A note from Jack Barnard

I think at times like this that we need to step up and express how we feel. As I see it, the more that we take a stand for the highest, most magnificent outcome, the greater the chance that healing and transformation can take place. I've been deeply affected by the events of this past week. As a way to come to grips with my feelings, I wrote this piece, which I want to share with the people in my life. -- God bless us all. Jack

i have a hole

in my heart

and i

make a vow

someway,

somehow...

i will completely fill

this hole with love

and in this moment,

right now...

that's really all i'm

thinking of

I have a hole in my heart...

The Twin Towers are knocked down with thousands of innocent people trapped inside, our house of defense is rendered defenseless, the world mourns, all of our lives are changed forever.

I have a hole in my heart...

Immediately we call out for war -- somebody has to pay -- and yet we know in the mirrors of our souls that this is a war we can't win. We think we know who's responsible for this abomination, and we want to take them out. But aren't we all responsible, somehow, in some way? Even if we can't connect to that level of responsibility, aren't we accountable for finding a way -- some way -- to turn this act of loathing and desperation into an act of accelerated humanity?

I have a hole in my heart...

God bless America, land that I love, but is this really the time for Nationalism? Isn't it really the time for Internationalism? Is the country we live in what we really have in common? Doesn't it go deeper than that? Isn't what we really have in common our humanness? Aren't we human beings first and foremost? Isn't that what we need to remember now?

I have a hole in my heart...

It's easy to be confused about an atrocity like this. Certainly there are no simple answers. Everyone has an opinion. It was prophesied, it's the fault of the fundamentalists, it's because of our foreign policy, it's a conspiracy of the shadow government. If the past holds true, no matter what we discover, we'll never really know. Certainly we have to defend ourselves, certainly we have to prevent terrorism, but I fear our thinking only glides the surface.

I have a hole in my heart...

Whether we like it or not, the six billion souls on this chaotic planet are coming closer and closer. You can telephone just about anyone, anywhere, at anytime; you can go all the way around the world in less than a day. We are so wired together that when anything of consequence happens to any of us, we know about it. We can watch it unfold. And yet, many of our cultures painfully, agonizingly clash. If we stop at our ethnic, religious or national identities, if we don't go deeper and remember that for the most part human beings want the same things -- respect and compassion -- there is no solution.

I have a hole in my heart...

I read that my countrymen are screaming at, throwing rocks at, shooting at "others" because the "others" are of the same descent as the alleged perpetrators. Yet we know that you can't win over ignorance, prejudice and hate with ignorance, prejudice and hate. Terrorism is vile. You don't end terrorism with terrorism.

I have a hole in my heart...

I don't just feel sorry for Americans right now -- although I am tormented at what our country is going through -- I feel sorry for our species. We're the race that was bombed, we're the race that did the bombing. We are a family killing its members. We are a snake eating it's own tail.

I have a hole in my heart...

Events like this bring out the essence of the soul. This is the time to fly our truest colors. This is not a time for hate -- no matter how hateful the crime committed. This is not a time to divide our species even further. This is a time to find our deepest unity. This is a time for prayer. We all know by now that prayer works and that a unified intention held by a mass of people can change the course of history. This is the time for that.

I have a hole in my heart...

And I make a vow here and now to fill that hole with the deepest level of love, understanding and compassion that I can muster. I have a hole in my heart, and instead of revenge, retaliation and separation, I want to find a way to use this terrible event to unify the confused and disparate people on our troubled planet. I want to be a better person, more loving and more respectful. I'm going to use this spectacular, repugnant event to do just that.

I have a hole in my heart...

Jack Barnard [oobidoobi13@msn.com]

---

William O. Beeman
Pacific News Service
September 12, 2001

Providence, Rhode Island -- The United States risks a severe miscalculation in dealing with the destruction of the World Trade Center and the attack on the Pentagon on Tuesday.

This event is not an isolated instance of violence. This is not an "act of war." It is one symptom of a cancer that threatens to metastasize.

The root cause is not terrorist activity, as has been widely stated. It is the relationship between the United States and the Islamic world. Until this central cancerous problem is treated, Americans will never be free from fear.

Merely locating and hunting down a single "guilty party" in this case will not stop future violence: such an action will not destroy the organization of terrorist cells already established throughout the world. Of greater importance, it will do nothing to alleviate the residual enmity against America.

The perpetrators of the original attack on the World Trade Center in 1993 were caught and convicted. This did not stop the attack on Tuesday.

The chief suspect is the Saudi Arabian Osama bin Laden, or his surrogates. He has been mischaracterized as an anti-American terrorist. He should rather be thought of as someone who would do anything to protect Islam.

Bin Laden began his career fighting the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in 1979, when he was 22 years old. He has not only resisted the Soviets, but also the Serbians in Yugoslavia. His anger was directed against the United States primarily because of the U.S. presence in the Gulf region, more particularly in Saudi Arabia itself -- the site of the most sacred Islamic religious sites.

According to bin Laden, during the Gulf War America co-opted the rulers of Saudi Arabia to establish a military presence in order to kill Muslims in Iraq. In a religious decree issued in 1998, he gave religious legitimacy to attacks on Americans in order to stop the United States from "occupying the lands of Islam in the holiest of places." His decree also extends to Jerusalem, home of the sacred Muslim site the al-Aqsa Mosque.

Bin Laden will not cease his opposition until the United States leaves the region. Paradoxically, his strategy for convincing the United States to do so seems drawn from the American foreign policy playbook. When the United States disapproves of the behavior of another nation, it "turns up the heat" on that nation through embargoes, economic sanctions or withdrawal of diplomatic representation. In the case of Iraq following the Gulf War, America employed military action, resulting in the loss of civilian life.

The State Department has theorized that if the people of a rogue nation experience enough suffering, they will overthrow their rulers, or compel them to adopt more sensible behavior.

The terrorist actions in New York and Washington are a clear and ironic implementation of this strategy against the United States.

Bin Laden takes no credit for actions emanating from his training camps in Afghanistan. A true ideologue, he believes that his mission is sacred, and he wants only to see clear results. For this reason, the of his organization is essentially tribal, or cellular, in modern political terms. His followers are as fervent and intense in their belief as he is. They carry out their actions because they believe in the rightness of their cause, not because of bin Laden's orders or approval. Groups are trained in Afghanistan, and then establish their own centers in places as far-flung as Canada, Africa and Europe. Each cell is technologically sophisticated, and may have a different set of motivations for attacking the United States.

Palestinian members of his group see Americans as supporters of Israel in view, Ariel Sharon's ascendancy to leadership of Israel has triggered a new era, with U.S. government officials failing to pressure the Israeli government to end violence against Palestinians. Palestinian cell members will not cease their opposition until the United States changes its relationship with the Israeli state.

