Pastels on the Plaza is a benefit for Northcoast Children’s Services where businesses & other sponsors are invited to purchase a square of sidewalk to be transformed into a work of art by local artists willing to donate their time and creativity to this unique community event.
Rainbow Gathering 2024: CALIFORNIA! Here We Come!
The 3 days it took to reach this year’s vision counsel consensus was the shortest vision counsel I ever attended. Even when we had known for over ten years that the following year we were going to Colorado, it took 4 days to reach consensus. Some people had fancy ideas where they believed we should go.
But this year we all knew long before counsel had started that we were going to Cali. Despite that, it took 3 days to reach consensus. We needed a back up location in case of fires and had to agree on the wording.
Each day, we would nearly reach consensus. Then the sun would set. We would have to stop to reconvene the next day. Each new day would bring a few new people which had not witnessed our earlier deliberations and so could not value how hard we had carefully worked to carve out the consensuses we were trying to agree upon. We would have to work it all out over again. And as the days progressed, additional people would drop in for a bit and block things they didn’t understand just because they had not been there.
Towards the end of day three one sister proposed a brilliant idea. She requested that there be one round of passing the feather where only those which identified as a woman would talk. This she proposed so we could listen to the sisters voices. One sister read through the issues sent from the Rainbow Family Counsel, which had met daily, throughout the gathering. She then proceeded to call for consensus on one of the more agreeable of the 2 issues the counsel had sent. It quickly and easily passed by a silent passing of the feather. A few sisters later and a sister called for the region selection consensus. The next sister to her left accidently blocked the consensus by speaking because she was not paying attention and did not realize a consensus was being called. This sister immediately called for the consensus a 2nd time. It was immediately blocked by the brother to her left, just because he needed to talk. The next sister called for the consensus a 3rd time. Each counsel member held the feather long and made faces as if they may block consensus, just to tease all of us and keep us in suspense. But the feather made it all the way around in silence.
The quickness of the consensus did not allow us enough time to discuss all needful issues, so we continued the counsel till 1 30 in the morning. Some wanted the discussions to continue further days and to work out other consensuses which had not yet been attempted, but too few counsel members were available further days. So, the counsel closed for the year.
The region selection is= California first if it can be safely done, Oklahoma 2nd if a site can be found and Washington state if all else fails.
CB Said:
Campfires have been banned since June 29th this year and what I've read you now need campfire permits on state and federal land.
Was any research done on this?
I'm a retired wildland firefighter and I don't see any west coast state that would allow any fires, the risk is too high...
I Replied:
maybe playing with fire is an idea whose time has passed... I noticed that the Entire Country of Canada is on Fire... NOT FUN.
CB SAID:
There are fires up and down the west coast as we speak. People don't know that if you start a wildfire by accident or on purpose you are charged for the suppression, I'm talking 10s of millions of dollars. Are you buying a campfire permit and then letting some bliss ninny watch it for you?
West coast states are a bad idea for July
I replied:
I think a fire free gathering is a Great Idea... I spent a GREAT night at the Marimba Tent in California... Where they had a White Parachute above the Dancers... I had a Green LED Flashlight and a Blue LED Flashlight and I Shone those Lights on the Parachute for a Lightshow... and then Other People Showed Their Flashlights... and we all had FIRE FREE FUN...
CB SAID:
you cooked food and made coffee without fire
Really?
and I replied:
no... I brought pre-cooked food... and Raw food... Dried Fruit, Summer Sausage, M&Ms and GORP... but I did work as a Fire Tender at the Welcome Home Tent in Utah... where we DID serve Coffee to New Arrivals...
CB SAID:
I didn't help to create the consensus. Just shared it. Not assuming anything. Only stating how it went down in the past. Personally, I ran back home from CA in 2017 because of the fires. It got to be overwhelming, checking fire maps several times a day, and I was shocked at the complacency of the locals.
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