Rainbow Mini-Manual 2004

Rainbow Family of Living Light Mini-Manual Suggested Wisdom Culled from Years of Experience and / or Trail & Error

Welcome Home! If you are new to Rainbow Gatherings, this

manual may help you understand the basics and how things are usually done. The idea is that we can all share, love, & respect, without anyone unnecessarily getting hurt (physically or emotionally). Rainbow Gatherings are a free, non-commercial sharing of our hearts in the cathedral of nature. Because we recognize that we are all One, we live in a community of tribal anarchy where each of us can help to take care of each other. The Gathering works because people take responsibility for doing what needs to be done, and for gently teaching each other.

Site Criteria

It’s rare for a site to have everything good in abundance, but it is Many hands working together make a strong tribe. We walk essential that every site have: lightly on the Earth. We respect and care for each other & for Safe Drinking Water – This is numero uno! Deep springs or all living things. We drop all forms of violence in our dealings well protected surface water. There should be an ample flow with others and look for peaceful solutions to conflicts. We rate to meet the drinking, cooking and washing needs for all deal with each other honestly with open hearts. Much goes into coordinating a Gathering and much has been learned about how to make a Gathering happy and healthy. The Mini-Manual continues to evolve collecting our experience and wisdom into one printed place. Your contributions are welcome. Growth is a learning process

with no end, and your vision on something might teach us all.

Find Your Way Home

Our Name

who might gather. Figure a minimum of one gallon of water per day per person. Springs should be a distance upstream from camping areas, marked & guarded to prevent contamination.

Open Meadows – for councils, workshops, pageants, etc.

Meadows should be kept clear of tents & camps.

Firewood – A good supply of dead wood lying on the ground for fires.

Parking – A large enough area for expected cars, vans and livein vehicles to park safely. Parking areas should be close yet clearly separate from the Gathering proper. You don’t want easy access for car stereos, beer coolers and a rowdy party scene.

Alternative parking should be arranged for the physically challenged. Only emergency and supply vehicles should be allowed direct access to the actual Gathering site.

Access Roads – There should be one main road for access to the Gathering which is not a dead end that empties near the Main Gate. It is important to have a “back door” available for emergencies and heavy supplies.

Any Gathering that bears the name “Rainbow” is a completely free, non-commercial event. All supplies are donated or paid for with money given to the “Magic Hat”. There is no admission fee.

No money is exchanged within the Gathering. This frees us from legal entanglements and guarantees our Constitutional right to gather on public lands. Our Gatherings are open to all peaceful people. There is no membership, no administration. There are no leaders. No one is turned away. Any non-violent person with a belly button is welcome. You are a Rainbow by simply deciding that you are one, and your voice is equal to that of any other Rainbow, be it your 1st gathering or your 30th.

Seed Camp

“Howdy Folks”

The Forest Service

At least a week before the Gathering is scheduled to start, a group of people arrive to find and develop water systems, set up the first Scouts provide a great service and commitment to the Family kitchen & a health care system, and dig the first latrines. Seed camp by finding the best location for our Gatherings that meets all folks design the layout of the actual Gathering by developing trails, essential criteria. Experienced scouts research potential sites using selecting a Main Circle site, marking parking areas and setting topographical maps, aerial photos and leads from local folks. up Welcome Home. Coop and Banking Councils are set up to They then coordinate with regional focalizers and attend Spring address the needs of Seed Camp. Please do not show up for seed Scouting Rendezvous. camp unless you are willing to chip in on the work.

Scouting

When the Gathering site has been chosen, a “Howdy Folks” notice is sent to local focalizers and posted on computer networks.

This notice contains instructions for getting to the site and other specifics including maps and contact phone numbers. Focalizers make copies and otherwise pass the info on to Rainbow and New Age events, food-coops, community centers, etc.

