Maddie's thoughts on this year's gathering (Guest post)

This is a post Maddie wrote on Facebook on July 19th at 10:15 PM and which I am sharing here with her permission.

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

Hey Family!
Updates, news, & first hand accounts on the 2026 annual gathering Allegheny National Forest from Oasis & Stardust:
Overall, it was a wonderful, music-filled, gathering of love, peace, and unity.
❣️All kitchens and camps are re-naturalized; the bridge to main meadow has been put to rest & the huge trash pile has been brought up the hill and out of the forest. Front gate has been handled and cared for immaculately. No micro trash, and as of now is completely unoccupied.
❣️6&7up have continued to check in and we’ve had conversations about being on the same team to support the land together. It ended with an overwhelming, “you know what, maybe we are of the same team”.
That we all love the land and want to see it respected. We can also respect they are not going away, how to have humor about it, and to get better at doing what we do.
Acknowledging their presence and truly being on top of our game. We had some highs, we had some lows, but what can we do to get better, and overcome it as a family?
❣️There was a strong 6&7up presence throughout the gathering and we received 2 parking tickets in spots that were not marked as no parking with one of them leading to a canine search and drug paraphernalia ticket. We brought our bus and other rainbow family that had tickets to the court date which, for us, resulted in a dismissal of 2 tickets and the other was a $5 + $30 processing fee. that’s it.
•They were also so gracious to drop more dramatic charges like possession of quantities LSD as to not cause greater pain for certain family members displaying mercy and not having it go on their record. Everyone that went to court had their ticket dismissed or lowered considerably - mostly to $5.
❣️Continue coordinating an annual “hippie bus” to take all people with tickets as a one to court.
❣️having a list of names of each person that gets on the bus and goes to court for the “ticket cost reduction ceremony”
and then bringing that list of names to the Magic hat to be handed by family?
• This would essentially solve a lot of anxiety people have about their tickets, how to pay it, and making it way less stressful and scary to get one. We can truly handle this as a team! It can be fun to get a ticket! (If we do it together)
•it would likely be most condusive to have a relationship with the leo’s & 6’up acknowledging the deeper roots and our inevitable interconnectedness and likely lowering or eliminating tickets and ticket harassments entirely. as we lower harassing them & and begin a relationship with them and the forest, but a relationship with love entirely.
❣️Truly pack in and pack OUT. Clean up camps. Bring out your tents / sleeping mats & trash.
❣️Maybe we start a trash council on the 6th of July. Discussing hauling in a dump trailer to be hauled away when full. We spent 700$+ on gas and dump fees from Magic hat and banking council. Making it cheaper, but also freeing up one of our dedicated and glorious clean up brothers from having to drive to and from the dump each day and away from the woods where he could be with us in prayer and action.
because this problems not going away, and being handled by volunteers! Let’s consider their life and their life and make it easier on them by getting a dump trailer?
❣️Clean up crew is paid in nothing but love!
The condition which the forest was left prior to cleanup seems to be completely against the culture. We should be making less of a footprint as individuals bearing more as individuals, and bearing more together. sweating more sweat. Do it out of love!
❣️More lime and awareness of use of lime
We saw this to be a problem that bled into cleanup because of the presence of flys.
Lime is a white powder that they sell at hardware stores / Lowe’s / tractor supply, and a 1-2 millimeter layer at a latrine will completely stop flys from laying eggs in poop, and hating entirely.
Helping to help the people, and the butterfly’s as well. We actually watched a fly buz a butterfly and annoy it so much it found another flower. Flys are awfully inconsiderate, and something we can avoid a great share of by stocking plenty of lime at main supply.  
❣️BRING A BAG OF LIME!!! (If you have the means)
❣️Lime reduces fly populations dramatically! A surplus of lime is not a bad thing.
❣️continuing to work together as family to move through the steep hills, the joy, the love, the tickets, and the trash. There truly is no conflict that we can not overcome together. Let us take joy in unity! 

Rainbow Gathering Meet & Greet 6/20

Rainbow Gathering Meet & Greet Saturday, June 20th

 

1 PM in Tidioute

 Behind Hollow Hill Outdoors at Schwab and Main Street in Tidioute.

