info for anyone headed to the gathering

if you are headed to the gathering or even just thinking about it heres some helpful info

1st off i added a rideshare post in the rainbow dreadies group

along with some helpful "raps" the raps are general guidelines for how to have a safe healthy gathering

rap 107 gathering consciousness walk softly on the land protect the water sources etc

rap 701 pack it in pack it out cleanup begins the day you arive no trash belongs on the ground!

rap 911 if the cops stop or harass you do not alow searches and report all incidents to the legal liason team (at info)

rap 121 how to treat eachother r e s p e c t

raps 151 115 alcohol and alcoholics think..dont drink..

pup 107 doggie rap if you must bring your pup heres what u need to know

rainbow turtle guide to what to bring to a gathering

whos job? we have no crew..its just you

kids rap keep the lil ones safe

rainbow music my collection

more tips: gatherings are held in the wilderness where there are dangers like rattlesnakes, poisionous spiders scorpions even bears and alegators, most tend to move away while we are there, others lay low, but you may still come in contact with some especialy spiders and snakes.. most will leave you alone if you leave them alone.. remember they live there you have no right to tell them to move however in certain situations it maybe nesacary to relocate them temporarily if theylive too close to our children in such cases findsomeone who can do it safely without harming them..or yourself

be prepared for all weather this years may not be high altitude so snow in july is unlikely however hot weather cold weather storms and hail lots of rain wind are all to be expected..be prepared

i was unable to find the rap 420 thats a more detailed rap about cop interactions i would recomend finding it if you can

on the site if a situation goes dowb=n inolving leos and shanta sena is called..circle with ..not around them remember everyone with a belly button is a rainbow this includes the leos too..circle with them and they are more willing to talk things out circle around them and they feel like a caged animal needing to fight their way out

shante sena - peaceful place .. it is how we police the place without police if you get into trouble scream shante sena ..if you hear shatnte sene called scream it out loud too while running in the direction you heard it from we are al shante sena when you arive at the situatu[ion remain calm the best way to subdue someone whos out of control is for everyone to surround them in a group hug however sometimes its more apropriate to take stronger actions to restrain them more experienced shante sena know when this is needed so will reacte fast.

then the shante sena council begins

6 up 7 up other calls you may hear are 6 up or 7 up or guns in the church 6 up is the leo (law enforcement officers) warning guns in the church is an alternative the 6 up used to resperct our wishes to not cary guns into the gathering thats no longer the case. 7 up is the fs respurse folks these are not law enforcement and are generaly much freindlier and happier to be there. wether 6 up or 7 up they are escourted through the site by rainbows with radios

rainbows with radios----often these folks get accused of being narcs for having a radio by paranoid triping rainbows

radios are the best form of communication in the woods we have a network of solar powered repeator stations that cary the signal the many miles across the site radios are used for the following

calm (medical)

shante sena (safety)

parking

leo tracking

general info exchange

if you need anyth9ing its likely a rainbow with a radio can help u get what u need

health- drink only filtered or boiled water .. burry your shit in the shitter...wear shoes! i know alot of rainbows love runing through the woods barefoot even naked but calm rtrets more foot injuries then anything there are rocks everywhere sharp sticks and many other ways to injure your feet

no personal fires! fires are for kitchens only (exceptions can be made for tipi fires sweat lodge fires) if every rainbow had a fire wed have 40,0000 fires..or maybe just 1 huge 1

firepits must be dug out deeper then the pit removing roots then a layer of dirt (rootless) layed back in several inches thick then a layer of rocks and every fore needs a shovel and 5 gallons of water next to it

in the woods the ground itself may burn as the top layer of "dirt" is realy just semi composted leaves and sticks

councils and other circles

rainbow runs by council decisions this doesnt mean you are left out of the decision process ! in a society with no leaders everyone has the chance to lead

theres the family copuncil on the land from the 1st-7th vission council after picks the area for the fcollowing year there s recycling and kitchen councils theres main suppliy and calm councils and then thers heartsong and hipstory circles which are less business like more sharing all councils and circles are open to all except sister and brother circles

in the council process a feather is passed the feather demands full attention and respect he who holds the feather holds your full attention

after the feather passes the circle twice and everyones had a chasnce to speak you can ask for a consensus on a point you made if anyone speaks or steps into the circle the consensus is blocked and the feather goes around again and again till every detail is worked out and consensus reached

ok i covered alot any questions?

argh everythijng i just typed got lost

ok starting over

spring council cdecides on the site in the next week or so spro]ing council starts june 2nd i think/ by the 9th or 15th they will have a final location

when i announce spring council (by monday) it most likely will be within 100 miles of there..or possibly councu[il will be 1/2 way betwen the 2 most likely spots but no gurantes this years states being conmsidered are new hampshire vermint kentuky tennassee georgisa north carolina virgijne=ia/w virginia

if i had to guess id say possibly tennaseee knoxville maybe nearest airport..mayne

but a story

alabama gathering

we were cioming from the ne of the country headed to a forrest in the sw of the state according to our directions

