New Blog for 2019

The 2019 gathering will take place in Minnesota or Wisconsin. Click here to view the 2019 blog.

Vision Council Consensi

Hi all,

This is the information I have on the consensi that Vision Council on the land in Georgia reached where Day 1 would have been July 7th, 2018.

Much love to all.

(Day 5)

"We, individuals circled in Vision Counsel on the land in the Chattahoochee Forest in Southern Appalachia at the 47th Annual Rainbow Family of Living Light Gathering of the Tribes, in 2018, have lovingly reached consensus on the following:"

(Day 5)

#2: "The Rainbow Family has no official representation, in person, online, or in any legal sense. Know your sources."

(Day 6)

#1: "We offer our truth and heart that we believe peace and love grows, heals, and is a transcendent good, and we as Rainbow Family are grateful, encouraging and faithful to this truth of peace and love."

(Day 6)

#3: "Remaining united is an important part of maintaining the integrity of our family. Furthermore, standing behind the decisions of Spring Counsel is a crucial way of carrying out that intent, just as Spring Counsel respects Vision Counsel."

(Day 6)

"Love Letter #4:

To the World Rainbow Family Vision Counsel Cherished Family,

Your correspondence was faithfully delivered and received with pleasure. There is growing excitement at the idea of a meeting of Families in 2022. Some of us wish greatly to visit you in 2019 where we hope to more deeply discuss this possibility.

With sincere regard and love,

Rainbow Family of Living Light Vision Counsel, July 2018"

(Day 6)

#5: "Water is life."

(Day 7)

#6: "We invite all individuals to continue circling at our Harvest Counsel, which will be November 22-25, 2018, in or near the consensed region."

(Day 7)

#7: "We practice peace. We reaffirm our aspiration to respect consent and to be gentle in all of our interactions."

(Day 7)

#8: "We invite all who gather around the world to share in a silent meditation and prayer for peace from dawn till noon on July 4, 2022."

(Day 10)

#9: "We encourage individuals to help cocreate the 48th Annual Rainbow Family of Living Light Gathering of the Tribes from July 1-7, 2019, and to join us in a silent meditation and prayer for peace from dawn till noon on July 4, 2019, somewhere in the Western Lake Superior region from the Nicolet Forest through the Chippewa Forest, including all National Forests between." [This includes all National Forests in Wisconsin and Minnesota]

[Note on Love Letter #4: Last year's Vision Counsel reached consensus on "We invite the world to a silent meditation for world peace on July 4th, 2022."

Individuals brought that message to the World Gathering Vision Counsel in Taiwan in 2018. The Taiwan Gathering, having sent a pair of messages back and forth between two potential World Gathering sites, penned their third letter and sent it to Vision Counsel in the USA. It reads,

"Love Letter #3:

Dearest Rainbow Family,

We have heard your invitation to join us in 2022, and we like it. We look forward to discussing it more at the next Vision Counsel. This letter is the consensus of the World Rainbow Family Vision Counsel."

Love Letter #4 is a response to this message, and will be carried to the 2019 World Rainbow Family Vision Counsel in Colombia.]

Vision Council is On Going (7/15/18)

I know everyone is anxious to find out where we will be in 2019, but according to a report I received, Vision Council is on-going. Apparently the bears are bugging them to move alone.  Once a decision is reached, I will post it here.

Updates from the gathering June 26

Good morning beautiful family,

As many of you may know there is an army training base a few miles from the gathering. Apparently, the trainees are engaged in live fire exercises periodically. Just an fyi for our veterans who may be suffering from PTSD.

Basic Map of the gathering -- click on it to enlarge

USFS Update for this morning.

 
For towed vehicles call (706) 864-3633.
Today's estimate of people on site is 1,175.

341 incidents, written warnings, citations and arrests have been issued thus far.

