For anyone who has been confused by an email from Lyn Lovell linked to Rainbow Europe from the Rainbow Circle website: It is a bit confusing! The Rainbow Circle is an English group who have been putting on camps in England since 1988, completely separate from the Rainbow Gathering. The Rainbow Circle has an AGM each year. The "email" you might have seen was actually an article by me for our Rainbow Circle Newletter, although I did put it on the Rainbow Circle egroup as well. It is about the possiblity of people from Rainbow Circle taking a posse into the Gathering and doing something a bit organised rather than just turning up and having a good time! We are - well, we try to be - an organic, non-hierarchical group and we don't sit in special, closed circles, co-ordinating or plotting!

From: "Lyn Lovell" 
To: love@rainbowcircle.co.uk
Subject: newsletter article
Date: 12 January 2006 16:24

THE EUROPEAN
INTERNATIONAL RAINBOW  GATHERING
is coming to E N G L A N D 
26th July – 23rd August 2006


At the AGM last October we voted almost unanimously
not to overlap the Rainbow Circle camps with the
European Rainbow Gathering.  Earlier we had taken a
straw poll  on who wanted to go to the Gathering and
found that, out of the 38 people present in the hall
at the time, 21 would definitely want to go, 11 would
probably want to go and only 6 were definitely not
interested.  When the vote happened, one person
abstained and the only person to vote against the
motion did so because it didn’t go far enough!

The Rainbow Gathering has not taken place in England
before and is not likely to come again for many years.
 It’s a great opportunity for all of us to take part
in hosting an event for all our Rainbow sisters and
brothers from many different lands.  The vote at the
AGM allows those of us who want to fully participate
to do so without divided loyalties.  It also allows us
the possibility of taking the Big Lodge and 2 or 3
domes and creating a strong Rainbow Circle presence at
the Gathering if we want to do that.

I would really love all my Rainbow Circle friends to
have the experience of a Rainbow Gathering and this
year we don’t even have to go to another land!  The
Gatherings are an amazing affirmation of love.  When
you arrive you are welcomed with love, as you walk
around the site you feel it, when you leave the
Gathering, you are full of it!  They are celebrations
of the Rainbow tribe: we are many, we are strong - and
we are all beautiful!

I’m up for co-ordinating a strong and active Rainbow
Circle presence at the Rainbow Gathering!  A circle of
Rainbow Circle energy, holding a space within the
Gathering, a circle created by lots of us with 2 or 3
domes and all our various homes (no vehicles of
course, but hey, bring a canvas and we’ll make
benders!) and focused on our Big Lodge with its
beautiful new cover.  From amongst our people we could
provide all sorts of workshops and we could share our
hospitality, our cushty spaces and all our lovely
creative stuff with our international friends.  Or we
could take a café and help to feed the circle, or we
could take on an area, like the welcome area, or a
function, such as ceremonial work, or a women’s space
and a men’s space.  Or we could just have tea, coffee
and chat in the Big Lodge.  

I’m very suggestible and flexible but I cannot and
would not want to hold the energy alone.  We need a
“core” group of three or more people, seven would be
good, thirteen would be better!  People who are into
planning the journey, getting there a few days early,
creating the area, taking responsibility and holding
the vibe.  Others could then drop in and out of over
the course of the four weeks.  Do not worry about the
financing of this!  Magic has a way of happening and
if we are supposed to get to the Gathering, the money
will be there!  

IF YOU ARE UP FOR BEING PART OF THE CORE ENERGY,
PLEASE CONTACT ME AS SOON AS YOU CAN 
ON 01458 832 822  (leave a message if I’m not there) 
OR 07909 920 634
(don’t leave a message – if I don’t answer, text me).
ALSO ON EMAIL: hippylyn@yahoo.com

Of course, we can all go as individuals, camp up
together if we want and have fun - and if no one comes
forward to help co-ordinate then that is indeed what I
shall do.  But we are among the main custodians of the
Rainbow energy here in England and as such we have a
lot to offer.  We could go for the experience of
holding a space and being part of the infrastructure. 
I reckon we should be right in there celebrating!

We don’t know yet where the Gathering will happen. 
Scouts are out scouting.  Probably it will be in the
North – but don’t let that deter all you southerners –
it will be worth the journey!  Often the journey is
part of the magic.  There will be a seed camp for
setting up.  Usually this is between 2 and 4 weeks
before the Gathering opens, so if anyone wants to go
for it right from the start, that’ll probably be the
beginning of July.  Information is available on:  

There are rules: no electricity, no meat, no alcohol,
no vehicles, no dogs. 

From a totally practical point of view, there are many
things that we as part of Rainbow Circle can learn,
whether or not we want to put on Magic Hat camps in
the future.  For several years we have tried really
hard to make the Magic Hat ethos work for us, so that
we could run our camps without the divisions entailed
by having tickets and crew: people who pay and people
who work.  We have tried hard and we have struggled
much!  We have learned a lot.  Now there’s an
opportunity to see how other people cope with the same
problems, still in the Rainbow way.  These problems
are endemic in the larger society and they will always
be there.  Let’s pool our coping techniques and see if
we can learn to deal with them without feeling either
overwhelmed or disempowered!

Don’t forget to contact me if you’re up for being part
of the core group! 
  
               LOVE  PEACE  AND  LOTS  OF  RAINBOWS 
FROM  LYN


 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/englandcaravan

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rainbow-circle www.rainbowcircle.co.uk