Printed in the White Mountain Independent, Navajo County Edition, on July 3rd, 1998. Volume 90 Number 53
Copyright 1998 White Mountain Publishing Company
James Donahue
The Independent
CARNERO Lake - People of all faiths, nationalities and political beliefs are gathering in the forests under the shadow of Greens Peak to observe a special day of prayer Saturday.
For the Rainbow Family, July Fourth is the holiest of days, marking America's celebration of freedom and falling within days of the summer solstice.
If all goes as planned, members will spend the morning, an estimated 20,000 strong, in silent meditation throughout the forests, praying for world peace and the recovery of the ecologically damaged Earth under their feet.
Many will be gathering in a crowded circle in a large meadow, their minds united in common prayer.
At about noon, the women and children from the center of the camp, known as Kid Camp, will come marching into the meadow. This is when the drums begin to beat and the celebrations starts.
Imagine the sound of hundreds of drums all beating together in the forest, sending vibrations of love and good will deep into the Earth.
"We stand for freedom," explained The Pieman, a New York rights activist who has been with the Rainbow almost since is inception in 1972. "That's why it is significant that we meet on the Fourth of July. We want to keep the Constitution alive and retain the right to gather."
The Pieman, who won national attention back in the 1970s for slamming soft cream pies in the faces of famous people, said the Rainbow gathering also is a place for people to come to heal for two weeks every summer.
"We all have issues to deal with. I believe in just getting down in the field and dealing with them."
He said citizens in area communities are critical of the drugs and alcoholism that goes on in A-Camp, near the entrance to the gathering, but said for many, the camp opens the door to the healing process.
"We discourage alcoholism and drugs at the gathering. A-Camp is full of people who need to be healed. I have seen alcoholics and drug addicts come here to dry out," The Pieman said.
"It's real here," said Jerry from New Hampshire. "I wish I had been raised like this."
Jerry, an electrical engineer who helps build hospitals in developing countries, said he has been attending Rainbow gatherings in the United States and overseas for the last eight years.
"It's like a vacation from the not real world. I think we are close to the truth here."
Jerry said he is sometimes surprised by the people he meets at the gatherings.
"I met a woman two years ago. We were both in the mud and very dirty. I found out she was an assistant district attorney in a major city. You would never have known that to see her. She said it was a time for her to just let loose and get crazy."
Robin and his girl friend Karen, both from Austin, Texas, said they both work for environmental organizations and were naturally attracted to an Earth oriented event like the Rainbow gathering.
"There are no bankers, no mortgages, no telephones and no clocks out here," said Robin. "I have been coming to the gatherings since 1982. They help keep my life in perspective the rest of the year."
"We are all one family," said Toby, who came from England. "This is a place where you can be yourself."
Most of the people attending the gathering are dressed in colorful, loose fitting cotton clothing and wide brimmed hats to protect them from the sun. Some of the more adventuresome wear no clothes at all.
The wealthy mingle with the poor, and it is almost impossible to distinguish one from another.
Instead of mud, as recalled by Jerry, everyone is gritty from the flying dust.