Our Family is committed to preserving the priceless heritage of our national forests. In this spirit, we cooperate with the rangers of the USDA Forest Service in doing the job they were hired for: protecting the land. The local forest rangers are notified of a Gathering from Seed Camp. We honor their ecological concerns for a site, and we treat them with respect. They became rangers because they love the land as we do. At times, rangers have given the family valuable tips, and wild seed for replanting. Do remember though, that forest rangers are law enforcement officials who have the power to arrest you.

We choose not to sign permits or to make agreements with the Government. Since we are a Gathering of equal Individuals, no one person has the right to represent anyone else and thus no one has the authority to sign a permit as a representative of the Rainbow Family. In choosing not to sign, we are exercising our Constitutional right to assemble peaceably.

The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

Respecting the Land

the longer they are usable. An inverted coffee can will keep TP dry, and a jug of hand wash should hang nearby. Do your business, cover your mess, and Wash Your Hands. If the hand wash is low, Water Water sources are our lifeblood, and they must be protected it’s your turn to fill it. Morning and evening cold ashes should be from the very first day. The safest drinking water comes from springs. sprinkled to keep the flies out.

Don’t make the fly connection: Shit ‚ flies ‚ food ‚ YOU Once a spring is designated for use, it is marked off with strings or ribbons. No campsite or latrine should be located above Have a safe and healthy Gathering or within 300 feet of these springs. Never pour liquid wastes Clean Up into or near a water source or on the ground nearby. Instead, dig Clean up begins before you leave your home. Think carefully a grey water pit at least 300 feet away. Never use soap in a water about what you pack. Do you need it? Will you want to deal with source, not even biodegradable soap. Instead, use a water bucket packing it out. Clean Up continues when you arrive – if you don’t at least 300 feet away. Never dip a canteen or cup into a water disturb the environment to begin with, you don’t have much to source. Use a common hose or dipper. Drink only water that you clean up later. If you pick up trash as you go, there’s little mess at know has been scientifically tested, boiled or adequately filtered. the end.

Even the purest looking water can contain micro-organisms that can cause Bring sturdy bags for your trash & recyling. Take your trash severe intestinal illness. To be absolutely safe, water should reach & recycling far from the gathering and surrounding towns and a rolling boil for a few minutes. Keep your leashed dog away from dispose of it properly. Trash & recycling stations should be used faucets. as a Last Resort. Have a heart and take a bag of trash from a trash Wildlife station upon leaving the gathering (it really helps).

We gather in the Cathedral of Nature & disturb the environment We attempt to leave NO traces of the gathering so that in a year, as little as possible. Riverbanks and wetlands are vulnerable you’d never know we were there. Every cigarette butt, bottle cap & ecosystems. Do not go near them. Older phyla like mosses & ferns string is picked up to the best of our ability. After the last day of the are especially fragile. Leave beaver ponds alone. Stay far from baby Gathering, the camp is drawn inward from the perimeters to one animals. Grown animals defend their young in a beastly way. central camp, thence to the front gate, parking area, and down the Use things where they lie. The more you move, the more you road. See Rap 701 for details. have to move back. Hang tarps from trees, use existing branches for structure rather than cutting and setting posts. Cut no living Recycling: Reduce, Reuse, Recyle People should take their trash & recycling home with them, tree. Do not break live branches. Use only dead wood. Make few thereby keeping a balance of refuse distribution, and not overtaxing trails & stay on them.

