On Changes, Expectations, and Problems (Guest Post)

Today's guest post comes from a friend who sometimes goes by Scott Sowka but you may know him by other names as well.  I would add that the more you put into this family, the more you get out you can't see the rainbow if you don't have rain!

**************BEGIN GUEST POST********************

I have a lot of sympathy for what B....  was feeling in the OP. Sometimes, being the resident adult can stretch a person thin and drain the tanks. Definitely been there on more than one occasion. Having said that, ... I'm going to push an alternate rap here.

Gatherings aren't safe. They aren't fun. They never have been. Their purpose was never to be an escape with your friends, and their reality has always been less than ideal. If you were under the false impression that they were those things, it was because you were caught up in the magic, temporarily blinded by the mind-blowing experience of existing in a real community built on unconditional love, and coddled by our elders, who selflessly worked behind the scenes to craft the culture. The truth is, there have always been cops, violent people, alcohol, drama, root fires, bad sanitation, and every other problem under the sun. Always.

There are only two major things that are changing, and they are related. The first is that the torch is being passed down. Our founders are dying, or getting too sick to come home. The wizards who used to weave the magic and keep the bullshit bound can no longer do so. The other thing that's changing is your perception. The magic isn't so magical to the person fueling it with their sweat and tears. You are seeing behind the curtain, becoming a wizard yourself. It is not an easy task. Often, it's not a pleasant task, but it is rewarding.

I don't ever go to a gathering expecting it to be something. I go there expecting to make something out of the chaos. That's meant being in danger, breaking up fights, putting out fires, cleaning up other people's messes, dealing with ego and entitlement, and a bunch of other unsavory stuff. Why go then? The moment where the schwilly kid gets sober, when the meek girl escapes her abuser, when the new kid cooks circle, when the 6up carries a water run, when the barefoot bliss ninny builds public shelters in the snow. Everyone is welcome because the lowliest and least likely to be invited are the ones who need us most. We are culture crafting and teaching lessons that have been carried out into Babylon for decades. It's important, and I don't intend to let my personal hardships dissuade my participation.

Here's my advice to those of you who are not getting the experience you desire, and it's the exact same advice that the problem children need to grok... Don't come to Rainbow for what you can get out of it. Come for what you intend to put into it. Not only will that help to fix the problems you are seeing, it will also ensure that you'll leave feeling satisfied, even when it's one of those gatherings that takes every ounce of your magic and still seems to be a shit show.

Some perspectives from locals on the gathering

 A video from a few years back about interactions between the gathering and the local community.

Part 1

Part 2

All Ways Free

 All Ways Free is a publication put out annually by volunteers who attend Rainbow Gatherings.  The newspaper generally comes out just in time for the Annual Gathering and contains all sorts of amazing things from the hyper-practical to the esoteric. As with all things gathering related, volunteers are need to focalize this event and content creators are need to create poetry, art, essays, etc. to fill the pages.

If you are interested in being part of the crew creating this year's All Ways Free or want to make contributions, please email all submissions to awfeditors2024 at gmail dot com.  They crew meets weekly, Sunday evenings at 6 PM on Zoom. 

Help provide safe drinking water at the gathering

Online Water Fund Fundraiser!
April 13ths at 6 PM Pacific Time on Everybody's Zoom

Hosted by perennial presidential candidates, Vermin Supreme, whose platform includes a pony for everyone and who is deeply concerned about dental hygiene.

 

If you can't make the online event, you can donate to the water infrastructure fund here.

We love you!

Rainbeau Weaver's Heartsong on the Gathering

Today's guest post comes from Rainbeau Weaver

Attending my first gathering in the 80s changed my life forever & helped me find my purpose, my people, my family.  When we drove up to the front gate that first day, a beautiful woman gently walked up as my very young children & I exited the van.  Offering a wide hug she exclaimed joyfully, “Welcome Home!” I looked around as several smiling, friendly, dusty, colorful hippies rushed up to help us quickly unload the van.  The energetic, loving group touched me so deeply that I feel to my knees in tears.  I had never felt more welcomed or at home ever before.  I felt that this was what I had so fervently looked for as I traveled to different spiritual ashrams around the world, seeking guidance & purpose, a place to serve. 

During the next couple of weeks, I realized that my first impression was only a hint of the deep connections & wonderful celebrations that we would experience together.  We discovered so much natural wonder, magical synchronicity, authentic generosity, great food, beautiful music & amazingly loving, funny & talented people of all types. 

The acceptance that we felt was complete as we grew to feel family with such divergent personalities.  I felt comfortable immediately & was wide open & trusting.  I had only been as simpatico at Sunday morning meditations at music festivals or picnics in the park with old friends.   I was so filled with gratitude that I vowed that “the Rainbow way” ethics would be my guiding star.  These were our folks!

