It was the morning of Jan. 3, and I had been sleeping in Lafayette Park, across from the White House in D.C., with two Rainbow friends, Mojo and Georgia. I had laid on the ground a blue plastic tarp, laid some blankets over it, then lain on one side and turned the other side over me - making a taco out of myself - and gone to sleep. At about 4:00 I had to get up and take a leak, so I was sliding out of my creation trying to disturb it as little as possible so that the blankets would still be warm when I got back in between them. I heard giggling, then Georgia's voice saying, "Do you mind if we call you Butterfly?" I asked why, and she said I looked like one coming out of its cocoon.
I thought about it for a few months, and decided - no, I didn't. It was appropriate. I always flit around from one thing to another at a gathering, never staying too long at one place (I remember somebody once saying, "Ya know, this is the first time I've seen you sitting down.") I like to wear bright colors like one. And in many ways the Rainbow has made me come out of my cocoon and start to fly about. Coupled with my Babylon name (which I had never disliked), it made a nice alliteration.
I had decided previously that I would only take a name that was given to me by someone else, after hearing some of the pretentious appellations that others have given themselves. This one met that criterion.
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I at the Rainbow Gathering in Utah, July 1, 2003 |
If you have never been to a Rainbow Gathering, start with the first one below, where I explain some of the Rainbow lingo for beginners.
The Cold Easy Gathering my experiences at the 2004 California National Gathering
The Fallen Tree Gathering the 2008 Montana National Gathering
The Muddy Trail Gathering the 2007 Arkansas National Gathering
The Hard Walking Gathering the 2006 Colorado National Gathering
The Seven Up Gathering the 2005 West Virginia National Gathering
The Ad Astra per Aspera Gathering the 2003 Utah National Gathering
The Short and Sweet Gathering the 2002 Michigan National Gathering
BB's 'Th'ring MT 2000 the 2000 Montana National Gathering
BB's 'Th'ring the 1999 Pennsylvania National Gathering
1998 Arizona Banking Report how the Gathering spends its money, and what it's like to be on the banking council
2000 California Banking Report
Shanti Sena a story that was scary - escorting a man out of the Gathering
Shanti Sena 2 a story that came out right - talking down a brother who was tripping and running wild on the morning of the Fourth
A Good Story an incident while driving home from the Arizona Gathering
Monthly Meeting at Shannon Farm a place where consensus really worked: the monthly meeting at an intentional community I once lived in
The Canonical List of Rainbow Jokes a collection of contributions from many alt.gathering.rainbow posters
Wherever Two Are Gathered... the beginnings of the Rainbow Family
The 7 Garbage Chakras Swami Mommy's paradigm upon which the recycling stations are set up at gatherings
Rainbow Recollections: 1995 Missouri
Rainbow Recollections: 1998 Arizona two reviews written by Guano
Title 36 Section 251 Subpart B that deals with special uses of the National Forests, with the parts about permits
Title 36 Section 251 Subpart B prιcis distilled down to the Rainbow relevant parts
Title 36 Section 261 Subpart B that tells what is prohibited on National Forest land
The Utah 2003 Permit Movie, as seen in the paper trail all the pieces of paper that passed between Garrick Beck and the Forest Service
2006 and 2007 Operating Plans examples of operating plans that were worked out between the gatherers and the resource rangers of the Forest Service
A meeting in San Francisco a collection of several threads that appeared on alt.gathering.rainbow about a meeting between some Rainbow gatherers and some high-level Forest Service officials (in 7 parts)
welcomehome.org the "unofficial" site, with links to many more
welcomehere.org the best place for information on upcoming gatherings
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I at the Oklahoma Renaissance Faire in 2006 |
Posts I made to alt.fairs.renaissance before most of the people on that group deserted it for Live Journal:
If a URL in my a.f.r. signature file is not displayed as a link, it is no longer active.
I attended Faire in garb yesterday crossdressing at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival in 2001, and my conversion to renniehood
KCRF Act II what happened the following weekend
KCRF Act III and the one after that
KCRF Acts IV & V and the two after that
KCRF Act VI and the one after those
KCRF Act VII and the last one
OKRF my first time at the Oklahoma Renaissance Faire in 2002
GSLRF my first time at the Greater St. Louis Renaissance Faire in 2002
KCRF MMII Acts I & II the Kansas City Renaissance Festival, 2002
NMF my first time at the Norman Medieval Fair in 2003
OKRF MMIII the Oklahoma Renaissance Faire, 2003
GSLRF MMIII the Greater St. Louis Renaissance Faire, 2003
HoMMRF my first time at the Hamlet of Mid-Missouri Renaissance Festival in 2003
KCRF MMIII Acts I & II the Kansas City Renaissance Festival, 2003
NMF MMIV the Norman Medieval Fair, 2004
OKRF MMIV Act I the Oklahoma Renaissance Faire, 2004
HoMMRF MMIV the Hamlet of Mid-Missouri Renaissance Festival, 2004
KCRF MMIV the Kansas City Renaissance Festival, 2004
NMF MMIV the Norman Medieval Fair, 2005
OKRF MMV Act I the Oklahoma Renaissance Faire, 2005
Life in the Big City my first time at Scarborough Faire in 2005
Kansas City Renaissance Festival
Greater St. Louis Renaissance Faire
Hospital Story experiences and thoughts about my stay in the Veteran's Hospital in 2000
My Career why I like being low class
Coming Out why I like to wear "women's" clothes in public
Some of my Computer Music on download,com
You can click here if you want to send me an e-mail.