Do Not Litter!! If you smoke, pocket your butts. If you pack the cleanup crew. After all, environmental consciousness is something we all always practice at home & as part of our daily it in, you must pack it out. If you don’t, someone else will have to lives, right? Remember to bring a bag or such to neatly store your do it for you. Hence, pick up trash left by others who have not yet waste. Pack it in. Pack it out. Otherwise, if you simply must leave learned the Rainbow Way. Educate them with kindness. Its good it behind: Don’t mix recyclabes and trash together. Separate cans, for the soul. The earth is our mother, we must take care of her!! glass & plastic from that which is trash, and bring it to a recycling Shitters station. We burn paper. Trash is placed in plastic bags and taken to If you gotta go, go to a latrine. If you don’t know where one a dumpster or landfill at least 50 miles from the Gathering. Organic is, ask at the nearest kitchen. Don’t wait until the last minute to waste is buried in compost pits. Lost & found items are left for find a shitter since there might be some walking involved. Never owners to reclaim until the end of the Gathering. Afterwards, items leave waste unburied. Flies will find it, then they will find kitchen are placed into a free bin, and ultimately donated to local charities. food, then people eat that food & get sick. Irresponsible disposal Neighborhoods of human waste can easily create a very sick camp. Dig communal Neighborhoods are the reality of the Gathering. Community latrines: makes the Rainbow Vision come to life. Camp needs, like feeding How to dig, use, and maintain a shitter: each other, maintaining latrines, child care and security are • Latrines must be over 300 feet from open water or focalized around kitchens and neighborhood fires. When you first springs, never uphill from a spring, and clearly marked arrive, look for a group of tents to coordinate your camp with that by signs & ribbon from the trail to the latrine. suits your vibe. Camps usually form around a kitchen. Sometimes • Cut out sod and preserve it for replacement over the filled in people from a same state / region camp together. Neighborhoods hole when the latrine is full. provide security & enhance community spirit.

• Dig a deep, narrow pit. A long foot wide trench at least 4 feet deep is best. Keep the soil in a neat pile for fill-in later. Rain Expect it. And hey! It takes rain to make a rainbow. Consider how • Avoid having an open trench. Build a solid fly-tight cover rain, wind, runoff and puddles will affect your campsite and fire. with lids. These covers should be washed daily.

• Keep lime and/or ashes from a wood fire in a can nearby. Do not place your tent in a low spot or gully. Dry riverbeds may Sprinkle the lime or ashes over your “donation” and then flash flood. Ravines can become muddy quagmires. Keep trails on the rises. Cover tents with tarps and tie them close to the ground some dirt to completely cover the waste. so wind won’t catch them like a sail. Cover bulletin boards with • Large coffee cans with plastic lids keep toilet paper dry and plastic. Rain is liquid sunshine. clean.

• Maintain a container of water with 1% bleach nearby for handwashing.

• Latrines should be checked daily. When it is full to within 18” inches of the top, fill the remaining 18” with the saved sod, and dig another latrine. Inform the nearest kitchens where the new shitter is. Digging a shitter is a most holy task. You haven’t been to a gathering till you’ve dug a shitter.

Choose a site for the shitter well off the trail and at least 100 yards (300’) from any body of open water or kitchen. If on a hill, the trench should be at right angles to the slope, with the dirt from the excavation piled uphill from the hole to prevent a washout if it rains. Narrow trenches are easier to use, and the deeper they are,

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Consensus

Fire

Council consensus is how we have chosen to govern ourselves.

No private fires. Share a hearth with neighbors. When you build Consensus is our attempt to discover the will of the Spirit through

a fire, always have a shovel and at least a 5 gallon bucket of water at the ready. Use only dead and dry wood. Never throw plastic or synthetic materials into a fire. Select a safe location. A clearing is best. Avoid any overhangings. Keep your fire low. Sparks fly far & even live trees can catch fire. If you must have a large fire, build it at least 20 feet from the tree lines. Beware of root fires (tree roots can burn underground). Line the inside & bottom of your fire pit with rocks. Scrape the ground free of loose duff, leaves and grass for at least 1 ft. around your pit. Don’t throw matches or cigarette butts on the ground. No Fireworks! The only fireworks you need are in your heart. Fire watch crews walk the camp to make sure that all fires are properly tended. We are all on fire watch.

the hearts of the people. While discussing issues, if a resolve seems clear, a speaker may “Call for consensus by silence”. If No One objects to the proposal, then consensus has been reached, indicating a solution acceptable to everyone, not just a majority. Those who have objections may call to “block” consensus, which causes council dialog to resume. A block should only be made from a place of clarity & good conscience. One truth can change the collective mind.

