| Rap forFirst Gathering |
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| As copied off http://www.welcomehome.org/rainbow.html
This is your Gathering! You make it happen!
The gathering needs love, ideas and sweat from young family, old family, less experienced family, and more experienced family.
Participation is Magic
The Gathering means different things to different folks, but ultimately, any gathering becomes what we create.
Our Family is the WHOLE. We give respect to others and to ourselves. Each of us helps make the gathering a community of thousands from all walks of life, living together in the woods. We make music and celebrate together, we teach and we learn from each other and we share all that we have been, are, and wish to become.
Participation Creates the Gathering.
When we gather in the woods we have only ourselves to decide what we become for this moment in time.
We must create everything. Even our most basic needs like getting a drink of water or going to the bathroom are created by all of us working together.
Participation is "personal" commitment working for the good of the whole. There is no minimum requirement nor limit to what you can do to help out.
If you want to know "how" to participate or if you've done enough, you need look no further then yourself. YOU are the one who knows in your own heart if you've made enough effort to help share in our collective needs.
Take your pick... not only does every "material" thing we need, need to be brought by "someone(s)"... but we need to build and maintain and feed and teach and learn and entertain and take care of ourselves and clean up after ourselves etc.
No one person or group could ever possibly meet all our needs or create our magic. But every "little" piece someone brings or does, does indeed help create what we become at that moment.
BRING WHAT YOU CAN and HELP In any way you wish
Look no farther than yourself ... remember it's "YOUR" responsibility and your decision just as it is for others. Find how you can help and in a way that is both harmonious to yourself and others.
Don't know where to start?
Ask the Wandering INFO Crew, go to Information, go to Cooperation's Council, go to Welcome Home or the Front Gate and give a big hug to your brothers and sisters who are just arriving home, start a council in your neighborhood, ask a kitchen how you can help, or look around and see what's missing.
Participation is the magic that is the Rainbow Gathering!
Heart Beat Drum Rhythms
We need to re-establish a heartbeat in our drumming circles. Somehow it seems that the drummers do not realize what we are doing in the woods. We need to remember where we are and what we are doing there, when we are gathering in the wilderness. We go to gather in Peace with each other and with nature. We are there to assemble as a Family, to learn to live together as a tribe. We come to touch the Earth and to learn the old songs, to dance in the meadows and feel the wind on our faces. We seek cooperation with the elements, the animals and plants of the area, the people of the community around the camp. We look for ways to heal ourselves and our people and the Earth. We are learning to communicate with each other in ways that show respect for the trials we have borne to arrive in a place of hope.
When the drum beat is rhythmic and has a basic heart beat, the whole circle around it, the whole camp, actually rocks to the rhythm. When the drumming is fast and hysterical, arrhythmic or complex, a few dancers close by will attempt to move with it. Too much of the time, it seems that the drummers are remembering the rhythm of the 8-cylinder engine they rode down the highway to get to the gathering, or the compressors they listened to all winter, living in the city. I watch them. Sometimes they work themselves into a frenzy, pumping up the energy of the whole camp, disrupting all rhythms around them, unaware
A heartbeat need not be slow as an elephant to be slow enough to chant with, to send a rhythm of the Earth and wind through the hearts of the people. As you listen to the drumming, as you play on a drum yourself, see what happens around you, be a part of the camp as a whole, not as a separate entity. Be a part of brining it all together, synchronize the energy and attitude of the camp to help further the cause of the family - to live in harmony.
How I long for a drumming circle around a fire in the wintertime.
Grandmother Shelia, reprinted from the 1996 Rainbow Guide.
The Mini-Manual
As copied from the 1996 Rainbow Guide
How to put on a Gathering, and keep it happy and healthy
The Rainbow Family Of Living Light Welcomes you to our Family Gathering
Each year, the Family holds the Gathering of the Tribes, a totally free, non-commercial sharing of our lives and scared hearts in the Cathedral of Nature.