Above all, Americans need to remember that the rest of the world has an absolute right to self-determination that is as defensible as our own. A despicable act of terror such as that committed in New York and Washington is a measure of the revulsion that others feel at U.S. actions that seemingly limit those rights. If we perpetuate a cycle of hate and revenge, this conflict will escalate into a war that our great-grandchildren will be fighting.

William O. Beeman is a specialist on Middle East culture at Brown University. He has worked for the past four years in Tajikistan, where he has monitored developments in Afghanistan.

---

9-11: An Intuitive Perspective
by Jaye C. Beldo

I had just come out of meditation on the morning of September 11th when I received a phone call from my boss. "Get over here...you're never going to see anything like this." I threw some pants on and dashed across the hall and into his apartment. The first image I saw on the t.v. was the jetliner smashing into the World Trade Center and exploding. I fought the tendency to focus on the physicality of the event and managed to read the aura surrounding the building as it was impacted. As the flames billowed, a huge rift appeared above the structure and all this dark energy started pouring in. The aura around New York was torn wide open. Sensitized by the meditation, my clairsentient (clear seeing) abilities were quite heightened, enabling me to perceive these things. I made sure not to identify with what I saw as I do when meditating, but rather detached and focused on my heart chakra instead. While the horror unfolded before me I could feel something trying to cord my third chakra (solar plexus) and drain energy from me. It took everything I had not to get psychically sucked into the vortex created by the burning towers. It was nearly impossible not to gaze. I found myself becoming hypnotized by the horror unfolding before me.

I broke away and returned to my televisionless apartment and prepared for the work day. I vowed not to look at any mainstream media venues if I could help it. I had used this sanity preserving, avoidance technique on prior occassions such as when the Space Shuttle exploded in 1986. Avoiding the media has been one of the best strategies to help maintain a sense of a heart centered self, not to mention the fact that it enables me to thwart mind control most effectively.

I managed to get through the day quite well, until later that afternoon, when we went to one of our Jewish customer's house. I'm most fond of this customer primarily because of her warmth, humor and cynical wit. When she opened the door, I read her aura to see how she was handling the tragedy. It looked very similar to the aura surrounding the World Trade Center but on a microcosmic scale. Her aura was crazy (crazy literally means: full of cracks) and all sorts of dark energy spiraled around. She looked absolutely frayed, no doubt having watched the disaster over and over again, all day long on t.v. "You heard it hear first." She told us. "Bin Laden did it." Again I detached as best I could, feeling my stomach start to tighten up and outwardly went along with what she was saying. However, I knew that whatever she heard on t.v. could not be trusted in anyway. She had many cords in her third chakra. (for those of you who do not know what cords are, they are psychic cords or strings which attach to the etheric body. Cording is very manipulative. As an example, if someone wants to have sex with you but cannot tell you outright, they will cord your second chakra which is below the navel, in hopes that you will get the message and initiate something that will gratify the passive person doing the cording. A most helpful book which will clarify things like cords, auras and chakras is The Psychic Healing Book by Amy Wallace.)

On the night of 9-11, I went to bed early and could feel how the trauma was being pulsed through the atmosphere. I made sure to surround myself with bright colors and fell into a deep sleep. The next day, I woke up energized and high spirited, refusing to buy into the collective mind set that pervaded. I somehow managed to pierce through the pervading vibration of trauma, fear, hate and anger. All morning long at work I felt calm and relaxed. However, on the front page of the newspaper my boss pulled out of his bag at lunch, was the image of the plane hitting the tower. I looked at it, forgetting about the meditation technique of detaching and not identifying with what one sees. I felt nearly all of my positive energy drain out of me. My solar plexus tightened up and I began to feel nauseous. "God damned Muslims." My boss cursed. He had taken the bait like the legions of people who are not aware of how our psyches can be manipulated through the etheric body via the media. I simply went along with it, while knowing otherwise, chiming in with sarcastic comments like "Nuke em' all." I could see the dark swirls in his aura as well. I then realized that I had to be very careful about entertaining such thoughts since they were coming in through the torn aura of America and into my very own head. These negative memes were attempting to colonize my mind. Since then, I've been trying hard not to entertain violent, cynical thoughts but it has not been very easy at all. I just keep reminding myself to detach from the negativity swirling around. Please let me emphasize: detachment is not indifference.

I have received many phone calls from my intuitive counseling clients asking me how they should deal with the trauma of 9-11. "Turn off your t.v.s and don't read the newspapers." I have been telling them. Some called back and told me that was the best thing they could have done as it restored some resemblance of peace and sanity into their lives. I suggest the same to you as well.

Meditation has been most difficult since the attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Through the chakras located in the arches of our feet we can gain much information about what is happening to the earth. Through the feet chakras, I've been sensing the 9-11 trauma being impulsed through throughout the globe to further manipulate us on a massive scale. Most U.S. citizens are probably not aware of these kind of manipulations, especially those who do not have some kind of regular spiritual practice like yoga and meditation. It is this kind of awareness that the powers that be don't want us to have. I'm convinced that the more we fixate on the plethora of horrible images provided to us, the more psychically shut down we will become. As I got into a deeper meditative state, I paid close attention to the trauma coming up through my legs and into my first chakra, the chakra of life force, survival and past lives. I detached, breathed bright red into my groin area and relaxed. I could feel fear diminshing as I did this.

There is much sleight of hand involved in the propaganda that is proliferating itself through the military controlled media at the moment. I suggest paying attention to how your physical body, especially the solar plexus, responds to the images and the various forms of disinformation being fed us and begin to rely on this intuitive information instead of what is coming through the t.v.

Last night as I tried to fall asleep, my guardian angels came in and offered to do some healing on my crown chakra (the chakra of wisdom). Grateful for these very wise beings's help (wise enough to have learned how to excarnate once and for all from the earth plane), they seemed to be giving me some needed protection from the dark forces at large. This made it easier to see the entities taking the opportunity of entering in through America's torn aura and the aura of individuals as well, possessing people, no doubt fueling the growing hatred towards the perpetrators of the crime whoever they may be. While I was receiving this healing, negative entities tried their best to possess me. I felt bleedthrough from parallel universes of an overtly Nazified variety, universes taking advantage of the torn, collective aura of the United States. Many negative thoughts over took me even though I was aware of the etheric manipulations at hand. I successfully detached from these entities with the help of my positive guides and slept peacefully.

I only offer this intuitive perspective of 9-11 as an alternative to the highly manipulative, Corporate media blitzkrieg technique of radically impacting the collective psyche with such 'unforgettable' images of the disaster. From a karmic point of view, what happened on 9-11 is nothing new compared to previous disasters in the past such as found in Atlantis, India during the time of the Mahabharata War, or Nazi Germany. The only difference now is how we choose to respond. We can react to what has happened and fall into the mind control traps deliberately set up for us (supporting full scale war for example or whatever else George W. decides to do) or we can respond from a place of spiritual evolvement where we can see opportunities to further understand the abuses of power both within and beyond ourselves.

