure to park only along the gathering side of 87 (not the lake side). Park only on the gravel section of the road. Park with all 4 wheels completely off the gravel. Do not park on curves.
Rumor has it that areas closed to parking are not clearly marked. Tow trucks are out in force so unless you want to contribute in this manner to the local economy, make sure to stick with the program.
If you've got a big group and lot's of gear, drop off some of your folks with your gear at a gate and then go park the vehicle. Then walk back to where you left everyone.
Check with INFO for updates on cars being towed, parking, etc.
Update from a friend of mine whose been on site As of 7/1/12 # 3:15 PM PT
wanted to let you know that parking is at a critical point. folks drive around trying to find a place to park. there is no real bus village and parking is only on the non-lake side. if you do not park with all four wheels off the road you will be ticketed and towed. the tow price is $135.00 plus gas and storage fees. park in the first place that you can park, making sure to avoid the "no parking" areas. unfortunately where ever you park you will be a number of miles from any of the entrance trails. there is not shuttle available; fortunately the locals are helping to shuttle folks in to the trails.
Update from USFS Website 7/2/12 @ 6:30 AM PT (see link at top of page)
NEW INFORMATION
Attendance
As of 9 a.m. on July 1, 2012, there are approximately 5,335 gatherers, 1,450 vehicles, and 26 buses at the event.
All Forest Visitors Must Obey Traffic Laws and Parking Regulations
All visitors to the Cherokee National Forest must obey traffic laws and parking regulations or risk being towed. Please use caution and observe all traffic signs, particularly along Forest Service Road 87, Flatwoods Road. This area is very congested due to the 2012 National Rainbow Family Gathering. If your vehicle is towed, please call Sullivan County at (423) 279-7500.
Forest Service Road 87D Open to One-way Traffic Only
To aid traffic flow, Forest Service Road 87D is open to one-way traffic only. Please use caution and observe all traffic signs.
Parking Prohibited on Paved Portion of Forest Service Road 87
Parking is prohibited on both sides of the paved portion of Forest Service Road 87 from State Road 421 to the Three Rocks Area, the entrance to Little Oak Campground. The road itself remains open. The Forest Service wants to avoid the risk of pavement being broken off by a high number of vehicles parking along the side of the road. This short-term closure will ensure long-term benefits to the local community.
Rumor has it that areas closed to parking are not clearly marked. Tow trucks are out in force so unless you want to contribute in this manner to the local economy, make sure to stick with the program.
If you've got a big group and lot's of gear, drop off some of your folks with your gear at a gate and then go park the vehicle. Then walk back to where you left everyone.
Check with INFO for updates on cars being towed, parking, etc.
Update from a friend of mine whose been on site As of 7/1/12 # 3:15 PM PT
wanted to let you know that parking is at a critical point. folks drive around trying to find a place to park. there is no real bus village and parking is only on the non-lake side. if you do not park with all four wheels off the road you will be ticketed and towed. the tow price is $135.00 plus gas and storage fees. park in the first place that you can park, making sure to avoid the "no parking" areas. unfortunately where ever you park you will be a number of miles from any of the entrance trails. there is not shuttle available; fortunately the locals are helping to shuttle folks in to the trails.
Update from USFS Website 7/2/12 @ 6:30 AM PT (see link at top of page)
NEW INFORMATION
Attendance
As of 9 a.m. on July 1, 2012, there are approximately 5,335 gatherers, 1,450 vehicles, and 26 buses at the event.
All Forest Visitors Must Obey Traffic Laws and Parking Regulations
All visitors to the Cherokee National Forest must obey traffic laws and parking regulations or risk being towed. Please use caution and observe all traffic signs, particularly along Forest Service Road 87, Flatwoods Road. This area is very congested due to the 2012 National Rainbow Family Gathering. If your vehicle is towed, please call Sullivan County at (423) 279-7500.
Forest Service Road 87D Open to One-way Traffic Only
To aid traffic flow, Forest Service Road 87D is open to one-way traffic only. Please use caution and observe all traffic signs.
Parking Prohibited on Paved Portion of Forest Service Road 87
Parking is prohibited on both sides of the paved portion of Forest Service Road 87 from State Road 421 to the Three Rocks Area, the entrance to Little Oak Campground. The road itself remains open. The Forest Service wants to avoid the risk of pavement being broken off by a high number of vehicles parking along the side of the road. This short-term closure will ensure long-term benefits to the local community.
Weather Report
Friday, June 29, 2012
Incident Command Staging Near Site
Sullivan County Emergency Medical Services and the Emergency Management
Agency is also on site at the command center, in Little Oak Campground.
