http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rainbow-circle
rc20050906.txt
(dice) George's notes to Rainbow Circle egroup
Tuesday 6th September 2005 (updated Sunday11th)
RAINBOW SUMMER 2005
Thanks everyone, for almost everything, I dug the experience of Rainbow
Circle 2005,
so many friends, old and new, may I here and now mention Coventry Craig and
Martine and Emma and all...
LISTENING STICK DEMOCRACY
I love Talking Stick Circles because often in meetings with chairmen and
handsup its the leaders and more
assertive noisy people who do most of the talking, whereas in a Talking
Stick Circle everyone gets a chance to
speak and to be listened to, and its often the quieter people who wouldnt
have asserted themselves in a chaired
meeting who say the wisest and most profound things. We are a circle, as
Barry said, and when the alleged
'leaders' appear to be too self-important to listen to the
'rank-and-file', confidence in the process is lost.
KIDS CO-ORDINATING VISION INTERRUPTIONS
The last talking circle of the Rainbow Circle Visions camp, the day before
yesterday was about the kids area, which
I 'co-ordinated' at Beltane and Astro camps, and as site crew. Someone made
criticisms which I did not agree with,
but I kept silent until the stick came to me. But by then she'd left the
circle. When the stick came to me some kids
had arrived and I let them speak first, as I had quite a heavy speech
buzzing blossoming inside my head. More
people left, I started to speak, but was interrupted and shouted over and
mis-interpreted by a someone who'd been
criticised in a circle the day before for similar behaviour.
SHOUTING AT THE GATE CREW
I was criticised for the shouting and arguing in the Kids area, wheras in
fact my fault is perhaps not shouting
enough, going silent when things kick off. I shout at kids when theres
danger or bullyingish behaviour, but they're
not scared of me, they understand what I'm doing, I try to be fair, that's
not what I'm criticised for.
At Beltane I shouted at someone at the gate who'd left the gate open, nobody
has the 100% awareness to be
conscious of the gate at all times and if its open kids could get round the
back of the dip and out the gate whilst
one's filling the kettle. I shouted at Sarah years ago at Flaxley for doing
just that, and she's a founder member,
much wiser than me in many things, but the memories of the funerals of Sunny
and Elkie and Kierra and Kayla and
Jason and Missy convince me that as an issue of self-respect on this I must
speak out and shout out, it's an issue
which I would resign over, If Rainbow Circle decide to leave the road gate
open then I would resign, andor park my
bus in the gate, andor use minimum necessary force (with levers) to shut it.
HAMMER
After Family Fun camp when the kids had gone and a few of us were tatting
down there was left one disruptive
person who wasnt helping, he was hindering, he wouldnt leave, a friend of
mine had brought him and left him here,
he was going into peoples private spaces and worrying us. I shouted at him
when he went into my car. But I
grabbed the first thing that came to hand, which was a hammer, and one
second later felt myself a right idiot to
have done so, if he'd grabbed it off met here could have been a terrible
scene, so I offered my resignation as kids
co-ordinater to Toni, but she said to carry on for her camp. Thanks.
SHOUTING
In fact it was my ex-girlfriend who did most of the shouting in front of the
kids, 'going ballistic' and also other people
reacting to her. The one rainiest day at Astro camp several mediators spent
hours talking to her in the kids bus - the
one wettest day when we'd really have wanted to get as many kids as possible
doing art in the the dryness of the
bus. People said to me: 'Can't you control your woman' which to me is the
same sort of paradox as 'Will you stop
beating your dog' whereto neither a 'Yes' not a 'No' is a possible answer.
DANGER KIDS
I did not volunteer to be kids co-ordinater at Craft camp for the above and
other reasons. Star did a great job, as
did Max and Lisa at my Musicology camp. There was no Kids co-ordinator at
the Visions Camp, the bus was locked
for most of the time, but I was ready to open it up if the rain had poured,
but it didnt. The last two or three years
what I've done about locking the bus is left it unlocked at the start of
each season, then only when the kids have
gone a bit naughty and had a paint wasting incident, locked it up. Generally
kids should be on it only with adult
supervision, but then again most of our kids are sensible most of the time,
and we should trust them more. The
sharp scissors and glass paints are out of the reach of the little kids, the
most dangerous thing is falling down the
step or pulling a drawer on one's head, there were far more dangerous things
outside in the field, cars, kids playing
in the containers, the old quarry kiln, the crumbing quarry next door, the
fires, the boiling water in the kitchen, the
nicking of knives from the kitchen, the farm machinery, the road, the
unknown and unknowable and unforeseeable: if
our kids are going to be dangerous and a bit bullying I'd prefer it to be in
sight of us, which is why I didnt complain
when loads of them got on the trampoline, better a broken arm where we can
see them than a broken back in the
quarry (fingers crossed).
