Who or What is the Rainbow Family of Living Light

The Rainbow Family of Living Light has been coming together to celebrate their national gathering over the week of the Fourth of July every year since 1972. One may think all of this would have a very negative impact on our land's national forests, or wherever a group of thousands of people gather on any kind of regular basis. But get to know members of the Rainbow Family, and you'll see this simply isn't the case.

Just as a few dedicated individuals arrive on the gathering site weeks before the masses to help in set up and preparation, people also stay behind for weeks after the main gathering is over to help clean up. With the motto "Take nothing but memories (or photos), leave nothing but footprints" the Rainbow Family does their best to restore the gathering site back to its original state. The Rainbow Family cooperates fully with law enforcement officers and members of the forest service in this endeavor, even though these groups don't always work with them.

People from all walks of life frequent Rainbow Gatherings and Rainbow-aligned communes. These gatherings are not limited only to hippies, stoners, deadheads, gypsies or vagabonds. Believe it or not, there are doctors, lawyers, and other high ranking businessmen and officials who also like to let go of their daily routine and relax for a week or two amongst the serenity of the woods. There is a Jesus camp where the devout can worship and pray every day, a Hare Krishna camp, Kid Village for the youngsters and so much more.

Contact with each other is in no way limited to their yearly gatherings, however. There are regional gatherings and potlucks taking place all the time in nearly every state, and they also keep in touch through internet message boards, telephone communication and even postal mail. Because they usually have such a bad reputation, and these gatherings usually include some kind of police intervention, specific dates, times and locations are usually kept quiet until the last minute. This is a group of individuals so dedicated that they can make a trek hundreds and sometimes even thousands of miles on only an hour or two's notice.

Despite their bad reputation and frequent troubles with law enforcement, the Rainbow Gathering of Living Light is made up of some of the most thoughtful, caring, and kind souls you could ever meet. These are people who will give you the shirt off from their very back to keep you warm, and share their own food without asking anything in return. It sounds too good to be true - but this really is a way of life for the Rainbow Family.