Howdy Folks (a.k.a. Directions to the Gathering)

Updated July 2 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time

47th Annual Rainbow Family Gathering of the Tribes

End of June (give or take) to July 7

Join us July 4 for the silent meditation/prayer for world peace from dawn until high noon

We, who are brothers & sisters, children of spirit, families of life on earth, friends of nature & of all people, children of humankind calling ourselves the rainbow gathering, humbly invite:

• All races, peoples, tribes, communes, men, women, children, individuals -- out of love.
• All nations & national leaders -- out of respect
• All religions & religious leaders -- out of faith
• All politicians -- out of charity

to join with us in gathering together for the purpose of expressing our sincere desire that there shall be peace on earth, harmony among all people. & to hold open worship, prayer, chanting or whatever is the want or desire of the people, for three days, but upon the fourth day of July at noon to ask that there be a meditative, contemplative silence wherein we, the invited people of the world may consider & give honor & respect to anyone or anything that has aided in the positive evolution of humankind & nature upon this, our most beloved & beautiful world -- asking blessing upon we people of this world & hope that we people can effectively proceed to evolve, expand, & live in harmony & peace.

Feel free to arrive a few weeks early to create the gathering and/or stay a few weeks late to clean it all up. Please be respectful of the First Nations' land, culture, and spirituality.

We love you!

Where is the gathering?

The gathering is taking place in the Chattahoochee National Forest in northern Georgia.  Coordinates 34.586450, -84.124448
Main Circle is at N 34.60726 W -84.12053.
The Atlanta Lightline has very different directions than I do, I'm not sure which are correct. You can call them at  770-662-6112

Map 1 as of 6/30 (click to enlarge)

Map 2 (click to enlarge)

DIRECTIONS: From Interstate 75 south east of Chattanooga, Tennessee, take highway 76 east  approximately 68 miles towards East Ellijay, Georgia. From East Ellijay, take Highway 52 east towards Dahlonega.

From Atlanta, Georgia take Interstate 75 North to Interstate 575 North to Hwy 15 north to Hwy 136. Turn right on 136 go approximately 19 miles toward Talking Rock Mountain ~ 19 miles until you hit a "T" intersection at Hwy 183. Turn left on Hwy 183. Go 4 miles until you hit another "T" intersection and then turn right on Hwy 52. Go approximately 8 miles. Turn left on Nimblewill Church Road.


From Greenville, South Carolina, take Interstate 85 south.  From I-85, take exit 22 for US-129 North toward Gainesville/Jefferson. From Gainsville, take GA-60 North approximately 22 miles to Dahlonega. From Dahlonega, take Highway 52/9 west towards East Ellijay approximately 5 miles from where Hwy 52 and 9 split. Turn right on Nimblewill Church Road.


TIP: Nimblewill Church Road is an upside "U" shape so if you come from the west you enter one end of the road and if you come from the left you enter another end. 

From all directions: Go north on Forest Service Road 28-1 to Winding Stair Gap Road and turn left. Parking is on one side of the road only. Park as close as you can to the next car while leaving room for them to get out. Make sure you are not blocking the road to the extent that emergency vehicles such as fire trucks are denied access. Look for family to tell you what to do next.

KITCHENS:  For kitchen unloading only from 28-1 turn left on Road 83/Bull Mountain Parking Road. Go 1.5 miles. No parking is allowed on Road 83 and I've heard the turn around is tough.

PARKING/SHUTTLE:  There are supposed to be shuttles set up to get you from parking to the Front Gate. From there I've heard 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile hike in. 

EVERYONE: Rumor has it that Front Gate is 3/4 of a mile from the main part of the gathering. While parking may be a couple of miles away, you MAY be able to drop gear and passengers, go park, and then only one person has to do the long hike on the road. I say MAY because sometimes the USFS stops us from allowing things like this and the situation may change. Ask the people at Front Gate if you can pull over, unload people and gear, and then go park. If they say no or wave you on, don't argue, just keep driving as there is a reason they have given you those instructions.

For a PDF version of the directions, click here.

There are rolling and intermittent mandatory check points that people are going through.   Please read Rap 420 and make sure you know your rights.

**** Be prepared for rain and thunderstorms! ****



Only motorized vehicles that are licensed and legal for use on public highways in the state of Georgia may be operated on Forest Service roads. Motorized vehicles are NOT allowed on trails or closed roads unless posted. Some trails are restricted for a certain type of use. Motorcycles, bicycles, equestrians and others should be sure they remain on designated trails marked specifically for their use.

