Free Land for Free People!

To Mandala! The city of the Rainbow People, the City of Love!

All races, I call you. All peoples, I call you. All communes, I call you.

All men, women, children, and individuals, I call you.

All beings of Love, I summon you!

For yes, it is I! The Rainbow Oracle you have all but forgotten!

But we are HERE, in the NOW, and so you must REMEMBER, yes?

Remember of the Song we all sang, the Prophecy we all sought?

Behold, MANDALA!

This great city of Mandala is here to express all aspects of Human effort and achievement,

and we join TOGETHER,

in our most sincere desire that there shall be PEACE on Earth,

and harmony amongst ALL PEOPLE.

Let us too harmonize in JOY,

with the rocks, rain, water, wind, soil and sky,

with the other mammals, birds, fish, insects, and critters,

so too all the Wonders of this World!

Praise, MANDALA!

~ The Rainbow Oracle

We, The People’s Project, heed the Oracle’s call, and wish to make Rainbow’s original vision an actuality; we are helping lay the foundation to collectively build a network of off-grid ecovillages on shared land to fulfill the essence of the original Rainbow Gathering’s vision of a Mandala City.

Originally intended as 3000 acres on a single plot of land, we wish to instead establish a network of lands that exist as one family, sharing resources and supporting each other, all across the country. Specifically, we’d like to start working together to purchase 100-300 acres of shared land in the Ozarks to begin building upon this vision. After that, we will continue collectivizing and raising funds to acquire more land, which would equal or exceed the original acreage imagined, and each would strengthen the existence of the other through mutual aid. The lands would be held under the Rainbow vision of a healthy, harmonious space – a permanent living example of peace upon the earth.

We have built a land trust non-profit that would do exactly this: hold the land as shared space under the values of equality, autonomy, peaceful cooperation, and sustainable earth stewardship. There will never be monetary requirements to exist on the land. It will exist as the earth once was and should be – free and shared amongst all creatures – but it will be protected as a peaceful safe space under those four values and the Rainbow culture we hold as a collective.

We are in the process of building a legal trust to allow true sovereignty of people, and to help people feel empowered to treat the land as their own, collectively. We want to transcend the paradigm that has been carried out on privately owned land where some have the individual power to control the lifestyle of the land, or some have the individual responsibility to protect the land; everyone and anyone on the land should be both empowered and responsible. By creating a trust, these spaces will ensure exactly that; the land will be stewarded and the culture we will all co-create. Just as we co-create Rainbow gatherings.

The Treaty of Mandala

1. Egalitarian Culture Creation

The City of Mandala wishes for all of its inhabitants to be able to equally participate in the formation of the community they are a part of. Those who choose to be present and steward the land could, and are encouraged, to decide as a collective through consensus the direction for each space, with no predisposed hierarchy in the way of change or transformation. In other words: these communities which wave the flag of Mandala consist of free land for free people, and they are governed by direct democracy.

2. Sustainable and Regenerative Earth Stewardship

Permaculture. Sustainability. Restoration. These are the core tenets of Mandala’s relationship to Mother Earth, for it is through Her that our own lives, the lives of our children, and the lives of our loved ones is dependent; our Love should manifest itself into the Land and all that the Earth offers (including animals, streams, soil, and minerals), and that Love will naturally come back. You get what you give, after all!

3. A Living Resistance

Our stance is that of the Fighters of Freedom before us, whether that be those of the Civil Rights era, or those who fought for Women’s suffrage, or the innumerable indgenious heroes who defended themselves against colonization. As such, we oppose all forms of oppression, tyranny, and greed. Because of this, the cultures that form in the name of Mandala have to be understood as a way of engendering genuine freedom and liberation, for both the people of Today and the people of Tomorrow; we are setting a precedent of a better world, and a better us, and that needs to be considered when co-creating this the culture of Mandala.

4. Mutual Aid Network and Traveler Rest Stops

Let each and every village of Mandala support one another by realizing our mutual dependence and value, and honoring all that we can give – an ever-prospering potlatch! Our network of communities can also support the nomadic community by creating spaces for people to rest and refill on their travels, so they can roam the Earth with minimal use of money, or simply get from point A to point B safely and healthily. This can double as a base for various types of activists and their important work, and all of it will allow travelers further independence from the capitalist framework.