Deputies and medical responders will be there nearly around-the-clock
through the official end of the gathering July 7.
Little Oak Campground is on the lake side of Big Creek Road (which is the road you're parking on) right where the gathering is taking place. Smile and make sure to read this rap (opens on right side of blog).
The Silent Prayer/Meditation for World Peace July 4
Some folks may one why we gathering and go through all this craziness year after year. A friend of mine wrote a beautiful peace on this years ago, and it's available here.
I gather for many reasons as well, but one of the primary reasons is for the Silent Prayer/Meditation for World Peace. The silent prayer/meditation for world peace is the culmination of our attempts to create a peaceful and harmonious gathering. Please if you are local, plan on being her for the Silence on the 4th. The power of all of us together is many times stronger than each of us individually.
The silence beings as the sunrises on July 4. If you're up during that time, it's amazing to hear this loud crazy group of gatherers slowly go silent. Hands lifted off of drums one by one, music trailing off into silence and the chirping of the birds taking over.
While not everyone chooses to participate, we ask that everyone respect the silence and if they must talk, do so in their own camp in a very soft voice. As people desire, they make their way to Main Meadow to pray for world peace, to meditate for world peace, to do yoga for world peace, to blow bubbles for world peace. Everyone is free to pray or meditate to their maker in silence.
We hold this peace in preparation for the arrival of our children. The children's parade (meet at Kid Village a few hours before noon if you have kids and want them in the parade) will come into the center of the circle. Please hold the silence and/or the Om until all the children (even the ones at the end of the parade) have made it into the center of the circle. Our children our are future and deserve our respect. PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WIDELY.
At some point before breaking the silence we will om. Not a short 1-2 minute om, but a long drawn out 15 minute or 30 minute om. If we are all focused and om together, not in a hurry to get it down, but to be with it in the moment, we can create energy that will change the world.
Each of us has a crucial role to play in this sacred ceremony that is the core of the Annual Gathering of the Tribes. This is why I and so many people I know go to the gathering, dig shitters, chop wood and carry water. This is why so many people dedicate so much resources and energy to the gathering. Please if you choose not to participate, please be silent and let those who wish to create a sacred ceremony do so.
The silence beings as the sunrises on July 4. If you're up during that time, it's amazing to hear this loud crazy group of gatherers slowly go silent. Hands lifted off of drums one by one, music trailing off into silence and the chirping of the birds taking over.
While not everyone chooses to participate, we ask that everyone respect the silence and if they must talk, do so in their own camp in a very soft voice. As people desire, they make their way to Main Meadow to pray for world peace, to meditate for world peace, to do yoga for world peace, to blow bubbles for world peace. Everyone is free to pray or meditate to their maker in silence.
At some point before breaking the silence we will om. Not a short 1-2 minute om, but a long drawn out 15 minute or 30 minute om. If we are all focused and om together, not in a hurry to get it down, but to be with it in the moment, we can create energy that will change the world.
Each of us has a crucial role to play in this sacred ceremony that is the core of the Annual Gathering of the Tribes. This is why I and so many people I know go to the gathering, dig shitters, chop wood and carry water. This is why so many people dedicate so much resources and energy to the gathering. Please if you choose not to participate, please be silent and let those who wish to create a sacred ceremony do so.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
My Brain on Nature
Sitting in the shade with my family making acoustic music changes the way my brain works. Participating in a circle and gazing in the eyes of my family as I try to understand their perspective is a multi-dimensional experience. I see their smiles, notice their breathing, and hear the song in their voices. The proximity of our bodies to each other and to dirt, grass, trees and sun gives me a depth of understanding that is only possible when we council together on the land.
Listening to the wind in the trees and watching the moon rise changes the way my brain processes information. I begin to tap into deeper ways of knowing. Hauling water and chopping wood helps ground me into Mother Earth, into the wisdom she has to share.
Singing with my family harmonizes my soul with those of my family. The songs we share create space for peace in my heart, the land around me, and my beautiful brothers and sisters.
 |
| Image from http://www.bliss-fire.com |
Monday, June 25, 2012
Staying Healthy in Hot Weather
Dogs get dehydrated as well. To help keep your dog hydrated, bring beef bullion cubes and dissolve them in filtered drinking water at the ratio recommended on the package. Dogs love the taste and that encourages them to drink.