There is another recently published book I recommend: Catastrophobia by Barbara Hand Clowe. I once attended a talk given by this astrologer cum Pleiadian diplomat, on how the disaster of Atlantis is still alive in our cellular bodies. As she elaborated on this, I could feel the collective trauma of the sinking of Atlantis in the audience. Ever since Barbara's insightful talk, I have been most attentive to how this trauma and others like have been manipulated by the powers that be, especially through the Hollywood apparatus. Now we have before us, an excellent opportunity to study, from an etheric/spiritual perspective, how the 9-11 trauma is being used to mind, if not body and soul control the masses. We only need to overcome our personal fears and misgivings of using such perceptive abilities that I believe we all have, in order to do so.

Jaye C. Beldo contributes to the Konformist, Steamshovel Press, Disinfo.Com, ViewZone and other venues on and off line. He can be reached at Netnous@Aol.Com

---

A Call To Arms
by Douglas Crandall

Who are we? What are we doing to ourselves? Despicable evil is carried out by other humans -- altering the course of the world forever. And yet, when you really think about it, who is it that is conducting these evil acts? And who are these evil acts being carried out on? I am the only one here...

This is the fundamental issue we have to face: the side of humanity that can attain such high levels of atrocity. These nameless, faceless terrorists that are driven by hatred and anger, Are a part of humanity. They live and breathe from the same pool of existence as the rest of us. And yet they follow the side of darkness, wreaking havoc and hell on innocents.

So they must be eradicated. They must be removed from the face of existence forever more. But how do we do this? Do we simply retaliate and hunt them down until they're gone? If so, how many innocents will we kill in the process? How much havoc and hell do we wreak in the name of justice, leaving in its wake survivors that will have their own sense of anger and righteousness indignation to deal with, ensuring that this process of creating our own reality continues. A process that fuels anger and hatred on all sides of the conflict. How long must this madness continue? Furthermore, while conducting our acts of vengeance on these nameless, faceless terrorists, who is it that we are truly attacking? I am the only one here...

Yes, Me. It all comes down to me. I am responsible for what I do. The attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon are a call to arms. The final battle has begun -- and the enemy is us.

It is not just a war on terrorism, but a war on tyranny and oppression everywhere. It is a war to eliminate that part of ourselves that give rise to feelings of anger and hatred. It is a war against injustice no matter what form it takes. It is a call to arms for peoples everywhere to bear witness that we will no longer accept such behaviors from ourselves or anyone else. Acts of vengeance and terrorism will no longer be tolerated, but rather replaced with feelings of forgiveness and compassion for those who suffer.

Those who conduct acts of terrorism are suffering. The depths of their anger and fear are immeasurable. It must be for them to carry out such acts. What else could explain their behaviors? What else could impel another human to do such things to his fellow man? Yet it is our duty to not follow in their footsteps. To not lash out in fear hoping to do to them what they have done to us. Yes, they must be stopped. Yes, they must not be allowed to "get away" with their actions. Yes, we must stamp out this form of fear and eliminate it from our world. Yes, the time has come to take the next leap in our evolution as spiritual beings. Yes, we must look deep inside ourselves to see that it is up to us to do these things. Yes, this is our call to arms to do what every spiritual teacher has ever taught us to do. We have reached the limit of what we choose to experience in the form of pain and suffering. The call to arms has come and it's up to us. After all, I am the only one here....

Douglas Crandall is a staff member of The EDGE.

---

May all of us stay in the Light. May the sadness that we feel in our hearts be transformed into the White Wings of an Angel. May we pour our abundant Love over those spots on our beloved Earth that are so in need of Healing. May we sow the seeds of Peace and Love and watch them grow with endless Joy.

May we All shine our Lights for those of us that walk in darkness.

May there be Peace in the Hearts of All.

May there be Light in the Hearts of All.

May there be Love in the Hearts of All.

May there be Joy in the Hearts of All.

Like a Guru once said to a mother that lost her son: "I cannot take away your tears. I can only make them Holy...."

All our Love and Light to All.

Jan Gosen and Margot Wolff, The Netherlands
[gosenandwolff@home.nl]

---

It’s Time for Solutions
by John Hagelin, Ph.D.

Let us not waste precious time lamenting what should have been done to prevent this week's barbaric acts. Let us instead do what must be done NOW to prevent further carnage.

For next time, the devastation could be worse. This week's attack was partly symbolic: targeting the icons of U.S. military and commercial power. It would have been easier, analysts say, for the terrorists to unleash a biological weapon, or to detonate a crude nuclear device, than to execute their highly coordinated, pinpoint attack, involving the simultaneous breach of multiple airport security systems.

While a NARROWLY TARGETED response against the perpetrators of the atrocity is clearly mandated, we must resist any impulse to retaliate militarily against entire nations or even communities. Such retaliation would be as barbarous as the very act we are condemning--and would only cause an escalation of bloodshed on all sides.

Even as we pursue such justice, we must also recognize the impotence of this pursuit. First, because the damage is done; reactive steps cannot change this fact. A proactive, PREVENTIVE strategy is needed. Second, suicide bombers and the bin Ladens of this world will only welcome the perpetuation and escalation of violence. It fuels their cause, expands their support base, enflames their followers--and feeds their own blood lust.

What do we do? It is abundantly clear that conventional strategies of defense provide NO effective defense against terrorism. And despite the cry for a dramatic escalation of our intelligence services, nothing short of a totalitarian police state--entailing a massive invasion of our privacy and individual liberties--could have prevented this week's horrific acts. Even with the government's ultra-high-tech eavesdropping technologies, ECHELON and CARNIVORE, already prying into the lives of American citizens, our intelligence agencies had NO CLUE of the impending, massive attack.

Clearly, we need a new approach--one that targets the underlying causes of fanatical, violent behavior. Setting aside, for now, recent U.S. foreign policies that foster international resentment and invite retaliation, such causes include:

1. Mounting tensions among rival factions in critical hotspots throughoutthe world; and

2. Deep-seated ignorance and underdevelopment of the brain caused by outdated education. Education must expand comprehension, and it must develop the brain fully. It should incorporate the most profound scientific knowledge, including the discovery of the unified field, which establishes the ultimate unity of life and of humanity. This knowledge can be effectively conveyed even at primary levels of education. Research shows that the assimilation of such knowledge, together with its associated balanced brain development, virtually precludes narrowly self-centered, violent and destructive behavior. Highly successful examples of this "unified-field based" education can be found throughout the world, including at my university in Iowa.

But it may take years to modernize education and "enlighten" the world. In the meantime, we must halt terrorism now. And we can, according to research published in leading scientific journals. We can diffuse acute ethnic and religious tensions that underlie regional conflicts and terrorism, using field-tested approaches that have demonstrated their ability to quell violence and warfare. Novel as it may seem, these approaches include the practice of stress-reducing meditation techniques by strategically located groups--an approach that was scientifically shown to produce an 80% drop in war deaths and war-related injuries during the Lebanon war.

