Spring Fever

Technically it's still the middle of winter, but the weather in most of North America is so mild that it feels more like spring.  The gathering is still months away, so what's a home sick gatherer to do?

Now is the perfect time to start getting ready for the gathering.  So here's a random list of steps you can take now to create a positive gathering for yourself and others this summer.

Make sure your car is 100% legal. All brake lights, turn signals, seat belts, registration, insurance and nothing hanging from your rear view mirror.  The cops seem to like to pull people over and write mandatory court appearance tickets for the littlest thing.

Make sure your camping equipment is in good shape. Check your tent for leaks. I'm guessing we'll see rain this summer and camping is way more fun in a dry sleeping bag.

Check out thrift stores, garage sales and swap meets for things you can share with others at the gathering: tents, 60 gallon pots, sleeping bags, cast iron grills, very large metal mixing bowls, hiking boots, digging shovels, pick axes, rain gear, etc.

Have a garage sale of your own and send the money you make to CALM, the Rainbow Guide, All Ways Free, Team Hydration or the Magic Hat to help buy gas for scouting  (see links at right).

Get in shape.  Yup, at the gathering you'll be walking for hours every day so now is the perfect time to get in shape.  Try walking an hour a day for starters if you're not in the habit already. 

Plan a workshop or camp focused on your special talent.  Some ideas are singing, drawing, ocarina making, drum making, meditation, yoga, belly dance, Tai Chi, sewing, caring for dogs or cats (probably not a great idea to mix these camps),  massage, or beading.  Start getting your supplies together and your friends lined up to get there early and find a great place for your camp.  Then arrive a week or so before July 1st and start creating the camp.  You are the rainbow magic.

Plan a fundraiser for CALM.  Every year CALM treats hundreds of people from blisters to heart attacks. Medical supplies aren't cheap and it costs thousands of dollars each year to keep everyone healthy.

Get involved with scouting.  If you like to read maps and walk the land, call and leave a message that you want to plug in (see phone numbers at right).

Build a rickshaw or other fat tire wheeled device to help transport mobility impaired gatherers and food supplies to kitchens.  

Start a list of all media outlets in the consensus states (see top of blog) and get together with other folks and start contacting people with positive information on the gathering.  Reach out to the Rainbow Press Crew to learn what they've done in the past. Check out their website here.

Get your first aid certification so you can help keep our family healthy.

Rehearse your best rainbow story for Hipstores, than share your hard won wisdom with your family.

Starting going to your local circle (or start one if there isn't one already) and plan a camp like Cleveland, Ohio camp or whatever city you live in.  Get together with folks in neighboring cities and plan a regional camp.

Get a job and earn money (or set aside some money from your existing earnings) to donate to the magic hat on the land to feed your family.

Learn how to play guitar and share your music with your family.

Learn the Rainbow songs now and teach them to people on the land.

The most important lesson I've learned through my gathering experiences, is that the more I give to the gathering, the more the gathering gives to me.

All Ways Free Then and Now

2005 AWF Cover

All Ways Free (AWF) is a Rainbow newspaper that was started a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away to help us share ideas, knowledge, wisdom and visions for the future. Back then (early 80s), most people didn't use the Internet (ARPANET), the World Wide Web had not yet been invented, and most Rainbow information was shared orally, via snail mail or the various other Rainbow publication such as The Mini Manual of Gathering Consciousness and The Rainbow Guide. Smart phones hadn't been invented and I don't think Mark Zuckerberg was even born yet.

In recent years, AWF has shrunk to a shell of its former self.  With all the information shared on the Internet, you may be curious as to why All Ways Free is important to this family.  Some of our better and longer lasting raps started when someone wrote an article for All Ways Free. For example, "The Lost Tablet" (AWF 1999); "Wherever Two Are Gathered" (AWF 1988); and drawings by our family (AWF Unknown years).  AWF has in my recent memory been published the last few days of June and included a basic map of the current year's gathering site. If my experience helping out at INFO these last few years is any indication, people want AWF. All day long people come to the counter at INFO and ask for a copy of AWF  (and The Rainbow Guide as well).

AWF Artwork

A friend of mine, Finch, is trying to revive the AWF many of us knew and loved; but like all things gathering related, it doesn't contain Rainbow Magic without a circle of folks.  He's been reaching out to many long time gatherers to learn how to proceed and needs our support. And by "OUR" I means a couple of hundred of gatherers plugging in with an article, a couple of bucks or some tech support.

The collections of AWF over the years have chronicled our hopes and dreams, successes and failures and created a legacy for future generations.  Now is the perfect time for our younger family (and older ones as well) to start sharing their artwork,  recipes, wisdom and hipstories and add to this growing body of work.

