- Tell other people about Rainbow.org. Tell the girls in your Assembly, your Advisory Board, the other members of your Lodge/Court/Chapter,
heck, even the DeMolay and Job's Daughters! Getting more people to come to my site (and hopefully contribute information about Rainbow
in their jurisdiction) would make me happy.
- If you know them fairly well, consider telling your Supreme Deputy/Inspector about Rainbow.org, and all the great things on it, like the
term planning help, newbie's guide, memorabilia gallery, and other cool stuff. I think if more of them knew about my site (and took the time
to really LOOK at it), it would be a good thing. And wouldn't it be nice if they could also contribute information to the Grand Jurisdiction
Database? (California still has the most info, of both Grand Assembly and local Assemblies, and I'm counting stuff that's been submitted,
but not posted online yet. I dare all of you to match or beat the amount of info California's got!)
- If you have not already, fill out at least part of the Grand Jurisdiction Database questionnaire. I'd love to know
about the traditions your local Assembly has (or had, if you're Majority). Please. So many Assemblies have lost their traditions because
of declining membership, or the Assembly going dark, then reopening later. Help save Rainbow's history, and perhaps give the new
Assemblies some ideas to try out.
- If you're just dying to show your support for Rainbow.org, consider buying something from the Rainbow.org Store
(for which I only get $1.00-$2.50 per item sold), or donating a couple of dollars via Amazon.com or Paypal (links are on the
main page). You could even just send a dollar or two via US mail, if you want (email me for a mailing address).
Keep in mind that I do all this website stuff solely because I love Rainbow, and this is my way of giving back to Rainbow for the time being,
until my former Assembly gets restarted and I can be involved there, somehow, as well. I'm not out for the attention, for the glory, or to make
money off this site. I get no income from doing this, because I don't put up ads (unless I find something I like, and want to share it with you,
and I definitely don't get paid for it, so it's not really an ad, then, is it?). I figured out last month that running Rainbow.org costs me over $500
a year (domain fees and internet connection) -- MINUS electricity (I can't even give a guess-timate on that, because I don't know how much
juice it takes to have the server and network modem on 24/7). If I chose to co-locate my server at some ISP or something (I won't move just
the domain -- our server's set up the way I like it), it would cost at least $100/mo. I'm not going to do that; I want my equipment where I can
keep an eye on it.
This is Rainbow's site. Unofficial, yes. But it's the website for all members, past and present, and the adults involved with Rainbow, to share with each other around the country (and in other countries, too!), all the traditions, history, ideas and fun that makes Rainbow so special. I'm here to weave all these great things into the fabric of this great website. And it's not going to be going away anytime soon! I'm trying to keep things updated. Yes, I'm behind on updating the Grand Jurisdiction Database (sorry!), but I *am* trying.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for visiting this site and helping to make it the wonderful creation that it is.
In Rainbow Love and Service,
and with all my Star and Amaranth love,
Comments or questions on all of this? Please email me;
as always, I'm happy to hear from you!
[ Back | Home | Email Rainbow.org's owner | Complete Site Map ] [EoF]
[ Back | Home | Email Rainbow.org's owner | Complete Site Map ]
created on 05-20-02
So, what gives? I'm sure regular visitors to my site are a tad confused at this point, coming here and seeing that the beautiful emblem of our Order, the graphic of which I created from scanning an old decal (and a week's worth of editing), is gone (yes, I am proud of that graphic), and it's been replaced by this... thing?
Well, it's a long story, I guess.
I've gotten a lot of questions over the past few years, asking me if I'd ever gotten any "flack" from Supreme Assembly about my using the emblem. I said no, which is true. I emailed them waaaay back in late 1998/early 1999 telling them about my site (which was pretty much a main page, a link to Supreme Assembly, and my rantings (aka the "Why Rainbow.org Exists" and "My Sidetrack" pages). They responded (something like 10 months later), thanking me for the link to their site. That was pretty much it. Swear!I always did wonder, though, when the ball would drop, and I'd be contacted about my site. I didn't expect it to be this long, really...
