Kundalini and the Art of Being ... 10up enough gas money to get to the gathering.
Jeffrey mentioned that he was helping to set up a kitchen called
“Om Chapati” and invited me to come help out. Over the next two
weeks, I spent much of my time involved in the social goings-on there;
glad to get some real hang out with Jeffrey and with the other kind
folks while making hundreds of chapattis (an East Indian flat bread) as
well as various dishes for the collective dinner at main circle.
Bethany didn’t have her own tent and so ended up staying in mine
for a while, since (to my surprise) it stormed almost daily through-
out the gathering, often at dinnertime. Before arriving, I’d envisioned
that it would be in the desert somewhere, since that was all I’d previ-
ously known of New Mexico. But northern New Mexico is actually
much like western Colorado, being part of the Rocky Mountains.
This gathering was situated at over ,000 feet elevation, which
brought near-freezing nights even in the middle of summer. The for-
ests were mostly cedar and aspen, with a few other evergreens scat-
tered throughout. It was a gorgeous spot with three huge, wide-open
meadows all coming together at the junction at which was main cir-
cle. Nearby, at the edge of the main meadow, was the large fire pit
for drum circles.
I spent a lot of time at the drum circles each evening and late into
the night. I found that dancing to the pounding, embracing beat of
the drums was one of the more powerful healing experiences I came
across for channeling the Kundalini energy. The drum circles at a big
Rainbow Gathering are truly incredible, and definitely a place to “let
it all out” if one feels so inclined.
People collect wood all day long. By evening, when the fire is start-
ed, there is enough wood to make a huge bonfire that will last through
most of the night. (If fuel starts getting low, then people go on night-
time gathering missions.) Sometime after dinner circle, a few people
start the fire, and then the drumming. As the evening progresses, more
and more people join the circle until there are dozens of drums—Af-
rican congas, djimbes, dumbeks, etc.—as well as didgeridoos, flutes,
guitars, shakers, tambourines, whatever instrument anyone might