Right now, Major General Kulwant Singh, a highly decorated 35-year career veteran, is in Washington, D.C., urging President Bush to quickly implement a "prevention wing" in the military--10,000-20,000 troops trained in the powerful peace-promoting technology of Transcendental Meditation and related techniques. This approach is being supported by a growing number of military leaders throughout the world.

Unfortunately, rather than look seriously at something new that MIGHT work--something with extensive research behind it--the Bush Administration is pushing costly, outmoded and invasive strategies that we know DON'T work.

Now is not the time for hollow assurances--nor the hasty abridgement of our hard-won freedoms. Now is the time for a NEW approach--an approach with a demonstrated ability to prevent social violence and stop terrorism.

John Hagelin, Ph.D., a Harvard-trained quantum physicist, is Director of the Institute of Science, Technology and Public Policy at Maharishi University of Management, and Minister of Science and Technology of the Global Country of World Peace.

---

ANGELS IN MY HEART
by Carla Wessel Houle

I feel the angels in my heart, and they are bring me such hope.
In a world gone mad with violence, they are helping me to cope.
On September the Eleventh, we had terrible destruction,
and this dreadful devastation made it difficult to function.

And yet with all the stresses I felt peace in spite of everything.
I was centered in my heart, with all this chaos happening.
If we can pray each day in faith, there’s help from the Divine,
and if we work in synch with Spirit, we stay peacefully aligned.

We must be brave as Spiritual Warriors -we must keep our courage.
I myself have faith in angels, and I am not discouraged.
Just close your eyes and take deep breaths, and pray for guidance in your life,
and as you calm down in your heart, you know you are all right.

I feel angels coming in, as this whole world has a need.
They are here to love us and to help humanity.
We must get back to what’s important -- and may have to fight for love.
All of the angels in the sky will help us from above.


Angels are sprinkled in our lives and will help when we ask them.
We need to know, they are really here, to help us as dear friends.
So if you wish to call on them -- they will bring faith and LOVE.
They are sent as our God’s messengers from the heavens up above.

Carla Wessel Houle is an author, artist, intuitive reader and spiritual counselor. She writes, paints, and assists others working with the support of her spirit guides. Her paintings, classes and intuitive readings are available at The Metaphysical Emporium. Her animal/angel cards will be available in October.
Copyright 200l Carla Wessel Houle

---

THE SACRED RED, WHITE, AND BLUE
by Carla Wessel Houle

As an immigrant from Sweden when he was just nine years old,
my Dad was one of many with a story to be told.
Standing on the boat in New York Harbor, when he first arrived,
so excited and exhilarated, he stood there and he cried.
As he first viewed our Lady -- and the Statue of our Liberty,
this symbol of America standing so majestically.

In school, Dad would have fistfights about his accent and his clothes,
yet was proud to be American with this life his parents chose.
America is the melting pot where we can come together,
a place of opportunity where assorted lives are tethered.
America is a land of such a positive free power,
yet it was taken advantage of years later -- this September hour.

This horrendous shocking day was the eleventh of September.
It is etched forever in our minds, and we will long remember.
Humanity was threatened by a catastrophic Nine-One-One.
This appalling wake-up call was here for each and everyone.
We try to live our little lives and not get too involved,
but on this date in history, complacency dissolved.

America was bombed and we so quickly lost a lot of lives.
How fragile this dear world can be, we start to realize.
How do we deal with all the pain, the death, and the destruction?
How will we heal from all this shock, how can we even function?
In this terrible destruction it was difficult to cope,
and yet in devastation, there were heroes who brought hope.

As the stories drifted in, amid the pain and dreadful shock,
America reeled in horror, and yet, we started to take stock.
The showing of humanity no matter color or creed,
was magnificent to know about, and so hopeful indeed.
The firefighters, police, and All the rescue workers on the Force,
were helping this disaster, as they soothed this tragic course.

Our brave American heroes on the planes so beautifully
showed the Spirit of our nation, for all the world to see.
Now, we need to mourn, we need to pray, we need to find our courage,
we need to face this less safe world, and still not get discouraged.
We will rebuild our world and we will all do it together,
having faced a horrific storm - this is our new endeavor.

We should all direct our anger in a positive, good way.
asking God for guidance as we remember first -- to pray.
It is time to RAISE OUR CONSCIOUSNESS -- THIS IS OUR BIG CHANCE,
as we are forced to deal with things -- lives changed by circumstance.
Our children need to know we must be strong and most resilient.
We can be Spiritual Warriors, most alert and diligent.

Our children need to learn from us the truths which keep us strong,
that there are lessons in our lives of what is right and wrong.
We can’t assume our freedoms, as our lives are rearranged.
We can’t afford to be complacent as our lives are changed.
It is awful a few madmen can bring evil to our lives.
We all are being tested, we do need to realize.

Still, we will not be paralyzed in the dark of night.
America shall persevere and beam it’s shining light.
Although our world was shaken, we still stand for Liberty.
We bonded together, so united, for the world to see.
We have the courage we will need, even if we have to fight,
with purity of purpose we keep justice in our sight.

And as we raise our consciousness, a new soft web is spun.
As we rebuild together, faith and healing have begun.
America grew up that day -- the eleventh of September,
not so naive or trusting, yet good values we will remember.
New courage will inspire us as we still have our kind heart,
yet we aren’t afraid to stand our ground -- we each must do our part.

Now, I believe in angels and I still believe in God.
I believe in love and hope -- Faith is my lightening rod.
We must rebuild together, and we must communicate.
Each one of us is needed, as together we relate.
Our courage will inspire us -- also truth, honor, and LOVE,
and I believe we are truly helped by angels up Above.

Carla Wessel Houle is an author, artist, intuitive reader and spiritual counselor. She writes, paints, and assists others working with the support of her spirit guides. Her paintings, classes and intuitive readings are available at The Metaphysical Emporium. Her animal/angel cards will be available in October.
Copyright 200l Carla Wessel Houle

---

A Message from Jean Houston
September 18th 2001

Dear Friends,

We are all New Yorkers. That is the gist of the message that I have been receiving from the thousands of e-mails, countless phone calls and faxes, and communications from people writing or calling me from over 30 countries. The outpouring of love, of service, and even of life itself is the miracle of humanity surpassing itself. All over this country and throughout the world people are affirming their unity with us, and more, the unity of all people. This tragedy brings us together in shadow and in light, for richer and for poor, in sickness and in health for as long as we all shall live. The desecration that occurred is also the announcement of a potential global union.

I have often spoken of how technology and the Internet gave us the world mind taking a walk with itself. But in the light of the events of September 11th, we now must speak of the world heart, the world stomach, the world spirit. America is not longer insulated from the pathos of other nations.

