Naked People Oming 1969

A beautiful segmant from a folk festival in Big Sur at the Esalen Institute.  Look closely for a very young Plunker.    Brings back memories for me of gatherings at Oh My God Hot Springs. 

Jules on Scouting

Today's guest blog post was copied from Jules' post on Facebook from 3/7/2012.  Enjoy!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Scouting - A primer!!
This is something that some of us put together.

Scouting - (verb) A process that includes spirituality, magic, and science. Among the sciences that apply are hydrology, geology, botany, biology, sociology, ecology, anthropology, archeology, topography, scatology, and unfortunately, political science.

No experience is necessary to participate and new blood is always needed. Be self-sufficient. Have dependable auto and/or gas money to donate. Be ready for harsh conditions. Be ready to hike in the rain uphill for hours. And (disclaimer) this is not the only way to do scouting!

Historically, the annual gathering July 1-7 and most regional rainbow gatherings have been held on pubic land in US National Forest system, never National Parks nor State Parks due to legal issues. US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land is also public land and could be an option for gatherings.

Map Work
Remember, things aren't always as they appear on the maps.

What type of maps to look at :

• Topo Map of the Entire State aka Gazetteer
• Forest Service map that shows all 15 Minute Series Quadrangle (quads) in specific National Forest
• USGS Quads for each potential site

Where to get maps:

• Copy maps at libraries
• Internet use AcmeMapper (uses Google Earth and USGS maps together)
• purchase quads at hiking/outdoor stores, Forest Service office or online.

Site Criteria
 A good site will have meet most of these criteria:

• Elevation - below 8,000 feet
• Water Look for enough for drinking, cooking and washing needs of thousands of people.
• Best drinking - Water that comes from a spring that can be tapped and piped then filtered or boiled. Away from the potential site with nothing to contaminated it from above - livestock runoff, mining, buildings, road runoff, etc. Rule of thumb: One gallon a minute per 1,000 people. 
• Open Meadows - One large open enough for daily dinner away from parking, vehicle access and camp/tent sites. Other meadows for councils, pageants, tipis, etc.
• Camping Area - Plenty of flat spaces, preferably in the trees, for setting up camps. At least 100 feet away from surface water.
• Plenty of Firewood and Wood for building kitchens - only dead and down firewood may be used. No cutting of green vegetation. 
• Parking lot and parking - Large open space with suitable access in and out for thousands of cars.Vehicles parked along the side of roads, where parking is allowed, must be pulled off as far as possible. At a minimum, there must be one and half car widths (approx. 10-12 feet) of clearance.
• Roads - Look for safety issues: room to pass, clearance, parking for thousands, safe for buses, etc. Ideally two roads into site – front and back entrance. Desirable: no road access into the site, not able to see site from roads.
• Accessibility Issues - Walk into site from parking lot – consider the youngers and the olders, and alter-able people. Look for a way for everyone to get into the gathering easily.

More things to keep in mind:

• Finding a Spring council site (for June 2nd 2012), site to be found by those who go scouting!
• Other forest uses in the area - livestock grazing, logging, off-road vehicles

• finding a good spot for bus village
• watch out for buildings/structures that could be damaged
• be attentive to fragile wildlife
• research archaeological issues
• beware of private lands embedded in public land

Beyond the site:

• nearby hospitals
• local farmers markets
• cheap gasoline
• closest grocer, etc.

Just notice and remember things; be ready to share what you have seen.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

If you want to get involved in the scoutong effort, call one of the numbers on the right side of the blog, leave your contact info and someone will call you back.

Some links to other raps on scouting:

• My 2011 Blog
• Welcome Home mirror site

Guitar Mikal RIP

For those of you who shared music, Guitar Mike recently passedon from his life in Mt. Shasta to some other realm.

He shared his gift with all of us.

Here are some links to his many talents. Rainbow Gatherings and Facebook.  

Please share this information freely.

*Celebration of Guitar Mikals Life*

Spring Equinox March 21st

...

Illahee Flats Gazebo

...
Oregon

to get there from Roseburg, take Hwy 138/Crater Lake Hwy East toward Crater Lake. Dry Creek is at mile marker 49. Just as you go over creek on hwy past the store you will take a left onto Illahee Rd. Go past first Driveway on right that is clearly marked. Take the next Road on the RIGHT. This will take you to the Gazebo and Illahee Flat.