There is no authoritarian hierarchy here. We have tribal anarchy where we take care of each other, because we recognize that we are All One. The Gathering works because each of us takes the responsibility for doing what needs to be done, and for teaching others.
Part of that responsibility is a pledge we keep to each other,
We pledge to walk lightly on the earth; We pledge to respect and care for each other and all living things; We pledge to drop all violence as we deal with each other; We pledge to deal with each other up front and with open hearts.
Much goes into coordinating a Gathering, and much has been learned collectively about how to make the Gathering happy and healthy. This Mini-Manual continues to evolve, gathering our wisdom into one place - for new and old gatherers alike.
Our Name
Any gathering that bears the name 'Rainbow' is a completely free, non-commercial event. All supplies are donated, or paid for with money given to the Magic Hat There is no admission fee. No money is exchanged within the Gathering. 'This frees us from legal add licensing entanglements, and guarantees us our Constitution right to gather on public land.
Our Gatherings are also open to all peaceful people. There are no invitations or memberships. No one is turned away, except for breaking the pledge of non-violence. If you have a belly button you can be a Rainbow. The Rainbow is made of all colors!
The Silent Circle for Prayer and Healing
The Purpose: We gather to give honor and respect all those who have aided in the positive evolution of earth and humankind.
On the Fourth of July, from sunrise until high noon, the camp is hushed and people gather in Main Circle to meditate for World Peace and the Healing of the earth
This is a time of intense energy. The silence is broken with a resonant "OM" after the Children's Parade enters the Circle, shortly before noon. Please respect the silence by not speaking within earshot of the Circle, and not yelling or playing drums anywhere in camp.
Prepare for this with four days of celebration, Take time to share your fears, traumas, dreams, aspirations, and visions - so that the Healing on the Fourth will be complete.
Wildlife
This is the Cathedral of Nature that we gather in and we keep it that way. We disturb the environment as little we can. Riverbanks and wetlands are vulnerable ecosystems. Plants of older phyla, like mosses and ferns, are especially fragile. Cactus is more vulnerable than you might think. We might be walking through animals' hunting grounds. Stay on the forest floor and the dry meadow.
Don't litter. Birds can pick up filter tips and choke. Broken glass is a danger to all creatures' feet. Pick up trash left behind by those who are not yet Rainbows. Use things where they lie. The more you move, the more you'll have to put back. Hang tarps from trees and branches, rather than cutting and setting posts. Never cut a living tree, or break things off. Use only dead wood found lying on the ground. Bark-stripping hurts birch trees.
Pick one place for the swimming hole and don't go into a stream anywhere else. Leave beaver ponds alone. Avoid any place baby animals are kept (the way animals defend their young is beastly.) Make a few trails and stay on them. Don't crush underfoot a whole area. Send trails over ground that will stay high and dry after a rain. Form a trail just by trampling, and a circle area by tushwacking (sitting down), rather than by cutting plants down.
The earth is our mother, we must take care of her.
Water Sources
Our water sources are our life-blood and must be protected from the very first day people are on the site. The best drinking water comes from springs. Streams or ponds with a good constant flow can also be used. Any water for drinking is marked off with strings or ribbons, and no camp-sites or latrines are within 100 feet of them. People stay away from them unless involved in obtaining water.
Never pour liquid wastes into a water source, or on the ground near-by. Use a gray water pit, dug at least 100 feet away. Never use soap in a water source. Take a bucket at least 100 feet from open water to wash. Soaps will pollute the water. Even biodegradable soap like Dr. Bronner's can kill fish and micro-organisms. Never dip your own canteen or cup into a water source - use a common hose or dipper instead.
Never drink water unless you know that it's been scientifically tested, adequately filtered, or boiled. Even the purest looking water can contain micro-organisms that cause severe intestinal illness. To be absolutely safe, boil water at least 10 minutes.