It is possible that Spirit has given the blocking voice a message that is presently beyond the perception of the council whole. However, an individual placing their will above that of the people is a most hurtful & disrespectful offense. Since everyone is affected by a consensus, it is important to listen, respect, trust, and exercise good conscience. Egos should definitely be checked at the door. Council can be rewarding & exhausting.

Conch Shell Horn

Conch shell horns are the way we call the Gathering to center.

Horn calls around noon signal Council. Horns near dusk or morning signal that meals are being served. At other times, horns usually mean something important has happened that demands quick attention.

Rule Making

Councils

Counciling

We gather in Council Circles to voice and to creatively resolve the issues and concerns of our ever-evolving Gathering. Councils are an excellent opportunity to help create the Gathering. Participation in a council requires a focused mind, patience, respect, a listening ear and an open heart as we make decisions on how to best serve the Gathering. The power of respectful listening is sacred to the process. There are councils on all workings of the Gathering. This includes Main Council, Vision Council, COOPerations, Shanti

Sena, Legal Liaison, Info, Rainbow Guide, All Ways Free, Focalizers, Kitchens, Banking, Fire watch, CALM, Bus Village, Clean-up, Cyberspace, etc.

Main Council

We understand. Really we do. No one likes to be told what they can or can’t do, especially hippies and anarchists. Recognized Rainbow rules come from only one source, Main Council, at the annual National Gatherings. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend these councils. The Only rules recognized are ones formally accepted by council consensus. This means that Everyone in the council circle agreed that a suggested rule should be a rule (no one objected). Rainbow rules are the culmination of family consensus across the years. For those who do not accept this, please bear in mind, that if this process were not happening, then there will be No Rainbow Gathering to argue the point in the first place. Respect for the whole gets respect from the whole. The idea of “me” yielding to the idea of “we”. Trust in your family to be wise. Conversely, rules in Rainbow are not final, should be humbly imparted with love (at least at first), and most importantly, conflicts should always be addressed with love, and an attempt to preserve rather than defeat.

Main Council is held daily at Rainbow noon or early evening in Love is the answer. the Main Meadow, and is announced by the blowing of a conch shell. Main Council deals with issues of the Gathering in an open forum where All Are Welcome to participate. It is only in Main Council that decisions affecting the entire Gathering can be made. Main Meadow Anything can be discussed/expressed at Main Council, from the Main Meadow is the epicenter of the Gathering, located in an practical to heartsongs & dreams. Health & safety issues should be open field large enough to accommodate many people. It is where resolved first, as council decisions may not be made after sunset. we coordinate Main Council, Dinner circle, various prayers, celebrations and events, including our Silent Meditation for Vision Council Vision Council shares the future dreams and visions of the World Peace on the morning of July 4th. There should be no tents Rainbow Family. Much of the focus is on determining the location or fires here. This meadow is for all. Its energy should be kept clear for the next year’s national Gathering. Council starts at noon on and pure. Trade Circle should not be in sight.

July 7th, and continues until a consensus is reached. This may take days. Be prepared to be patient, very patient.

While Gathering

Council Process

Rainbow Councils are an open process where everyone is invited to listen and speak. We sit in a circle and pass a feather (or other sacred object) around. Each person holding the feather speaks in turn without being interrupted. The holder has the right to honor or reject input from others. Talking, listening, and sharing our deepest feelings, we find new perspectives on each other, and new ways of solving problems. Crosstalking conversation does not serve the whole. Sometimes council process is more open, with the feather placed in the center, trusting that everyone can recognize their perfect moment to speak. At other times it is helpful and necessary to have a facilitator to keep an impartial focus, minimize digression, and remind speakers of their responsibility to the circle and others waiting to speak. There are variations of circle design such as inner & outer circles, spirals, etc.

