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“He wants the talking stick,” she said to the 20 or so Rainbow People sitting around in a circle. They all looked in my direction but weren’t saying a word. Slowly a short stick with a feather tied to the end was passed person to person down to me.

I didn’t ask for the talking stick. I didn’t know what to say. What was I even doing here deep in the Allegheny National Forest on a random Wednesday last week?

Let’s start at the beginning.

Adam Buxbaum, in tye die shirt, is one of many in the group.

I started to see social media posts about a month ago hinting that the Annual Rainbow Gathering might be returning to the Allegheny National Forest this summer. That was confirmed by the group on Sunday.

The Gathering has taken place in the ANF before starting in 1986. Then again in 1999 when an estimated 20,000 attendees gathered in Elk County deep in the forest. In 2010, an estimated 12,000 attended the national gathering in Warren County. Finally, in 2021 there was a smaller regional gathering in the woods near Marienville. That event drew roughly 1,000.

Every year, the Rainbow Family of Living Light gathers in a different U.S. National Forest to pray for world peace and live in a shared off grid community deep in the woods from July 1 to July 7. Last summer that event took place in Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri.

The highlight of the event comes on July 4, where from daybreak until noon, the camp is silent. There is no talking or playing of any musical instruments. They call it a “wonderful exercise in communication without words.” They will gather in what they call the “Main Meadow” to pray and meditate for world peace and healing of the earth. The silence is then broken at noon with a group chant of “Om” which continues until the start of a children’s parade.

Before they can have this big gathering, they must decide on a location. That is what is happening now. It’s called Spring Council. I found the directions in a Facebook group dedicated to the event. This gives members of the group a chance to hear from scouts that have researched locations and then vote on where to have it.

I needed help following directions down dirt Forestry Department roads in the middle of the woods. The further into the forest, the more nervous I was that we were going to get lost or not be able to find the group.

Finally we saw a small rock sculpture and a few vehicles and a person in tie dye.

I approached an older woman who didn’t look like she fit in with the group look that I had made in my head. She looked friendly though so I approached her to ask more.

“Welcome home,” was how she greeted me. I didn’t know what to say. Should I reply “And to you?” I settled with simply “Hi.”

I explained that I was a reporter and just wanted to learn more about them. Her name was Karin and she had come from California. She worked a “normal” job but would attend these events every summer. Last year, she had just started a new job so she couldn’t take off work. She stayed in a hotel in Missouri and would work remotely during the day and attend the event in the evenings.

I could see a group of about 20 people sitting in lawn chairs along the edge of the woods. She told me this was the group who had gathered for Spring Council and over the next few days, they would be making their decision. I was surprised there were so few people! Since the Main gathering can attract up to 10,000, I expected more attendees for this council. She said they expected more people to show up as the event went on.

I asked who was on the Council to make this decision. Her answer shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did.

“Whoever shows up.”

Then we asked if we were able to go down to the circle. She said sure so we slowly walked down. I could feel the eyes turn to us as we approached. One man was holding a stick with a feather on it and talking. A woman next to where I was standing was insistent that I sit down in an empty chair. Then she told the group I wanted the stick. Oh boy.

When I had the talking stick, which is a custom taken from Indigenous people, I stood up and introduced myself and said I’d like to ask questions. There was no talking but several nodded their heads in an affirmative manner. When I would ask a question, people who wanted to answer the question would raise their hands. I felt like Phil Donahue on the old Donahue talk show. I’d point to people and ask their thoughts. I also asked if I could take a picture of the group. A few who didn’t want their picture taken, left the circle for this.

From what I gathered, it looks like the Gathering will happen in the Allegheny National Forest. There are three separate locations here that they are looking at. There is also a location in New York near the Finger Lakes that is under consideration, but they question whether the logistics are possible there as it’s a mix of federal and private land there.

I asked what the Rainbow purpose or mission was and there were several answers to this question but it all came back to the same word: Peace.

That’s the message they want to get out. They want peace. As our headlines and newscasts talk about wars around the world happening now, that’s an important message.

I asked if everyone was welcome to attend both the Council and the Gathering. They all were enthusiastic about saying yes. They want local residents to come and attend the event and learn more about them and pursue the peace that brought them on their journey.

I asked about what they did if someone was unruly or disruptive at the event. They told me about “Shanti Sena” which means peacekeeper. If you feel like you’re in danger or need help. Karen and Brandon later told me that they thought they were saying “John Cena,” who could definitely stop any trouble! By shouting Shanti Sena, people will stop what they are doing and come help you. It is also said when police or members of all the “3 letter government organizations” (as one person referred to) are nearby. The peacekeepers monitor their presence.

I asked if they had jobs when not doing this, like Karin, or whether they lived this lifestyle full-time. One man, who had just entered the circle, referred to this lifestyle as the “Rainbow Trail” which is traveling the country camping and attending Rainbow gatherings. He had lived that lifestyle after having a career. No, we said it was about 50/50 of work and Rainbow living. A few others said they were on the Rainbow Trail.

Spring Council will last anywhere from a few days to a week. They will be there as long as it takes to make a decision. Then most in this group will head to the site of the annual gathering and start to prepare for everyone to arrive. That will take two or three weeks.

We felt very welcome and safe in our brief time with the Rainbow People. My group was already making plans to go back in July. There is no alcohol allowed and they cautioned us that there will be nudity.

As we were walking away, all of a sudden there was a loud group shout of “WE LOVE YOU!” Again, I didn’t know what to say so I just waved and said “Thank you.” I was glad we had made the trip into the woods to meet and learn more about the Rainbow People.

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