USFS Parking Rules as of 3:45 PM on Sunday, June 17:
Several temporary closures and restrictions are in place at Bull Mountain in the Nimblewill area of Lumpkin County for public safety related to the 2018 national gathering of the Rainbow Family of Living Light. This is an update to the road closure plan shared on June 15.
Several temporary closures and restrictions are in place in the Nimblewill area of Lumpkin County for public safety related to the 2018 national gathering of the Rainbow Family. This is an update to the road closures announced on June 15.



CLOSED TO ALL TRAFFIC:

    FS77 from 28A to FS42 (now closed at the intersection of FSR 77A)
    FS77A (except to private landowners)
    FS877
    FS141
    FS141A
    FS142

OPEN TO ALL TRAFFIC, NO PARKING ALLOWED:

    FS28-1 from Nimblewill Church Road (126) to FS80
    FS83 (Bull Mountain parking lot is open)
    FS28B
    FS77 from FS28-1 to FSR 77A

OPEN TO ALL TRAFFIC, PARKING ALLOWED ON RIGHT SIDE ONLY:

    FS Road 42 near FS Road 77-- south side only.

Parking allowed in yellow on south side only (click to enlarge)

Roadside parking on designated routes must allow adequate access for through traffic. Road shoulders may be narrow or soft. Do not block gates. Access for emergency response is paramount.Roadside parking along the right side of these designated parking routes must allow adequate access for through traffic. Access for emergency response is paramount. Be cautious as road shoulders may be narrow or soft. Do not block any gates. Violators will be towed.

We appreciate your understanding as this situation evolves and we determine the best methods for keeping visitors, neighbors, partners and our employees safe. Please see signs posted in the area for more information, and stay tuned for further updates.
Visitors to the area should also be aware of the possibility they may encounter Army training activities authorized through a long-standing permit between Camp Frank D. Merrill and the U.S. Forest Service. These activities are conducted under a joint operating plan that intends to reduce conflicts between Army training activities and public visitors. However, interaction on roads and visibility of Army activities on the national forest should be expected. These regularly recurring activities are not related to the 2018 national gathering.

Photo of parking map taken June 30 @ 6:12 PM.

 

Ignore all rumors of cancellation or organization!

Live lightly with the Land and People!

Be the peaceful and loving person you want to see more of in this world.
Please copy and distribute this information widely

KEEP READING: 

Roads and parking situations will be in flux for the next week. When you make it home, please listen to the people on the land and park where they tell you. Then in a few days touch base with INFO to see if the parking rules have changed so your car doesn't get towed. YES, the USFS does that. They tell people they can park in an area, then USFS changes their mind and puts a 72 hour notice on your car to move it.

Folks on the land are working with the USFS to open up new parking areas. Please go home and follow the parking instructions given by the parking crew. Please park tight as parking will be hard this year. Please save Handicamp for those with mobility issues.

Misc. Additional Information

Dahlonega is supposed to be a university town with a health food store.

Main circle is 1700', Most of the site is 1500-1800' It will cool down a decent amount at night due to elevation but not that much. Expect 80s day and 60s night. It is very wet and rainy lately so it will be humid.

Due to rain, Mosquitoes are very bad this year. Yes to ticks (also worse than normal). Yes there is Lyme in this area but not huge. Chiggers likely.

It is a tad far north for most venomous snakes, there could be but not likely. Don't know site specific but yes poison ivy is common in this area.

Apparently this area is not used for cattle grazing. 

If you are interested in the USFS information on critters, floods, etc., including weather reports for the forest, click here. 

Public Transportation Options:

Greyhound has a bus station at the Atlanta airport which can take you from the airport to Gainesville, Georgia that is about 20 miles from Dahlonega for just over $20. The buses leave the airport for the connection at the downtown station at about 5:40 am and about 2:30 pm, so if you get there in time for either of those, take the bus. Someone has commented that they think the bus leaves at 4 PM but when I checked Greyhound it indicates it leaves the downtown at 6:40 p.m. and from at airport at 2:30 pm. If you check for yourself, in the from location for the airport select "Atlanta Arpt, GA"

Amtrak's "Crescent" leaves Atlanta's Brookwood Station at 8:21 pm and arrives in Gainesville, Georgia at 9:16 pm. Not much schedule flexibility though. Only the one train daily. Base fare is about $14.
 
