Spiral Up and Unify

"Spiral Up and Unify" was a phrase I first heard at Fall Council/Circle/Counsel in California at the end of November 2023.

The phrase came out in response to discussions about why the 2023 annual gathering of the tribes happened without a dedicated kids camp. Most annual gatherings in the prior decade had two kids camp: DKV (aka Dirty Kid village) and Kid Village.  Both camps offered amazing love and support to families and children. After all, it's not that easy taking care of a 1-year old and a 3-year old in the woods.

So why did we not have a kids camp in 2023? Lack of both human and green ($$$) energy. What does this say about our culture if we cannot support our next generation?

Yet the issue isn't unique to space for kids. Many camps and kitchens are short-staffed, volunteers over worked, and communally based services struggling to keep going.

In Ancient Greek Mythology the spiral is the symbol of rebirth, the spinning and weaving of the web of life and often time the portal to the prehistoric Great Mother. This symbol tracks back to neolithic times and continues to be used today. But what can the spiral teach us in how to bring to fruition the hopes and dreams that we put into our gatherings?

C.G. Jung sees the spiral as a symbol of growth. As he wrote almost 100 years ago:

The spiral in psychology means that when you make a spiral you always come over the same point where you have been before, but never really the same, it is above or below, inside, outside, so it means growth.

        From (Dream Analysis, Parts II & III. 1929. Seminar notes)

I often see the annual gathering of the tribes, which has been happening for over fifty years, as a spiral. Every year we gather, we circle back to where we have been metaphorically but not physically. Hopefully we have grown since the last year, added layers of wisdom, and created new imaginal and physical tools with which to gather.

Why Unify?

Since our gatherings are smaller than they were twenty years ago, me thinks we need fewer kitchens so that each kitchen has a great crew who doesn't work themselves to the bone feeding our family. 

Me thinks we need more people supporting the monetary costs of buying water pipe, walking the land, food preparation, tools, etc. 

Me thinks we need to take all our separate fiefdoms and create a functioning and coherent whole. 

After all, if we can't learn to work with each other, how can we expect to find peace?

This family has endless amounts of love, oodles of opportunities for growth, and plenty of space for  enthusiastic people. 

One of many truths I know about the gathering, is the more you sow the more you reap.  Please join us.  If you don't know how, visit my page on Plugging In. 

Do it for yourself, your family, and future generations!

Plugging into the 2026 Rainbow Gathering

 

Gathering planning efforts are ongoing. If you want to participate in heartsong regarding the 2024 gathering, join us virtually on Sunday nights at 6 PM Pacific/ 9 PM Eastern time. Find the connection info for computer or phone connectivity at Everybody's Zoom

Information and upcoming events as we plan for the 2026Annual Rainbow Gathering are on the Info Crew lightline  530-ITS-INFO.

If you Facebook, you can find good folks at Annual Rainbow Family Gathering of the Tribes.

Whose job is it? 

 

We call them Rainbow Gatherings (guest post)

 Today's guest post comes from Carla

We call them Rainbow Gatherings, not Rainbow Festivals, for good reason. Here’s why. 

I suppose new folks have noticed by now that regular gatherers are very picky about word choices. Take, for example, the term “festival.” If someone calls the gathering “The Rainbow Festival,” they usually get jumped on and corrected, sometimes quite rudely, and almost always without explanation. So I will attempt to explain. 

Technically, the gathering does fall under the general definition of a “festival,” which in many countries means a local community-wide religious or cultural observance.

However, in the U.S., “festival” has a very specific meaning, and it has nothing to do with local tradition. “Festivals” here are highly commercial, usually focused around several-day music or themed events. There are ticket sales and entry gates and lots of vendors selling food, drink, and merch. The people attending go as passive observers, and have a wonderful time partying. Nothing wrong with that. Folks come from all over, and bask in the music. These kinds of festivals are good for the heart and the spirit, without question. 

So what makes the gathering different, and why does it matter? 

The gatherings, first of all, are peaceable assembly in its purest form. There is no corporation running them. No board of directors. No by-laws. No fees. No entry gates. No merch. No vendors. And most importantly, no hired cooks or janitors or cops, no porters or butlers or maids, no mayor or chair person. 

The gatherings—every inch, every act, every system—are all done by the people who gather together. For free. 

How is this possible? Well, it isn’t, any reasonable person would conclude. But somehow, we’ve been doing it for 52 years now. I’ve been gathering since 1979, and have been involved in most aspects of the temporary infrastructure and systems and processes that create the gathering itself. I am still blown away that it works. Ten thousand people, or more, doing it on their own? Impossible. 

