Gatherings
and Caravans- This issue I want to talk about gatherings and
caravans. If you have ever heard of
the Rainbow Gathering, you've heard wondrous tales of unity,
brotherhood, festivity and love. This year, the Rainbow Trail leads to
eastern Washington state, and you are invited to come yourself and
bring or send your friends.
Right after the Rainbow Celebration, a large number of people are talking about making a beeline for the IJA convention in Cleveland, gathering force along the way. We have just come down off a weekend high that brought together over 200 Seattle area jugglers for the Wendy's Juggle-athon, and are laying plans now for next year's event. If having fun and spreading joy appeals to you, read on!
The
Rainbow Gathering - Held each July 4 weekend somewhere in the known
universe, the Gathering draws tens of thousands of participants from all
over the Planet. This is a spiritual gathering, an absolutely free,
non-commercial celebration
The
Gathering will be in eastern Washington, and a map will appear in this
column after an exact site is selected. If you would like to caravan
to the Gathering, a donation-sponsored alternative system of buses
leaving from ride centers in major cities is being planned. For
information, contact TRANSPORT at Seattle, WA.
Our juggling tribe has been specifically invited to attend this event in force. The dates to save are July 1-7, although early arrivals can find plenty of work to stay busy --- setting up tents, making the site habitable and teaching juggling. We'll be there from late June.
Caravan
to Cleveland - On the final day of the Rainbow Gathering, our
caravan will set out for Cleveland. We'd love to meet up with portions
of the juggling tribe from Los Angeles, San Francisco and other
Western parts in Salt Lake City, UT.
We'll
have a festival in liberty Park in Salt Lake City and push on for
Cheyenne, WY --- 436 miles away --- after a night's sleep.
We'll
hold pre-arranged gatherings in each of the major cities we pass
through, and use those gatherings to bring our tribe members together.
We'll
arrive in Cleveland on the evening of July 13 after driving 400 to 450
miles per day. By sending out an advance party and keeping tied
together, we'll be able to relax and enjoy the trip. For a bit of
background on our caravan experience, check the August 1980 Newsletter
where I describe our journey to Fargo. Traveling together made the
journey an adventure. Although specific parks have yet to be selected,
the general schedule is as follows: RENDEZVOUS in Sab Lake City 4 pm 7/8/81 FESTIVAL in Liberty Park till dark DEPART for Cheyenne, WY, on 7/9/81 FESTIVAL in Cheyenne all morning 7/10/81 DEPART for Omaha, NE, noon 7/10/81 FESTIVAL in Omaha evening 7/11/81 DEPART for Chicago early 7/12/81 FESTIVAL in Chicago morning 7/13/81 DEPART for Cleveland noon 7/13/81 PARTY for 335 miles to Cleveland ARRIVE
at convention site evening 7/13/81 If
you want to bring a group from the West Coast or the Southwest, let me
know where you'll meet us and I'll put it in the next Newsletter. If
this sounds like fun, let's do it!
National--
clown, mime, puppet and dance ministry workshops have been going on
for several years. Reports from Tom Woodward and other jugglers who have
attended praise these for their content and spirit. Hundreds of talented
folk from diverse artistic backgrounds come together to praise the Lord
with their gifts. Workshops this year will be August 2-8 in San
Francisco and August 9-15 in Washington, D.C. Information can be
obtained from Marti Rippy, Nashville, TN. Gatherings
in general- It is important for us to recognize and support the many
true gatherings of loving people: alternative energy fairs, peace
"protests," barter fairs and other New Age celebrations are
appropriate places to meet other jugglers and spread the joy of
juggling.
There is a danger in juggling that it may become a diversion which prevents interaction, rather than a means of bringing folks together. Is juggling, for you, a way of communicating with others and enhancing the "One-ness" of us all, or is it a way to shut others out by being different? Open up and let your light shine through! |