We are present at the birth of an opportunity that exceeds our imagination. Christopher Fry writes, "Thank God, our time is now, when wrong comes up to meet us everywhere, never to leave us till we take the longest stride of soul men ever took." All oppression rises in our time, all shadows, all terrors, and factors unique in human history also arise around us to compound our folly and confuse our desire. We yearn for meaning and deal with trivia. We are swept in currents over which we have no control. Government has become too big for the small problems of life and too small in spirit for the large problems. The tyranny that threatens to destroy us is not just terrorism; it is the tyranny of the unjust demands we have made of Nature and the tyranny of some nations being kept in economic slavery by other nations.

We are the ones who have the most profound task in human history--the task of deciding whether we grow or die. This will involve helping cultures and organizations to move from dominance by one economic culture or group to circular investedness, sharing and partnership. It will involve putting economics back as a satellite to the soul of culture rather than having the soul of culture as satellite to economics. It will involve deep listening past the arias and the habits of cruelty of crushed and humiliated people. It will involve a stride of soul that will challenge the very canons of our human condition. It will require that we become evolutionary partners with each other.

This is a huge test we find ourselves in. We have newly emerged from a century of war and holocaust. Our hopes for the new century, the new millennium were for a new way of being between nations and people, between the earth and ourselves, between spirit and matter. Those hopes still live, if anything, they have become more powerful, more necessary. For America it will mean a deep shift of our attitudes to other cultures around the world to one of service and support rather than exploitation and dominance. Yes, the perpetrators have to be found and dealt with through therapeutic law and international justice. They are not a nation, they are a cancer, and a cancer is rarely removed through a cycle of violence. Rather, as in holistic medicine, they have to be subdued by the strengthening of the healthy immune system, the envisioning of the pattern of health, and yes, the removal of the cancer wherever it can be excised.

The metaphor is apt. Our health, our security, is built on friendship. Instead of spending so many billions for weapons of destruction (which we manufacture ourselves and sell globally), what if we were to use some of those billions to the feeding of the hungry (one in every three persons), the housing of the homeless, the making of those efforts that can result in the healing of the wounds of nations. Real security demands real friendship, global marriage. As one of my correspondents brilliantly addressed these issues, "The problem is not just terrorism. The problem is generations of beings who experience not having an identity. The question is what made human beings incapable of feeling love, compassion or empathy towards themselves or anyone else, and thereby, becoming destroyers of their own species? What happened that human beings could become so psychologically, emotionally and spiritually distorted that they could believe that Islam, one of the most spiritual paths in the world, could encourage murder and suicide to gain heavenly reward?"

Friends, these are not Muslims. These are marginalized fanatics who have made a travesty of their faith. The issue is how we can join together to create a world in which such pathology will no longer be nurtured.

Many of us are feeling impotent before the enormity of the prospect. Some of you, I know, have experienced "meltdown", some have seen visions, had dreams. Many have had the portals of their minds blown open to deeper realities, potent reflections. Tragedy has drawn us closer, sent us deeper, and given us the option of preparing for life rather than death.

I have been considering some of the things that you may wish to do in the days and weeks to come that will give expression to your feelings and need to act. What I offer below is drawn primarily from my own reflections as well as others, particularly some prescriptions offered by Yes! magazine.

1. In these spirit quaking times, align with your own spiritual resources. Take time to meditate, pray, reflect in solitude and in nature. Allow yourself daily time and space to be re-sourced. Consider living daily life as spiritual exercise Watch your finer intuitions and ideas, and share them with others. Commune with your spiritual allies, archetypal friends, quantum partners. In the place of spiritual connection feel strength and compassion and intelligence flow. Become creative in your actions. Plot scenarios of optimal healing and begin wherever you can to put them in place for events as well as people. Practice miracle management.

2. Give yourself vacations from television. So much of it anyway is infomercials for war.(However the local New York City stations are filled with human stories of compassion and courage.) But do listen occasionally to talk shows and call in with your own opinions and ideas for making a better world. Write that letter to the editor. Write or call your congressman and local government officials. Handwritten faxes seem to be the things that are most likely to get through, followed by phone call. e-mails, alas are the least likely. You can find your U.S. representatives at www.house.gov or for Senators, www.senate.gov. Above all, Let Your Voice Be Heard!

3. Gather in groups and, if possible in ongoing teaching-learning communities of wisdom and empowerment. But let everyone speak, and do not deny them the authenticity of their feelings even if they diverge widely from your own.

4. Talk to the kids, your own or other people's children. Let them express their feelings, tell you what is on their minds. Give them a grasp of the larger issues at hand. Tell them about mercy and compassionate action. If possible engage them in service oriented activities. Let them see the larger story.

5. Show up at town meetings, or other places where people meet to pray and talk and engage each other. Sign petitions if you are willing and join in other activities that are "sending a big message". have vision circles to put forth images of what the world can be. Envision the possible society together. (For ideas, you might want to look at my book, authored with Margaret Rubin, Manual of the Peacemaker, which deals with the Iroquois creation of a better society.)

6. Get thee to a mosque! Give support and compassion to Arab friends, colleagues, or people you happen to meet of middle eastern origin. Stamp out hatred and fear surrounding these people wherever you can. Let them tell their stories, their hopes and dreams. In fact, try and learn as much as you can about the Middle East, the political situations there, as well as the teachings of Islam. For key information on the crisis and well considered information and opinions about the Middle East you may want to go to Alternet.org and commondreams.org.

7. Give up your own holding patterns on your old self. This is the time to become or at least to enact the possible human. Let your senses take pleasure in the glory of this world. Let your heart celebrate the incredible gift of life. And share this with others.

I live in a double domed house that was the last design of my old friend Buckminster Fuller, completed just before he died. I asked my house what words it would give you and it responded with Bucky's own. They came out of a time of tremendous personal crisis in his life.

"So I vowed to keep myself alive, but only if I would never use me again for just me - each one of us is born of two, and we really belong to each other. I vowed to do my own thinking, instead of trying to accommodate everyone else' opinion, credo's and theories. I vowed to apply my own inventory of experiences to the solving of problems that affect everyone aboard planet Earth."

Much Love and High Regard, Jean Houston

Jean Houston, Ph.D., is a scholar and researcher in human capacities, and for the past 30 years has co-directed, with her husband Dr. Robert Masters, the Foundation for Mind Research, first in New York City and now in Pomona, New York. Their work has focused on the understanding of latent human abilities. She is the founded of the Mystery School--a program of cross-cultural mythic and spiritual studies dedicated to teaching history, philosophy, the new physics, psychology, anthropology, myth, and the many dimensions of our human potential. Dr. Houston was the protégé of the late anthropologist Margaret Mead, who instructed her in the workings of organizations and power structures in many different cultures. With the late mythologist Joseph Campbell, Jean Houston frequently co-led seminars and workshops aimed at understanding interrelationships between ancient myths and modern societies.

---

Reflections from Barbara Marx Hubbard

As we mourn the tragic death of innocent people, contemplate the root causes of violence and hatred, and attempt to develop a wise strategy for response, a powerful realization dawns. We have reached a crisis of evolutionary proportions. We are at the threshold of a quantum jump -- either towards greater violence and destruction, or transformation through cooperation.