The Silent Circle for Prayer and Healing – July 4th, Morning

We gather to focus on Love, nature, our better nature, healing division, and to honor and respect all positive contributions to the evolution of earth and all life. On July 4th, from daybreak till high noon, the camp is hushed, hopefully no talking at all. It is a wonderful exercise to communicate without words. People gather in Main Circle to meditate for World Peace and the Healing of the Earth. This is a time of profound energy. Explore your deepest feelings so that your healing might will be complete. The silence is broken with a resonant OM after the Childrens’ Parade enters the Circle, after high noon.

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Please, respect the morning silence.

There is plenty of time in life for noise.

Bus Village

Bus Village is for those who come in campers or live-in busses or vans.

Bus village is a community of its own with kitchens, councils, This is the fund raising instrument for any Rainbow event. A Gathering is free for everyone. But the supplies needed to keep work crews, and Shanti Sena. Bus Village is usually well situated everyone well fed and healthy cost money. This includes food, to help with Front Gate and Welcome Home. medical supplies, gas for shuttle buses and supply vehicles, etc. By Shuttles giving generously to the Magic Hat, each of us helps to provide Shuttles are rugged busses or trucks that can provide almost for all. The Magic Hat appears at group meals and is sometimes continuous service that is safe & reliable between the parking area carried by wandering minstrels. Giving early in the Gathering is and the Welcome Home center. Drivers need relief regularly. more helpful than gradual contributions. Be wary of Magic Hats Riders should help with gas and repair expenses. The parking that are not inside the actual gathering site & personal hats being crew seeks vehicles for possible use as shuttles. called “the Magic Hat”. The surest safest place to contribute is at dinner circle in the main meadow. Contributions are cared for by a Welcome Home Welcome Home is set up past the front gate, just before the main Banking Council of at least 5 respected Family members. They count camping areas to meet & greet people as they enter the site. It all collected money daily, keep written records of the amounts, and make decisions as to how the money is allocated. Receipts are kept, provides a place for people to rest from their journey, be informed and Banking Council records are open to all who wish to see them. about site specific conditions, and receive copies of “Rap 107” and “701”. A site map is posted. New arrivals may be offered coffee, Supply tea, water, and/or a hug.

Donations of food and materials are pooled and distributed here.

Supplies from individuals can be brought here as well. Banking funds allow money-saving bulk purchases and help cut down waste.

This is a major operation, requiring daily councils and the energy of many. Kitchen representatives meet here to discuss their needs.

The Magic Hat

Kitchens

Food is obtained from Supply & prepared by the helping hands of hundreds of volunteer choppers, slicers, peelers, stirrers, fire tenders, and chefs. Some kitchens serve all day, some have specified meals, some send food to Main Circle, and others offer specialized fare like popcorn or coffee. Food sent to Main Circle is vegetarian.

Ideally, every Rainbow should have their own cup, bowl, & spoon that they wash thoroughly after each use. Kitchens must be kept clean. Enclose kitchens with railings, and set up hand washing stations. There is no faster way to spread disease than to serve contaminated food. Volunteers in kitchens must wash their hands before working with food, and must not have cuts or communicable diseases. Work surfaces & implements are washed with bleach water before and after use.

Food is served by servers with designated tools. People do not serve themselves with their own utensils. Personal bowls should be served at the side of a pot, not over it.

Supplies are not stored on the ground, or in the open. Pets are kept out of kitchens. Every kitchen has a dish washing station, usually comprised of 5-gallon buckets. One for scraping debris into, one with hot soapy water for washing, one with clear water for rinsing, and one with water containing a capful of bleach or vinegar for disinfecting. Wash water is changed regularly. Dirty cookware should not sit around for hours. Compost pits are dug nearby for food waste. When the contents come up to within a foot of ground level, they are filled in with dirt. A mound of dirt is left on top to level as the waste underneath decomposes & settles. If flies start their own gathering at your compost pit, then it’s time to cover some of it up. Waste water goes into grey water pits. Kitchens constantly need firewood and water. Make a habit of bringing a piece of wood when visiting a kitchen. Each kitchen should also have a first aid kit.