To get involved in this effort, email Finch, write to him at
All Ways Free
P.O. Box 438
Santa Cruz, CA 95061

Or check out his call for assistance here.

In addition to printing copies on paper, I know he wants to publish online. I think he's also interested in collecting old copies of AWF so he can scan them and post them.  Great ideas, but he needs some help doing the work and also some financial assistance as well.  If you've been wanting to do something really amazing for this family, but don't have the time or health to go scouting, the stomach to deal with the US Government, or the time off work to stay for cleanup, this is a great way to plug in a few hours a week.  To see the happiness your hard work creates, come by INFO the first few days of July and see how excited people are when they get their very own, take back to camp and share with friends, save and keep for years copy of the 2012 All Ways Free.

For an electronic copy of the absolutely amazing 2005 AWF, click here. Read it, get motivated and plug in to create an even more amazing AWF for 2012.  I know there are many talented gatherers out there.  Circle Up! The more you plug in, the more fun you have.  

Thanksgiving Council Notes

This is the only set of notes I've received so far for the 2012 Annual Rainbow Gathering and represents one person's thoughts.  I'm sure others who attended may have different thoughts.   Thanks to the brother who shared this with me so I could share with everyone.


These are my notes from Thanksgiving council in Warm Springs, VA. Note we have a FB page at Rainbow Gathering 2012.

It is not complete as I did not take physical notes, only a summery of what I think are some important points.  If I missed anything or have any details wrong please let me know.

I want to say how refreshing it was to have a great group of dedicated Rainbows come together to sow the seeds of the 2012 gathering. Thanksgiving council was represented by many from kitchens, scouts, older Rainbows, and younger Rainbows.  My brothers and sisters did amazing work listening and learning from each other, and it was truly the first time I have seen the elders and the youngers work so hard to come together, listen, and understand each other.  Much progress was made building bridges that needed to have been built long ago.  It was also amazing to see so many dedicated and knowledgeable younger scouts come and share what they had learned.

Much of the first day of counseling was spent getting clarification and heart songs about what we want to see for the 2012 gathering.  People who were not at vision council wanted to get a better understanding of what the vision was, how it came to be, and what were people's thoughts on the, seemingly out of place, inclusion of New Hampshire with the south eastern states. It was felt, by those who were at vision council, that New Hampshire is only a back up plan if no other acceptable sites are found in the South East consented states. Indeed the scouts present had little interest in scouting New Hampshire and were mainly interested in North Carolina, Tennessee and parts of Virginia.   Talk was made about if there were suitable sites and where, and about passing scouting on to the many hard working scouts who had attended rather than defaulting to the “old scouts”.

Folks from Katuah have said that Katuah discussed in their Thanksgiving council the week before that they want to rise up to host and help make this a great gathering.   To this end they are giving many of their resources to the family this year (including the great kitchen we used to cook our Thanksgiving feast). This includes use of the light-line, P.O. box, etc. They also wish to be on the land in time for their Summer Solstice gathering (which takes place around June 21st) and to merge that with the National Gathering this year.

We decided there would be a conference call on March 13th, to be announced by the scouts, at which time a Scout rendezvous location and time would be decided upon. This time would most likely be April 1st and be in the southern end of the consented states. The idea is for the scouts to start south and move north.  Since April first conflicts with a Cumberland event that date may change.  Other scout conference calls will be announced before and after. Most will take place on Tuesday evenings, as that is when they are currently happening.

Spring Council will begin June 2nd. The scouts were concerned that they will be under pressure to have a site ready at this time and that undermines the ability for the scouts to share sites and go look at new locations or make decisions with everyone seeing the potential sites. They do not want time pressures to hijack the gathering this year and did not feel good about how things went down last year.  For this reason the scouts requested that June 2nd is the start of council and at that time they decide a date to meet back for a decision after people have time to visit the sites being debated.   The council will resume no later than the 9th with the intention of it being between the 5th and 7th.

A request was made to keep most offices and the Bank in the Asheville, North Carolina area since Asheville has a large Rainbow population.  Unfortunately only three people from Asheville were present at Thanksgiving council. This made them reluctantly nominated to these posts. For this reason all who were nominated were under the agreement that they could step down if suitable replacements were found.  The current members of the  bank and office are actively seeking more, preferably local, people to join and contribute to these needs.