KIDS AREA
The Kids Area is everywhere on site (apart from behind the counter in the
kitchen and the carpark and gate). And
wasnt it fun whizzing down the sides of the hole in the lower field!
TEENS
I had little to do with the teen zone, what went on up there? Do they have
condoms? There were none in the litter
up there. The area was left in a mess, inside and out, and none of them
(except Z) would admit any responsibility
for it, saying it was other teens' mess.
ART AND CRAFTS
The Butterfly artspace had a few very busy days. I see the bus as not just
for little kids, but a storehouse for art
materials, and a safe space where things like glass painting can go on
without being interrupted by little kids, and
craft activities which involve knives etcetera, things which we wouldnt want
dropped on the green organic field.
Unfortunately the Circus tent never got put up, we just didnt have enough
site crew energy, so plans of a vibrant
arts and crafts area got delayed another year.
KITCHEN
The kitchen was great, could have done with more help, and as a tea addict I
didnt like 40p for tea, but I found
other suppliers...
GATE
The biggest failure in my Musicology camp was the gate: the gate crew I'd
asked to park there did not. I spent
hardly any time down there (apart from checking that the road gate was
shut); we lost money from casual visitors.
And, far worse, when vehicles were leaving kids were running after them,
hanging on the back, titchy kids running
close to the wheels as cars with caravans turned. One time three biggish
kids followed a car out of the gate on little
plastic go-carts down the lane, the noise woke up the complaining
nieghbours but worse still what if theyd caught
up with the car and been squashed, how would we explain that to the
hospital, police, etcetera?
TUESDAY TATDOWN
So now its the Tuesday after end of camp. We've got most of the canvas in
the container, lots more site work to do,
I'm going to go through the bus, chucking out food scraps which would
encourage mice, getting it tidy so that next
year we can have a good kids area up and running if its raining for the
first few days - whoever is to do it, whether
or not I'm there. Kevin's fitted new seals to the brakes, hopefully they'll
be OK, havent tested it yet. Starcus has
metal to improve the steps, but didnt have time to get it out this season.
I'll try and measure them. Butterfly Lisa
and me did a good job of cleaning it and painting it over the last years,
Jess was talking of painting the off side, and
a smile could be added to the face on the back, it needs a lot of sanding
and preparation first, perhaps i'll have time
to do that this week. But clearing this field is more important.
SITE MEETINGS
One mistake I think we made was not having dinner circles and morning
gatherings in between camps, at the tat
times. A lot of people didnt know what was happening, it was at these times
that some trouble occured, and also
having meetings would have been a source of volunteers and workers. One
fault I share with Starcus is difficulty in
asking for help, it's often a lot easier to do a job than to ask for help,
remind the volunteer, show them how to do it,
check up on them, and to then to do it, and to tidy up after them and find
and replace the tools, and to remember
all the above. Depends how important it is.
NOT LEADERS BUT SERVANTS
Co-ordinaters and Council members should not be thought of as 'leaders' of
Rainbow Circle but as 'servants', the
membership at the AGM agrees a broad plan for the coming year, their
servants in the Winter W**king Group
should implement this plan, and furthur it. I propose that there should be
an EGM around Easter time, whereat the
wider membership can come together and see has been done, and volunteer to
fill in the gaps. A Gate
co-ordinator should camp by the gate in case of night-time emergencies etc.
MUTUALLY AGREED MEDIATORS AND COUNCILS
Over the last few years I've helped bring in the idea of mediators, which
seemed to a great help this season, but
one thing that seemed to have got lost was the phrase 'mutually agreed
mediators'. Mediators as I see it arent
appointed by the Circle to sort out our problems like policemen: the first
stage should be approaching the alleged
problem person and asking who they would accept as a mediator. In the one
case when the Council was called on
Monday 29th August 2005 after 3 kids were bruised when a drunk pushed over a
chair we spent about ten hours in
a tipi and it worked quite well: if it had been a meeting only of the
concerned elders then the first motion of 8-3 to
ban someone for 2 years would have been passed, it's only because they had
to summon everyone on site who'd
been elected by the AGM that dissenting doubts were heard and the decisions
were modified to two suspensions of
membership and one final warning to never again be drunk on site else he
will be banned. But we did not talk
about calling the police, and one of the letters written in the name of the
council which was supposed to be fluffy
and flowery was, in my opinion, badly written and unnecessarily insulting.