I felt that my children were safe & happy & were even more so at a Regional Katuah Family Gathering a few weeks later.  We were overjoyed to discover that our tight knit local group was very family friendly & enthusiastically welcoming.  We were so happy that most of these folks lived nearby & we could visit each other often for potlucks & drumcircles, councils & campouts.  I loved that almost every Camp was serving only vegetarian food & that alcohol was respectfully only carried or consumed outside the main camp, on the road, away from the Main Circle.

Over the last 37 years I have learned so much & been so inspired to share what I have learned at Rainbow Gatherings such as how to make a roaring fire in the pouring rain to create a Sister Sweat (Katuah Summer Solstice, 88) or gleefully cook dinner for hundreds.  How to make five different giant pots of food at the same time, keep from burning the pots & make them all come done at one time.

Years later, we opened our own Rainbow Free Kitchen in my hometown  that served  6-8% of the population 3 times a week, a full 4 course gourmet meal, in house, on real ceramic & glass & silverware with flowers on the table (no plastic or styrofoam) & delivered to many shut ins as well with just 4 hardworking Rainbow volunteers).  We composted all of our scraps, recycled all of our cans & bottles, burned all of our paper.  This I learned at Rainbow as well (Swami Mommy’s Yoga of garbage).  We grew vegetables in our garden or bought our food from the local Food Bank with money we earned by musical or theatrical events or small donations.  Daily, I prepared vegan, vegetarian, carnivorous, diabetic & salt-free meals for various diets.  We served several latch-key children (who didn’t have reliable evening meals at home) after school & started a group on Saturday afternoons called “Rainbow Kids”.  Before every meal, everyday, we would hold hands in a circle & sing “We are Circling, Circling together. . .” Often, we would go around the circle expressing gratitude.

For many years I have felt honored to bring Rainbow Family values into every community I enter.  Another important teaching that I’ve learned at Rainbow is natural, herbal, Earth Medicine; foraging plants & healing juices & teas, helping with natural home births & being a doula.  I have been awed by the amount of high quality, selfless health care given freely, constantly at Gatherings for 53 years.  I have generously been taught so much at CALM & am grateful to have been able to serve @ my own version of a downtown CALM since 1990 Minnesota, “Rainbeau Weaver’s Tipi Teapot & Lemonade Stand, Rehydration Station”.  I carry what I’ve learned with me & teach others to feel empowered to take their health into their own hands as often as possible.

I have been extremely moved by the Spiritual ceremonies at gatherings & the overall surrender to the “flow” of Spirit.  I am awed by the depth of love in the Spirit House.  The Oooooommmmm on the 4th at noon is the highlight of my year.   I love Ooommeba hugs & parades, small OOmmm circles & Oomming before meals.  Singing Spirit Songs, ecstatic drumming & dancing have filled my heart & restored my Soul for decades.  I will always be grateful to Rainbow for this gift.  I had been seriously Ooming for 15 years before I came to a Gathering & learned how to Really share an Ooommmmnnn.  It is so great to feel at one & surrendering to the Flow when on an “Impossible Mission” & miraculously find that All of the various aspects & requirements to accomplish said mission magically appear exactly on time out of the blue!

This supernatural-seeming help has arrived often in my work with the incredible Call Your Mom effort & powerful DKCSC (Dirty Kid Couchsurfing Coalition) over the last few years.  Talk about being a unified family!  The network of support & care shared by phone, internet, care packages, word of mouth, letters or perhaps smoke signals to traveling wanderers, unhoused families, destitute, lonely aged-out-of-foster care orphans, train hoppers, lost addicts or street people all over the country has been phenomenal to witness.  Inspired by the style of sharing at Rainbow & deeply, starkly exposed gaps in loving service that needed to be filled in our communities for our humblest siblings, this Love has expanded out to remote wild places or inner city wastelands to nurture & protect our most vulnerable family. 

One Mission that was exceptionally marvelous in its unfolding was The Red Moon Lodge that some wonderful Women & I created in Georgia.  It was the culmination of many years of building feminine energy at Gatherings.  The feminine flow & empowerment, Sisterhood in the Rainbow Family is stronger than I’ve felt anywhere else, ever.  In that camp at that Gathering, at some Women’s Lodges, Sister Circles, Grandmother Council, Silent Sister Meadow (NC 87), whenever I’ve been in a Sacred, protected, respected place with only women at gatherings I’ve been grounded, restored, inspired, empowered, bonded.