 5 PM in Sheffield

Sheffield Park behind the Uni-Mart on South Main Street is Sheffield. 

 

Why?

Rainbow gathering participants will be on hand.

• Learn how to participate.
• Share your concerns.
• Ask any questions

Please join us.

We Love You! 

 

 

 

Peace and the Planet

In order to live in a peaceful world, we need to treat our planet, Gaia, with the respect, love, and attention to her sustenance with which we treat our children. Climate change is the result of mistreating our amazing planet. Climate change is about changing weather patterns that make it hard for people to find drinking water for their children, that create flooding of homes and agriculture land, and that wither our crops under relentless sun.

When people are hungry or thirsty, violence can easily erupt over food and water. Not just in Dafur but everywhere including the gathering.  How then do we show with our actions that we are actively working to protect Gaia from climatic changes that threaten world (and local) peace?

Reduce the number of campfires. Burning carbon increases global warming. Plus if you see the cloud of wood smoke in main meadow at a gathering, you'll realize that reducing the number of campfires will improve the health of every gathering participant. Click here to learn more about the negative impacts of campfires on human and planetary health.

Reduce/reuse/recycle - adopt a zero waste lifestyle. Only buy products that you will consume or that will last you for a long time. For example, buy rice in bulk with reusable containers instead of throw away plastic packaging. Buy reusable forks and knives for a gathering not single use plastics. Packaging and throw away junk contributes to climate change. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that by cutting the amount of waste we generate back to 1990 levels, we could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 11.6 million metric tons of carbon equivalent (MTCE), the basic unit of measure for greenhouse gases. 

Plus the less stuff you bring to a gathering, the less stuff YOU need to haul out when you leave. You would be amazed at the amount of camping gear that gets left behind at a gathering.  Re-use that tent or find a loving home for it if you do not want it anymore. Don't leave it behind for the cleanup crew.  YOU are the clean up crew. The less we buy and bring to the gathering, the less clean up we have to do. Buy food in bulk, bring gear to keep you warm and dry and forgot about the rest. Recycling of aluminum cans takes energy which contributes to climate change.  Use reusable stainless steel containers for your beverages and stop giving your money to the multi-national conglomerates like Pepsi and Coca Cola who don't care about the seventh generation and are wrecking your health and the health of the planet.

Put your money where your mouth is. Walk your talk.  We can change this world by spending our money in ways that create the change we want to see in this world. Shop at your local co-ops. Buy locally grown produce. We can make a difference, one person, one family, one clan at a time. Let us follow the wisdom of our Lakota siblings and heal this beautiful planet that gives us so much.

We are the people we have been waiting for to create a future for the next generation. How are you going to step up and create the change for which Gaia is praying?

Together we can change our future

 

Tips for Arriving at the Gathering

 

Are you a first time gatherer or someone coming to the annual gathering for the first time?

First off, make sure you have snacks and 2 gallons of water per person in the car before you pass the last town. (You will need the snacks and one gallon of water for your first day. The other gallon and snacks, you will leave in the vehicle for when you hike out on your last day or for extra trips to the car).

When approaching the Gathering site, remember that you're coming as friends in somebody else's back yard. Treat the local folks with the courtesy, respect and concern that they deserve as members of the Family of Humankind. Be Loving and Kind. Don't be rude, steal, trash the town, disturb the Peace, or try to "shock" people. Be mindful of others' sensitivities. Remember the original Golden Rule when dealing with BOTH Babylon AND Rainbow: Treat Others the Way you want to be treated! Please, make your journey a safe one. Don't be under the influence while driving. 

Did you read Avoiding Mandatory Court Appearance Tickets?  

If you stop in the local towns for supplies, please treat the local community with all the respect due them, no matter how they may behave. When you spend money, introduce yourself and say you are here for the gathering.  Make sure the local town's folks know we help local economies. 

If you see family panhandling or loitering, help them get into the gathering. We are our siblings keepers.  We want our impact in the local towns to be positive. Food and basic medical care is available for all people at the gathering, so there is no need to panhandle the locals.