Because the journey from your car to where you set up your tent is going to take two to six hours depending on how far away you park and how quickly your group can hike, plan on hauling in at least one gallon of water per person (two gallons per person if you have the means to do so). This will make sure you have good drinking water for your first 24 hours and will give you time to get settled in and oriented to sources of filtered or boiled drinking water before you run out of what you carried into the gathering. Plus, you can use the one gallon jugs as refills while at the gathering. Also a good idea to leave some water in your vehicle so when you hike back out, everyone in your group can drink.
Please do not drink unfiltered water. The water may have been clean yesterday, but there's a lot of dogs running around and one dog pooping on the water line and .... well you get the picture.
If you are not peeing a few times a day or haven't pooped in five or more days, please go directly to CALM.
Heat stroke and dehydration can kill. Don't be a dead body, drink water.
Front Gate Is Everyone's Responsibility
The year we have three gates so that triple the areas to cover. Please take the time to spend 4 to 8 hours minimum at the Front Gate welcoming folks home. This is a tough job, standing by the side of the road in the heat and getting covered in dust. You need to be able to remain peaceful interacting with all sorts of folks from road dogs to locals not sure what is happening. Please don't work this area if you have warrants as folks on the gate need to interact with law enforcement.
Especially needed in this area are mechanics as some of our family have vehicles that are limping into this gathering. We also need folks to help out with shuttles and coordinating shuttle drop off points.
Let's keep the energy loving and welcoming on the road. Send love to everyone passing by. Be the peace you want to see in this world.
Rap on Access
If you have chronic health issues, please check in with CALM when you arrive so that folks on the land are aware of your conditions and can provide appropriate assistance more quickly if it is needed.
For family fixing trails, please make sure to consider the needs of wheel chairs so all our family has access to the gathering. If you're not sure what makes something wheelchair friendly, find someone in a wheel chair and access them.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
On Forest Service/Gatherer Relations and Other News From the Gathering
Yesterday (6/22), the USFS met with folks on the land. They brought bread and water to share with the council. Folks had a nice discussion. Lot's of questions as usual. The next meeting is Sunday, June 24 @ 2 PM (Tennessee time). As with everything Rainbow, all peaceful people are encouraged to participate.
Parking is along 13 miles of road. Make sure to park with wheels off the road. Please carpool as much as possible as the parking is limited. No bus village. A few buses in a small turn out but that spot is full.
Plan on camping close to your neighors as the site is small. If you were in Michigan in 2002, you know the drill. When are tents are close together, we need to be extra considerate of our neighbors.
Parking is along 13 miles of road. Make sure to park with wheels off the road. Please carpool as much as possible as the parking is limited. No bus village. A few buses in a small turn out but that spot is full.Plan on camping close to your neighors as the site is small. If you were in Michigan in 2002, you know the drill. When are tents are close together, we need to be extra considerate of our neighbors.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Finding Your Space
The gathering is full of multiple different camps that focus on different spiritual, practical, musical, regional and other aspects of life. Each time we gather, the mix of camps is different. That being said, we usually have a camp or two focused on Jesus, a camp or two focused on providing free health care in the woods, a camp or two focusing on land based survival skills, a camp or two focused on various styles of music. Some people create camps and kitchens based on where they live, others on what they like to do: Yoga, make drums, or do theater and performance arts.
Seed camp is still ongoing so many of the camps aren't set up yet. If you're planning to come to the gathering and don't already have a clan or tribe you intend to hook up with, when you get into the gathering, go to the INFO booth and there's usually a map set up with all the camps that have been established. If you're looking to camp in a quiet place or a place with 24/7 drumming, folks at INFO can help you find the right space.
We've got spaces focused on kids, baking bread, a bunch of kitchens with different cooking styles. We've got camps for people who do 12-step programs like AA and NA. We often have a Jewish camp, a Krishna camp, a camp focused on the health and healing of dogs and often a separate one for cats. I've heard rumor that we're going to have an arts and crafts camp this year. Most years we have at least one place focusing on popcorn. Many camps post signs to help weary hikers find certain spaces.
If you do plan on coming for a week or just an afternoon, getting from where you leave your car into the gathering can be a half a days journey. It's not the distances, but the slow pace of walking around the gathering trying to find what you're seeking, meeting new people and getting involved in cooking soup. We have an expression called "Rainbow Time." Things more more slowly at the gathering and time is measured by sunrise and sunset, dark thirty and high noon. You'll need to leave your car and hike to really experience just what is happening as what's on the road is just a small fraction of what the gathering manifests.
Sturdy shoes and a good canteen are important. Don't forget to bring a bowl and a spoon. The food is free, but you have too provide your own utensils and hot beans in an open hand isn't the greatest way to eat.