The office was started with Hawker, Kelly, Caterpillar, Flower, Horse, and Coco nominated to initiate the office.  The Katuah post office box will be used for Rainbow correspondence this year. It is: Katuah Tribe, PO Box 6278, Asheville, NC 28816.  Please address them Rainbow 2012 to separate it from other Katuah mail.
In addition the HO! Light line in Atlanta (770) 662-6112 will be used for all announcements such as conference calls, rendezvous, councils, and locations. It has yet to be determined if we will be able to accept messages at this number due to the potential volume of calls.

For now posts to the Rainbow Gathering 2012 Facebook page can be made by joining that group or emailing RainbowGathering2012@groups.facebook.com.  Voice mails can be made to (904)274-2012. Questions can be sent to rainbowgathering2012@gmail.com.  These last contact sources may change if and when we come up with better ways to communicate.

The office would like to establish as many means of communication possible to make Rainbow open and accessible to all. To this regard they will use Facebook, AGR, Welcomehome.org, appalachiangathering2012.blogspot.com, and other sources. They will also strive to set up a Rainbow2012 e-Mail address and list server, most likely using RiseUp.org when time allows.

A bank was established from now until spring council with the intent that it is to be turned over to a new bank established at spring council. The current bank includes Hawker, Kelly, Caterpillar, and Flower, with Jules in a consulting role as we wanted two scouts on the bank.  The bank will receive any donations from the office P.O box and also intends to establish a means of electronic donation either using PayPal,  WePay or another service to make donations easier.  The bank currently has negative funds, as it did not raise enough to cover the cost of Thanksgiving site.  Note: Marken - are there seed funds left over for scouts or other seed money from last year?

Those are all the big points I can remember. See you in the South East in July!

Why Gather?

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a friend of mine, Garrick Beck, (one of the earlies) wrote an amazing piece on why we gather.  If you haven't read it, click here.

Lately, I've been wondering why I don't take a Caribbean Cruise in the summer instead of going to the gathering. I'm tired. I work too hard and a Caribbean Cruise (not that I've ever been on one) sounds relaxing and rejuvenating. Even when I don't really want to, I'm called home. I need to be with my family on the 4th of July holding space. Why you might ask?

Often times people want the gathering to be "political," to take sides, stand for issues.  But that's not what the gathering is to me. It's a big experiment. It's holding space for peaceful assembly. It's learning and sharing with each other ideas and wisdoms that don't have a forum elsewhere. It's about learning who I am and how best to serve this planet which has given me life. It's about understanding the pain and suffering people experience and how we can heal each other and this beautiful planet. We aren't saviors or the pinnacle of human civilization.  As the late Steve Jobs wrote, we are the misfits and the troublemakers,

But this is the year 2012 and the Occupy Movement is going strong. Almost daily I read something that links the Occupy Movement to the learning and growing that has been at the heart of the rainbow gathering since it's inception. The other day I had a conversation with a friend on if the gatherings created Occupy. My answer was not really, but perhaps in a metaphysical way of holding that energy in the universe, refusing to let it die out, we kept it alive and will continue to keep it alive.  My friend pointed out that we were holding the space of peaceful assembly without permits when no one else was and she thought that was critical to what's going on now.  Perhaps she's correct.

I'll leave sorting all this out to the historians.  I'd rather be making history than analyzing it.

Thanksgiving Council

It's that time of year folks.  Thanksgiving Council (happens on the holiday weekend) is coming up and people in the region are starting to focalize where the council is held. If you're not clear on the concept of  focalizing Rainbow style, click here.  As with all things Rainbow, no experience is necessary, just a willingness to work cooperatively with others.

Traditionally, the folks in the area of the upcoming gathering take the lead on focalizing the council, so if you're in the area and want to plug in, email me and I'll hook you up with the effort.

