Rainbow gatherings
How can you get to a Rainbow gathering? .. through a friend who brings you there, a hitchhiker you just met on the way, or simply by chance.. No matter how you end up there, it means you deserved to have this blessing experience.
- What is it?
- How it works?
- The people. The art
- The issues
What is it?
A Rainbow Gathering is a community of people, a tribe, living together in nature, for a period of time, sharing common values such as love, peace, freedom, harmony and respect. It is not a festival, nor an organisation, there are no leaders, no official documents and no membership. This means basically that you need to dig your own shit pit. And cook. And cut wood. And live under a tarp. And take care of the others. But if you are up to all this, one of your best life-experiences will come by!
In no other place on Earth, I've felt so accepted, so loved and so.. home.
Rainbow Gatherings take place all over the World, all the time, in almost all countries, smaller or bigger, since 1971 .
How it works?
Rainbows are a form of decentralised society, entirely self-organised, where nobody's wish is more powerful than yours. Decisions are taken during talking circles and are based on consensus process. During your stay in the tribe, the general rule is that if you see a task that needs to be done, then it is yours. You have the power to create, to make it better, to express yourself, to contribute to the striving of the community, to find purpose in your actions.
I will further explain in detail how it works.
1. The place
The location is picked at the end of the previous Gathering, through a consensus process. Further, the people who suggested the country, volunteer for scouting for a location. The place is always in nature, usually in a mountain valley, in the public space, where camping is allowed and there is wood and water, far from cities or even villages. Usually, the people who scout for the location, also let know the authorities in the area about the Gathering, to avoid evacuation.
2. The date
Usually Rainbow Gatherings take place during one moon cycle, from new moon, to new moon. The central european gatherings happen in the summer. There is a seed camp going on before the Gathering, where people go earlier in order to prepare the spot.
3. The structures
The tarps, the yurts, the pots and the tools are passed from generation to generation, stored and brought to the Gatherings, by volunteers.
4. The food
The food is cooked daily, for everybody in the Gathering. People eat together and at the end of each food circle, a Magic Hat goes around and you can contribute in money, as much as you want. The Magic Hat is the only circumstance in the Gatherings, where money is involved. All money is used to buy food supplies for the upcoming days and the excess money from the end of the Gathering are stored by a volunteer and used to buy food at the beginning of the next Gathering.
5. Hygiene
The toilets are basically holes in the ground with buckets of ash next to them. People use water instead of toilet paper. The source of the drinking water is always higher in altitude, than the washing water. People make sure they don't pollute the source, as the health of the tribe depends on it. People also care about the nature, so they avoid the use of harmful chemicals. Hands are washed carefully before serving the food or cooking.
6. Volunteering
In order for the Gathering to exist, people bring their contribution everyday, through their work. There are always things to do, and it is totally up to you if, what and how much you want to work. Examples of tasks: building shelters/yurt, cutting the wood, making the fire, cooking, washing the dishes, serving the food, digging the shit pits, carrying the food supply, educating new comers, cleaning. The Gathering is entirely self organised, so it is through the contribution of each one, that it can exist.
7. Drugs, alcohol, food, video & photography, animals, money
- Although nothing is imposed on anyone, the consumption of alcohol or heavy drugs is strongly discouraged in the Gatherings.
- Food is vegan, especially in the food circles.
- People's privacy is a fundamental human right, so the use of photo cameras or recording devices is considered disrespectful.
- Rainbow people love animals, but they are hard to clean after in the Gatherings, which might harm the health of the tribe
- Except from the Magic Hat, money are not used in the Gatherings. People mostly share and trade.
All in all, the Rainbow Gathering is an entirely self organised nomad society and it works as long as people make it work. The general rule, is that if you see a task that needs to be done, then it is yours. Maybe this form of organistaion is unbelievable, but the Gatherings are the proof that it can exist.
The people. The art
Art and creativity fill the Gatherings with joy and presence. There is music, dancing, fire juggling, acroyoga, laughing meditation, poetry, sculpture.. anything you can think of. People come from various backgrounds and cultures, which creates a huge variety of skills, beliefs, philosophies, knowledge and stories. Connecting with eachother in love and learning, an interest in self-awareness and the state of "being" are the highest purposes of the community.
The issues
- Health. Because of the size of the Gatherings and the lack of organisation, health problems might appear.
- Judgement. Some people may tend to criticize the lack of work or consider others as "drainbows".
- Evacuation. There were Gatherings where authorities canceled the Gathering.
- Power. Unacknowledged power groups may arise in the Gatherings.
So...
In Rainbow Gatherings you learn, have fun, experience and grow. There are not enough words to describe the freedom of the naked baths,the joy of dancing around the fire to the music of the drums, the beauty of waking up with the sun and forgetting about time. In Rainbows, time, phones, mirrors, cities - don`t exist. There is only the present moment, a full time effortless meditation, a place where you discover another "you", the inner "you", that loves itself and everything around.