There is a large meadow to camp on. There is a log built privey. Bring TP. Bring Water. Bring Food. Bring Your Musical instruments!

Please bring Warm clothing and plenty of Blankets!

Hot Springs just a few miles up the road and a short hike in.

Whose Job Is It?

Thanks to whoever made this beautiful image. Click image to enlarge.

Shanti Sena Musings

Some would say the phrase “Shanti Sena” means “peace army” from Sanskrit and has its roots in Gandhi’s concept of non-violent volunteer based peace keepers. While in gathering lore, some would translate the phrase as peace scene.  No matter the logical translation you wish to put on it, I translate it as being part of a family and looking out for my family in peaceful ways.

In the years of the strife between gatherers and the United States Forest Service Law Enforcement Officers (USFS LEOs), the phrase came to spell trouble for the LEOs and by 2008/2009 many gatherers actually thought the cops were the Shanti Sena (so not true). Because of the many misconceptions floating around, I thought I would take the time to rap about my perspective on keeping the peace at a gathering.

As many of my friends point out, “Shanti Sena” is a verb not a noun. In other words, no one “is” Shanti Sena, but many people “do” Shanti Sena. Most functions at the gathering are verb rather than noun based.

In a culture where individual liberty and communal needs often clash, countless opportunities arise to “do” Shanti Sena and keep the peace.

Before we worry about keeping the peace, we need to define “peace.”  For different people, “peace” takes on different connotations. For some, acting peacefully precludes any acts of physical violence, but yelling is considered peaceful. For others, cussing is not peaceful. For every one hundred gatherers, there are probably ninety different perspectives on what “peace” means. When we gather, I believe that 99.999% of gatherers have every intention of creating peace. We’ll get back to the 0.001% later.  So how then do we create and increase the peace at the gathering and take those skills into the world at large?

In my perspective, the single most important aspect to “doing” Shanti Sena is to be observant. Sure there are big movies that happen and lots of gray haired folks get involved with radios, but most of the time when a big movie happens, the root cause was a failure of each and every one of us to pay attention to the hurt, suffering, pain and/or stress building up around us.  (As an aside, not everyone with a radio has a clue.)

Reality check!  Going to a gathering, especially for the first time, can be very stressful. It’s a crash course in a brand new culture. Access to food and filtered drinking water can be haphazardous. Being unprepared for the conditions can leave people cold and wet or sitting up by a fire all night to stay warm instead of sleeping. Many people who take medications for chronic conditions often seem to space out on taking their meds, leaving their health further compromised. Dehydration, low blood sugar, and lack of sleep are just a few of the stressors gatherers experience -- add to that doing activities or substances that are new to you. When one small thing goes wrong, people who are stressed out can explode.

Being observant means noticing that some belly is having a hard time or a bad day. Allowing each of us to be our own unique self means not telling other people what to do. Telling people to eat or drink can backfire. So what’s a kind loving brother or sister to do?

Pay attention to the people around you. Notice if they seem to be struggling, are confused or look disoriented. Offer to share your water or an energy bar you might have on you (always good to bring lots of these). Introduce yourself and make a friend. Usually people are more willing to share their troubles with a friend, than someone just trying to fix a problem. Share a song or a joke if the vibe feels right. Sometimes people are in their own head space and don’t want to interact. That’s OK.  You can still stay near them (but not too near) just in case they need help. If it’s two am, please don’t walk away from someone. If someone wants to wander the woods all night, grab a couple of friends and trail after them just in case they need your assistance.

If someone doesn’t have a safe place to sleep, try to hook them up with a camp that can help. If they have small children, Kid Village is a great place. But there are lots of other kind loving camps at the gathering that have the space to squeeze another body into a crowded tent or provide emotional support. If you yourself are new to the gathering (blessings to you for helping others), you can stop by INFO and ask for some advise.

If you find a lost kid, you and a couple of friends should escort the child to Kid Village. Make sure to take the child up to the kitchen and announce very loudly that you have a lost child. DO NOT JUST DROP THE CHILD OFF AT KID VILLAGE. 