We also did not communicate our
decisions properly to the wider circle. In my opinion a democratically
elected council is the best way we have of
dealing with big problems, we shouldnt discuss confidential matters in open
circles, but even this wont work in all
possible cases, what if there's someone outrageously disruptive elected? is
there a subclause in the constitution?
However after all three had left site I tried to call a short council
meeting to discuss the letter which was written in
our name, only two other Council members supported me, the others said they
had more important things to do.
However the letter was signed in the name of the Rainbow Council, but
contained things which might have been
said at the meeting but which I would not have put in the letter. NOT IN MY
NAME. This, in my opinion, brings the
whole Rainbow Circle disputes process into disrepute, and as a matter of
personal honour should I therefore resign
from the council? But what if theres a council meeting before the next AGM?
So perhaps I should resign a few
minutes before the next AGM, as a protest, but keeping my dissenting seat on
the Council in case there is another
meeting before the AGM.
EVICTION
On Thursday 1st September PC David Naylor told me there was
no legal way for us to evict someone from our fields.
He must be wrong - there must be a way, and we must find one.
It's not like squatting an empty property, but like if
an unwanted person turns up in our home.
If someone we suspect of previous rape turns up on our fields we must be
able to evict them.
Whether or not they've paid, or come over the fence.
It's not like we're a court of law putting someone in jail or extraditing
them from Britain,
we only want control of our fields in our camps.
That's why I stayed away for years until some lies and rumours
about me were acknowleged to be investigated and untrue.
Otherwise no parent is going to feel safe bringing their kids to Rainbow
Circle camps.
It is of utmost importance that we suss eviction out before next season.
The procedure we agreed on at the last AGM as on page 5 of the pink
newsletter failed.
What if it had been someone really nasty and dangerous we wanted to evict?
WEBSITE AND EGROUP
I managed to keep the rainbow circle internet stuff uptodate on site using
wind and solar power.
This autumn I'll dig out more of my notes, and hopefully you lot will send
in lots of text and pictures for the egroup
and website. Almost anything goes on the egroup, except for personal insults
and libel, but webpages should be
non-contentious, represent the conscensus view, unless clearly marked as
personal opinion, thats what I think and
will try to make it so. There's loads of space on the website for more
webpages, every area and every person could
have their own webpage, like
http://www.rainbowcircle.co.uk/rpeople/spike.html and
http://www.rainbowcircle.co.uk/rpeople/cinda.html !
NEWSLETTER
Last year I edited our newsletter (the pink one), at a guess it took six
weeks at fourteen hours a day and many
phone calls begging, pleading, reminding,
searching for content and balance. It was great fun, a creative artistic
experience, I trod on a few toes and have a
few apologies and corrections to make in the next newsletter, if there is a
next one. If I'm evicted this winter and
without mains electric I may not be able to do anything half as intricate. I
tried to be fair and balanced but if anyone
out there has oodles of time I wont hinder you from editing our 2006
newsletter, and will forward emails and help
with the computerisms as much as possible. I gave the newsletter to the
printer as a huge file on a CD which is why
the artwork looked good (except the 2 grey squares on the front cover);
however the photos could have printed
better, some trouble with the PDFs I think. But then there could be a huge
debate about using any photos, I did not
have the time or energy or inclination to contact every single person in the
photos, I used my judgement, if
someone is smiling into the camera then I assume theyre not ashamed, for
many of us the summer passes in a
blur, new people see only a little of our rainbow visions, the newsletter
given to newcomers can explain so much.
We kill far less trees to make it than any newspaper, and some people
treasure their newsletter for years, which is
why they should be stapled!
RAINBOW EUROPE AND OUR AGM (29+30 october)
There will be discussions over the next few weeks about how we can interact
with International Rainbow's gathering
in England next summer, some of the more controlling tickety people in
rainbow circle want nothing to do with it,
but I believe if half of us went to Rainbow International there wouldnt be
enough people to attain the standards we
reached this summer, and to attempt a camp would bring rainbow circle into
more disrepute. Others think it would
get rid of the rifraf, and it would be like the good old days. I hope to
work with Hazel and others getting a proposal
to our AGM about this, the AGM is officially the controller of Rainbow
Circle Council and Winter Working Group,
and tells them what to do. This is one reason why, when Jon arrived at the
closing circle with his Agenda for our
AGM I insisted that that was only a Draft Agenda. It's one duty of our
secretary, Mshel, to produce and agenda with
all the motions which have been proposed and seconded by members, probably
with a month's notice, -ish.
