On Anarchy, Trust and Green Energy

One of the beautiful aspects of the Rainbow Gathering is that no one is in charge. Truly no one person or persons are in charge of any aspect of the gathering. It is an amazing experience to participate with all the other personalities, conflicting visions, and general chaos to see us come together as a family.

While the lack of hierarchy creates wonderful opportunities for learning and growing, it also creates opportunities for scams and ripoffs. So what's a starry eyed rainbow person to do?

First off, be very wary when people ask for green energy (aka cold hard cash). Donations to the gathering-wide magic hat can be made at dinner circle daily or at Info most of the rest of the time. Individual kitchens may have their own can at their kitchen for green energy donations directly to them. Once Thanksgiving Council comes up with a mail addressing and a pre-gathering banking council, donations can be sent to the 2010 gathering c/o what ever info we get. This information will be available some time after Thanksgiving Council.

There are a couple of reputable online donation collections for CALM, Water Pipe and filtered water. If you're not sure which ones are legitimate, I personally can vouch for the online links contained in the following blog posts:

New Mexico Drinking Water (includes filters and/or water pipe).

Medical Stuff/CALM

I don't have a public donation place at present for the Rainbow Guide or Always Free. But if you're interested in donating to these two long time projects, email me and I'll put you in contact with the folks currently on the councils for these projects.

If you see requests for donations anywhere else, double and triple check with long time family to ensure that the green energy you share goes where you want it to. If you're not sure who to contact, email AGR and ask for a personal reply - that's a list serve full of long time gatherers who can verify any other requests for green energy.

That's about it. Don't give money to people you don't know (except for what is listed above) unless you don't care if it goes into their own pocket.

Planning for Thanksgiving Council is in Progress

Folks in the area are trying to foclaize a location for the Thanksgiving Council. If you're interested in being part of the discussion, email me your email address and I will forward it on.

Not sure what Thanksgiving Council is all about? Check out my post from last year.