Gainsville, Georgia  is about 60 miles North East of Atlanta. Gainsville, Georgia is about 20 miles south of Dahlonega.

There is a bus network called MATS in Gilmer County that operates on a non-fixed route, taking passengers to their requested destinations. They work to accommodate all passengers and their vehicles are equipped to aid individuals with disabilities. They do request advance notice, so call them at (706) 276.6287 for details. Pretty cheap $2 or $3.

You can also take Greyhound from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Dalton, Georgia. From there you can try MATS or hitchhike the route listed above.


For more info on the gathering, visit Welcome Home or Karin's Blog. If you FaceBook, try Group 1 or Group 2 or use an old fashioned telephone and call the Atlanta Lightline 770-662-6112.
  

 For a printable, downloadable PDF flyer with directions, click here.

Spring Council/Counsel/Circle

Updated June 13 at 11:55 a.m. Eastern Time

Spring council is over and seed camp has started. For directions to the gathering, click here.

Spring Council/Counsel/Circle (spring ccc)is where the site for the 2018 gathering will be determined and gathering layout begins. There may be travel to see sites the scouts propose, lots of walking, discussion and/or consensus. All are welcome to participate in the process.

However, if you come, please be self sufficient. Bring clothes for warm, wet and cold weather, good boots/shoes. Water and Food to share, shelter (tent, sleeping bag, etc) your own cup bowl spoon, all the stuff you'd need for gathering & a sense of humor. 

Spring ccc is usually but not always in the area of where people who have been scouting feel the best sites are located. As information on spring ccc unfolds, I will update this post with the area and then eventually the exact directions.

As a refresher, the purpose of spring ccc is to determine where home is. The individuals who have been out to the potential sites will have information to share about the site(s) they found and the family on the land at spring ccc will have to reach consensus by silence or by foot on where we will be. 

Please be advised that from spring ccc, the gathering moves into Seed Camp.  Folks at seed camp find and develop water sources,set up the first kitchen and dig the first latrines, locate and mark out the parking lot, lay out trails and remove obstructions, locate Main Circle and dig the fire pit, and set up a welcoming entrance to the gathering.

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.

Just an FYI, early in the gathering is when law enforcement presence can be the most intense as ratio of cops to gatherers may be high. 


This is a great time to form relationships with the USFS resource personnel and set up a process by which the USFS personnel can meet with gatherers on-the-land to discuss issues of mutual concern. Some time the discussion of the operating plan starts at spring ccc and then continues into seed camp.  Having a  specific location and time for regular circles with the USFS is a really good strategy as then everyone in camp knows where/when to be if they want to meet or not meet with the forest service. It takes many voices to do this work.  If you are not sure what an operating plan is, check out the collection of past operating plans on-line.

For more information on how home is found, click here.

Spring ccc location:

The council will take place in southwestern North Carolina,  just north of Georgia. The location is in the Nantahala National Forest on Buck Creek Road, which is approximately 19 miles southwest from Franklin, North Carolina on Hwy 64 or approximately 18 miles northeast from Hayesville, North Carolina on Hwy 64.  You can google map Buck Creek Road or use these coordinates 35.076624, -83.610653



Buses are encouraged to park on the "wings" an abandoned section of 64 that provides an easy pull thru.  And for them to shuttle in to the right fork dead end road Forest Service Road 350-A past left fork Perry Gap/Forest Service Road 350.  Additional information may be available on the  Atlanta Lightline 770-662-6112.  

Fall/Thanksgiving/T-/Council/Counsel/Circle

The annual gathering of the tribes, which takes place over the 4th of July, has a cyclical process. While various regions in the USA often host a Thanksgiving get together, this blog deals with the annual gathering. In Oregon this summer, vision council on the land reached consensus that the 2018 gathering will take place in the southern Appalachian Mountains

But then what?