Latrines
If you gotta go, go to a latrine. Never take a dump on top of the ground and walk off and leave it. The first fly who sees it will go tell all the others in the nearest kitchen.
Deep narrow trenches at least 3 feet deep are best. Excavated soil is kept in a neat pile for file in later. Sod is cut out and preserved for replacement over the filled hole.
Recycling
We don't mix our garbage and trash together, and make the local landfill landfull. We separate our refuse, recycle what we can, and dispose of the rest in nature-friendly way. At every kitchen, and at well traveled sites around the Gathering, there are recycling stations, each with seven containers for: Metal bought scrap, like aluminum, copper, iron and steel. Glass of any kind. (These first two are taken to a local collection point.) Paper we burn ourselves. Plastics and other materials that can't burn without toxic odors go into plastic bags to be taken to a dumpster or landfill at least 100 miles away. Organic matter & food waste are destined for a compost pit. Lost and found items are left until the Gathering ends. Free bin, stuff offered to anyone to take and use. Things left over after the Gatherings are taken to a local charity.
The THREE R'S: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Neighborhoods
Neighborhoods make the Gathering more fun with the people they introduce you to and impact the ecology less. All camp needs - such as latrines, water, child watching, or security - can be focalized around a neighborhood fire.
When you arrive, look around and find a concentration of tents to set up your one tent nearby. Kitchens are some of the places neighborhoods from around, as well as special areas like C.A.L.M. or Kid Village. People from a certain state or city often camp together. Contact the people around you, get to know them.
Lone campsites are easy targets for thieves, and surprises for people walking through the woods in the dark. Neighborhoods provide the only security for when you are not in your camp.
LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR
FIRE
When you build a fire, be responsible. Have a shovel and a bucket of water near your fire at all times. Use only community fires. Share your hearth with your neighbors and don't waste wood on a personal fire. Share your hearth with your neighbors, and don't waste wood on a personal fire. Use only dead and dry wood, found on the ground, for fuel. Never throw plastics or synthetic materials into fire: this creates toxic fumes.
Select a safe locations. Watch for overhanging snags of deadwood. Keep your fire low - sparks fly far, even live trees can catch fire. If you must have a large fire, build it in a meadow, at least 20 feet from the treeline.
Beware of root fires. Line the inside and bottom of your firepits with rocks. Scrape the ground free of loose duff, leaves, and grass for a least a foot around your pit. Watch your fire at all times. The wind can shift direction quickly. Stray sparks can bring disaster. Don't leave your camp behind until your fire is completely out and cold. Embers can flame up again in a wind. No fireworks, please!!
Consensus
Consensus is how we govern ourselves. Consensus means coming to solutions acceptable to everyone, not just a majority. If we have problems, we bring them up at our circles and discuss than. During the discussion someone usually brings out an issue and asks for consensus. If no one radically objects, then consensus is reached. (This is sometimes called consensus by silence, i.e. nobody speaks after consensus is asked for. Otherwise a person may block consensus by expressing her, or his concerns and the discussion continues. Through this is process we attempt to solve our problems.
Consensus gives every person a chance to be heard and have their input weighed equally. The smallest minority has a chance to change collective mind if their vision is keener. It is possible that Spirit has given them a message that is presently beyond the perception of the rest of the council.
If people exercise this power to go against the majority, they must in good conscience have listened to collective wisdom. A block should not to used to place an individual's will above the group's. Working this out can be very long and exhausting to the participants.
Consensus works in an environment of trust, where everyone suffers or pins alike from the decision. Everyone must: listen and participate, get informed, be rational, and be part of the process from the beginning.
Shanti Sena Peace Army
We call our security system Shanti Sena. This means "peace army" in Sanskrit. A crew of people experienced in non-violent peaceful intervention can be summoned for assistance by calling, "Shanti Sena! But everybody is a peacekeeper at a Gathering. We are secure because we all watch out for each other.