5. Diversity and Inclusion

Come together, and let our variety be our strength, for it is division which weakens us! Some communities may want to develop specific focuses that offer a unique value to the whole family, just as different camps offer a variety of things to the Rainbow. Maybe there are lands extra focused on elder care, maybe some that produce an abundance of natural medicines, some that raise livestock, some that eat vegan, some which are art focused while others a hotbed for activist work, and some a combination of them all. Each and every color of the Rainbow could be supported and work together. Just as with all matters of Health, whether that be of the Land or of our bodies, a great diversity is always the pathway to balance and wholeness.

We’ve created a GoFundMe to help raise funds for this project. To donate, and for more information, visit us HERE!

Also, check out https://www.peoplesprojectearth.org/ to connect with working groups in various locations throughout the country, and to find out more information on The People’s Project!

2020 Spring Jamboree

April 17-30th will be our annual spring gathering! There will be gardening, permaculturing, music, earthskills, wildcrafting, bonfires, wholesome food, kids activities, camping, nature walks, and more! Donations always appreciated of food, toilet paper, trash bags, dish washing, cleaning up, tools, anything from our wish list and monetary donations as well! All activities, workshops, camping and food will be free! All peaceful beings are welcome to come experience hands on intentional community living!

If you’d like to play on our tower stage or facilitate a workshop/activity/discussion let us know!

2019 update

After 4 years we’re back on the web!
Posting live from The Garden! Seriously. We built an office (which got damaged and demolished in a big storm, then rebuilt) and now we can interact on the world wide web without first foraging for wifi. Heres what it looks like.
undefined

Let’s not forget the days of the McOffice though..

A lot has happened since 2015. Too much to recount here, so we’ll stick to a 2019 update in a nutshell. The gardens expanded to include a medicinal herb spiral, and gardens outside of the buses on bus row. The battle against the invasive honeysuckle wades on. The annual get shit done party in the spring, as you would imagine, got shit done. Our chicken population grew like crazy with clutches as large as 12 hatched here. Then we had cats, opposums, weasels, hawks, and maybe more hunting our chickens so the chicken population decreased like crazy. We bought a farm truck. We sold food at the farmers markets and from the farmstand. We donated food to the local food bank. We harvested from the abundance of wild edibles on the land. We picnicked at the creek, played music round bonfires, and created art. We practiced non-violent communication and held classes in the schoolhouse. We had a fall gathering where land was cleared for a new community cabin. We experienced heat waves and droughts and a tornado warning that turned into a straight wind which took down the office. We ate strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, goji berries, peaches, pears, apples, persimmons, passion fruit, asparagus, sunchokes, all from the land. We cultivated, ate, and shared a shit ton of shitake mushrooms. We joined Instagram. A baby was born here. We were a base of operations for the nonprofit The Peoples Projects to meet at, organize, and work fundraising events from. What a great year it’s been so far!

As winter approaches we’re gearing up for longer nights, colder weather, and more downtime.

2015 Update

The farm is continually progressing! There are chickens, guineas, ducks, rabbits and a pig currently residing on the farm, in addition to the humans. The garden has been much expanded and is producing more squash than we know what to do with! Produce such as beans, squash, cucumbers, jalepenos, herbs and soon to be tomatoes have been brought to markets in the area, along with handmade items such as jams and pickles, made from blackberries and cucumbers grown on the land.

Milkweed in bloom, attracting the many types of butterflies here
Milkweed in bloom, attracting the many types of butterflies here

Resident pig
Resident pig

Tomatoes have been staked and are starting to color up, if only the chickens stay away long enough to let them!
Tomatoes have been staked and are starting to color up, if only the chickens stay away long enough to let them!