Front Gate

When you volunteer for Front Gate, you get to see it all come in. The parking lot crew greets the world with hugs and info.

They maintain an organized and secure parking area, and make an around the clock commitment that involves: greeting new arrivals, giving out information, traffic control, security, minor auto repair, maintaining a kitchen and fire circle, & an active Shanti Sena.

Alcohol energy can be an issue here. Front Gate and Welcome Home are sometimes understaffed. Volunteering here is especially helpful.

Kid Village

Kid Village is a place for children to find other children, parents to meet other parents, & all to share and grow in parenting. It facilitates the needs of kids, parents, and pregnant & nursing moms. It has a kitchen, shade, playthings, and people who are good with children.

Kid Village should be located a distance from main meadow to minimize noise at night. Kitchen help, musicians, storytellers, and game leaders are always welcome. Child awareness is always of paramount concern. Keep track of your children. Kid Village is Not simply a drop off zone. Know where your children are, when they should meet you or be back to your camp. If you entrust their care to someone else, be sure you know that person to the point of having spent some time with them. If you leave your children at Kid Village, clearly inform others of your going, expected return, and if possible, leave word where you can be found. For small children, pin a tag with their name, your name, and where you are camped on their shirt. If your child gets lost, don’t wait too long to act. Inform Child Search at Info or Kid Village.

Shanti Sena

Shanti Sena is Sanskrit for peace keeper. If a problem develops, calling “Shanti Sena” loudly will bring assistance. In truth, everyone is a peace keeper. We all watch out for each other. Often a group can prevail in a conflict where a single person can not. Some of the Family are professionally trained in conflict resolution. Talking with Respect & Compassion is tried first. If physical intervention can not be avoided, it is done gently without inflicting injury. We respond nonviolently & with Love. In a general sense, we are all Shanti Sena. Help by minding your valuables & keeping an eye on a neighbor’s camp when they’re away.

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Info

Pets

A Gathering is not a good place for a pet. Dogs speak an internal Info is the Gathering’s communications center. All councils, language that humans can not predict. They fight other dogs, kill events, and focalizers report here daily with announcements and wildlife, get into food, and shit everywhere. Sudden changes in the needs. Anyone with anything noteworthy to share should come environment spook & stress them to a point where they snap & bite. here to pass the word. Lost and Found and Rumor Control are We know, of course “not your dog”. Soooooo, if you must bring here. Printed handouts on a variety of subjects can be distributed your pet, you must be responsible. Keep them under constant here. Maps, rider boards, and bulletin boards are nearby. There is watch 24 hours a day, on a leash, out of kitchens, meal circles, a “Volunteer Here” board for people wanting to plug in & help. councils, and wildlife. Clean up & burry their droppings. Sound Projects needing assistance make their needs known here. It is also like a real drag? Be realistic, be kind. It is reasonable to leash a a good place to report an emergency or large concern. stray dog someplace with shade & water. ARF camp is sometimes set up to address pet issues.

Trade Circle Barter and the mutual exchange of crafts and the like are encouraged. One thing exchanged directly for another thing, Photography or for a service performed. Money changing in the temple is Always ask permission before taking a picture of any other unacceptable. No money should ever change hands here. Using person. This includes groups as well as individuals. Most people money jeopardizes our right to use public land. Trading unused say yes, but no means NO. Excessive picture taking can kill a commercially produced goods is in bad taste. The gathering is natural or peaceful moment of bliss & make people tense. for sharing hearts, not making profit & the funky energy that goes with it. As a result, consensus was reached in 1995 that Trade Nudity Circle should not be on the main trail, or in sight of the Main Clothing is optional. We accept people and their bodies without Meadow. judgement or shame. Many people like the feeling of freedom, or like to be cool on a hot day. Be cautious of sunburn & poison ivy.

