Harvest Counsel (Notes)

 Here are the notes from the Harvest Counsel that took place October 24-27, 2019 in Idaho. (Note: this council was in lieu of the council normally that used to be called  Fall/Harvest/Thanksgiving Council and which took place over the 4-day Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend).

******************Begin Notes****************************************

We the individuals at Rainbow Harvest Counsel 2019 circling openly at Farmer Brown's in The Snake River Plains, have lovingly reached consensus on the following:

Day 2
#1. We invite and encourage all individuals to circle at Main Counsel, July 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th, this coming summer on the land very near Main Meadow.

#2 Scout rondezvous will be announced by May 1st.
#3 Spring Counsel is set to start on Saturday, June 13th.

Day 3
#4. We feel the need for additional participation in Banking Counsel on the land regarding use of Magic Hat funds.
Five volunteers (individually consenting to being publicly named) will assist in handling Magic Hat funds.
Their names are:
Val
Red Dog
Joy
Linch Pin
Justin
#5. We encourage individuals & future Counsels related to upcoming Gatherings to continue to develop and maintain positive relations and open communication with indigenous peoples in the areas we may gather.
#6. We invite all peaceful beings to a silent meditation for world peace on July 4th, 2022 l, from dawn 'til noon.

Final Conference Call (Planning for Harvest Council Oct 24-27)

Howdy folks! On Sunday October 20 , at 5pm Pacific Time, there will be the final conference call to discuss the location of an October 24-27 Harvest Counsel circle in or near Idaho. This council replaces the council formerly known as Thanksgiving Council in both name and time.

If you, or anyone you know, has a potential space to offer, you are encouraged to participate. All are invited to call in.
Conference call number:
712-770-4598
Access #185117"

Share to all points of light

Harvest Counsel (Formerly known as Thanksgiving Council)

Updated October 21 at 7 pm Pacific Time

In years past, we have held a council over the four day Thanksgiving holiday weekend. This year on the land in Wisconsin, folks decided to have Harvest Counsel, October 24-27.

General Information

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 Harvest / Fall Counsel / Circle. 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). 

The 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 the 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 this year's Harvest 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 2020. Be the change you want to see in this world.

Hunting season will be in force so be sure to have bright orange on your dogs, kids, and yourself in case any of you leave camp.

Howdy Folks

We invite all who walk in peace, to join together for Harvest Counsel near Boise, Idaho, over Thursday October 24th through Sunday October 27th.

Harvest Counsel is an opportunity to come together to discuss next year's Annual Rainbow Family Gathering of the Tribes July 1st through July 7th 2020 with seed camp in June.
With a collective prayer for peace including silence until noon on July 4th.

We will be discussing Water, Scouting, and Spring Counsel dates, among other things.

Please bring some firewood, food, and a heart song to share,

Harvest Counsel will be located near Boise, Idaho, please call the Northwest Light Line for directions.

Northwest Light Line:

503-727-2498

Ignore all rumors of cancellation or organization.

Love and Light!

Conference Call (Planning for Harvest Council Oct 24-27)

Howdy folks! On Sunday October 13, at 5pm Pacific Time, there will be a conference call to discuss the location of an October 24-27 Harvest Counsel circle in or near Idaho. This council replaces the council formerly known as Thanksgiving Council in both name and time.

If you, or anyone you know, has a potential space to offer, you are encouraged to participate. All are invited to call in.
Conference call number:
712-770-4598
Access #185117"

Share to all points of light

Conference call (planning for harvest council)

Howdy folks! On Sunday September 15, at 5pm Pacific Time, there will be a conference call to discuss the location of an October 24-27 Harvest Counsel circle in or near Idaho. This may be the first of several such calls. If you, or anyone you know, has a potential space to offer, you are encouraged to participate. All are invited to call in.
Conference call number:
712-770-4598
Access #185117"

Share to all points of light

Consent Rabble

This is a rap written at the Oregon 2017 Gathering. Some really good recommendations.

Subscribe to the blog via email

To subscribe to this blog via email or any number of other options, click here. You can also find the URL and links to other gathering information here.

National Forests in Idaho

Where will the gathering be?