Dissected zucchini blossom
Dissected zucchini blossom

The kids are getting a lesson on flower parts
The kids are getting a lesson on flower parts

The sunflowers are getting tall
The sunflowers are getting tall

A rooster chilling in front of non-gmo corn and sunflowers. Second chicken coop in background
A rooster chilling in front of non-gmo corn and sunflowers. Second chicken coop in background

Planting for a fall crop has begun, winter squash, pumpkins and beans newly planted. Playground in background
Planting for a fall crop has begun, winter squash, pumpkins and beans newly planted. Playground in background

A cleared section of the blackberry patch maze
A cleared section of the blackberry patch maze

Many chickens of all colors!
Many chickens of all colors!

Guineas seeking shade in the asparagus patch
Guineas seeking shade in the asparagus patch

The ducks like the chicken coop too!
The ducks like the chicken coop too!

The schoolhouse dome received an update, walls have begun being constructed out of bottle bricks and an adobe-like mixture.
The schoolhouse dome received an update, walls have begun being constructed out of bottle bricks and an adobe-like mixture.

The pump house is the farthest structure, with a new shade structure built off the side where we can wash produce from the garden. The structure in the foreground is a rabbit coop currently.
The pump house is the farthest structure, with a new shade structure built off the side where we can wash produce from the garden. The structure in the foreground is a rabbit coop currently.

Front of the farmstand where potted plants, produce and handmade items are displayed
Front of the farmstand where potted plants, produce and handmade items are displayed

Mid-July Update!

DSCF1139
We’ve been pickling and making jams!

DSCF1225

DSCF1214
Updating our cold storage from two buried barrels to an actual walk-in root cellar!

DSCF1154
With this new chicken coop we are building, we will soon be able to eat eggs everyday!

DSCF1235
Dave has been cultivating oyster mushrooms!

DSCF1283
We built a twenty foot table! Badass!

DSCF1109
Hi!

July Update!

It is now July and everything is still going amazingly well. There are less people here now than there has been since April but we are kicking ass. The kitchen is well stocked and has been pumping out top notch meals, morale is high and we are getting things done. In the last couple weeks we have built a farm stand at the front of the land in order to fund more garden stuff and provide people with a place where they can sell there art, crafts and goods. We are working on a big pumpkin patch along with a lot of other fall crops and have been picking black berries for jam, wine, and pancakes. Some of us saw a building being torn down and stopped to ask about the scrap building materials, not only did we end up getting a ton of blocks and other stuff but the contractor told us he would let us know whenever he has free stuff we can have ……so that’s cool.

SU&GI early summer 885

SU&GI early summer 818

SU&GI early summer 882

https://www.facebook.com/events/254897814702354/

<img src="DSCN0467
” alt=”” />
ENCOURAGE. INSPIRE. EMPOWER. Are you a farmer, artist, construction worker, musician, writer, mechanic, cook, welder, dreamer, visionary? Are you not happy with the state of the world and society? Do you feel you have answers? Are you looking for inspiration? SHUT UP & GROW IT IS HAVING AN END OF THE SEASON EVENT and we’d love for you to come! At Shut Up & Grow It we believe that through connecting with others that dream of a better world we can better facilitate the changes we’d like to see. SU&GI is a family oriented free flowing collaborative land project with infinite potential. We are committed to changing the world and dedicated to doing the work necessary. It’s been a really productive year thus far and there’s still a need for help in order to finish projects and maintain momentum. We strive to help people and are a rest stop for travelers, but must maintain a family friendly community oriented environment. Just sayin’.

Tshirts for our future

Tshirts for our future

Finally, you can own your very own SUGI shirt!!! For a limited time you can help further along our sustainable power station and cloth yourself at the same time. These are the first shirts of their kind and are only available for a very limited time (21 days starting now).

Fo’ real, we need money and you need a new shirt. Please share these shirts with your friends. If you don’t have friends, Feel Free to send some to the land; we’d like to wear one too! 🙂

It’s Growing!!!

It's Growing!!!

This photo is a little old now. Things are starting to come up in the garden. The Strawberries are getting ripe. Things are happening as they should. Most of the folks on the land are heading to the Cumberland Gap Rainbow Gathering. Some of us need a vacation 🙂 We hope to see much of our family in the Woods!!