This crisis must serve as a call for convergence among people who are peace builders, conflict resolvers, compassionate listeners, those who search for common ground -- the healers, social innovators, communities of faith. We must develop a new social process of synergy and cocreation to bring to birth out of this pain the new world that has been struggling to be born in our midst for thousands of years.

We are the generation with the choice. What we choose now will affect the lives of generations to come, and all life on the planet.

Within every sector of society there are initiatives already active that are supporting the transformation of our current social and environmental systems, but they are not yet fully connected or communicated. We believe that by bringing about a greater synergy among these initiatives a comprehensive plan of action will be revealed. As a service to the emerging global community the Foundation for Conscious Evolution is developing the "Peace Room" on Internet. It is an operating hub to scan for, map, connect, and communicate the people and innovations now working to heal and positively evolve our world. At present we are inviting Evolutionary Colleagues from every sector of society to inform the Peace Room of the current situation and emerging initiatives in their sectors, and a proposed response to the crises and opportunities at hand.

While we pray for the thousands of people who are suffering from this tragedy, let us also actively connect and cooperate to bring about a planetary awakening in our lifetime. Together we make a difference.

Barbara Marx Hubbard and the Foundation for Conscious Evolution
http://www.consciousevolution.net

---

Editor's Note: This is an email that was received on September 10, 2001

THE TIME OF INGATHERING

Today we would like to talk to you about some of the things that are about to begin showing up on your perceptual screen. We would remind you to keep your breath open, as some of the things we will be talking about may cause some temporary discomfort to contemplate. We would prefer to not ever cause you any discomfort, but sometimes during a birth, there is some pain and pressure, and the more you can simply accept the process--in all of its aspects--the easier the process will go for you.

That being said, you --as a planetary population-- are about to enter a time of deepening strife and travail. There is safe haven within yourself, no matter where you are located on the planetary surface, and we are close at hand, guiding and protecting and showering our love and grace over you.

Whatever we may say here, whatever your eyes may see as you look around you, please remember that. If you feel yourself being overwhelmed by anything, just close your eyes for a moment, deepen your breathing, and come into your center. Feel the ground beneath your feet and remain rooted there until you are calm and serene in the midst of everything.

The first symptoms of the unraveling have begun to appear. The first wobbles of the axis are occurring and the center of things has begun to oscillate between one pole and another--both geophysically, politically, economically, and culturally. There is a profound change underway that affects every aspect of life in every part of the world, and all parts interact with and are connected to every other part, so the change will oscillate and ramify and be amplified with each oscillation.

This is part of the "shaking" that we have talked about, and it will shake loose everything before it is over. Nothing of the old ways will pass through this time. Only essence will survive and move on. Only what is in keeping with YOUR essence will survive the shift and move on. Many of the acculturated patterns will not make it though the "gate," and you will truly become entirely new beings.

On the way to the homecoming, though, you will pass through scenes of increasing turmoil and chaos. Many will be very frightened, as the fabric of their life becomes torn and shattered through these massive shifts and changes in the foundation that underlies the entire system. However, this is what their Oversouls chose for them to experience in this life, and it is also a time that is rich with opportunity for discovering what is REALLY important, for discovering where one's priorities really lie.

It will not be an easy time, but as so many of you have already discovered by going through your own travail, there is something gained in the end that is more precious than any material possession could possibly be. It is the inner peace and release that comes from surrender that is the "gold" within the cloud. It is the golden treasure of Spirit that will fill you now, and it is the time of the ingathering.

This will not be an easy thing for some of you to hear, because you care and you want to help and you still have fears about what will happen to the "others." Even so, this is as it was intended to be from the beginning, and is totally in keeping with the choices made by all of the Oversouls, individually and collectively. The ingathering is taking place now, and it represents the collecting of those who are going to Terra and removing them from the world scene for a time, until it is time to return and gather up those who have gone through the trials and been transformed by them.

This is about the harvest, and if we may take a few lines from your Bible, it is the time to separate the wheat from the tares, to send the workers into the fields and gather it into the barns. This is the time of the ingathering, and the withdrawal from the world for a time, until it is time to return. Let this sink in. Let this register. Let it fill you and let it deepen you and let it flow, without resistance, until you are at peace. Let all the resistance come up and move out of you. Let it all go. Let go and let God. Let go. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

There is no more to be done than to gather up those who are being lifted now. Then the full impact of the travail of the birth will play out on the planetary surface, and there will be much pain and suffering wherever there is resistance. This is a mighty, scouring force, and it will not be pleasant for many who go through it, but it must occur.

The lesson is one of surrender and of turning inward for support and succor. There are some lessons to be learned about the consequences of not taking responsibility for one's life and truth. There are some lessons to be learned about abdicating responsibility for one's life and truth and placing it into the hands of others. There will be many hard lessons learned.

The ingathering will remove all but a few of you from the planetary surface. Some will remain because their work for the planet requires it, but most of you will be lifted up out of the frequency band you now occupy and be totally hidden away until it is time to return. You will not be available to those who are left behind, so that they may have their opportunity to learn what you have learned. It is all in divine order and all within the Divine Plan. You are already being lifted now, and that separating out from the mass consciousness can be felt by those of you who are sufficiently sensitive to the more subtle energies to perceive it.

It will appear that the light is withdrawn with you, but that will never be the case. It will appear that you have abandoned those who remain behind, but that will never be the case. You will simply be withdrawing for a time so that you can return to help when you are really needed. You need to change your costume for your new role, and you need a safe place in which to accomplish that. You are simply going away to prepare for the real help you can give, and you will be needed in great numbers near the end of things, as there will be many who need your help at that time.

The kind of help you can give now is fairly limited, although your task of grounding the light and your meditation and prayers have been very effective in supporting the cleansing so far. But when it comes time to gather up those who have gone through the time of trials, it will not be enough to offer words of comfort or a book to read or a meditation circle. By then, things will be very different than they are now and different kind of help will be needed.

Wars and climate change and economic collapse and tyranny will all have taken their toll, and simple techniques and words will not be enough. You will literally walk through the killing fields and offer a hand to those who are ready to leave with you. You will need to be clothed in your armor of protection and you will need to be in full consciousness. You will be as living Christs (anointed ones) and carry the vibration and power that comes through such a state of being.

So now the lifting proceeds and the separating out proceeds and all will play out in increasingly serious fashion. You will find that, even though all is collapsing around you, you will have peace. You will have peace because you will have learned the lessons and will have learned how to surrender to the higher light and wisdom. You will have peace because you have learned how to face down your fears and accept your life's path with serenity. In that peace, you will find bliss and relief and you will accept the light and the lifting. So, now, let go of the feeling that there is anything to do now but accept the lifting. The things that will play out on the planetary surface MUST play out and there is nothing you need to resist or change. Let go and let God, and receive the peace of that.