Update 5/29/20 at 4 PM (PDT)

ALERT: This is not a normal year. There may not be a gathering or gathering that reflects our more typical gatherings.  There are endless phone calls and online communications regarding what to do.  Read What is going on with this year's gathering?

If you care, read some of the posts with the label COVID-19. 


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 2019 Vision Council/Counsel/Circle of Rainbow Family of Living Light on the land in Wisconsin has consensed:

We invite all individuals to cocreate the 49th Annual Rainbow Family of Living Light Gathering of the Tribes from July 1-7, 2020, and to participate in a silent meditation for world peace from dawn until noon, on July 4th, 2020, in one of the following forests: Clearwater Bitterroot Nez Perce Payette Salmon Challis St. Joe Coeur d'Alene Priest Lake Kaniksu Caribou-Targhee Snake River Boise Sawtooth

[This includes all National Forests in Idaho]

This is a 100% free event. Food is free, medical care is free, parking is free. No admission fee ever! All supplies are paid for by donation of cash or items people bring.

Harvest/Fall Counsel/Council/Circle

The next step in the process of landing on a site is always the fall get-together. This year Harvest Counsel (formally known as Thanksgiving Council/Circle or Fall Counsel/Council/Circle) will take place  from October 24th to October 27th, 2019; hopefully in or near the region of the 2020 gathering.  This is a time of people to council and share their hopes and dreams for the 2019 gathering.  If you have potential sites you think are worthy of scouting in the spring, bring topo maps and forest service maps. 

Scout Rendezvous

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.

Typically, Harvest Counsel picks the dates for scout rendezvous and spring council.

Spring council/counsel/circle

Spring Counsel is set to start on Saturday, June 13th.

Spring council 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 general area of where the best potential site(s) for the gathering are located.


Keep in mind that weather conditions (which are unpredictable) play a part in all of this. So let's say someone found a great site during the summer of 2019 (and I have no knowledge that anyone did or did not), for all we know come the first week of June, 2020 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 2019 can be dry as a tinder box in June 2020. 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.


Harvest Counsel (formerly known as Thanksgiving Council) usually picks the dates for scout rendezvous and spring council.


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 and local communities. 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.  Bring extra food for those who do not have enough to feed themselves.

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 and really plug into the workings of the gathering 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.

 Read What is going on with this year's gathering?

If you are looking for directions, click here.

Educate yourself on Idaho's National Forests' Closure Orders.

Typically I included a statement "Ignore all rumors of cancellation or organization!".   I don't think this statement is true this year.

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 Counsel/Council Consensus

Report from 2019 Vision Counsel: 

Consensus #1 Water is Life 

Consensus #2 We in this circle reaffirm our vigilant loving commitment in ourselves to a gentle and conscious approach to our personal interactions, our circles, and our choices. 

Consensus #3 True consent means respecting individuals on all levels: sexually, energetically, spatially, and all other aspects of autonomy. Respecting consent while maintaining healthy boundaries promotes the well-being of all individuals of our family. 

Consensus #4 No person need be alone at a rainbow gathering. We are family. If anyone feels threatened or violated, please seek peers for counsel and advice. If needed, counsel/circle can gradually expand to help set boundaries, reduce tensions, and improve the situation. 

Consensus #5 We invite and encourage individuals to circle again from October 24th to October 27th, 2019, for Harvest Counsel, and request it be in or near the region of the 2020 gathering. 

Consensus #6 We, the individuals peaceably assembled in Vision Circle, at the 2019 Annual Rainbow Family of Living Light Gathering of the Tribes, on the land, in the Chequamegon-Nicolet Forest, in the Lake Superior region of the Great Lakes, have lovingly found consensus: 

We invite all individuals to cocreate the 49th Annual Rainbow Family of Living Light Gathering of the Tribes from July 1-7, 2020, and to participate in a silent meditation for world peace from dawn until noon, on July 4th, 2020, in one of the following forests: Clearwater Bitterroot Nez Perce Payette Salmon Challis St. Joe Coeur d'Alene Priest Lake Kaniksu Caribou-Targhee Snake River Boise Sawtooth