If someone is having a health crisis and is willing, take her/him to CALM. Most of the larger kitchens/camps like Fat Kids, Montana Mud, Loven Ovens, and Kid Village (to name just a few) have medical people as well. If the person isn’t willing to move, find someone with a radio and medical people will come to your location. If that doesn’t work, send a runner to INFO or CALM with as much information as you have about the situation. By taking care of people’s critical needs before people reach the point of explosion, we create the peace we want to see in the world.

Other times we have conflicts that arise from differing lifestyles. For example in 2002, the gathering site was small and we ended up with Tea Time and Yoga Space next to each other. Talk about a mismatch in energies. Tea Time likes to stay up all night, serve tea and make raucous noise at 3 AM. The Yoga folks are more into silent mediation and mellow energy. Two distinct energies collading is a classic gathering issue. If we want each camp to be free to express their own vision of peace and love, what to do?  When space permits, it’s always best to camp in an area that meets your vision of what comprises peace and love. So don’t be expecting to sleep in silence until noon every day if you’re camped in Kid Village as kids wake up early.  But ….

As to the 0.001%, when the situation gets a bit crazy, yell “Shanti Sena” and other people will come and assist. With a circle of people, we can try to get a council going where the parties’ involved and random calm and centered gatherers can sit down and listen to each other.  Keep in mind that sometimes people’s emotions are volatile and getting a council going is difficult at best. Then what?

SITTING down on the sidelines and oming tends to help ground energies. If nothing else, it makes misbehaving people feel a bit silly and often times that breaks up the situation. This doesn’t mean the root cause of the problem is solved, but at least it buys some time and space to work on the issues. I’ve experienced a beautiful voice singing appropriate song calm everyone down as well. Peaceful, mellow music helps everyone feel better.

Sometimes problems don’t seem resolved at the time. That’s OK. Rainbow magic takes time to work. I’ve sat in circles with people who were full of anger. At some point the primary people stomped out of the circle and didn’t return.  Then a day or two or three later, I ran into those same people again, very happy and peaceful. Rainbow magic doesn’t always have a logical cause and effect.  Sometimes, just hanging out with someone for six hours prevents someone from getting lost in the woods (yes it really happens and if it’s cold out can be a cause of death), drowning in a lake (yes this has happened multiple times at gatherings) or wandering up to the road and getting arrested (you know this happens). Plus you’ve just made a new friend. The more we get to know each other, the more we create community. The more we actively work on creating community, the more we increase the peace.

If you are not able to help when the universe calls you, please, please, please, make sure someone else helps. Ask others for assistance, guide the person to one of the larger kitchens, go to INFO or CALM and let them know what’s going on. Be the change you want to see in the world.

Many years, we have Shanti Sena councils or workshops at the gathering where people who have “done” more Shanti Sena share the lessons they’ve learned with those who have “done” less or no Shanti Sena. As with everything gathering related, we are all of us teachers and all of us students. In the spirit of sharing other ideas on what Shanti Sena is and does, here are some other voices on the subject.



From Welcome Home with links to multiple Shanti Sena Raps by well respected family (must read).
From Niman - a scholarly look
From Medicine Socks
Rap 121
My Rap from 2008
From tribe

Ask not what the gathering can do for you; ask what you can do for the gathering.

We are our brothers and sisters keepers.

Info Owl RIP

Owl passed away on February 18 of an asthma attack.  Owl was a free spirit, living his life according to his own rules but always looking out for others in the process. From getting people to dig shitters to helping someone who was having a hard gathering, Owl always had your back.  If he thought you were an idiot he told you so. You always knew where you stood with him.  Grumpy at times, he was full of amazing ideas and loved to share them with people who were interested in ideas and willing to engage in critical thinking.

I met Owl in the 1990s (don't remember the exact year).  He was one of the core INFO Crew folks at the gathering. The last time I spent time with him was in 2009 at the New Mexico Gathering (where this photo was taken). The best things about Owl was that  he called people on their bullshit and when something wasn't right he stood up and spoke the truth. 

Here's one last Eskimo kiss my dear brother. You will be missed.

Another friend of his has started a memorial page and you can find it here.

Images from the past

 A picture is worth a thousand words.

Photo by Gabe. Credits and Additional Images