If we don't stay aware of what is going on with people around us, and don't offer aid, trouble can erupt into violence and injury. Often a group can prevail where a single person can't. Offer your help in easing conflict.
We respond with non-violent methods only. Talking is tried before physical restraint. This talking is done with compassion and respect. If physical intervention can't be avoided, it is done gently--without inflicting injury.
We lighten the burden on Shanti Sena by., watching out for ourselves and our valuables, camping in groups with others, and watching our neighbors' camps when they're away.
We are all Shanti Sena!
C.A.L.M. - The Center for Alternative Living Medicine
CA.L.M. is our healing arts center. If you are injured or iII, come here, especially if it's something contagious. The people here can also provide health information and preventative aids such as condoms. Natural & alternative medicine is encouraged here. Treatment that gets to root of disease is sought not just temporary remedies. C.A.L.M. always needs donations of medical supplies, antibiotics, herbs, tinctures, and homeopathic remedies. It needs doctors, nurses, EMT'S, and therapists of all kinds -to volunteer on a continuous or on-call basis. Healers and workshop leaders can also plug in here.
Focalizers
Focalizers do what their name implies, they bring the Living Light onto a certain point. They take diverse energy among us and bring' about synergy that gets things done. They show us directions to move, and impart to us their knowledge. They get people working together.
They are not like leaders in Babylon. They are not placed over us, nor elected for terms. They are followed because the people trust them, feel they have wisdom, find their own feelings expressed through them, and expect success from following them. Their election continues on through every day. They are simply not followed anymore if the people lose confidence.
Anybody who has knowledge to share can be a focalizer. if you see something that isn't being done, take the initiative to start others to join with you. But don't volunteer for everything. When a thing needs doing, make an effort to pass the task along. Someone put there is waiting to be useful, maybe even unaware of a talent he or she has. Giving away all the right tasks may leave you exhausted - but it will save you from burning out
Respecting consensus is important for the focalizer. Even at the price of inefficiency, frustration and endless discussion - let the people decide. They'll get better at it with practice.
The Magic Hat
The Magic Hat gores round and round. Its magic lies in the miracles that sharing can bring. The Gathering is free, but the Hat gives everyone the chance to help with our collective need for cash. Money received is used to buy food, medical supplies, gasoline, and general necessities. By giving generously, each of us helps with our financial needs.
Money in the Magic Hat is cared for by a Banking Council of at least 3 persons. They keep written records of the amounts collected and whom it is given to, that are open to anyone who wishes to seem them. The Magic Hat appears at group meals, and sometimes is carried through camp by wandering minstrels.
Scouting
Experienced scouts teach new ones as they inspect many potential sites discovered from topographical maps and aerial photos, and following leads from local people in the chosen area. They coordinate through the regional Focalizers, and by attending Scouting Councils.
Main Circle
Main Circle is an open meadow large enough for as many people as you expect to come. (At the Annual gathering of the Tribes, this may be more than ten thousand). It is the center of our Gathering, where the evening dinner circle and council are held, the Silent Mediation happens on the 4th, and theater like of the 5th of July Pageant is put on. In the center is a pit large enough to safely contain a large bonfire, open on all sides so people can dance all the way around it.
Personal campsites are not set up in the Main Circle meadow. They may get trampled when people are opening up a circle to include more family.
Site Criteria
A Gathering site should have: Good Water - deep springs or well surface water -enough for the drinking cooking, and washing needs of hundreds or thousands of people. They should be separate from the Main Camp, to prevent contamination. Firewood - Lots of dead wood lying on die ground, for kitchens and friendship, Open meadows - for councils, workshops, pageants, tipis, and Frisbee. Keep meadows clear of individual camps. Parking space - large enough for several hundred cars and vans, within reasonable walking and shuttle distance - but separate from the Gathering-proper. For young children, elderly, and handicapped, the walk in is not too long and strenuous. For optimum peace and safety, only support and emergency vehicles are allowed into the Gathering.