So I hope to see you all at the AGM for some wonderful Talking Stick Circles
please listen and respect the stick!
george@dicenews.com 07970-378-572
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Newsletter Deadline is January 2005 , please please, art photos and words, email me or post or use the feedback form , its our advert to the world of what were about...
Spring Equinox 2004 Global Rainbow Gathering of the Tribes - Mexico
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rainbow2004mexico
http://www.rainbowgathering.itgo.com
The Otomi Nation (Mexican Indigenous Tribe/Culture) have send out their request that 8,000 Sacred Drummers join their efforts to fulfill their Prophecy that when 8,000 Saced Drummers around the world drum in unison that it will be the beginning of the new age and the Healing of the Mother Earth.
Winter Working Group 28/29 February 2004 @ Hatfield Court
2004 provisional camps dates (to be confirmed) (Note: family fun date was corrected here in Feb2004)
your [feedback] please
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Rainbow Circle 2003 phone contacts:
01423-500699 and/or 01 458 831358 |
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Please click to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rainbow-circle
to view and join the Rainbow Circle email list (see below for egroup details )
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See:
http://www.rainbowcircle.co.uk
Rainbow Circle UK camps - which contains:
[Home] [Info About Camps] [Money] [Links] [Work] [Kids] [Eclipse] [Sounds] [2001 Camps] [Virtual Camp] [Other Things] [Foot and Mouth] [Egroup help] [Feedback] [Home] |
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2003 Magic Hat Camps :
Beltane Celebration Friday 24th April-Sunday 4th May. ~ Saps rising, winter’s gone! Family Fun Friday 25th May-Sunday 1st June Rainbow Circle fun for all. TLC 25th Friday July-Sunday 3rd August The Advance Party ~ A camp for hands on people, ending with the Lammas celebration. Pagan Crafts Monday 4th August-Tuesday 12th August ~ Crafts and Earth Magic Detox, Healing and Renewal Wednesday 13th August-Wednesday 20th August ~ A camp for people who want to be in a drug and alcohol free environment, Quaoar: Astrology, Magic and Music ~ Friday 22nd August-Sunday 31st August ~ A Celebration of the Creative Spirit 25+26 October 2003 Rainbow Circle AGM at Leominster Community Centre |
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http://www.welcomehome.org/rainbow.html International Rainbow |
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"Rainbow2000" split from Rainbow Circle in 1989ish for various reasons. |
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http://rainbow.spiralwave.co.uk (new, untested) |
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Rainbow Circle - Magic Hat
After the exhilaration and pitfalls of our first season of magic hat camps, we bravely continue with our Rainbow Circle Adventure. !! We are going to do another season of Magic Hat !! We want everyone to be aware that we all are the Magic Hat!! What we put in provides for all our needs, so we give all the money, time, and loving energy we can. When we create our magic hat village in the field we assemble it together, do all the jobs ourselves for life support in the natural world. We bring warm bedding and waterproof clothing, tents and living spaces of our own. We bring our own plates, cutlery, cups and water containers. If we want magic hat meals we cook them ourselves. We all do what we can to set up the camp and keep it running and take it down without paid workers. Dogs can be brought on site if a ten pound deposit is paid (returnable if the dog is always kept on a lead, and owners clean up all dog shit.) Trading only on Saturdays.
Loud music late at night upsets neighbours and is not on.
We also show love and respect for our children by working to give them good space to play safely. We organise our own free educational workshops sharing the inexhausible creativity of the cirle. We need love. We need to participate with good energy and respect for each other. We do not need alcohol abuse, canned amplified music, drug abuse or any other abusive behaviour. If the circle is to survive, we must respect each others' health, safety and well-being. Let's enjoy being together in nature. Let's leave the city hassles behind us when we enter the circle of rainbow magic!
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Solstice Call!
As you are probably aware we held open Solstice Celebrations at Stonehenge in June 2000. We hope for an even better event this summer - perhaps we'll even see the sun rise instead of drizzle. I think it would be really nice to have a large Rainbow Presence at the Solstice. My vision is to have a chanting circle - a sacred space, formed by living human beings - an open and welcoming space, a space which everybody can join, but which holds the energy of this most sacred time. Unfortunately, when the Great Goddess distributed her gifts she didn't think fit to give me the ability to sing either in tune or in time. Anybody from my Rainbow Sisters and Brothers who would like to take part in such a chanting circle
please contact me
on 0117 955 1852.