But we do it.

So how does it work? 

Each one of us, individually, finds something they are good at, or love doing, or want to learn, and does it. That includes buying and carrying supplies, cooking, sanitation, fire watch, participating in talking and decision making circles, and a million other tasks that make the gathering happen. 

The best way to enjoy a gathering is not to sit by a campfire and play music 100% of the time, although that is okay and no one will bother you if you do that. But if you really want to experience a gathering fully, become part of this amazing phenomenon, pitch in. Plug in. Get involved. You will quickly form bonds and find community. 

The most important service anyone can provide to the gathering as a whole, without actively pitching in any other way, is to maintain awareness of trash. Keep the scene clean. Haul out every single piece of everything you  bring in, including garbage. 

The folks doing cleanup and site restoration are our own family, not the Forest Service, not someone hired. And it is daunting, hard work. Please be respectful of both the land and the folks staying for this. Don’t burden them with broken lawn chairs, jars of pee, or partly disassembled kitchens or camps. Undo yourself what you have done. Disappear it all. 

If you want to get involved and form bonds, though, find the folks who are doing what you would like to be doing. Then introduce yourself. 

The four most important four words for entry into any kitchen, camp, or gathering system is: 

How can I help?

Gathering with Kidz by Info Karen (Guest Post)

Editorial comment: This is an old guest post from many years ago. Any references to site specific info should be taken with a grain of salt.

 

  My good friend, Info Karen, put together today's guest blog post -- not to confuse anyone but there are two of us living in San Diego. Karen with an "E" and me - Karin with an "I". Since Info Karen has kids, she graciously agreed to put together today's guest post for those of you coming home with kids. If this helped you, please stop by Info when you're at the gathering and thank her.


Bringing babies and small children to the Rainbow Gathering can be quite a chore, but it is also very rewarding, and a wonderful growth experience for them. But deep woods camping with your kids can be quite a challenge. Being a Rainbow Mom myself, I was asked, a few years back to pass along some helpful advice for folks who are bringing their kids for the very first time. The following article sprang from those requests. I wrote it when my eldest was 6 and my twin boys were three and potty-training. I’ve been to the annual Gathering with my first when he was an infant and when he was 3, and then brought all three of them many times after that. This is especially directed at first time Gatherers since a few requests of this type have come my way, but there is lots of good advice for anyone with kids. Do you have more ideas? Please add them in the comment section.

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ARRIVAL AND HIKING IN:When you first arrive at the Gathering, you will be directed to a meadow to park in, (or perhaps along a road). Hiking in with kids often takes a couple loads, so having a partner who can either hang with kids or go get the second load is a huge help. Get a baby carrier of some sort to carry your littlest ones in. On the first trip into the site, we tend to bring the kids, the tent and our plates, cups and utensils in the first load, plus whatever else we can manage. We each will wear a kid on our backs (we have twins). After figuring out where we want to camp, I will stay at the tent site with all three kids while the hubby goes out for another full load. While he is gone I will put the tent up, and perhaps go exploring with the kids to find a meal, fill our water bottles, and locate the nearest shitter.

KID VILLAGE:You can camp anywhere with kids, but it is especially nice to camp at Kid Village. It is a drug-free, peaceful area that serves three good kid-friendly meals every day. Kid Village is easy to find. Ask anyone. When you get to Kid Village ask the folks there where there are some good tent spots. They will direct you. At Kid Village, they usually have a little play area with seesaws and swings made from downed trees and rope. There is also usually a sit-down potty there (people just call toilet areas "shitters" so sorry if your child goes home spouting that word!! For adults, shitters are long trenches that you straddle. It’s nice to wear skirts if you want to have a little privacy cover!) Often for little children there are small deep cylindrical holes dug so that the kids don’t have to balance across a trench.

DAILY LIFE:You will want to bring, for each of you, a water bottle, a dish, a spoon, a cup and a day pack to carry everything in while you are away from your tent. If you drink coffee, make your cup a thermal one with a lid. If you can, put a carabineer on your cup as it’s nice to always have it hanging from your belt. Each morning, you will want to pack your daypack for the day and go out wandering. You may head back to the tent for naptime, but you will want to take your dishes, your water bottle, and whatever diapers or things you need for the day with you when you leave your tent in the morning. For dishes, most people bring just a bowl. But after many years of gathering, I have discovered that the very best bowl is a tupperware or similar style container with a lid. This way, if you can't get to a dishwashing station right away after you eat, you can pop the lid on it and toss it in your bag without dirtying anything inside your bag. We found plate-shaped containers with three divided sections which is nice if you get soup and something else. It keeps them divided. Plates with lids are also good for bringing food back kids, or storing things they might not eat right away.