Seed camp is still ongoing so many of the camps aren't set up yet. If you're planning to come to the gathering and don't already have a clan or tribe you intend to hook up with, when you get into the gathering, go to the INFO booth and there's usually a map set up with all the camps that have been established. If you're looking to camp in a quiet place or a place with 24/7 drumming, folks at INFO can help you find the right space.
We've got spaces focused on kids, baking bread, a bunch of kitchens with different cooking styles. We've got camps for people who do 12-step programs like AA and NA. We often have a Jewish camp, a Krishna camp, a camp focused on the health and healing of dogs and often a separate one for cats. I've heard rumor that we're going to have an arts and crafts camp this year. Most years we have at least one place focusing on popcorn. Many camps post signs to help weary hikers find certain spaces.
If you do plan on coming for a week or just an afternoon, getting from where you leave your car into the gathering can be a half a days journey. It's not the distances, but the slow pace of walking around the gathering trying to find what you're seeking, meeting new people and getting involved in cooking soup. We have an expression called "Rainbow Time." Things more more slowly at the gathering and time is measured by sunrise and sunset, dark thirty and high noon. You'll need to leave your car and hike to really experience just what is happening as what's on the road is just a small fraction of what the gathering manifests.
Sturdy shoes and a good canteen are important. Don't forget to bring a bowl and a spoon. The food is free, but you have too provide your own utensils and hot beans in an open hand isn't the greatest way to eat.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Commenting on this blog
While I totally support everyones' right to say what ever they want, the purpose of this blog is to share "news and ideas for creating a safe, fun and healing annual gathering of the tribes" and "this is not an official source of information and represents my thoughts and opinions only. Other people will have different ideas."
While I freely welcome other ideas, comments that use racist, sexist, homophobic and other types of discriminatory language will be marked as spam. Comments advocating violence will be removed as spam.
If you want to have a discussion with folks involved in rainbow gatherings, there are a number of online discussion forums. A long time gatherer has a page with links to some of them here. There is a Facebook Group here.
All peaceful people are welcome to the gathering. We gather to promote peace and the positive evolution of the planet. Please join the movement. Be the change you wish to see in the world.
While I freely welcome other ideas, comments that use racist, sexist, homophobic and other types of discriminatory language will be marked as spam. Comments advocating violence will be removed as spam.
If you want to have a discussion with folks involved in rainbow gatherings, there are a number of online discussion forums. A long time gatherer has a page with links to some of them here. There is a Facebook Group here.
All peaceful people are welcome to the gathering. We gather to promote peace and the positive evolution of the planet. Please join the movement. Be the change you wish to see in the world.
Friday, June 15, 2012
The Effects Of Rainbow On Local Communities
This DVD is a gift from a few people who have attended Rainbow
Gatherings. It is about 13 minutes long and includes interviews with people
who have lived in communities near where the annual Rainbow gatherings
have occurred. The individuals who are on this tape represent only themselves and should
not be considered leaders or spokespersons. It is hoped that you will have positive experiences with the people
who will be visiting your town. Peace.
For a high resolution version of the DVD, click here.
Thanks to Welcome Home for hosting this.
For a high resolution version of the DVD, click here.
Thanks to Welcome Home for hosting this.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Bam Bam Memorial Night of July 3
For those who were unable to make the Memorial Service for Bam Bam that took place last fall, there will be a Memorial Service at this year's annual gathering at the main boogie pit after dinner - around dark thirty. Please take the time to come and share your heartsong about how much you loved Bam Bam or how much he drove you crazy (or both). My original post on Bam Bam's passing and memorial is here.
Bring drums. It's what Bam Bam would have wanted.
Bring drums. It's what Bam Bam would have wanted.
On Lyme Disease
Now I'm not a doctor and don't claim to be an expert in Lyme disease. However, when folks go camping they sometimes get bitten by ticks and some ticks spread Lyme disease. Because I have had friends whose Lyme disease went undetected for years and were told they had all sorts of other really nasty issues, I want to make sure you take a few minutes to educate your self on the symptoms of Lyme disease.
I do know that the longer your Lyme disease goes without being treated, the harder it is to treat.
So take the time to read this handy article on PubMed Health. If at the gathering, you suspect you have contracted Lyme disease, please go to CALM. If after the gathering you suspect you have contracted Lyme disease, please inform your health care provider that you want to be tested for Lyme.
I do know that the longer your Lyme disease goes without being treated, the harder it is to treat.
So take the time to read this handy article on PubMed Health. If at the gathering, you suspect you have contracted Lyme disease, please go to CALM. If after the gathering you suspect you have contracted Lyme disease, please inform your health care provider that you want to be tested for Lyme.
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