I have been a Rainbow child since birth. My Mother is considered an "Elder" and her seven children have been give influences in decades of Rainbow gatherings. I am sad to say that we have avoided gatherings because of how obscured the message has gotten and how so called "rainbows" have infected a society that once had a message of family, love, and peace. I believe in Karma but I also believe in those who do things bad to innocents inviting negative Karma... My mothers van was stolen at Burney Gathering and the kids (21 and 19) traded and sold half of my mothers possessions on their way to the coast. They were soon arrested and I took my Mother to reclaim her van (Home) and spoke with the Sheriff. And lets not forget how these "young" Rainbows are ruining the reputation of true Rainbows in communities that we need to support logistics with these near by gatherings. When I grew up we use to loiter in areas of public domain and offer work for money or supplies... Now days you have kids downtown loitering in the wrong places and "begging" for money without offering themselves to work. This image begins to tire a community and eventually, as I have witnessed, pass city restrictions making it very hard on our objectives. At the same time residents begin to turn their back and make efforts to make life harder for us Rainbows. I wish for a time where the message, integrity, and respect becomes the center "peace" again for Rainbow gatherings. Well that felt good to get off my chest... thanks for reading.
I agree with you brother,but you still got to remember there is still alot peacefull high spirited people out there.It just takes only a few bad people out of hundred or thousands of brothers and sisters to ruin a gathering.I notice alot more anti rainbow people out there.They are drainbows.There population is growing and they are rebelllious to our family and don't respect other individuals.They also eat our food ,steal and harrass us .They leave litter on the ground and beg for money and rides.There is still much more of us out there and I believe the rainbow spirit will win.I'm sorry to hear of your problems but don't give up because of that.You are always welcome in my eyes and I'd love to see you Peace and Love!!!!!!!!!!! Rainbow Dave
the younger folk who try to latch onto the rainbow identity, as much as most of would like, cannot ,due to a lack of first-hand experience. they do not understand the concept of peace and love. they do not even try! they think it's all about getting high(my kids call them "stoners"). they miss the point: getting high is just a (small) part of the whole lifestyle. my advice? avoid the stoners like the plague and kick them out of your gatherings whenever possible. you think that's un-hippy-like? your option? put up with their irritating and buzz-killing behavior all the time. teach the teachable, move the rest along. do it in a hippy-like way(peace and love), but for the sake of your sanity, do it. paisley skye
I've noticed this growing drainbow problem (be they drifters, A-camp, bros, or falling under some other societal label) and I feel it's largely a side effect of the western culture of ego-dominant behavior and the lack of proper role models, leaders, parents, and others who can guide the young in a way that doesn't turn them towards being abberrant and maladjusted in their behavior and ways. These people as a result come to the Gathering and other festivals to "get fucked up" and then proceed to have almost the entirely of their vocalizations for the next few days be about how "fucked up" they are. This is behavior that is more primitive than an animal would express and it is very saddening to see and makes me lose hope for the future of humanity, if such a future is even possible to exist given all the forces working against it. This is a serious issue and with a problem of this magnitude, an extraordinary amount of positive energy and proper *guidance* is necessary for it to be remedied. This problem will not go away on its own...it requires the strength through unity aspect of our collective deliberation, meditation, and wisdom. I wish I could be at the Gathering this year but it's impossible for me yet I do hope somebody brings together a special council to deal with this issue or begin to deliberate upon it because it is one that can destroy Rainbow and I do not say it lightly.
Judgmental hippie-crits. We are all rainbow, and it takes all kinds to make the world go around. Want Utopia? Fine...go to the woods and have it, but don't come crying to Front Gate tuffs when the hordes of tugs from the inner city come a lookin to take all your beans and rice. I will take my A Camp and my Frunt Gate and my Goat Camp Family any day over a bunch of high holey hippiecrits. I am sick and tired of this crap.."this ain't Rainbow, Rainbows don't do that or say that" maybe Rainbow is evolving...like the rest of the Universe.
When I first hooked up with Rainbows Kentucky Gathering and at Dead shows I learned by example. I was a curious 'stoner' from the midwest wandering around with no direction. I learned not to litter when I got embarrassed when a sister picked up a cig butt i threw down. I learned to share and how to trade rather then worry about money. I learned to not steal. KARMA! I learned that doing things and giving things to others made them happy which made me happy. I learned all kind of things, to many to list here, that made our journey possible and memorable. Maybe 'stoners' need a mentor to show them the Rainbow way? I learned drugs had a purpose. Herb, mushrooms, LSD for consciousness expanding (not to get high'. Powders, booze and 'gas' were not good and addicting. Why is that? Are we setting the example? I was seeing this at the end of the Dead tours. It was mostly local teen bubba beer drinker kids. It was a fragile scene and the local yokel's were hurting the Deads ability to get cool venues and were getting a bad reception. I know Rainbow has no rules but we may want to hand out a 'beginners' flyer to everyone at the gathering outlining 'suggestions' for living the Rainbow Way?