Let peace be your refuge and armor against the pain of those around you. You cannot help them if you engage in their pain. You cannot be lifted if you are still clinging to the old forms and patterns. Let go and let God. Let God handle the details. You are not responsible for anyone but yourself. It is enough to receive the lifting, for by that means you will be able to really help when it is needed. We have been repeating ourselves throughout this Message because we really want you to "get it." Let go and let God. Do not resist what is happening around you. Receive peace.

All your life, and in all of your lives, you have been preparing for this time. It is here now. If you had a feeling that you had to DO something--set up a center, found a movement, teach a class, write a book--for most of you, that time is now over. For SOME of you--those who have elected to remain behind and who have work to do through the difficult times ahead-- you will be guided and you will know what is yours to do. Each one of you reading this has a part to play in all of this. Some of you will remain and play your part that way for now; the rest will be lifted gradually until you are "gone from the scene," so that you can complete your "costume change" and prepare for your new role.

We are with you all, and we will be coming closer to you now, so many of you who have not felt us will be able to feel us now. You have been activated by the light codes in these Messages and it is easier now for you to receive us. Let go and let God. Let go of your attachments as to how it will be for you or for those around you. Let it all be the way it is intended to be and you will have joy in all your undertakings. There will come a time when it is all ended, and then you will have Terra to look forward to. Let go. Float upwards. Let go. We are with you, every step of the way.

We leave you now in peace and honor and blessing. Amen, Adonoy Sabayoth.

We are the Hosts of Heaven.

---

A Message from Kryon
Channeled through Lee Carroll

Dear ones, today you mourn for the family members who have made their transitions and who are still in the process. For many of you, the question is this: "Why didn't we know?" or "Shouldn't have Spirit told us of these things?"

We want you to all know that the words we gave you some time ago are now here: "There is no Human or Spirit who can tell you what is going to happen tomorrow." This is part of the new dimensionality...that all happens outside a linear time frame, and that Humanity is totally in charge.

What you saw today is the result of what we saw and reported to you as the potentials for 2000 and beyond. We told you that you would see spiritual rage, and that there would be forces who would not let go of the old paradigm -- the way the world "used to work." Now you, in your country of America are also involved in actually feeling what this means. The battle begins in earnest, and now you know why you are called "warriors" of the light.

With the millennium change came new responsibility. Part of that revolves around this question: What will you do now? Can you lift yourselves above the anger? Can you see anything more in this than rage? Are you going to join or separate? The chasm opens and the choices become harder... such is the beginning of new wisdom for the planet.

The family who transited in this event, on this eleventh day, agreed to be part of this Human horror potential... something that could have changed yesterday if Humanity had so decided. You agreed to go forward, however, and the result will make you part of the world family more than ever before. Perhaps this will bring you all closer to agreement? Perhaps this will eventually make you decide world events differently? Perhaps more will go to their knees? Perhaps more will understand the "world family?"

If so, then the Humans who came home today will have a grander party than they expected, for it will have advanced planetary healing. All is in divine order, and all is appropriate, even though such statements are not understandable while you are in sorrow. Can you find peace within your heart now, even for those who perpetrated the events? Can you think interdimensionally? These are the spiritual questions that will separate those who talk about spiritual growth, from those who actually understand and practice it.

Blessed are those family who remain, for they are feeling the pain and suffering of incredible loss. For now, send your energy and your love to them. Remember: The thoughts of the few can change the reality of the many. Hug them from afar. Bring them into your rooms and weep for them, for they need your help.

Then, when enough time has passed...bring about wise decisions from a new resource of Humans who can now tap into the masters, the ones who are bringing their energy potential to the planet.

A call to action has been sounded in a land that was happy to just exist and watch the others work it out. Now you are all involved in the same challenges. The result? Human free choice will decide all, just as it always has. Only now, there is a profound urgency that was not there before.

You are not alone in this, and legions stand with you to bring about solution to what you all know is now very real...the old vs. the new. Love is infinitely more powerful, dear ones. Use it today!

We are with you in your sorrow, and the potential profound wisdom that can arise from it.

You are dearly loved! Kryon

---

I have seen today the effects of hatred in this world. I have seen children dancing in the streets in celebration of the death of many Americans. I am numb with sadness for the people and the families that are affected directly and indirectly by this tragedy. I felt my own anger and judgment swell up in my throat.

I am sending this message to each and every person on my address book including my friends, acquaintances, clients, vendors and family. My apologies to anyone who finds it inappropriate. I have been picking and choosing for my whole life, who I love and who I share myself with. This moment I will allow myself the freedom to not be held back by anything.

I Love You all. Anyone of you that I have offended, I am deeply sorry. Any of you that I failed to extend my hand to or was not there for, I ask your forgiveness. I make no excuse for who or what I have been up till now. I own it all. I am but a small part of something much bigger than me and sometimes I forget that anyone else exists.

I have a vision for a world that works for everyone with no one left out. For this vision, I will risk it all. For knowledge that my children and the generations to come will be able to live in freedom and know their love and compassion for humanity, I will not shrink from anything. I believe that love will conquer all and am willing to surrender to it wholely and completely.

I request that each of us take this time to make our world a more awesome place. Invite a neighbor over for dinner. Call a friend and apologize. End all your disputes with everyone. Put your hand out to a stranger. As so aptly put by Martin Luther King:

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve.
You don't have to have a college degree to serve.
You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve.
You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."

In this moment of darkness, may the light of compassion and love glow in our hearts and our minds so that we can clearly see our path. Whatever actions must be taken to rid the world such terror be it so. Let us keep our minds and hearts open to God and a higher understanding.

-- Respectfully, Bill LaRoque

---

A World Out of Touch With Itself:
Where the Violence Comes From
by Rabbi Michael Lerner

There is never any justification for acts of terror against innocent civilians -- it is the quintessential act of dehumanization and not recognizing the sanctity of others, and a visible symbol of a world increasingly irrational and out of control.

It's understandable why many of us, after grieving and consoling the mourners, will feel anger. Demagogues will try to direct that anger at various "target groups" (Muslims are in particular danger, though Yassir Arafat and other Islamic leaders have unequivocally denounced these terrorist acts). The militarists will use this as a moment to call for increased defense spending at the expense of the needy. The Right wing may even seek to limit civil liberties, end restraints on spying, and move us toward a militarized society.

President Bush will feel pressure to look "decisive" and take "strong" action -- phrases that can be manipulated toward irrational responses to an irrational attack. To counter that potential manipulation of our fear and anger for narrow political ends, a well-meaning media will instead try to narrow our focus solely on the task of finding and punishing the perpetrators. These people, of course, should be caught and punished.

But in some ways this exclusive focus allows us to avoid dealing with the underlying issues. When violence becomes so prevalent throughout the planet, it's too easy to simply talk of "deranged minds." We need to ask ourselves, "What is it in the way that we are living, organizing our societies and treating each other that makes violence seem plausible to so many people?"