Keep in mind, that it can take you 3-6 hours to hike your gear from where you park your car to the spot you want to camp -- and that's if you know where you are going. It may be hot or rainy and muddy! Trust me on this. Plus you will be making friends along the way, talking to people, etc.

If this is your first gathering, you probably don't know where you want to camp and so you will need time to explore and find a place where you connect with your neighbors.  Check in with INFO for a map of the gathering and recommendations. On the trail, ask people to point you to INFO.

Again, the aforementioned water and snacks will come in very handy while you're trying to find a spot for your tent, learning where to get food and water, and finding those neighbors that will become your lifelong friends.

If you plan on driving, make sure your car and driver is 100% legal-all lights work, valid insurance and registration, seat belts, car seats for children. Our government assumes that we are criminals. Please try to arrive during daylight hours as the roads into gathering sites can be tricky and we want you to arrive home safely. If you can make space in your vehicle for a rider or you need a ride, ride share is happening at your local craistlist.org or on Facebook. Please note there are multiple places on the internet where ride share can take place. Explore on your own but make sure to read the following recommendations.

When you are within 30 miles of the gathering, drive like you are taking a driving test, and go a few MPH under the speed limit. Make sure to read Avoiding Mandatory Court Appearance Tickets.

*Always* say no to requests from law enforcement to search your vehicle or your person, no matter what they tell you. It is not illegal for cops to lie to you, and they often will do so to get your consent to search. "You might as well give us permission, because if you do not, we will go get a warrant and you will be here for hours." This is a bluff. Don't fall for it. Their time is much more valuable than yours.

Weed is not legal in any national forest!

If they insist on searching over your objections, don't prevent them physically in anyway - but continue to repeat "I do not consent." Ask for names and badge numbers, write down time, place, and what happened in detail. Every little thing matters in a court of law, even the things that don't mean much to you or me. If you can, take pictures, videos, and/or audio recordings.

Also, if they ask you if you have contraband, and tell you that if you have just a little bit and give it to them that they will not search you, tell them no. Never, never, never incriminate yourself. That means don't consent to anything, don't give them anything but your license, registration, and proof of insurance, don't admit to anything.

The gathering will be in a national forest and as such federal laws and regulations will be enforced. Don't matter what the state laws are, once you're on federal property, FEDERAL LAWS APPLY. WEED IS NOT LEGAL ON FEDERAL LAND.

If you will be sharing a ride, please meet the folks you'll be riding with at a local coffee shop, make sure you feel comfortable traveling a long distance with them, and establish the ground rules. If you are coming via bus, plane or train, try to connect up with a ride from your destination before you get there. If you are planning on hitchhiking, please travel with a buddy, only bum rides during the day and if you get a bad feeling from a ride, PLEASE don't take it. There will always be another one.

I strongly recommend you plan on arriving home in the morning - the earlier the better. If you are coming home and it's late, my best recommendation is you kick it at a campground, roadside rest area, or motel as you desire. Then get up at dawn and come on home.  The roads into the gathering can be challenging, the signage can disappear, and you will be tired. 

Keep in mind that your journey really begins once you park your car. From there you'll have to hike into the gathering with your gear and try to find a place that meets your needs -- very hard to do after dark.  It can easily take 3-6 hours from the time you park your car until you have your tent set up. Doing it in the daytime is fun, doing it at night when you are exhausted is not my idea of a good time.

Once you pitch your tent, know where it is! Make sure you know what larger camp you are near, mark your space with something as many people will have the same cheap tent from the big box stores.  Don't be the person wandering around at 2 AM trying to find your camp.

NEVER LEAVE YOUR CAMP WITHOUT WATER, A SNACK, A FLASHLIGHT AND A JACKET. You may think you will be gone for 15 minutes, but the reality is things will happen and you may not make it back to your tent for 5 hours.

Let's all get home safely.

DRIVE SAFELY!
Ignore all rumors of cancellation or organization!
Live Lightly with the Land and People!

