Photographs of the Rainbow Gathering 7/1/2014: Heber City, Utah in Uinta National Forest... High Elevation... 9,000 Feet Near Park City Utah...

Dancing Women of the Forest...

Backpacking IN

Main Circle:

I feel positive with the meeting between

the Mormon Youth of Salt Lake City

and the Rainbow Gathering...

Fire Tending Meditation: a way to focus attention.

[MORE PICTURES BELOW THE STORY]

When at the Rainbow Gathering in Utah 2014 I was given the opportunity to focus my attention. Here is what happened...

While staying at the Welcome Home Kitchen, the Fire Tender wanted to go to another kitchen and trade a cooler filled with coffee for pizza. He asked if someone would watch the fire while he was gone. SOMEONE had to be there... I volunteered. I Said "I'll be here. I'll be the responsable adult. I can do that, I have done that."

he said "Great" and Left with the cooler filled with coffee.

So I took over and made sure we didn't burn down the forest. I also collected wood, placed it carefully on the fire arranging the logs so that they would burn without causing a lot of smoke AND I invited arriving people to help themselves to a cup of coffe or clean drinking water... and to take a break and relax around the fire.

This is a classic way to focus attention as the placement of logs on the fire is very similar to Zen Gardening with sand...

So, during this time... I asked for a Really Big Idea... I had attended Rainbow Gatherings before and I wanted each visit to be different. It's pointless and boring to keep on repeating experiences... so, this time I wanted to get a really big Idea...

and here it is: A SolarFire powered Desalinization Machine. Use a driftwood fire to power a steam engine. Use the force from the steam engine to drive a water pump. Pump seawater thru a pipe in the fire and into a long black pipe with a reflector that focuses sunlight on the pipe. When the water boils, it expands in volume... at the end of the pipe, steam will be billowing out with a great deal of force. Use that force to drive an electricity generating turbine. Collect the steam and let it turn back into a liquid... The result is Pure H20, NaCl and Electricity... all valuable and sellable.

Clean safe drinking water is a big problem. We could use the collected steam for drinking, bathing, livestock, gardens... AND making Ice for a really great Scotch on the Rocks.

To make this pracital, the location of the machine would need to be near a big pile of driftwood. On Agate Beach in California, I have seen a pile of driftwood that covers the entire beach for about a half a mile... In other locations, use watever resource is available. For Example: In Saudi Arabia it would make more sense to burn oil or gas...

So, during my meditation I Got my really big idea...

Later, the fire tender returned and his mission to get pizza was successful.

Much later I was sitting by the fire and another Rainbow Gatherer approached... He said mockingly: "Have you been sitting in that same spot for two days?" Which was true, I did spend a couple of days at the Welcome Home Tent.

I replied: "No, I also worked as the fire tender... That gave me an opportunity to Focus My Attention... [said slowly] Focus... My... Attention... "

The fire tender was listening and he nodded with understanding... Later we ended up hanging out together and he was a fine fellow... He was also very interested in being in the Cleanup Crew... I assume he got paid a lot in valuable stuff left behind.

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Long ago I was playing the drums with some Buddhists at an anti-war protest march... I asked them why we were playing such an odd rhythm... They said that it requires that you Focus Your Attention... It's true... That experience was quite different than bang out a 4/4 on the big bass drum... I also did that at the same protest, our goal was to get George Bush the Father to remember that we didn't LIKE his war... and there were people playing the drums 24 hours a day in Lafayette Park to remind him... His only choices were to listen or flee...

6UP

The Cook from the Welcome Home Kitchen

Map creator "Sibling" helps plan the Gathering

Man named "Tree Hugger" and "Sibling" designing the Map

"Sibling" with the Rangers plan

for a Safe Gathering

Art in the woods

Bakery... Biscuits

Bus Parking Lot

Family enjoying the Drumming

Distant view of Bus Parking Lot

Trail to Main Circle

Tents, everywhere Tents...

The Map... a copy was given to all

newly arriving Rainbows...

Parade on July 4th 2014

Tents in a Field of

Flower Painting

bottle of water, log for sitting

Bus Village

Often, there is a divide between

performer and audience...

It's better when the audience is the performer.

For Example I played harmonica in a Rainbow Gathering band in the big shady spot on main meadow... and lead a group sing along...

"You are my Sunshine".

Signs, no doubt they say something important

but I didn't read them...

Reposted from: http://www.welcomehome.org/rainbow/

Where the Gathering will be in 2014

Two Paths... Bus Route Below

The 2014 rainbow family of living light world peace and healing gathering will take place July 1-7, 2014, in Utah.

Coordinates: N 40.42588 W 111.16520

Ignore all rumors of cancellation or organization! Live Lightly with the Land and People!

links to other webpages:

http://www.welcomehome.org/rainbow/sites/annual-site.html
The website above has the best information, year after year...

https://www.facebook.com/theerainbowhawk
Rainbow Hawk was very useful for information about the Yucatan 2012 Gathering. Thanks!