The most important thing I’ve learned at Rainbow that I try to give to the World is the sense of responsible Community.  Respectful Building, complete Recycling, Fire Safety, Kitchen Cooperation & Conflict Resolution by Circling, Counciling, Listening, being fully engaged, empowered & involved.  Restoring the wildness back to Itself before we go home.  All this we do with consciousness & respect.  No one is alone, an island.  There is support & help on all sides.  We are Family & we care about each other.  Impossible things happen as a matter of course every day.  This has given me such Faith that incredible things can be accomplished if we work/play together.

Thank All of You, my 🌈Rainbow Family for teaching me so much.  For giving my Life focus, purpose, health, joy, music, art, fun, skills, laughter, ecstacy, friendship, belonging, hard important lessons, strength, self-respect, Sisterhood, support, Spiritual sustenance, meaning and Unity, but especially real Love. 💖

Blessed Be your safe Way~~Rainbeau Weaver~

Creating Community

When the gathering happens, we all come together from our scattered lives to form one big, messy community. But how does that work?  How do we create a community of equals from all the individual "I"s that show up?

Here are some musings on how I and others I know have created community. You may have different ideas.

Find your tribe. The annual gathering over July 4 is a "gathering of the tribes."  There are many tribes with different vibes. While all the tribes are my family and I love them all, I like some of the tribes more than others.

Finding a tribe can be random: you bump into someone on the trail, a conversation starts, and you feel connected in the heart.

Finding a tribe can be intentional: wander around the gathering, stop in at different camps and talk to people, feel the vibe in that camp and fall in love or at least connect with people who grock you.

Finding a tribe can come out of shared workshops, late night drum circles, Shanti Sena movies, finding a lost kid, or being introduced to someone by a friend of a friend.

Finding a tribe can be learning to love the people in your physical space no matter how much they drive you crazy.

Once you've found your tribe at the gathering, you have a found a community within a community. These communities connect with each other sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly, forming a web of communities that provide nourishment, love, entertainment, company, and meaning in our lives.

Communities are what holds the gathering together. Some communities are small, maybe three to five people who camp together, others are large and sprawling like Kid Village. No matter what kind of a community you participate in, your contributions are critical to creating and maintaining that community. Sharing your music, your labor, your art, your poetry -- all these things create and enhance community and make the magic that is the gathering.

When coming home for the first time, all of this may be overwhelming and it may take many gatherings before you find that community that truly fits you. No worries. People move from one camp to another quite often. One day or one gathering you can camp at Iris, then the next day or the next gathering you can move to Taco Mama.  The choice is yours.

No matter which community, tribe, or camp is the one that calls your heart, try to accept help from your tribe and try to give help to your tribe. Together we can weave a strong family.

Spring Fever

Now that spring is here and the gathering is still months away, 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.  Who needs the hassle of a mandatory court appearance ticket just because you forgot to fix that broken tail light?  (did you read this?)

Make sure your camping equipment is in good shape. Check your tent for leaks. I hope we'll see rain this summer and camping is much 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 quart cooking pots, sleeping bags, cast iron grills, very large metal mixing bowls, hiking boots, digging shovels, pick axes, rain gear, etc.  Once you get to the gathering, ask around and someone will be sure to need what ever you brought to share.

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 and plan to be up to four hours a day by mid-June.  You will have more fun at the gathering if you can experience it.

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 dog and cat 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 at least  week or so before July 1st  (two weeks scores a better site for your camp) and start creating the camp.  You are the rainbow magic and the gathering happens because individuals like you share your unique talents with other gatherers.  Don't forget to announce your workshop at breakfast/dinner circle, post a notice on the workshop board at INFO, and maybe make some signs on the main trail informing people of when and where the workshop takes place.

Plan a fundraiser for Everybody's Medical, water crew, scouting, or the Magic Hat that you support.  Remember just because everything at the gathering is free, doesn't mean we get everything free. 

Get involved with scouting.  If you like to read maps and walk the land, email me and I'll hook you up.

Build a rickshaw or other fat tire wheeled device powered by human or animal energy to help transport mobility impaired gatherers and food supplies to kitchens -- you will be one of the most popular people at the gathering.  

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.

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

Rehearse your best rainbow story for Hipstories on the night of July 5, 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 Muskogee, Oklahoma 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 or to buy a boat load of fruits and veggies and bring with you to share with the hardworking kitchens that are feeding you.

Learn how to play guitar and share your music with your family. Learn some of the Rainbow songs now and teach them to people on the land. Or become a wandering minstrel (trail musician) and share music in tense situations.

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 and the more I grow and evolve as one of the amazing creatures on this miraculous planet. I can't wait to see your amazingness on display when I hug you on the land.