Rap 110100100 - Tech in the Woods

Tech Etiquette in the Woods

The gathering is an opportunity to employ and enjoy primitive tech. Please keep radios, phones, drones, wifi zones, etc. on the down low, or in private spaces or distant places. 

Please ask for consent before recording sound or images, whether or not posting online. Parents must consent to photos of minors. 

In the US and Canada, you have the right to record law enforcement in public spaces without consent, as long as you aren’t interfering. Please blur bystanders in final images.

Appropriate technology such as solar panels, water filters, pumps, batteries, communication gear, and LEDs for stages and/or shows make our gatherings more sustainable, safe, and enjoyable, but please carefully consider their placement.  Please dispose of batteries properly (pack it in, pack it out) and/or reuse rechargeables. 

There is longstanding community agreement to not use chain saws or other internal combustion engines in the woods once the gathering begins, barring emergencies. 

Flashlights can be helpful at night, but please direct downward, and avoid pointing the beam in others’ eyes (aka “hippie mace.")  Using a red light can help preserve night vision. 

Embrace being Home, unplugging from everyday technology and plugging into the rainbow.  Have fun, enjoy the beauty and family around you & the living here and now. 

Ticks, ticks, ticks

Yes there will be ticks at this year's gathering!

Please prepare to protect yourself.   Please find some basic information here. But you know how to find more information on preventing tick born illnesses.

Remember, do tick checks often.   Find more information at PA.gov Tick Information.

 

 

 

 

Shanti Sena: The Basics (Guest Post)

 

Today's guest post came from Butterfly Bill's website. It was not attributed to anyone in particular, but I did not write this. Unfortunately Butterfly Bill is no longer with us, but his website lives on with lots of great gathering information. To check it out, visit Butterfly Bill’s Rainbow Gathering Site Bliss-Fire.com

 Shanti Sena: the Basics

“We are all Shanti Sena.” We’ve all heard that phrase. But what, exactly, does it mean?

It means that, just as we have no leaders because we are all equal participants in participatory democracy when we are gathered together, we also have no cops because we are all equally responsible for community safety, peace, and harmony.

So that’s it. Pure and simple.

A perfect example was the search for the lost child this last summer. No one had to be begged to look for her. They just went out and did it. That’s Shanti Sena.

Yes, people with radios were a huge help. Yes, the folks who knew how to organize a grid search were a huge help. Yes, the many boots on the ground were a huge help. The communicators, the organizers, and the searchers all worked together. Sometimes people served in all three capacities. Some folks just did one or two of those functions. No one was in charge of everything, but some of the folks who had expertise or tools helped provide direction.

After the fact, we learned that some of our systems and methods for searching for lost kids could use some improvement. Those of us who had been focusing on gathering safety for many years shared ideas about how we might do it differently next time. I have no doubt some of those ideas will be planted like seeds, take root, and grow to become part of our existing systems for emergency response.

So yes, in addition to the good hearts of loving people who show up when the “Shanti Sena” or “Lost Child” call goes out, there are also established systems and methods for doing Shanti Sena work. Yes, there are people with skills and experience who know each other, who share those skills and experience, and who are eager to teach them to anyone who wants to learn.

We don’t have rules. We don’t have policies and procedures manuals. What we have are people who share their gifts, work together, and learn from each other. What we have are people with loving hearts who are committed to peace.

Those of us who have been doing Shanti Sena for decades do not see ourselves as cops, or security, or bouncers. We see ourselves as Peacekeepers. And a true Peacekeeper embraces non-violence as both an ethical and a tactical path. If you use violence while doing Shanti Sena, you are doing it wrong.

So these are the basics of Shanti Sena. It’s simple: people working together for community safety.

How deeply any one person wants to become involved in Shanti Sena work is entirely up to that person. Some people make it the primary focus of their gathering, and respond anywhere they are needed. Some people are always available to step up when they have something specific to offer. Some people really don’t want to deal with it at all, or aren’t good with people, and prefer to chop vegetables. Every choice is valid.

If you’re interested in conflict resolution, crisis intervention, and/or harm reduction, Shanti Sena is the work for you. If you enjoy “culture crafting” – hanging out with people very different than you and building relationships with them – Shanti Sena is the work for you. But how to start?

