World Rainbow Gathering 2012 In Mexico - Part II

World Rainbow Gathering 2012 In Mexico – Part II

Welcoming in the new age with the Water Bearers

17 Mar 2013

WORLD GATHERING. Set in the middle of the jungle around the ancient Mayan city of Palenque in Mexico, the World Rainbow Gathering was celebrated. With about two thousand people at the Rainbow during the peak of 21 December 2012, people from all Mexico, Latin and Central America, and from all around the world converged to Palenque as the Loung Count Mayan calendar came to a close, marking the end of a 5,125 year cycle.

One evening, a young man excitedly went around with a notebook and list he had compiled of all the Goddesses through the ages, inviting everyone to assign themselves a Goddess and create a shrine around that Goddess.

The Third Eye was particularly happy to hear the Radical Faeries making a special announcement to the Gathering following two ceremonies that had been taking place next to each other. Often, male and female ceremonies happen at the Rainbow and it was invigorating to hear the Faeries’ message to transcend gender roles and identity boundaries.

From a ceremony on 22 December 2012:

Radical Faeries –

We Are The Faeries And We Reveal Ourselves Through The Family.

We Are The Beings That Bring The Element Of Water To The Circle

To Fuse With Fire, Earth, And Air.

We Bring The Water To Cleanse, Wash Away,

And Heal Ourselves Of Sexism, Racism, Homophobia, Transphobia,

And Prejudices Of All Kinds…

Rainbow Family –

Aho !

Radical Faeries –

We Are The Faeries,

We Are The Water-Bringers Helping To Usher In This New Age.

The Water Is Blessed, To Cleanse Us Of The Lens Of Duality.

To Help Wash Away Limits Of Right And Wrong, Of Good And Evil!

Of Male And Female!

Of Black And White!

So We Can Flow Into The Full Spectrum Of The Rainbow, Where There Are Endless Possibilities.

We Are The Faeries And We Love You, Thank You So Much!

Photography and text by Sophie Pinchetti

Ceremonies at sunset on December 22, 2012.

Inside the van of our friend Garett, from San Francisco, on the way to the Gathering.

A readymade masterpiece with teeth in Garett's van. — A readymade masterpiece with teeth in Garett’s van.

Writer Cat Rainsford and artist Paul Sargent on the way to the World Rainbow Gathering in Palenque, Mexico.

Ganesh with bananas in the kitchen of Garett's solar powered kitchen. — Ganesh with bananas in the kitchen of Garett’s solar powered kitchen.

The Welcome Home sign at the entrance of the Rainbow Gathering.

Brewing some coffee at Coffee Mountain following the apocalyptic rain on 21 December.

Coffee Mountain, a saviour at the Gathering.

THE JUNGLE AFTER THE RAIN. What did happen on December 21 2012 was bizarrely epic. Following months of anticipation around this date, we finally arrived in Palenque wondering if it would all turn out to be quite anti-climactic. As the ceremonies went on around the main circle area in the Gathering on the night of the 20th, with djembes and didgeridoos around the fire, dancing and howling at the moon piercing through the sky, suddenly – at midnight, a torrential rain began. Were the gods flooding the earth with their tears? Was it just rain? The rain went on into the early hours of the morning, and when we escaped our tent which had now evolved into a pool, we rediscovered our jungle surroundings through the dimension of water. Just as well, I suppose, that 2013 marks the year of the Water Serpent – symbol of transformation. Poetic Mutation! It was as though the jungle had been somewhat cleansed, with tents washed away, and the stream around the Gathering now taking on the powerful character of a torrent. — THE JUNGLE AFTER THE RAIN.

What did happen on December 21 2012 was bizarrely epic. Following months of anticipation around this date, we finally arrived in Palenque wondering if it might turn out anti-climactic. As the ceremonies went on around the main circle area in the Rainbow Gathering on the night of the 20th, with rhythms of djembe and didgeridoo around the fire, dancing and howling at the moon piercing through the sky, suddenly – at midnight, a torrential rain began. I imagined the gods flooding the Earth.

It went on into the early hours of the morning, and when we finally escaped our tent which by now had evolved into a pool, we rediscovered our jungle surroundings through the dimension of water. Just as well, I suppose, that 2013 marks the year of the Water Serpent – the symbol of transformation. Poetic Mutation! It was as though everything had been reborn, with tents washed away, and the stream around the Gathering now taking on the powerful character of a torrent.

BILL'S EARTH PIPE SHRINE. — BILL’S EARTH PIPE SHRINE.

THE EARTH PIPE

All forms of ceremony happened throughout the Gathering. Earth Pipe ceremonies took place on Coffee Mountain, where an American Rainbow veteran called Bill skilfully focalises coffee. Near the fire of Coffee Mountain, on a small patch of jungle land, Bill had carefully constructed a shrine with beads, stones and other offerings around the Earth Pipe. Its use took place in an Earth Pipe ritual involving the Earth Pipe song, conceived by Bill. Everyone is invited!