2025 Ozarhoma Rainbow Gathering

The Basics  First, drink water, drink water, drink water. Put an  electrolyte powder in your water at least a couple of times a day.  Make sure you are drinking a minimum of one gallon of non- alcoholic liquids a day. Alcohol  dehydrates people. Think about your pets. They don't sweat so pour water over them to help reduce their body temperature.   Bring extra electrolyte powder to share! During the middle of the day, all creatures, human and non-human, should stay in the shade and rest.  Please do not overdue it.    The Symptoms to watch for:   Heat exhaustion Heat stroke High body temperature between 101 F (38.3 C) and 104 F (40 C). High body temperature above 104 F (40 C). Pale skin. Dry, red skin. Muscle cramps. Inability to sweat. Headaches. Seizures. Dizziness. Dizziness or fainting. Weakness and fatigue. Slurred speech. Rapid breathing and increased heart rate. Hallucinations and altered mental state. Nausea and vomiting. Co...

Bad Tent Location - Too Close to surface water ( Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/meganpru/5914413517/ ) Creeks, rivers, lakes and other surface water provide water for animals in the area and spawning grounds for fish.  Water is the heart of the ecosystem. When folks disrespect the lake, they disrespect the land on which we gather as well as the heart of the gathering itself. While one or two people swimming in a lake or river can have minimal impact, when there are a few thousand of us, we can negatively impact the lake or river if we do not take the same precautions our local public pool requires. Tips & Tricks for protecting the creeks, rivers, and lakes Grab a bucket of water and rinse off at least 300 feet away from the lake, stream, and or creek and where the water won't run back into the water.  This helps remove sunscreens, tick repellent including natural remedies, and skin oils that are harmful to the lake and the creatures that live there. Do...

  Updated information will be posted here as it becomes available over the next week or so. Check back frequently as information will be refined. New directions may be added. Existing directions may be clarified.   Site specific information will be added. Last updated Wednesday, July 2nd at 10:30  AM Central Time.     I was at the site until approximately 10:30 PM on July 1st. This is what I know.   This gathering is so sweet, I cried at dinner circle last night. Lot's of love and hugs. Great tasting food.   Medical is coming together and supplies seem to be taken care of.    Great places to get into very cold water including off dinner circle / main meadow which is really a lovely clearing under a bunch of shade trees. Thank you family for clearing this space.    There is parking available off FS Road 4150 . For those who have cars that can take parking on the side of the road there is parking on FS Road 3173. A shuttle was ...

 Today's guest post comes from Carla We call them Rainbow Gatherings, not Rainbow Festivals, for good reason. Here’s why.  I suppose new folks have noticed by now that regular gatherers are very picky about word choices. Take, for example, the term “festival.” If someone calls the gathering “The Rainbow Festival,” they usually get jumped on and corrected, sometimes quite rudely, and almost always without explanation. So I will attempt to explain.  Technically, the gathering does fall under the general definition of a “festival,” which in many countries means a local community-wide religious or cultural observance. However, in the U.S., “festival” has a very specific meaning, and it has nothing to do with local tradition. “Festivals” here are highly commercial, usually focused around several-day music or themed events. There are ticket sales and entry gates and lots of vendors selling food, drink, and merch. The people attending go as passive observers, and have a wonderfu...

In order to live in a peaceful world, we need to treat our planet, Gaia, with the respect, love, and attention to her sustenance with which we treat our children. Climate change is the result of mistreating our amazing planet. Climate change is about changing weather patterns that make it hard for people to find drinking water for their children, that create flooding of homes and agriculture land, and that wither our crops under relentless sun. When people are hungry or thirsty, violence can easily erupt over food and water. Not just in Gaza but everywhere including the gathering.  How then do we show with our actions that we are actively working to protect Gaia from climatic changes that threaten world (and local) peace? Reduce the number of campfires. Burning carbon increases global warming. Plus if you see the cloud of wood smoke in main meadow at a gathering, you'll realize that reducing the number of campfires will improve the health of every gathering participant. Click here ...

A common point of discussion when working towards peace is defining what peace is and isn't, what it looks like, which activities are considered "peaceful" and which are not. I think at the extreme ends of the spectrum, most people can agree on what peace is and isn't. For example, most people would consider dropping bombs on other people to be the opposite of peace. Most people would consider the silent prayer/meditation for world peace and the om to be examples of peace. That's the easy stuff. In fact trying to define peace can cause even the most peaceful among us to be less than peaceful.  So what do we do if we say we want peace, but we can't even agree on what peace looks like, feels like, acts like or talks like? I'll throw out a couple of high level ideas, but even these are subject to much discussion. I hope you continue these discussions in the circles in which you find yourself.     What is Peace?   First graders have a very good concept of peac...

In my humble opinion, the gathering is good at many things, but what we are best at is creating communities made up of diverse people.  One of my fondest memories is of the Utah gathering in 2003. Just across the dirt road from INFO and CALM was a small meadow that held three small camps sharing one bliss pit:  Krishna Camp, Jesus Camp, and a punk/anarchist camp. Evenings when I stopped by the bliss pit, people were discussing and sharing ideas, perspectives, and yes sometimes arguing a bit.  Communication and community were being created. When we gather in rural towns, many gatherers connect with many of the locals in sometimes strange but usually positive ways. Many locals plug into the gathering and give deeply despite disagreeing with some of our behaviors. On the surface, I feel this is what our entire country needs to do. Have those conversations around a bliss pit or coffee table, online, or via the phone. Talk about what we can agree on. Encourage those who do not...