As few roads, as possible. You may want one road for ambulances and heavy supplies, but you don't want easy access for car stereos, beer coolers, and a rowdy party scene. Conversely, don't put the site on a dead end road, and set a trap for yourselves. Place it on a through road so there is both a front and a back gate.
No one site will have all of these in equal abundance, for instance, good springs are often on steep mountain-sides far from flat spaces good for Parking. Look for a balance for all these needs.
Howdy Folks
When the site is chosen, the Howdy Folks goes out to local focalizers in the mail, and on computer networks. This is the official notice of the site. It contains word instructions for getting there, and a map. It also has phone numbers for getting information while on the way. The focalizers make copies and send them out to their mailing lists. They may also distribute them at local Rainbow, environmental, Pagan, Native American, and New Age events.
Seed Camp
At least a week before a Gathering is to start a dedicated group of people arrives early to: inform the local Forest Service of our impending arrival, find and develop water sources, setup the first kitchen and dig the first latrines, locate and mark the parking lot, lay out and clear trails, locate Main Circle and dig the firepit, and set up Welcome Home. This is a time when you can work intensely with a few other people and form some deep friendships. From this seed grows the flower of our gathering.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise there-of, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances
The First Amendment of the United States of America.
The Forest Service
Our Family is committed to preserving the priceless heritage of our national forests. In this spirit we cooperate with the rangers of the USDA Forest Service in doing the job they were hired for: protecting this land.
The local forest rangers are notified of a Gathering's coming no later than the first few hours of seed camp. We honor their requests in special ecological concerns. In the past, rangers have given Family members valuable tips about sites and water, and provided us seeds for reseeding and trees for us to plant. We treat them as people who share our concerns.
We do not sign permits or agreements with the government. Our non-hierarchical structure gives nobody the authority to sign such a thing, and we are exercising our rights, guaranteed by the Constitution, to assemble peaceably. This right was upheld by a Federal Court in Texas in 1998.
Remember that forest rangers are law enforcement officials, and can arrest you if they see you breaking any law, be it about wildlife or what's in your hand.
Supply
Donations of food and materials pooled by Supply and redistributed from there. This allows money-saving bulk purchases and helps cut down waste. Contributions from individuals are brought here. This a major operation, requiring energy from many people.
Kitchens
Food is obtained from Supply, paid for with donations to the Magic Hat, and prepared by the helping hands of hundreds of volunteer choppers, slicers, peelers, fire tenders, stirrers, and chefs.
Serving styles and times are up to the individual kitchen councils - some serve all day, sense have specified meal times, some send their food to Main Circle. Some offer specialized fare like popcorn or coffee. Kitchens are kept CLEAN. There is no faster way to spread disease than to serve contaminated food.
Volunteers @ kitchens wash their hands before working with food. They don't work with a communicable disease. They use only clean knives and chopping boards. Work surfaces are washed with bleach water before and after use.
Everybody brings their own bowl, cup, and spoon to a Gathering, and washes them thoroughly after each use. Food is served by servers with designated tools. People do not serve themselves with their own utensils. Kitchens are enclosed with railings and hand washing stations are at entrances. Every kitchen has a dish washing station with four containers (usually standard 5 gallon buckets):
One for scraping into; One with hot soapy water for washing; One with clear water for rinsing; and One with water containing 1 or 2 capfuls of chlorine bleach or vinegar - for disinfecting.
Compost (garbage) pits are dug nearby for vegetable wasters. They are filled in gradually, like latrines. A mound of dirt is left on top, to level out by itself as the garbage underneath decomposes and settles. Waste water goes into gray water pits. It is not just poured out on top of the ground.
Kitchens constantly need firewood and water. Many people make a habit of brining a piece of wood whenever they visit a kitchen. Others, upon seeing an empty container, will fetch water without being asked.