There is no one right way to do Shanti Sena. Develop skills and your own style, and play with it. But there are some bottom line, common sense starting points if you do want to go further than looking for lost kids:

    Safety first, last, and always
    Everyone has strengths in working with people. Find your own strengths and use them.
    Everyone has skills in working with people. Notice others’ skills and learn from them.
    Work using the buddy system.
    Ask for help when it is needed.
    If a situation is tense, make sure you de-escalate yourself first before trying to intervene with others. Your goal is to de-escalate the situation so people can work things through calmly; the last thing you want is to become part of the problem. (This also means attending to self-care. Remember to eat, rest, and play.)
    If you can’t remain impartial, step aside.
    If you aren’t helping, get out of the way.
    If you seriously don’t like people who are drunk, having emotional difficulties, or being obnoxious, you are probably not the right person to intervene with these people.
    Go to as many Shanti Sena workshops as you can.
    Shadow someone who does a lot of Shanti Sena work. (This might mean hanging around and drinking a lot of coffee with a lot of very cool people you have never met before.)
    Skills matter, but the most important tool you have is yourself and your loving heart.

My Brain on Nature

 

When I get into the woods, my brain changes. The way my brain works changes.  The way I interact with other life on this planet changes.  Being in the rhythm of the woods is a magical part of the gathering. Everyone changes in the woods.

I connect with human beings under the canopy of Douglas Fir and cedar trees. My brain slowly returns to rhythms marked by sunrise and sunset, rain and sun. It is a helpless feeling at first because I am so used to the endless push to analyze texts, fix computer problems, and tame databases.  The pace is relentless not just in what I am doing but in the already identified list of things to be done.

Walking on forest duff, I deal with that which is in front of me. I slide into non-logical ways of knowing and stop thinking in words. Under the panorama of stars, I awaken all my ways of understanding. As Glen Slater writes in his article “Cyborgian Drift,” ,“the privileging of the intellect over other aspects of being—animal sensation, instinct, aesthetic response, intuition” is a form of “Blinkered vision”  (180).

Remove your blinkers family!

Turning off the computers, the phones, completely unplugging and focusing all my attention on the beautiful smiles in my presence, the tiny wildflowers in the meadow, the sound of the drums at night rolling out across the hills helps me reconnect with deep love, with the energy that is around me now and I am present in a way that I am not present all the time.

At the gathering I deal with specifics and tangible issues.  Chop wood, haul water, cook food, dig shitters, hold the hands and hearts of my family and place my heart in their hands.  My brain away from computers and electronics changes, slows down, feels the love that it all around me.

I know quitting addictions is hard. The first few days you may feel disoriented, lost, unable to function but give it a week and feel the calm in your heart, the clarity in your mind.  Feel the love that is all around you. If you can't quit, keep your addiction to yourself. Please respect that many people who gather, do so to get away from electronics and the state of mind that goes along with them.

Some of you may disagree, may argue that your brain on computers is who you are and you would be no different away from the gadgets.  There's only one way to find out.  Take a break. See what happens when you love and work at a human speed, not a computer's speed.  Hear the wind in the trees, see the butterflies in the sky, share a story with the person next to you  (especially if you don't know them) instead of the one on the other end of a gadget.  Find out who you are when nature is speaking through you.

Gaia doesn't text.  The creek isn't on Facebook.  The tree's aren't on social media. Take a week or two out of your life to experience this other world and find out who you are On Nature.

Prayer for World Peace on Interdependence Day (July 4th)

Circle on July 4
Photo from Colorado 2006 (thanks Solace)

The silent prayer/meditation for world peace is the culmination of our attempts to create a peaceful and harmonious gathering. Starting as the sun rises on the morning of July 4th, the gathering will become silent. As people wake up and get ready for their day, most people respect the silence. As people are so inclined they head to main meadow to pray for world peace, do yoga for world peace, meditate for world peace and all sorts of other mellow and silent manifestations of creating the energy of world peace and the healing of the planet.