DIAPERS: If you use disposable diapers, I would bring a double thick bag (one inside the other, to lessen the smell and strengthen the bag) with some kind of clasp that can be put on and taken off numerous times, to keep your dirties in. You will need to hike this (very) heavy bag out at the end, as there are no trash stations inside the gathering. Everyone carries their own trash out. Depending on how long you stay, a full bag of dirty diapers can be one whole load! With twins, and ten days in, our bag was large and difficult to manage. If you use cloth diapers, I have seen people wash them out in five gallon buckets and hang them on clotheslines hung between trees. You can get a 5 Gallon bucket for about 3 bucks at large hardware stores. Bring your own clothesline as well. Kid Village has had a communal diaper wash area in the past but I don’t think it is a regular thing at all.

FINDING FOOD / DINNER CIRCLE:At Rainbow the food that is cooked in the kitchens is free for all, and is purchased with donations to the Magic Hat that lives on the desk at the Information Booth, and is also carried around every evening at Dinner Circle in a musical parade. Dinner circle happens every evening in the Main Meadow. Most larger kitchens will bring their cooked food down to the dinner circle and serve there. Bring your dishes! People form a large circle, do a group “Om”, and sit down in circle to be served by the food servers. Pregnant or nursing Mamas and children (and non-parents helping children) are asked to come to the center of the circle before the food is served to get first dibs. Don’t be shy. Come forward when it is announced and get your kid a plateful of good food! Breakfast and lunch are often served out of individual kitchens. Kid Village is a good place to find steady outpouring of food, and if your kid misses a meal, they can direct you to fixings for a peanut butter sandwich or a carrot or something. That said, most people like to bring snacks from home to keep in their tent to keep the kids happy. Dried fruit, nut butters, jerkey and granola are things many people tend to bring.

NAPS: For small babies, it’s not common, but I have seen people bring a playpen and hike it in. That way you can set the baby down somewhere clean for a while. You might consider bringing one and leaving it in the car. Then you can decide if you want to hike it in or not. A lightweight baby floor chair might be a simpler idea, or perhaps a Moses basket? When I brought my first born to his first gathering at about seven months old, I put a blanket in a cardboard box I got from a kitchen! Having walls is nice for a new crawler. A good ground-blanket made out of something with a water resistant bottom layer is nice to have. After realizing the cardboard box was nice to have but not the best choice, the next time I brought a kid’s pop-up backyard play tent. They pack down tiny and can be used to lay the baby down to sleep if you are out wandering away from your camp and want to take a break, or give him/her some shade to rest in. We also napped our eldest in that for a couple years. It was handy, and kept us from having to go and sit quietly outside our own tent for 3 hours every single day. We used to nap our twins separately during the afternoon, because if they napped together, they would just play in the tent and not sleep.

NECESSITIES:You should have water bottles you can carry around for your family. You can fill them up at any kitchen. Look for a giant cooler on the kitchen counter with a spigot facing out toward the public walk-up area. Bring sun block, wide brimmed children’s hats, bug spray and sun glasses. We are bringing those new 200 hour LED flashlights for our littlest boys who will of course want to have one of their own when they see ours. They can accidentally leave it on for hours and it won’t use up the batteries. Sandals that can get wet or water shoes are great for playing in the stream. When the twins were three years old, and liked to wander, we brought masking tape and stuck some on the backs of their shirts saying “IF FOUND PLEASE RETURN TO INFO” where we were camped! When the kids got older we made sure each kid had his own daypack to keep track of his things.

TENT SLEEPING: Also bring warm sleeping bags. It gets down to 40 at night. We always bring thermal underwear to sleep in, both for us and for them. When our son was a baby, and we worried about the safety of sleeping bags, we slept him in a down-filled, winter outdoor snow suit, wearing a hat, with a regular blanket over him. That way I wasn't worried about losing him down inside the sleeping bag or about him scooting out into the cold at night. Beware of using any kind of gas heater inside your tent as the fumes inside a closed tent can be deadly.