So, fast-forward to March of this year. I've never been completely secret about my identity... sure, you have to look around (and I'm not talking about just MY site), but "obvious" clues are out there. I've told less than 20 people who I really am (meaning first and last name), and what Assembly I'm a Majority Member of. (Well, more than that, now, since the members of the mailing list on Yahoo that I run all know, and have actually seen pictures of me from my Rainbow years (ooh)... but that's only fair, since they have to identify themselves to me, right? But I digress...)
I've been told that rumors have been circulating for a while about my site, and who I might be. I found out a week or so ago that the CA GEC adults are trying to get in touch with me (yes, for those who didn't read the fine print, I am from, and still live, here in sunny California (it hailed this morning, the size of peas!)), and obtained my phone number from a member of the Lodge that my father and my husband both belong to. So, I was finally called last night. Guess my cover's been blown!
But it's okay! They like me, they really like me... or at the very least, my site! And all the wonderful things on it, much of it stuff that I have come up with, or organized, or typed up, etc... but much more of it that I have you, the website visitors, to thank for your wonderful contributions of information!
They just are verifying that I am "legit", and that I am out to do good for Rainbow. The person who contacted me has actually read through Rainbow.org thoroughly, which reassures me that 'they' are not out to get me.
I was told how wonderful the "Comments" page is, how great it is to have an anonymous forum for those involved to freely say what they wish. Yay! Feel happy -- for my wish of people in charge reading the comments has come true! Perhaps more will read it, and 'clue in' to what we are all trying to say!
For those who may be worried about your confidentiality in things you have emailed me -- fear not. It was not even brought up, I got no feeling that it was even hinted at, and I will reaffirm here and now to all of you that I will not give over any identifying information, email addresses, or anything told to me in confidence, should it come to that (and I highly doubt that it will ever come to that point. They're not, like, the Men in Black or anything! I mean, for one thing, Rainbow Girls aren't allowed to WEAR black, and that'd be setting a bad example, right??? {giggle}).
They're just concerned (and by 'they', I mean Supreme Assembly, now) about the use of their emblem. And, come on, that's only fair, right? It's a trademark, they own the copyright, and there are so many weirdos out there who, for whatever reason, seem to think that anything Masonic is bad, and they put up weird websites with all kinds of ludicrous stuff about the Masonic orders. (Don't believe me? Check out MasonicInfo.Com, a great site; they've got quite a bit of information about that type of stuff.)
So now it comes to this: I was asked, nicely, to temporarily remove the emblem from my main page, while the GEC adults meet to reassure themselves that all is still peachy-keen with Rainbow.org and its webmistress, and let Supreme Assembly know as well. I guess a few Supreme people have come to my site, but have not looked much deeper than the main page (I won't comment about old people and computers, lest my father read this!), saw the emblem, didn't know who I was, and were concerned.
What's the replacement graphic, you ask? Well... that's the original Rainbow emblem! The one W. Mark Sexson created in the 1920's, and was in use till around 1932. I, personally, think it's lovely (and easier to make than the 'modern' emblem). I only popped that graphic together in a half-hour, so excuse the simplistic style -- but I like said, it's only temporary. I do have a member pin of this original emblem (the white circle has a pearl in the middle) -- it's not in the Memorabilia Gallery yet, but I do plan on some major updates to that this summer, so keep an eye out for it. Consider that your historical lesson for the week, if you didn't already know.
Now, I know that there are a couple of Supreme Inspectors/Deputies, and at least one PSWA, who have been to Rainbow.org, and seemed to like it, from what they wrote/I was told. So that's a good thing, I think. And having the CA GEC on my side is a good thing, too.
PLEASE! Do not contact Supreme Assembly over this, no matter how silly/stupid/irritating you think this is! I want this to all go smoothly, and people contacting Supreme about this would only impede the process, and could possibly make things bad for Rainbow.org. It sounds like all will be well in the end; I have no reason to be concerned, so you shouldn't, either. I mean it. Okay?
If you would like to be of help to Rainbow.org, there are several things you can do.