 We hold this peace in preparation for the arrival of our children. The children's parade (meet at Kid Village or Dirty Kid Village a few hours before noon if you have kids and want them in the parade) will come into the center of the circle. Please hold the silence until all the children (even the ones at the end of the parade) have made it into the center of the circle. Our children our are future and deserve our respect. Oming/Auming can start when most of the children are in the circle.

 PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WIDELY.

At some point before breaking the silence we will om/aum. Not a short 1-2 minute om, but a long drawn out 15 minute or 30 minute om/aum. If we are all focused and om together, not in a hurry to get it done, but to be with it in the moment, we can create energy that will change the world.

Each of us has a crucial role to play in this sacred ceremony that is the core of the Annual Rainbow Gathering. This is why I and so many people I know go to the gathering, dig shitters, chop wood and carry water. This is why so many people dedicate so much resources and energy to the gathering. Please if you choose not to participate, please be silent and let those who wish to create a sacred ceremony do so.

Creating your vision at the gathering

How to focalize what you want to see at the gathering. 

Depending on what you what to focalize, you may have to arrive early. 

If you want to focalize an art camp, probably arriving a six or seven days after the solstice will work, but if you want to focalize something that requires prime real estate (main boggie pit, handicamp, Medical Camp, etc) you will probably need to land on site within a few days of the site being known. 

This doesn't mean you have to do all the work yourself, but you need to be the person who is there, holding space, talking to everyone and anyone about your vision, making signs to gather workers to help you build your vision, etc. The focalizer is the person who communicates the need. If others agree with the need or you can convince others of the need, then people will join you in manifesting your vision. If no one else agrees, or they think their are more pressing needs, they will go do other things.

From WelcomeHome.org "We don't have leaders in the Rainbow Family, but we do have folks that help us to focus on what we as individuals need to do. It's through the widespread flow of information about our hipstory, our traditions, our processes, and practical gathering info that we as individuals can make informed decisions. That's a lot of what Rainbow is all about, the empowering of individuals within a group of folks. We can all make a difference.

One of the important things to realize is that focalizers aren't in charge. They aren't in control of anything or anyone but themself. People listen to focalizers out of respect, not because they have to. The best focalizers are invisible at a gathering. Many people that consider themselves focalizers are just info-maniacs. Just cause somebody may have a mailing list, or do a newsletter does not mean they are part of the "Rainbow Bureaucracy,"\, and you can turn over your responsibilities as a human being to them."

 

The gathering is co-created by all of us! Don't you want to be one of us?

Minimizing LEO Harassment at Gatherings

There are things that we can do to minimize the negative impact of LEO (Law Enforcement Officer) presence at gatherings and render them relatively impotent.

First off, every cop that sets foot anywhere in the gathering should have escorts. Escorted cops can't do much damage. However, it's very important that police escorts be done appropriately.  As with everything gathering related, we should have a minimum of three people. If you see someone walking alone with the cops, join in but only refer to each other by "sibling."  No names in front of the LEOs.

I'm sure there are many other ideas floating around, but as someone who has been spending a lot of time walking with cops over many, many years, here is my 2 cents. 

People escorting LEO should not interfere in their actions and keep a safe distance. Who safe is safe?  That varies by years generally.  If they are friendly, have a conversation with them. If not keep your distance. 

Someone should run ahead and yell six-up to warn our family that cops are coming up the trail.

Hopefully, someone has video equipment and is capturing the entire thing on tape, computer chips or whatever. You never know when a calm cop walk will blow up and the camera needs to be working before the blow up.

People doing escorts should not have any outstanding warrants or be carrying anything on their person that would be judged illegal by a court of law.  If you are high, it's not your turn. 

It helps if you have can display a non-confrontational demeanor and remember to walk like Ghandi or Robin Williams.

It's best to have three or more people doing this on each escort, but due to a lack of folks helping with cop watch these last few years, I've spent a lot of time on my own with 6 or 8 cops in the woods - definitely not a great situation and one I don't recommend unless you have a lot of practice under your belts.

If you can carry on a friendly low key conversation with any of the officers, that helps minimize tension.