I think those are excellent points. It seems that there is not enough mentoring and it's seemingly replaced by passive permissive pacifism, to put it one way. A beginner guide would be great but it would always have to be official since no one person or group owns, leads, or controls Rainbow. I know there are very helpful Rainbow raps (you can read them/print them here: http://rainbowguide.info/Raps/RAPeng.php?id=1) Perhaps at the Gathering this summer, there could be an event one some day where people can come and engage in a workshop of sorts where elders of Gatherings can come and talk to people about the philosophy of Rainbow and the more spiritually-related aspects of the Rainbow Family (emphasis on oneness since that's the underlying basis for all that for all we stand for [peace and love at the forefront of this basis])
it's a wonderful mystery in how we feel spiritually-related as family . i spose it arises from nature - like birds have conspired to bring us together . there's more to family than just a noisy bunch of humana . i don't worry about family and have the very kindest patient feelings for rainbow blood . just be . o' de joy in chaos . the dreams i've had about rainbow gatherings are weird though and not much fun . they be indoors , which is too stinky .
this makes me sad i wish everyone could just learn to love one another already. or try. we already know how, it's innate. it just gets suppressed. every microcosm is just a reflection of society at large, and unfortunately in every society there are people who are turned on and peaceful, and the rest trying to bring them down. it just makes me sad because the whole rainbow ideal is bringing the image of what society isn't, to them, to help them learn peace and love.
There are many more of "these kids" living in the world of Babylon. They are but a tip of the iceburg. Society has done a great unjustice to our children, children who are some now in their thirties. If we be the Rainbow Warriors of Prophesy, we must find a way to use the love that is our power to help these "new rainbow kids". They are a small representation of what is out there. No matter what though, if we be true to Rainbow Family values we must love and accept our fellow bellybutton wearers. Accept doesn't mean allow to harm. If we are serious about using the power of love to bring about positive change, we have to start at home. Someone asked my Brother, "Why do you hang out with those So and so's?" My Brother told him, "Those that are well, don't need a doctor." If you want change, instead of avoiding people who might hurt you, hang out near them while emitting loving vibes. You might just uncover a gem of a person who was lacking the knowledge and medicine of love in their life. If you ever would like to meet up with me at a gathering, look for me at Acamp. If you're lucky you might get to hear some wonderful wisdoms passed on from Brother Little Hawk. Acamp is for me because if Brother Jesus was here, that's where he would be. NoiAllHim
Our secret weapon is a tape recording of a couple of Dobermans going berserk which can be switched on from our berth and it would be a brave thief who stayed around to risk confronting these dogs! The searchlight has been effective and once blinded, our would-be aggressors were unable to tell whether we had guns or how many people were on board. At rainbow we painted everything with florescent paint to make it a chore for the thief to repaint before it could be used or sold.
when you go to these gatherings, are you all with truly good people? i have a feeling a lot of really terrible people go to the gatherings. people who we should not be with until they learn to love. people who steal children and aren't our friends at all. we who always wanted to be free , we don't need the rainbow family. correct me if i'm wrong
When people are trusted to behave,disappointment is soon to follow. It's hard to get the measure of a person's heart until they're given a chance. Often that chance turns into "too late" or "oops-wrong". I think love and acceptance is often like building sand castles too close to the inevitable incoming tide. It gets washed away and turns to nothing. To continue the metaphor--do you move farther away to remain untouched or do you continue to build and re-build? A dilema. Institute rules and you're back to mainstream society and exclusiveness or continue attempting to teach by example and become frustrated at the vitiation of Rainbow ideals. What's next? I know as I came through various scenes in the 60s and 70s---sadly,the bad always drove out the good. Inevitably,the last into scenes, had very little idea of what the scenes were originally about and proceeded to trash them. I stopped being "out" of workaday society but semi-dropped back in ,to work in earnest when I had kids,but I always kept an interest in the Dead scene and the Rainbow scene. I liked knowing there were still those that kept that era and it's ideals alive. What's happening and where can it be going now???
Word! Those kind are everywhere. Gatherings are a microcosm of the real world. Touch a kid or think about messing with a Rainbow kid and watch mama bears go psycho berserk! I look at Rainbow gatherings as a place to gather the tools to build love in myself and others. I hit my thumb with a hammer until I learn to pay attention and be careful. (((((((((((((Peace&Love=Rainbow))))))))))))))
i have gone from being in love with them to thinking that they are disgusting evil people... has anyone else gotten thrown off by them? not the family as a whole, not a few bad american kids out there... but, i'm talking about immature wicked founders how i would love to live free, and i'm going to.. but not with wicked people.. does anyone see this in the group?
to speak for an assumed we is a propagandists' attack strategy . i guess you and those are free to do so even while hexing you'self to believe it is love . at the root , rainbow philosophy is elegant with respect to discerning realities of we .