The more positive and strong energy we put in at T-Council, the better the rest of the year goes.  There's many things to do besides council like cooking food and child care and just getting a deeper understanding of what goes into focalizing a large gathering.   Here's to a strong showing from folks in the area.

~~~ DIRECTIONS ~~~

We are located in the George Washington National Forest on the Jackson River.

From the East: take I-64 W to Staunton exit (US 250 W) to Coalter St.( Rt 254 W); Rt 254 W picks up Rt 42 at Buffalo Gap; Rt 42 S through Goshen (Rt 42 and Rt 39 come together at Goshen); continue on Rt 39 W over Warm Springs Mountain to Rt 220; turn Right on Rt 220 N (2.6 miles) turn Left onto McGuffin Rd (Rt 621); go 1.8 miles to Hidden Valley Rd; turn Right and follow the road over the river to the Mansion (2 miles). *take the right into the forest just before turning into the mansion neal run trail is about 1mi up FSR 241. Neal run (about 1m) trail is drive-able to the camp for 4wheel vehicles.*

From the West: take I-64 E to Covington, Va; take Rt 220 N past Warm Springs pools (2.6 miles); turn Left onto McGuffin Rd (Rt 621); go 1.8 miles to Hidden Valley Rd; turn Right and follow the road over the river to the Mansion (2 miles). *take the right into the forest just before turning into the mansion neal run trail is about 1mi up FSR 241. Neal run (about 1m) trail is drive-able to the camp for 4wheel vehicles.*

This space is a Bed and Breakfast in a National Forest.  For details on the facilities, click here.

Please do not use MapQuest for routes into Bath County, they are incorrect.

If you have 20lb propane cylinders full of propane,  bring them along as they are needed.

Where will the gathering be in 2012?

(Updated 6/11/12)

Directions to the gathering are available here.

Usually when someone gets on my email list, this is the first information I send them. So to you out here in blogsphere, here's that same information.


From the invite to the very first Rainbow Gathering in 1972:

We, who are brothers & sisters, children of God, families of  life on earth, friends of nature & of all people, children of humankind calling ourselves Rainbow Family Tribe, humbly invite:

• All races, peoples, tribes, communes, men, women, children, individuals -- out of love.
• All nations & national leaders -- out of respect
• All religions & religious leaders -- out of faith
• All politicians -- out of charity

to join with us in gathering together for the purpose of expressing our sincere desire that there shall be peace on earth, harmony among all people. This gathering to take place beginning July 1, 1972, near Aspen, Colorado - or between Aspen &; the Hopi &p; Navajo lands - on 3000 acres of land that we hope to purchase or acquire for this gathering -- & to hold open worship, prayer, chanting or whatever is the want or desire of the people, for three days, but upon the fourth day of July at noon to ask that there be a meditative, contemplative silence wherein we, the invited people of the world may consider & give honor & respect to anyone or anything that has aided in the positive evolution of humankind & nature upon this, our most beloved & beautiful world -- asking blessing upon we people of this world & hope that we people can effectively proceed to evolve, expand, & live in harmony & peace.



The truth is no one knows where the gathering will be at this time.


In July 2011, Vision Council on the land in Washington called for it to be in the White Mountain National Forest (in the Northeast), or the Appalachian states of Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia.

Thanksgiving Council

The next step in the process of landing on a site is Thanksgiving Council (T-Council) which takes place over the four day Thanksgiving Holiday in or near the area for the following gathering. This year T-Council happened in the consensed upon region.  This is a time of people to council and share their hopes and dreams for the 2011 gathering.  If you have potential sites you think are worthy of scouting in the spring, bring topo maps and forest service maps.

Thanksgiving Council took place in Virginia over the 4-day holiday.   A set of notes are posted here. 

Scout Council(s) or Scout Rendezvous

T-Council picked dates for one or two Scout Councils. The locations were announced one or two weeks before each date (here and all the usual places). Scout Councils/Rendezvous is a time for people out scouting to connect up, share information, talk about scouting efforts. As with all things Rainbow, no experience is necessary, just a desire to walk, learn, teach and share. If you come, please be self sufficient - have green energy for gas, food, etc. You don't need your own vehicle if you can be a positive traveling companion, but $$$ are always in short supply for scouting, so please bring enough for yourself and some to share with the person whose vehicle breaks down.
The dates picked for 2012 are as follows:

• Scout Rendezvous Phone Calls - April 18. If you don't have the call in information, call (904)274-2012.
• Scout Rendezvous - Scout Rendezvous Monday April 9th at the site of the Piedmont Regional Gathering. Call (770) 662-6112 for directions.  Note - this is a one day rendezvous. After April 9, people will be out scouting and on the move.
• Other calls are happening from time to time.  Check the upper right hand corner of the blog.  

Spring Council

Spring Council is when all potential sites for the gathering are brought to any people who want to be involved in selecting a site. The council usually takes one to seven days and normally ends with either a consensus by silence among people at the council or an exodus of the majority of people heading to the site.  T-Council picks a date for Spring Council but the exact location for this council generally isn't determined until one to two weeks before Spring Council starts.