It’s a good idea to at least wear sandals. Nudity is natural. It is Not an invitation for sex or a “feel”.

Love & Loneliness

Many in our Family have found deep & satisfying relationships with other Family members. Few of these sprang into being at their first Gatherings. The freely given affection, easy conversation, and sudden promise of openness here cause many to start searching for their one and only, build up big expectations, and then be disappointed. Meet people by volunteering and working with them, by making music and theater with them, by joining them in workshops and spiritual events. See them in all their moods, and really get to know them. Be patient and give time for friendships to unfold and grow by themselves without expectations. The Spirit will show you your soulmates, if you let it. Many people will be put off by sudden propositioning, and not everyone is in the same state of wanting that you are. Remember, if the other person says no, but you do anyway, that is rape. We are all worthy of equal respect.

Health & Happiness

We are opening up to the luminous love light of the One.

Workshops

Workshops can be given by anyone on any subject. Large meadows can be designated for workshops. A Workshop Board is at Info for posting times and places. Typical workshops include Plant Walks, Yoga, Music, Sister/Brother circles, Massage, Nutrition and other healing techniques.

Intoxicants

What you use is your business. What you abuse is often everyones business. It has long been a tradition in our family to discourage the use of alcohol at gatherings. Alcohol energy can easily threaten. We respect a persons right to drink. We do not respect difficult drunks. The primary reason we gather is for peace.

Sweat Lodges Conversely don’t be a nuisance to drinkers (or Shanti Sena): if Sweat Lodges are sacred spaces for mature ceremonies which you are panhandled or insulted, turn to your friends or sober purify the mind and cleanse the body of toxins. They are built with people for help. Some intoxicants can have mind-expanding and care and respect in a traditional manner and those who lead the otherwise sacred uses. However, we actively discourage giving sweats are commonly schooled in the old ways. The space should powerful psychedelics like LSD to people who don’t know what be respected as a temple and not disturbed by vibrations or they’re taking, or don’t have the experience and mental stability to behavior that is less than sacred. Please don’t come if you have an handle it. infectious disease. Come with an open heart & some firewood.

Music

We make our own music here, and everyone is welcome to join.

Acoustic instruments only. Share your songs with us, even if you’re not a “performer”. In a group of musicians, listen & blend instead of dominating, especially in a drum circle. Harmony is the point. Be considerate in the wee hours of sleeping folks.

Technology

We welcome non-polluting. low energy technology such as solar, wind-power, etc. Excepting flashlights, lanterns & stoves, fuel-powered & electrically generated devices are not welcome!

No Boom Boxes! Forcing one person’s taste on many is not cool.

Artificial sound carries a long way in the woods.

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Town

Please respect the community we are closest to. Avoid unnecessary trips to town. Please respect local businesses, and people with different sensibilities. Absolutely Do Not panhandle, loiter, apply for any social services, or otherwise act inappropriately.

Do not tax the resources of the local area. Be Kind, even to folks with bad attitudes. Some folks respond badly to change and what they don’t understand. We are in their back yard. When you are in town you are an ambassador for the entire Rainbow Family.

Family & Community

Just like in any good family, brothers & sisters take turns washing dishes, taking out the trash, cooking, getting firewood & water -- all the chores. Orders need not be given. Love acts without having to be asked. Giving love feeds you love. Attempting to amass credit, dominate, indulge ego, or run personal agendas will leave one empty & flat, missing the point & the big picture. Blissing out is great, but if you want to take something home with you from the gathering that will last and really mean something, volunteer, help out a kitchen, plug in. Unlike Babylon, here you can see, hear & feel the reasons for community service -- your brothers & sisters healthy & getting fed. If we all put in 2 hours a day, we’d be one happy camp.

Year Round

Regional Gatherings

In addition to the annual National Gathering, there are many Regional Gatherings throughout the year.