Information
Information is the communication center. Anyone with anything noteworthy to share comes here so Info can pass the word. All councils and focalizers report here daily with their needs, so they. can be connected with the rest of the gathering. With enough input from all of us, this crew can answer questions intelligently.
Lost and Found and Rumor Control are here. Printed handouts am available on a table, and maps, rider boards. and bulletin boards are nearby. The Volunteer Here board is nearby. People wanting to help out find places to plug on this board, and groups needing assistance make their needs known here.
We also have a Wandering INFO Crew who goes out to the individual camps, makes friends, shares the Rainbow Way, and passes out this flyer! The Wandering INFO Crew circles daily to discuss what's going on. Focalizers from other areas are encouraged to attend the circles in order to share the information they would like distributed.
Front Gate
When you volunteer for Front Gate, you get to see it all come in. The parking lot crew greets the world with hugs and Info. They maintain an organized and secure parking area, and make an around the clock commitment that involves: greeting new arrivals and giving out information, traffic control and security, auto repair, a kitchen and a fire circle, and an active Shanti Sena. The crew also seeks out vehicles for use as shuttles.
Alcohol abuse needs special attention in this area.
Front Gate and Welcome Home are the most seriously under staffed areas of our Gatherings. Please take the time to work a shift!!!.
Bus Village
Bus Village is for those who come in campers or live-in buses or vans: Many of our family are nomad either part time, or year round. Bus Village has its own mini-gathering, with kitchens, councils, work crews, and Shanti Sena. It is a place where electric entertainment is allowed and appreciated. Bus Village people are well-situated to help with Front Gate and Welcome Home responsibilities.
Welcome Home Center
Welcome Home is set up where a person coming from the front gate begins to enter the populated area, at the end of the shuttle ride and most of the hike in. It is a place for people to rest from their journey in. New arrivals are offered tea, coffee, or water. They are given printed copies of raps 107 and 701, reminded of how the Gathering works with volunteers, and informed of conditions peculiar to the current Gathering. The Raps and a map of the Gathering are on a sign nearby.
Kid Village
Kid Village is a place for children to find other children. It has a special kitchen for them, as well as for nursing moms and pregnant women. It has shade, playthings, and people who like to play with kids. Here you can meet other parents and their little people. You can find people to leave your Offspring with for a few hours.
The people here always need help with the kitchen, firewood, and water. Musicians, storytellers, and game leaders are always welcome. Kid Village is set up where the sound from Main Circle at night is dampened - on the other side of a hill is best.
If you entrust their care to someone, be sure you know that person to the point of having spent some time with them. When you leave your children at Kid Village, tell others of your going and return, and leave word where you can be found.
Older children should know how to find their home camp. They are also shown safe grow, like Kid Village, Information, or kitchens. They should know your full name and how to describe you verbally. For younger children who can't talk well, pin pieces of paper on their backs - with their name, your name, and directions to your camp.
If your child gets lost, don't wait too long to act. If they're not in the immediate area, inform Child Search at Information or Kid Village. We need to be told quickly to do the best job, especially if its close to night-fall. Better safe than sorry.
Trading Circle
Many of our Family work in various crafts and bring their best work to Trading Circle to show off, or trade for other pieces that catch their eye. The mutual exchange of gifts is encouraged, money changing in the temple is not. Only barter is done here: a thing exchanged directly for another thing or for a service performed. No money changes hands.
Using money jeopardizes our right to use public land.
Workshops
A Workshop Board is at Information and has offerings with times and places on it. Workshop focalizers maintain and update the boards and bring special materials for their own workshops.
Some popular workshop subjects are: Sister Circle ( Women gather in a secluded and safe, place - to talk about their special problems, give each other support perform rituals, and celebrate their womanhood together). Brother Circle (The same thing, for the men.)
Brother-Sister Circle: Sisters speak, brothers listen. Brothers speak, sisters listen. New perspectives are gained, common ground is found.