NURSING BABIES:Another idea I has which turned out to be SUCH A GOOD IDEA, was my homemade nursing shirts. While still at home, I got a couple long-sleeved thermal shirts at the thrift store. I cut vertical slits in the front for nursing, and when I was at the Gathering I would wear these shirts underneath my regular shirt. The benefit is that on cold days, and ESPECIALLY on cold nights, I could lift my outer shirt to nurse without having to expose the sides of my torso to chill air. It was SO much warmer, and easier to doze when nursing in the middle of the night half out of a sleeping bag! These shirts might not be so necessary for eastern Gatherings, but most western Gatherings can get pretty cold at night.

COMMUNICATION FOR OLDER KIDS:As our kids got older, and wanted to go off and explore on their own, we went out and got a good set of FRS radios, one for each of us, and some extra batteries. These are fairly long range radios. For the kids we put them on lanyards and hung them around their necks, and sometimes they put them in their daypacks (although they sometimes would miss our calls if they did this). A belt loop holster would be a good choice as well. This way, if they want to stay out longer, or ask a question, they can reach you and it gives them some more freedom, and the parents some freedom as well! (Also, they are good for letting the other party know that pizza is just coming out of the Ovens and that you should hurry on over!)

LASTLY:Have a blast! It’s a great way to immerse your kids in wild nature! -Info Karen- (Mom to three exuberant boys) Please comment below with any questions or great ideas or parent-hacks of your own! Please comment below with any questions or great ideas or parent-hacks of your own!

There is also a Kidz Rap available on-line.

Kidz Rap

 Kidz Rap

The Rainbow Path to Responsible Parenting
or: The Rainbow Path to Child Safety

Welcome to the Gathering. This is a wonderful space to be in. It feels very free and safe. We want to maintain that feeling, yet at the same time it is necessary to be sensible in order to keep our children safe and healthy.

As times change, society in general has developed more problems and illnesses. Some of these, unfortunately, can carry over into our safe haven here. To ignore these problems is not sensible. They do exist, therefore we as a family must take measures to prevent them.

Here are some helpful ideas that work, and we strongly suggest you take them to heart for the sake of all our precious children . . .

Please keep track of your children. Know where they are and when they should be back to your camp sites or meet you.

If someone else is caring for your children please make sure you really know who that person is and that you have spent time with that person. Sometimes, unfortunately, those persons who would harm our children have a facade that “feels OK” and a very trusting pleasant personality. This is not to say don’t trust your feelings or other people, please, just take some time and extra care -- our children deserve it.

Don’t just drop your kids off at Kid Village and leave. Become part of the scene. Get to know the other parents. If someone agrees to watch your children while you go off and enjoy some personal time, let them know where you are likely to be found, and when you will return. Make contingency plans in case you are delayed and/or they must leave Kid Village, so you know where your child will be and who they will be left with.

Older children need to know how to find their “home camp” and parents. They also should be shown safe areas (Kid Village, Info Centers, kitchens,) to go to if they are in trouble, lost, or hurt. They should know how to describe you and your camp area verbally. For younger children who cannot talk well and might wander off, use tags -- pin a piece of paper to their backs (so they can't pull it off) with their name, your name, and directions to your camp. Use safety pins or tape.

If your child gets separated from you or lost, please don’t wait long to act. If after a search for your child in the immediate area they are still lost, immediately find a person with a radio and tell them your child is missing and you need help. This needs to happen quickly so we can do the best job, especially if it is close to nightfall. Better safe than sorry.

We are all responsible for our children. If you notice anything that looks or feels “not quite right” or a child that looks distressed or frightened, please don’t look the other way. It's better to check it out than to let a tragedy occur. As parents, please keep in mind that if someone cares enough to interfere and asks questions about your child or your parenting that it is coming from the heart and is meant in the interest of all our children's best welfare. Please try to be understanding.

 

Pennsylvania Gathering 2010

 Enjoy this video from the 2010 gathering centered on NERF Camp (New England Rainbow Family)

I have been promised that everyone in the video agreed to be in the video and to have it shared.

 

 

Avoiding citations at the gathering

How to get a citation  

Every year the United States Forest Service Law Enforcement (USFS) Incident Management Team (the cops) attempts to write as many tickets to family coming home as they possibly can to justify their presence. 

They give out tickets for broken tail lights, failure to use a turn signal in a deserted parking lot at 2 AM, lack of seat belts, controlled substances (even just a trace amount), beads hanging from your rear view mirrors, prescription medications if the label doesn't clearly have your name on it and you can't prove who you are, dogs off leash, dirty windows, a vehicle missing a front license plate even if you live in a state that does not issue a front license plate and a lot more violations of the letter of the law. In 2025, they wrote tickets for being at an "illegal event." Never admit you are going to the Rainbow Gathering.

