How we got to where we are now

In the wake of the recent outbreak of violence at a regional gathering, the death of one of our brothers, and severe injury to two other brothers, I thought it was time to share my perspective on how we got to this place as a family.

In late 1995, the US Forest Service passed a regulation that would require any group of seventy-five or more people to obtain a permit to gather on lands managed by the US Forest Service for the American people.  We said the constitution of the United States of America is the only permit we need.  Needless to say, the US government didn't buy it. If you're interested in the history of the permit issue, click here.  During these years, many gathering participants, myself included, focused a lot of our energy on trying to keep our family out of jail, dealing with the practical ramifications of our refusal to obtain a permit, and otherwise directing our energy outside the perimeter of the gathering.

Also during this time, many people dedicated themselves to proving to themselves, the gathering, and the government, that we weren't a "group" but rather random individuals who all showed up in the same place and time.  I believe these well intentioned actions were trying to prove to the US government that we weren't a group in the same way that a corporate picnic is a group.

I never bought into this. We're not a group just because what we are is a living community. The US government does not have a legal definition for people who choose to create community together as we do. I believe we are more than individuals because we are family. Yet we are not legally bound to each other.

We share sweat, love, and food because we want to and anyone of us is free to terminate the association at will.   We listen to each others opinions and perspectives because we believe that together we can create the world the way we want it to exist and that the path of creating a more positive future for the planet and all her creatures requires each voice to be heard, from the five year old girl to the trees standing around us.

Co-creating this family with all of you is the most amazing experience. Talking about the community connection that is more than individuals hanging out together and that is not legally binding is a critical component to helping us learn how to live together in peace and love.  How do we create a temporary space for a community connected by love and shared experiences over decades and through generations?  How do we explain to people that coming to the gathering isn't about the freedom to do what ever you want to do but rather freedom to do what's best for everyone?

Now I'm not blaming anyone for this problem of years spent not working on our internal needs and processes, not improving our counciling process or our methods for helping the old and dis\abled in and out of our gathering because I was part of the problem along with many others.   We had hard choice to make:  do I let a brother get taken to jail or do I sit with others and council while those in council are afraid they will be targeted as "leaders" and jailed.  I did the best I could and I know many others who did as well.

What I want to shine the light on today is what happens when we don't deal with our own housekeeping, when we expect our children to grow up without learning the many lessons we should have been teaching them, what happens when no one wants to or is able to deal with our family who are struggling to learn that the way of peace and love is goal worth working towards. What happens when we start saying those people aren't us.

This is a small planet folks and getting smaller by the day. Climate change is going to force entire nations to leave their lands and go forth as refugees when the islands on which they currently live are covered in three feet of ocean water.  Water wars are erupting over who owns the water and who gets to use it to fill their swimming pools while others don't even have clean and safe drinking water because water has been commodified (and every time we buy bottled water we support water as a product instead of water as life).  Violent conflict is not something that happens over there, but something we create in our actions every day by the products we purchased and the way we disregard the many amazing voices of all the beautiful creatures on this planet. We create violence when we do not reflect on how our actions hurt other people and this beautiful and amazing planet we call home.

It seems to me that since we're reached a shaky truce with the US Forest Service (starting in 2010) and moved to the unsigned operating plan model of creating an intersection between gathering and government cultures, the frequency of and participation in councils has increased. More people are spending more time on healing our gathering and healing our selves. Family issues that we abdicated to USFS law enforcement to manage are ours to deal with once again (with mixed results). Yet in some respects we are starting over with a lot of learning how to deal with our issues. Times change, people change, solutions evolve over time and experiences.

In the early days of the permit wars, a friend said he was afraid that signing a permit would mean we would start depending on the USFS to handle our issues: deal with those who need some extra attention to remain peaceful, heal our wounded, deal with our trash. Unfortunately, not signing a permit also resulted in some of these same problems. I believe the permit wasn't the problem but rather where we focused our attention.

The biggest gift that this wacky, frustrating, amazing, magical gathering has given me is that we can change the world, our gatherings, ourselves.  We just have to get involved. Go visit the problem camp during the day to meet new people and make new friends (not to tell them what to do). Keep an eye out for that person who has had too much alcohol and share some mellowing energy with her/him even if it's just sitting on the ground and meditating.  Be a troubadour and wander the gathering sharing songs of hope, love and peace. Love someone even when that person is not yet capable of sharing love.  A large group of people doing yoga, meditating, or praying together changes the energy of the entire gathering without a word being spoken.

We learn to love by being loved. We learn respect when we are given respect. Unfortunately, many of us weren't given enough of the right kind of love growing up: love that includes boundaries, love that includes respect, or love that includes helping us grow our unique gift to the world in a positive way.

Some of us were born with special challenges that we struggle with on a daily basis. These challenges may be bio-chemical, emotional, mental, physical or some combination there of.  We all need help. We all need to be helpers.


Understand that Babylon is in your heart not in a place and you can chose the energy you wish to carry into this world and into this gathering. Understand, that when you come to a gathering, you do not arrive at a place that has solved all the problems of the world, but a place in which you are co-creating the solutions via art, song, massage, dance, food, storytelling, hugs, council, and as many other peaceful ways that you can imagine.

Our teaching and learning is growing stronger, but it needs your help in the process to reach all the circles and all the bellies that our part of this amazing experiment in the positive evolution of the planet.