Heartsong Circle (People speak about the things most important to them - hopes, fears, drums, visions - to a loving and supportive audience.) Yoga, of all kinds.
Sweat Lodges
Experienced volunteers teach new ones as they lead sweat lodges - for health and pleasure. Sweating reinvigorates you by flushing built up toxins from you body. The closeness and fellowship of the lodge provide an opportunity for prayer and song.
Sweat lodges are solemn spaces for sacred ceremonies. They are built with care and respect for the old ways. Some ceremonies are guided by traditional leaders and observe strict customs. Ask if there are any special observances. Don't disturb the vibrations with any behavior less than sacred.
Don't come if you have an infectious disease. Do show up with an armload of wood.
Music
We make our own music here. This is a place where your creativity is encouraged to come out of the closet. Stereos, boomboxes, and radios can douse a creative spark. Our musicians perform acoustically or with small batteries, without the distraction of canned music in the background, Bus Village is a place for electric art.
Singers, guitarists, and instrumentalist gather to jam around community fires and in kitchens. Main Circle at night is the traditional place for drumming and dancing.
Share your song with us, even if you are not used to performing. Don't sit by your tent and play for the trees. Listen to the other players and make music with them. You'll be amazed at how good we'll all make you sound.
If you start music, respect the other musicians within earshot who have already started, especially if you are drumming. (Drums can carry like a rock'n'roll amp) Don't try to compete with them, go over and join them instead. If it's late at night or early in the morning, be conscious of folks nearby who may be sleeping.
Pets
A Gathering is not a good place for a pet. Dogs fight other dogs, and kill wildlife and even other pets. All animals get into food and leave shit all over the place. Pets themselves are stressed by the sudden changes in their environment.
Sometimes there is no place to leave your pet, so if you must, be responsible for your animals. Keep them under constant watch, keep them away from kitchens, meal circles, councils, and wildlife. Clean up their droppings. Feel free to tie up stray dogs in shade with water. If you're pet is sick, ask Information where ARF or other pet oriented camps are They often are staffed with people who can give your pet shots and/or healing. We are all worth of equal respect.
Regional Gatherings
In addition to the Annual Gathering of the Tribes from July 1st - 7th, there are many Regional Gathering throughout the year. Find out about these at Information, in All Ways Free, from your regional focalizer, and on the Internet via the newsgroup "alt.gathering.rainbow", or on the Web at "http://welcomehome.org/rainbow.html"
Vision Council
At Vision Council the future of the Family is discussed, and more specifically, the location is chosen for next year's Gathering. It starts at noon on the last day (hopefully after informal discussion all week). It continues until consensus is reached among all the participants.
Clean UP
Clean up actually begins the money you arrive - if you don't disturb the environment to begin with, you don't have to clean up later. If you pick up trash all along, there isn't a large amount at the end. After the last day of the Gathering, the camp is drawn inward from the perimeters to one central camp, thence to the front gate and the parking area, then out the gate and down the road.
Campsites, bridges, and kitchens are dismantled and disappeared. Compost pits and latrines are filled and covered with a dome of dirt, to allow for settling. Logs, rocks and branches are scattered. Campsites are strewn with grass and leaves. Firepits are drowned with water and covered with dirt. Paths are broken up, ground packed hard is broken up with pick and shove, and bare spots are reseeded. Potential areas of erosion are shore up.
All traces of our presence are removed. The site is returned to its natural state.
Vehicles leaving the Gathering help by taking at least one bag of trash with them, to a dumpster a least 100 miles away. Don't impact the small towns near the Gathering. Recyclables are taken to appropriate collection points.
In a year's time, you won't be able to tell that a small city of people lived here for weeks.
In All Ways We Walk Lightly on the Land.
All this information was copied from previously written Rainbow Family information. Thanks to all who took the time to write this stuff down.
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