Knitting under the rainbow on pot.

This is a writing I did immediately after returning from my first Rainbow Gathering. I don't usually smoke marijuana, but I was incredibly high at the time. The reason I don't smoke often, is that it elevates the frequency of my perceptual systems to spaces beyond language. Even sober, I tend to such frequencies that it's taken a lifetime to learn how to integrate socially. I wasn't able to write until I'd had a beer. My friend and co-sporeganizer Conor promotes high writing as an activity. So this is my first installment. It should be noted up front that this was the last day of the Rainbow gathering and many people had already moved on to the next one.

It does wound me. The urban fabric reality is encased on my awareness. Entering town after meeting the Rainbow Family.

Magic road space adventure. Meet aliens! All systems go! Enter woods.

Fire circle. Gravel? A different people. A people I was sure to remember at first sight. I know some of you, I think.

Standing around the circle, listening for the wave. Hard to find. crackle and complex. Meet someone. get hugged.

Look around. listen. watch. Why is everyone so quiet? Why is everyone so demonstrative!

No one introduces themselves. Someone says something like "Fire's goin' down! All the ladies are fallin' asleep!" Fire tenders appear and throw all remaining logs on the fire.

Everyone becomes aroused and chatty and jocular. Meet people. Talk. Listen.

Fire dies down eventually. People shift and move. Oh there's another circle? Down that long path into the woods?!

Wher'd Aubre go? I dunno. The path is approached with flashlights. Fire circle gets a big laugh. "Hippies don't use flashlights!" (The moon's not quite up yet).

We try walking in the dark. Unknown trail! It works, sortof on and off again. Wrong path, oops! Long trail! Two other folks pass us with their flashlight (hehe). home forest.

Fire in the distance. A circle next to the lake. Music over there. Mark walks over to the music. I go sit down with the circle. Chill. Friendly. small fire.

Tender is careful. Ambient conversation. Smiles and woes.

Circle is chill. Where'd the firetender go? She thought he went to make her some food! She meanders off to the kitchen. Comes back later with dumpstered bread and peanut butter that nobody gives a fuck crunchy or smooth.

The music picks up and so does the fire over there. I'm passing weed to the next bloke at this point.

This fire is so chill! Someone gets up to collect firewood. I jump up and walk after, with no flashlight. No problem, I used to do this all the time as a kid.

Starts tumbling down slope. No brakes! grab tree! swing around. Pulls back up. Crawls loudly to top.

Eventually catches up with guy. "Do you need help collecting firewood? I missed the path back there." answer unintelligible. Sounded like ioncare. I said, "i've noticed that nobody talks much here." He said something I thought was like "Really?", but not quite.

I find firewood. And bring it back alone in the woods.

The circle comes and goes, yet one group of people talk amongst themselves. Another sit silently. The chill is getting too deep. Back to the other uphill. Check out the kitchen? naw. find aubs.

Mark pulls out his cell phone to use as a flashlight. Notices text from aubs. She is all the way back uphill across the road. We eventually turn the lights off. Moon rises. We walk back through uphill circle.

The path across the road is much more perilous. We walk in our own light. except for a question mark here and there. Not here!

She's across the street in the upstairs kitchen with the firetender. Everyone gets sleepy. I join Mark for a bowl with his group. Conversation about aliens. Finally!

Long road home. Shared a bowl. Omitting other important stuff here. Back in town!

Shunk, chink, hsss, konk. urban fabric. Bwahawha! That's exactly what I went to feel! So stoned.

Drop offs. thank yous. good nights. I need beer and cigarettes. Grab some. Carry my shit upstairs.

Bwa! i was immunized by growing up in the woods but I still forgot! with a capital f! (cats fucking-sound screech in realtime here). Life in the woods and life in the city are different. You need to speak both?

Left a lot out. processing evolver modulo rainbow. different but same..

<3 in the forest
when I go silent
then an odd bwa!

personal reflections: Not near as much fun as Orchard tabling today. Yet it speaks my native language. This was the last day of the gathering too. Many had already left for the next one.
(until the next one! ;)
i can't get my cigarette lit on the candle here! grr. finally.

-end of of high writing-

So the next day, my system was blown. My radar was scrambled. I had downloaded old software and it was installing. I felt like I had the flu. I curled up and had vivid dreams. The weather had changed. It was cold and raining, for the first time in months. We definitely needed the rain. I'm back online today, but still processing Evolver modulo Rainbow. This is a fascinating question, especially in light of the trend toward deeper discussion of community here on Evolver.

I think several of us from Bloomington may be planning to head to Shawnee for a full immersion soon. I also spoke with a friend this morning about heading to the next National in Washington State. So the question is open and beckoning for further exploration.