Because the Rainbow Gathering has no leaders, no board of directors, no staff and no one in charge of anything, we depend on people working together to do all the preparation for the gathering in the north east. So over the years a process has come together to make sure that planning is open to everyone who wants to be involved.

The year starts off with Fall Counsel / Thanks giving Council / T-Council or Circle, over the four day Thanksgiving holiday weekend of the same name. This is a time for people interested in plugging in, talking about visions for the gathering, discussing scouting, strategies about legal issues, etc. to get together. (see we don't even agree on the name). 

T-Council generally takes place in the state or region where we will be gathering although sometimes it happens in other areas not to far from the consensed upon areas. It's usually a camp, cook, council, share heart songs kinda of thing. Often but not always, the people at T-Council pick the dates for the Scout Rendezvous and Spring Council. Some times a PO box is established for snail mail and a banking council is formed to deal with any donations.

As with all things Rainbow, no experience is necessary, just a willingness to participate. Keep in mind this is not a gathering, it's a working council and the way this council unfolds sets the tone for the gathering.

I'm hoping that there will be a real mix of generations at T-Council. We need older people, we need younger people, we need more experienced gatherers and we need less experienced gatherers to come together to create a vision for a peaceful, healing and fun gathering in 2018. Be the change you want to see in this world.

Where will the gathering be?

Updated June 12, 1:30 AM Eastern Time

Usually when someone gets on my email list, this is the first information I send them. So to you out here in blogsphere, here's that same information.
From the invite to the very first Rainbow Gathering in 1972:

We, who are brothers & sisters, children of God, families of  life on earth, friends of nature & of all people, children of humankind calling ourselves Rainbow Family Tribe, humbly invite:

• All races, peoples, tribes, communes, men, women, children, individuals -- out of love.
• All nations & national leaders -- out of respect
• All religions & religious leaders -- out of faith
• All politicians -- out of charity

to join with us in gathering together for the purpose of expressing our sincere desire that there shall be peace on earth, harmony among all people. This gathering to take place beginning July 1, 1972, near Aspen, Colorado - or between Aspen the Hopi Navajo lands - on 3000 acres of land that we hope to purchase or acquire for this gathering --  to hold open worship, prayer, chanting or whatever is the want or desire of the people, for three days, but upon the fourth day of July at noon to ask that there be a meditative, contemplative silence wherein we, the invited people of the world may consider & give honor & respect to anyone or anything that has aided in the positive evolution of humankind & nature upon this, our most beloved & beautiful world -- asking blessing upon we people of this world & hope that we people can effectively proceed to evolve, expand, & live in harmony & peace.

The 2017 Vision Council/Counsel/Circles of Rainbow Family of Living Light on the land in Oregon has consensed:

"We, the individuals assembled at the Rainbow Family of Living Light vision counsel on the land, day 6, Oregon, July 12th, 2017, invite all people home to a silent meditation and prayer for peace on July 4th from dawn until high noon, and to gather from July 1-7, 2018, for the 47th Annual North American world peace and healing rainbow family gathering on Turtle Island in the region of the Atlantic Appalachias, from the Shenandoah mountains through the Chattahoochee forest, in a forest we have not gathered in before."

Thanks F&* for the handy map. The area in the gold thumbtacks is the consensed upon area.

Translation: The 2018 gathering will take place in the southern part of the Appalachia mountains. 

Fall (Thanksgiving) Counsel/Council/Circle

The next step in the process of landing on a site is always the get-together which takes place over the four day Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  This is a time of people to council and share their hopes and dreams for the 2018 gathering.  If you have potential sites you think are worthy of scouting in the spring, bring topo maps and forest service maps.  Directions to T-council usually come out in the first half of November. Check back then.

Scout Rendezvous

Scout Rendezvous takes place on Saturday, April 7, 2018. Scout councils/rendezvous is a time for people out scouting to connect up, share information, talk about scouting efforts. As with all things Rainbow, no experience is necessary, just a desire to walk, learn, teach and share. If you come, please be self sufficient - have green energy for gas, food, etc. You don't need your own vehicle if you can be a positive traveling companion, but $$$ are always in short supply for scouting, so please bring enough for yourself and some to share with the person whose vehicle breaks down.