If anything happens, video, write down details and if someone is arrested, make sure someone knows and will go after them to town and bail them out. If you don't know the person being arrested or their friends, go to INFO and post an announcement, let the INFO crew now and please announce it at main circle.

We all know how hard scouting is and access roads are both a blessing and a curse. They provide ease of access for disabled family and kitchens bringing in supplies in hand carts. Unfortunately they also
allow ease of access for the USFS LEOs.

As we don't know what this year's site will be, there's a couple of things we can do to minimize problems. Keep kitchens and camps off the road. Just cause a road goes through or near the sites, doesn't mean everyone needs to set up there. Explain to people before the gathering, at the front gate, at Welcome Home and when you see them setting up that the folks camped near the road or hanging out there are easy pickens for cops.

If you don't deal well with cops, then please don't. When someone yells six-up, just fade into the woods and let them pass. Engage in passive resistance.

OK Here's my pitch for middle aged + women. I'd love to have a tight crew willing to do cop walks together and even do it naked if we need to. Nothing like some nice cellulite and saggy breasts to take the fight out of the cops. I think middle aged + women make awesome cop walkers.The cops generally aren't threatened, we tend to be good at idle chit chat, and it's a great way to walk off those extra pounds.

Finally, cop watch is not an organized thing. If you see cops walking or driving and they are not being escorted, then tag you're it. If you get tired, try to recruit replacements before you drop out.

And my desperate plea. If someone walking with the cops taps you on the shoulder and asks you to run a message to someone, please take this seriously and do as you are asked - the person you keep out of jail might be your husband, wife, brother or daughter. We need to work together on this. 

Filtered Drinking Water Fundraiser May 9th on Zoom

Please help support clean water for drinking in the woods!

Saturday May 9, on https://EverybodysZoom.net

8pm ET Kitchen Sanitation/Water Filtration Tech-Talk

9pm ET Variety Show/Open Mic

Donate: https://gofund.me/1dd8ac1ed

If you would rather bring supplies than donate $$, please reach out to to rainbowwaterfundraiser at gmail dot com and ask for a shopping list.  Be prepared to arrive with purchased items very early as we will need them on or around June 19th.

 

 

On Shanti Sena

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If someone is using mind altering substances, make sure they are using the buddy system.  If they don't already have a few friends to hang with, please be that person or find someone who can be that person. Multiple times over the years, people who were under the influence wandered away from the main gathering and ended up dying. Please, please, please be your sibling's keeper.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


From Welcome Home with links to multiple Shanti Sena Raps by well respected family (must read).
From Niman - a scholarly look

Rap 121

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

We are our siblings' keepers.

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? 

 

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. 

 

 

Rap 121 Sexuality and Consent

This is a gathering based on love and respect.

Please help create a safe space for everyone.

 

Respect each other and do no harm.

 

Ask before hugging or touching anyone.

 

Nudity is natural, and not a sexual invitation.

 

“No” means NO! The absence of “Yes” means NO!

 

A sleeping or intoxicated person cannot consent.

 

A person under the legal age of consent cannot consent.

 

A person unable to competently consent for any reason cannot consent.

 

Consent at one time does not imply consent at any other time.

 

Consent for one action does not imply consent for any other action.

 

Consent given can be revoked at any time.

 

Respect yourself and trust your instincts. If you don’t feel comfortable being intimate or alone with someone, or with what someone wants you to do, you have the right to say “no”.

 

If planning on engaging in sexual activity, open and forthright sharing about sexually transmitted infections is necessary.

 

Love happens – protect yourself – use condoms! If you don’t have one, just ask.

 

If you observe what you believe to be a boundary or consent violation, offer support or get help.

 

If you see immediate danger of any kind, yell out “Shanti Sena!” and other gatherers will rush to your aid. If you hear someone yell “Shanti Sena,” approach quickly, carefully and peacefully.

We are all Shanti Sena – Peace keepers!

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.

On Consent

Tea Consent 

Tea Consent

Copyright ©2015 Emmeline May and Blue Seat Studios Non-commercial use: Video must have copyright information displayed below video, with a live link to original. No alteration to the video may be made, other than translation.