20 miles of forest service dirt roads and finaly see signs of rainbow..7 kids asleep on the side of the road

so on we drive deeper into the woods looking for rock piles which will tell us where to turn..instead we find a bird..yes a guant bird wings as wide as the van swoops down in front of the windshield less then a foot away and guides us down the road never more then 15 feet af]head of i]us /(peluican maybe/) after about 5 miles it swoops off into the woods and disapears so we stop looking for another sign

juat then i spot some color maybe 200 feet into the woods someone jumped out to investigate ..it was a tree stump wearing a tye die tee shirt ..with a paper bag taped to it..and written in pencuil (so u had to walk right up to it with a flash light to read it) was directions to the oposidte cord]ner of the state..a forrest with the same name in fact but several hundred miles back in the direxction we just came from

we drive back as the kids were waking up to find they were sleepinmg there for a week waiting for any signs of rainbows to show up

point being that even whnen directionjs are released sometimes they arent so acturate but the experienced rainbows have a sort of rainbow radar that guides you

in fact..1 gathering i had no info at all no directions ..bno dates i went a month early..wandered all over the 800 square mile forrest..then decided to just park and wait

somehow i found a spot no bigger then a single parking space in 800 square miles that was the trail head and the 1st kitchen showed up where we were 4 days later..u go on instinct..u cam just feel the rainbow calling you and you cant fgo wrong

but newbies..8ts a good idea to get close..the nearest town and look for rainbows round any stores or walmarts or anyt, gas stations and then ask the best way in from there

I wish there were rainbow gathering where I live!

they are ecveru=ywhere but u got to go where they are they wont come to you even if they come close they are miles from the nearest gas station miles fi]urther into the woods then a few miles hike from there

even if its 2000 miles u got to go.. some even walk coast to coast

u just got to go no matter how far it is

ok what i heard from 1 of the most reliable sources ..the sister all the info folks get their info from ..is that all the sites being considered are within 200 miles of knoxville tennassee

spring council site will be announced in a day or 2and might be lil further from knoxville the exact site will be decided by spring council and seed camp begins the next day

so now we have a general area to head towards if yoir headed out early i do not know of any holding camps but cumberland gathering is happening now and is close cumberland however has a zero alcahol policy no alcahol at front gate either no a-camp..none

im going motha trucka woooooooooo soooo stoked

awesome see ya there we should have a dreadlockssite get together near info on the 3rd after dinner circle b4 anything starts at g funk

oh borrowed this from karins z's blog cause it can be helpful to all especialy if you head to the gathering early

Getting into the gathering without getting a mandatory court appearance ticket

heres some more info for folks headed to the gathering

this was posted by k z in her blog earlier today

shes 1 of the best at getting accurate info out there

• Go with the Flow (Be the Flow)

• Bam Bam Memorial Night of July 3
• On Lyme Disease

Go with the Flow (Be the Flow) Posted: 15 Jun 2012 06:56 AM PDT For those of you who have done certain types of sacraments a gathering evolves in much the same way. You make the best plans you can make by preparing yourself mentally and physically. In the case of a gathering, it's by making sure you have the right gear and that you're prepared to deal with your health issues.<br /> Then you arrive and start feeling the energy flowing through you. Everything is exciting and wonderful but as we all know, if you don't honor that energy and try to flow with it, things can start going in a bad way. If you try to cling to your initial intention, things feel bad. John F Kennedy's idea of service comes to mind. In other words, ask not what the gathering can do for you, but what you can do for the gathering . Keep an open mind and heart and you may find yourself plugged into things you never could imagine. That simple call for "shitter diggers" or "help in the kitchen" can turn into a journey of a lifetime if you head the call. After awhile you're reaching some intense energy levels and if you're fully present and surrounded by people you love and who love you, then it settles into bliss. It may be the bliss of sitting in a muddy hole with your new friends making mud art or the bliss of helping people carry gear in or the bliss of a late night drum circle. The experiences of bliss are infinite. For many people, we live in a guarded world of fear and formality. While paying attention to the energy around you is always important, being open to the love around you is even more important. So don't worry about the directions. Just go and you will be on the journey. It is the journey to and through the gathering that matters, not the destination. Don't worry about all the details on the hike in, or what the meadow is like. You'll experience it all the way YOU are meant to experience it. You are the magic that makes the gathering. Let your heartsong unite with the love around you and amplify it a hundredfold.

Bam Bam Memorial Night of July 3 Posted: 14 Jun 2012 07:28 PM PDT For those who were unable to make the Memorial Service for Bam Bam that took place last fall, there will be a Memorial Service at this year's annual gathering at the main boogie pit after dinner - around dark thirty. Please take the time to come and share your heartsong about how much you loved Bam Bam or how much he drove you crazy (or both). My original post on Bam Bam's passing and memorial is here . Bring drums. It's what Bam Bam would have wanted.

On Lyme Disease Posted: 14 Jun 2012 01:49 PM PDT Now I'm not a doctor and don't claim to be an expert in Lyme disease. However, when folks go camping they sometimes get bitten by ticks and some ticks spread Lyme disease. Because I have had friends whose Lyme disease went undetected for years and were told they had all sorts of other really nasty issues, I want to make sure you take a few minutes to educate your self on the symptoms of Lyme disease. I do know that the longer your Lyme disease goes without being treated, the harder it is to treat. So take the time to read this handy article on PubMed Health . If at the gathering, you suspect you have contracted Lyme disease, please go to CALM. If after the gathering you suspect you have contracted Lyme disease, please inform your health care provider that you want to be tested for Lyme.