Spring council/counsel/circle

Spring council starts June 8, 2018 and takes as long as it takes. Spring council is when all potential sites for the gathering are brought to any people who want to be involved in selecting a site. The council usually takes one to seven days and normally ends with either a consensus by silence among people at the council or an exodus of the majority of people heading to the preferred site. Spring council goes until a decision is reached by consensus or by foot. The exact location for this council generally isn't determined until one to two weeks before spring council starts. Until the spring council process reaches a site, there is no home.  This being said, spring council is usually but not always in the area of where the best potential site(s) for the gathering are located.

For those of you who think the site is picked in advance and want to get the 411 now so you can book plane tickets.  I'm sorry, but there is no site picked at this time. However, based on the information I'm receiving if you were to book a flight into Atlanta (ATL), Asheville, North Carolina (AVL), or Greenville/Spartanburg SC, those would probably be the best airports to pick for proximity to the area where the energy seems to be taking us. 
NOTE FROM June 2:  Energy is shifting. Stay tuned.

Keep in mind that weather conditions (which are unpredictable) play a part in all of this. So let's say someone finds a great site during the summer of 2017 (and I have no knowledge that anyone did or will), for all we know come the first week of June, 2018 that site is still under snow or 2 feet of water, then what? Keep in mind that 4 feet of snow at a gathering is rough (anyone remember Washington 2011?).

Drought and high fire danger can have the same effect. A great site that was nice and wet in August 2017 can be dry as a tinder box in June 2018. If the Forest Service has a no open fire ban on that site that looked so great last year, guess it's not looking that great this year. Available water can change year to year as well depending on snow melt.  Conditions change all the time.  The family needs to find the best possible site for the health and safety of gathering participants and the land on which we gather.


Seed Camp

Once Spring Council reaches a decision, people move onto the site and start Seed Camp. Seed Camp is about creating trails, building kitchens, digging shitters, taping springs and dealing with the United States Forest Service. Historically, law enforcement harassment is highest during Seed Camp so if you are planning on being there, take the necessary precautions to keep your self out of the system if you so choose or need to. Bring your own food and drinking water. Bring first aid kits.  

The Gathering

The main day of the gathering is July 4 when we observe silence from dawn until high noon and put our energy into manifesting world peace, the positive evolution of the planet and other good things.  Many people observe this with a prayer or mediation for world peace. Others do Yoga for world peace, blow bubbles for world peace, etc. Basically, if it's a silent, gentle energy then it fits in very well.  As to when the gathering starts, that's dynamic.  It's usually one day during the last week of June when some friends and I look at each other and say "today it's a gathering."  (of course you may pick a different date than I do when it feels like a gathering and not like seed camp).


The earlier you come the more self sufficient you need to be and relationships with the Forest Service can be rougher. On the other hand, showing up for seed camp allows you to influence the way the gathering goes. If you show up later, say after June 27, then most (but not all) of the drama has subsided.  Traditionally the dates are listed as July 1 to 7, but most years people start leaving in droves on July 5th. Most years the gathering starts the last few days of June. It's hard to say when as it's an organic process, but one day it will feel like seed camp and the next day it will feel like a gathering.

The Howdy Folks (aka Directions to the gathering and important information) is available here.

Ignore all rumors of cancellation or organization!

Live lightly with the Land and People!

Be the peaceful and loving person you want to see more of in this world.
Please copy and distribute this information widely

Vision Council Consensus

Looks like a consensus was reached.

"We, the individuals assembled at the Rainbow Family of Living Light vision counsel on the land, day 6, Oregon, July 12th, 2017, invite all people home to a silent meditation and prayer for peace on July 4th from dawn until high noon, and to gather from July 1-7, 2018, for the 47th Annual North American world peace and healing rainbow family gathering on Turtle Island in the region of the Atlantic Appalachias, from the Shenandoah mountains through the Chattahoochee forest, in a forest we have not gathered in before."