T-Council determined that Spring Council will start on June 2 and continue to approximately June 9 (or a few days later).  Until Spring Council reaches a decision, there is no location for the gathering. I do not know how long after June 9 a site will be announced so check back after June 9.

Click Here For Directions to Spring Council 

Cranberry glade IS in black bear territory so be careful w/ your food stuff there.

Check back then. Often, but not always, the Spring Council location is within 100 miles of where the gathering ends up. Although this year it's seeming like it might be further, but only time will tell. I will post the directions as soon as I get to the bottom of a bunch of stuff. You can also call the lightlines listed on the right hand side of this blog.  I know one of the goals for this year's Spring Council is for people in attendance to go look at the sites under consideration.

For those of you who think the site is picked in advance and want to get the 411 now so you can book plane tickets.  I'm sorry, but there is no site picked at this time. People are out scouting (see above) and could use help if you want to plug in.

Keep in mind that weather conditions (which are unpredictable) play a part in all of this. So let's say someone found a great site in September 2011 (and I have no knowledge that anyone did), for all we know come the first week of June that site is still under snow, then what? Keep in mind that 4 feet of snow at a gathering is rough and last year Washington had far heavier snow than normal and much later in the season than normal. Snow levels played a part in where we landed. 

Drought and high fire danger can have the same effect. A great site that was nice and wet in August 2011 can be dry as a tinder box in June 2012. If the Forest Service has a no open fire ban on that site that looked so great last year, guess it's not looking that great this year. Available water can change year to year as well depending on snow melt.   Conditions change all the time.  The family needs to find the best possible site for the gathering.


Seed Camp

Once Spring Council reaches a decision, people move onto the site and start Seed Camp. Seed Camp is about creating trails, building kitchens, digging shitters, taping springs and dealing with the United States Forest Service. Historically, law enforcement harassment is highest during Seed Camp so if you are planning on being there, take the necessary precautions to keep your self out of the system if you so choose.

The Gathering

The main day of the gathering is July 4 when we observe silence from dawn until high noon and put our energy into manifesting world peace, the positive evolution of the planet and other good things.  Many people observe this with a prayer or mediation for world peace. Others do Yoga for world peace, blow bubbles for world peace, etc. Basically, if it's a silent, gentle energy then it fits in very well.  As to when the gathering starts, that's dynamic.  It's usually one day during the last week of June when some friends and I look at each other and say "today it's a gathering."  (of course you may pick a different date than I do when it feels like a gathering and not like seed camp)  The earlier you come the more self sufficient you need to be and the rougher things with the Forest Service are. If you show up later, say after June 27, then most (but not all) of the drama has subsided.  Traditionally the dates are listed as July 1 to 7, but most years people start leaving in droves on July 5th.

Until spring council reaches a decision, there is no answer to the question "where will the gathering be?"

Ignore all rumors of cancellation or organization!

Live lightly with the Land and People!
Please Copy and Distribute This Information Widely

Bam Bam RIP

The infamous Bam Bam is now silent, but his energy still ripples through all of us.   I first got to know Bam Bam during the mid-nineties when SCROLL was focalizing gatherings in the Southeastern deserts of California. Just thinking of a beautiful evening at a SCROLL regional in the desert in the 1990s. Full moon and drums pounding and Bam Bam taking center stage. Dancing my ass off. Thank you.

Bam Bam took his life at the end of September.

Words from Mama Turtle:

I guess he was just ready to leave this world.
He was never really comfortable here. Too much sorrow and insanity for him to stomach.
He was a real sensitive spirit and he tried many ways to deal with it.
Well, now he's happy. He can finally get some rest and truly be celebrating the Great Spirit
all the time now, which is what he wanted for all people.
I'm torn up, broken hearted and a general mess right now.
I would love to hear any exceptional stories (which would probably be most of them) about Bam
and any pictures would be appreciated.
We will be having a memorial service in CA, probably near Santa Cruz for him at the end of Oct.
as we all have to fly in and plan the thing. Plus, he's being cremated, so it can wait.
He left a note pinned to his shirt and I know Bam would want me to tell you all that
at the end of the note he wrote this,
"P.S. Hang Loose!"

Short video Clip of Bam Bam Drumming 

Memorial Services

The memorial for Bam Bam is at the Center For Conscious Living on 1818 Felt St. in Live Oak, (a suburb of Santa Cruz, CA) 2pm, Sunday Oct 30th. The center is directly on the bus line. Send Mama Turtle a note if you need specific help with that info. It's gonna be a potluck so please bring something. There will be a sprinkling of Bam's ashes at Greyhound Rock on Tuesday, Nov 1st, probably around 2pm. After which we will make music, dance, sing, get real high and generally rejoice! We will be focalizing a shuttle to Greyhound Rock for those of you who need help getting there. Again, send me a note if you do. Try and RSVP me so that we can properly estimate chairs and food. Please also bring a potluck dish to share! Love you all and see you there. Mama Turtle
 
If you FB, here's a memorial page.