 However, these tickets are not the type of citation you would probably receive for any of these issues in your hometown. 

 

If you receive a citation on the way into the gathering or at the gathering, please stop by INFO at the Gathering as we are trying to organize support for ticket holders. Details to be discussed on the land.

What happens next? 

We don't know what will happen in 2026 yet. But in the last few years there have been a few patterns of how the legal system addresses gathering related citations, no matter if it is for a broken tail light or an ounce of weed.

 

1) Kangaroo court

These are Federal mandatory court appearance tickets. There will be special court dates set up just for us during the gathering or shortly thereafter. These are usually held near the gathering, or at a local courthouse, fire station or visitors center and go before a magistrate. Or sometimes we got to a courthouse 100 miles away. In the past, charges have been reduced, fines were often minimal and the court has allowed people to make payment plans that could grant you 90 days to pay $200.

Court dates will be written on the citation. This is the best case to have your fines significantly reduced. If you miss your court date, the USFS LEOs will come into the gathering looking for you. If they find you they will arrest you and put you in jail until the next court date. If this happens on a Friday afternoon, you will be in jail until Monday 

2) Pay Online

In California 2024, there was on online payment system that you could use to pay your ticket online or go to court on the date assigned to you months after the gathering. It took a few months before peoples' tickets appeared in the system, but once there you had the option to pay Collateral forfeiture. This is a legal process that allows individuals charged with certain petty offenses to pay a specified amount of money to the government instead of appearing in court, effectively resolving the case without a conviction being recorded. 

CVB website and additional information.

In this model, as long as you pay your ticket before the scheduled court date, you do not need to appear at your arraignment to avoid a Federal Warrant as long as you pay the ticket a few days in advance. Don't wait until the last minute as courts move slowly and you don't want to pay the ticket the day before, the court may not be aware, and then you will get a Federal Warrant.

3) Mandatory court appearance months after the gathering 

These are Federal mandatory court appearance tickets that require you to appear in a Federal Courthouse (typically in the State's Capital) a few months after the gathering is over. This happened in Missouri 2025. People were not allowed to pay their tickets online. Everyone had to travel to Springfield Missouri in October and plead no contest or not guilty. The information I received from those who went through the process was that the court was not prepared for this nor did they know anything about it until 1-2 weeks ahead of time. 

 

 

All Citations

If you do not pay your citation using whichever method 2026 brings, a Federal Warrant will be issued for your arrest. The next time a law enforcement officer for any reason stops you, your ID will be run through the database and you will go directly to jail.
 

Of course, everyone is free to manage this situation as they wish but I strongly recommend you go to your court date. I have seen people charged with crimes that could potentially result in a six years' prison time walk out with a $500 fine and three years’ probation. Keep in mind that every year the dynamic is different and these results may not always be available. Sometimes there are lawyers and other experienced family at the gathering (I am not a legal expert) who attend the court dates and will assist as best they can although I recommend you catch up with them before your court date to gain a better understanding of your specific charges and strategies to get the charges dropped or reduced. If you do not know these people personally, go to INFO and let them know you received one of the magic tickets and you need legal assistance.

 

FYI:  Federal law trumps state law on weed. This means that WEED IS NOT LEGAL IN NEW YORK OR PENNSYLVANIA NATIONAL FORESTS.  This applies to any reason for having weed, medical or not as the Federal Government has draconian marijuana laws. The LEOs will try to trick you to admitting that you have weed. Don't fall for it.  

 

Start today by making sure your car and driver are 100% legal, you do not smoke anything in your car that is not legal under federal law (even if the state has legalized weed) as at the gathering, federal laws apply. Don't let yourself get tricked. If they smell it, they can pull you over. When you drive within 25 miles of the gathering, drive like you are taking a driving test. Signal ahead of time, drive below the speed limit, make sure all riders have seat belts and all children are in an age-appropriate car seat. 

 

Some people will say I'm making this up or being paranoid. If you don't believe me, talk to other long-time gatherers and confirm what I am saying. 

Before you enter the national forest, pull into a legal parking space and test that all your lights are still working correctly. Play the game and you can glide into the gathering trouble free and spend your time chopping firewood and hauling water instead of going to court.  The choice is yours. 

 

 

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.