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WWG voted.On Saturday 14th April 2001 and Sunday the Rainbow Circle Winter Working Group, and others, spent hours talking in circles about the Beltane Camp. We were told that there are no confirmed cases of Foot+Mouth in Somerset, and that the farmer is happy for the camp to go ahead. We could not reach concensus. On Sunday afternoon I, (George), proposed and Lyn seconded a motion that "The Beltane Camp 2001 be postponed". Votes were: 4 For 3 Abstentions 10 against. The necessary 2/3 majority was not reached so the motion failed. Of the 3 camp co-ordinators one voted for, one against, and one abstained. Starkus resigned as camp co-ordinator. (dice) [george] (Miles) I hope Foot+Mouth doesnt occur in Somerset in April, May or June. Or Ever |
==========================================
==Mediators RFC - Request For Comment ==
=========================================
"Perhaps when situations arise,
mutually agreed mediators could
talk to all sides of the problems and
clarify beliefs and misunderstandings -
perhaps bringing considered proposals
to a bigger group."
(Some issues are too complicated
or confidential or unimportant
for big meetings to resolve. e.g:
Two argued at a camp, left in a huff:
perhaps neither will come next summer;
winter time mediation could help.
Or when something erupts,
rather than a huge immediate circle:
a mediatior could spend a day
shuttling around, sussing out).
I asked X to mediate on Z between me and Y.
"Mutually Agreed" means all three must
consent to and define the process).
This is "Self Policing". []george.
==========================================
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From: "David Baker" [gandhilion@genie.co.uk]
Date: 15 January 2001 04:18
We have occasionally used mediators before to great effect. Problem solvers, troubleshooters, and mercuries, as we’ve named them in the past, may also do this type of work but I think you are talking about a more specialised area, as you say another layer, where expertise can be called upon. =============== |
From: J To: [rainbow-circle@egroups.com] Cc: [rainbow-circle@egroups.com] Subject: Re: [rainbow-circle] Communications & ethics!! Date: 20 January 2001 06:54 The prospect of ‘hundreds of mediators’ digging up every past rumoured conflict, however well meaning, is alarming to say the least! Who is to decide the masses of essential issues like even what IS a conflict? Is it a ‘bad thing’ or a vital way of growing and learning? Unless it is endangering others, surely each individual must be responsible for recognition &/or resolution of any issue. No real support can be imposed - requests must come from the individual. Loads of other issues . . . ..... |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: [dicegeorge@stones.com]
Date: 16 April 2001 09:32
RCC 1:Name. Amendment1 proposed to Constitution
for Rainbow Circle EGM 6 May 2001:
1. Name:
In section 1 and throughout delete
"Rainbow Circle" and replace it by:
"Rainbow Squiggle spiral web galaxy
with magenta and grey and gray
and black and white and silver and pink
and neon and RGB and CMYK and transparent
and translucent and psychedelic
and unimaginable and undescribable
and infra red and ultraviolet
and infinite and invisible and
brown (joke)
.".
----- Original Message -----
From: "Karen Everson"
To: rainbow-circle@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, July 11, 2002 9:35 PM
Subject: Re: [rainbow-circle] what is rainbow to you (everybody please)
] -------Original Message-------
]
] From: rainbow-circle@yahoogroups.com
] Date: Thursday, July 11, 2002 12:54:04
] To: rainbow-circle@yahoogroups.com
] Subject: Re: [rainbow-circle] what is rainbow to you
]
]
] Somewhere over the Rainbow
] Here is my tale, Sister and Brother,
] I'll show you a link from one point to another,
] to be the master of your mind, will lead to the freedom of humankind.
] With every passing man-made hour, the closer you come to that infinite
power
]
] Follow the Rainbow, those who care, for she has come to take you there.
]
] The bridge between the Heaven and Earth, guides us into the new rebirth.
] She has come to show us the way, how to be free, and how to play,
] the bow of the dreamers , the bridge to the truth,
] the elixir of life, eternal youth.
]
] She has no beginning, she has no ending,
on becoming one, we are depending.
] The Rainbow Tribe are growing strong,
sharing their love, their voice, their
] song
] The Rainbow Warriors, as prophecies say,
have finally come, to save the day.
]
] So from Pisces to Aquarius, Sister and Brother,
] we have made a link from one point to another,
] no lesser, no greater, our tribe are all equal,
and now at last, we are
] forming the sequel.
]
] We're coming together, Women and Men,
] A rainbow Circle, united again,
] for the rest of our journey,
we'll walk hand in hand,
back to the future and
] the promised land.
]
] (one of many poems,
inspired by my time with the Rainbow Circle)
]
] Love ,Peace and Rainbows,
]
] Keep thrashing the Yoghurt Cheesy!
]
]
]
National Gathering of Rainbow Family
23rd May 10th June 2001
george@dicenews.com
www.dicenews.com hotlinks
DiceGeorge