Find out about these from Info, All Ways Free, Focalizers, Rainbow Guide LightLinks, or the Internet at: http://RainbowGuide.info, http://WelcomeHome.org, http://WelcomeHere.org or alt.gathering.rainbow (AGR).

A Rainbow Gathering is a healing place we heal ourselves, the planet, and each other. Health information & preventative aids like condoms are available. CALM may be centrally located or at various healing centers throughout the site. CALM members often visit camps & kitchens, to provide “Hippy House Calls” and to check on sanitary conditions. Many CALM members are equipped with radios and are on-call 24/7. CALM always appreciates the donation of supplies, from first aid equipment to herbs, tinctures and remedies. Volunteers are also needed to help keep the unit functioning. See the CALM web site for a list of supplies and jobs that are needed to create a functional healing arts center: http://infolation.com/calm/.

Focalizers

A Focalizer is anyone willing to be a focal point or conduit of energies and information. They focus efforts to tasks that need to be addressed. Anyone can be a focalizer to whatever degree they choose. If you see an overlooked need, take the initiative and do it! Volunteering for too much can burn you out, so get help, lovingly delegate. Sometimes there are people waiting to be useful, with hidden talents. A good focalizer respects consensus, avoids egoism, empowers & respects people, and allows them to learn, even at the price of inefficiency. They are not like leaders in Babylon. They are not placed Over us. A focalizer lacking vision and wisdom will simply not be followed. Their election is ongoing.

Legal Liaison

Legal is a group of people with knowledge of State and Federal laws. They act as advocates for the Family in regard to legal questions which are of concern to us, such as National Forest regulations, drug laws, search & seizure procedures, homelessness, hassles with officials, and arrested members of the Family. They serve as watch dogs on the workings of the authorities, and organize campaigns. Help from experienced lawyers is always appreciated.

Note: If you are stopped by the law on the way to a gathering, do not consent to searches. Your car is protected the same way a house is if you live in it. If you observe police harassment, stop & be a witness. If you are harassed, report it to Cooperations and/or Legal Liaison.

C.A.L.M. – Center for Alternative Living Medicine

CALM are the people entrusted with setting up public health and sanitation systems, and with providing health care for Family members during the Gathering. The CALM staff is made up of volunteers representing a broad range of healing modalities from licensed professionals to herbalists, body workers, homeopaths and shamans. It is a workshop on how various healing techniques can work in concert together to heal the body, mind and spirit with an emphasis on natural healing. Practitioners often teach each other about various healing approaches.

Rainbow Guide

The Rainbow Guide is a non-commercial directory of our Family, compiled and published annually by volunteers with your contributions. The Guide helps the Family to connect with each other throughout the year, and is now available online at http://RainbowGuide.info. Copies of the Guide can be obtained at Info or from the website in either electronic (PDF) or printed forms. Entry cards are available to those who want to be listed in the Guide; they can be returned to Info or mailed to the Guide address. Additionally, we now offer online entry on our site.

Focalizers can help by collecting entries in their area. Since the Guide is free & noncommercial, contributions to cover printing and mailing expenses are always deeply appreciated.

All Ways Free

Our free non-commercial Family newspaper. All Ways Free is an open forum for the expressions and visions of the Rainbow Family.

It is contributed to, and produced, entirely by volunteers. Everyone is invited to contribute their heartsongs to AWF. It is available at the Gathering each year, and can also be obtained by writing to the AWF council. Donations are appreciated.

Cooperations

Most day to day business is focalized through COOPerations.

Tools and building supplies, general assistance and Lost & Found are located here. Every area of service checks in with COOPerations daily. Work crews can use this as a base for organization. Plans for new camps and construction should be communicated here so that conflicts over land use & campsites can be avoided. A written log of event is kept. Banking, Supply and Info also coordinate here.

PDF versions of this & other Rainbow Raps can be found online at: http://RainbowGuide.info

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