We in the spiritual world will see this as a growing global incapacity to recognize the spirit of God in each other -- what we call the sanctity of each human being. But even if you reject religious language, you can see that the willingness of people to hurt each other to advance their own interests has become a global problem, and it's only the dramatic level of this particular attack that distinguishes it from the violence and insensitivity to each other that is part of our daily lives.

We may tell ourselves that the current violence has "nothing to do" with the way that we've learned to close our ears when told that one out of every three people on this planet does not have enough food, and that one billion are literally starving. We may reassure ourselves that the hoarding of the world's resources by the richest society in world history, and our frantic attempts to accelerate globalization with its attendant inequalities of wealth has nothing to do with the resentment that others feel toward us.

We may tell ourselves that the suffering of refugees and the oppressed have nothing to do with us -- that that's a different story that is going on somewhere else. But we live in one world, increasingly interconnected with everyone, and the forces that lead people to feel outrage, anger and desperation eventually impact on our own daily lives.

The same sense of disconnection to the plight of others operates in the minds of many of these terrorists. Raise children in circumstances where no one is there to take care of them, or where they must live by begging or selling their bodies in prostitution, put them in refugee camps and tell them that that they have "no right of return" to their homes, treat them as though they are less valuable and deserving of respect because they are part of some despised national or ethnic group, surround them with a media that extols the rich and makes everyone who is not economically successful and physically trim and conventionally "beautiful" feel bad about themselves, offer them jobs whose sole goal is to enrich the "bottom line" of someone else, and teach them that "looking out for number one" is the only thing anyone "really" cares about and that anyone who believes in love and social justice are merely naive idealists who are destined to always remain powerless, and you will produce a world-wide population of people feeling depressed, angry, and in various ways dysfunctional.

Luckily most people don't act out in violent ways -- they tend to act out more against themselves, drowning themselves in alcohol or drugs or personal despair. Others turn toward fundamentalist religions or ultra-nationalist extremism. Still others find themselves acting out against people that they love, acting angry or hurtful toward children or relationship partners.

Most Americans will feel puzzled by any reference to this "larger picture." It seems baffling to imagine that somehow we are part of a world system that is slowly destroying the life support system of the planet, and quickly transferring the wealth of the world into our own pockets.

We don't feel personally responsible when an American corporation runs a sweat shop in the Philippines or crushes efforts of workers to organize in Singapore. We don't see ourselves implicated when the U.S. refuses to consider the plight of Palestinian refugees or uses the excuse of fighting drugs to support repression in Colombia or other parts of Central America. We don't even see the symbolism when terrorists attack America's military center and our trade center -- we talk of them as buildings, though others see them as centers of the forces that are causing the world so much pain.

We have narrowed our own attention to "getting through" or "doing well" in our own personal lives, and who has time to focus on all the rest of this? Most of us are leading perfectly reasonable lives within the options that we have available to us -- so why should others be angry at us, much less strike out against us? And the truth is, our anger is also understandable: the striking out by others in acts of terror against us is just as irrational as the world-system that it seeks to confront.

When people have learned to treat each other as means to our own ends, to not feel the pain of those who are suffering, we end up creating a world in which these kinds of terrible acts of violence become more common.

This is a world out of touch with itself, filled with people who have forgotten how to recognize and respond to the sacred in each other because we are so used to looking at others from the standpoint of what they can do for us, how we can use them toward our own ends.

We should pray for the victims and the families of those who have been hurt or murdered in these crazy acts. We should also pray that America does not return to "business as usual," but rather turns to a period of reflection, coming back into touch with our common humanity, asking ourselves how our institutions can best embody our highest values. We may need a global day of atonement and repentance dedicated to finding a way to turn the direction of our society at every level, a return to the notion that every human life is sacred, that "the bottom line" should be the creation of a world of love and caring, and that the best way to prevent these kinds of acts is not to turn ourselves into a police state, but turn ourselves into a society in which social justice, love, and compassion are so prevalent that violence becomes only a distant memory.

Rabbi Michael Lerner is editor of TIKKUN Magazine and rabbi of Beyt Tikkun Synagogue in San Francisco. He is the author of Spirit Matters: Global Healing and the Wisdom of the Soul and most recently editor of Best Contemporary Jewish Writing. Contribute to the cause by subscribing to TIKKUN. E-mail RabbiLerner@tikkun.org

---

We have chosen to send out this message as well as posting it on our website so that it can reach as many as possible. These words are some of the most powerful, clear, direct communication we've had with the Earth Mother since she first came through Michele in 1995. Our web site does not always reflect her well, partly because much of the time she works more with a language of energy and movements that don't translate to a written medium. However, she also can be very direct, using few words with great impact. This is one of those times when she leaves no question about her intention in talking to us all. The audio file is perhaps a better transmitter of the energy, but if you read the following lines slowly and open to her presence, you'll likely be able to feel her connect to you and your body. I have already posted the audio file on our site, and later today I will have additional information in a transcript form from the conversation that continued with her after she delivered this message. Please share it with all who are open to receive it. -- Chris LaFontaine

* * * *

From the Earth Mother
through Michele Mayama
-- received September 13, 2001


Relax
Open

Open to me with your breath
Open to me with your cells
Open to me with your heart
Open to me with all that you feel
with your questions
with your fears
with your confusion
with that which is now present
Open to me

Release from your mind judgments
All judgments
It is judgment,
separating one from another,
be it deemed worthy by one version of belief or another
It is judgment, and the separation that judgment grows
that is underneath,
within,
and behind,
the propulsion
of the events that have taken place in our body

It is our body
It is our collective body
Your body is no different than the bodies of those who left
You have the same cellular makeup
You have similar DNA
You share that which has been passed on
from generation to generation,
regardless of race or religion.
It comes from your bones
which come from my body,
my rocks, my waters,
my living essence

Your souls are individuated
You are indeed unique
But you have joined me,
you have joined a body of earth
It is time now to acknowledge that the bodies
are where you are linked in unity
It is my planetary body that is your planetary body
Your individuation
has been evolving for centuries in my body,
for eons within the Universe

If you wish to consider
that there is unity in light and love,
that is true
For I have evolved from the same light
and the same love
that each of your souls has evolved from
But I have been Mother
I chose the path to be Mother
to bring planetary experiences
to those who chose to be embodied
To bring the experience of bringing thought,
ideas, inspiration and purpose, meaning
into manifest experience
To be the Mother for that

There is one Mother
There is also one Father
Your versions of Father, however,
have varied differently, and greatly
You have varied the version of Father
You cut me off as your Mother,
so you as children have been wildly
running through the mid space
Cut off from your Roots
Cut off from your Source
And acting out rather badly

I'm not speaking only of those
who have created the great pain
I'm speaking of the majority of you
that are in body right now
You may not have acted out badly in this life
You may have chosen love early on
But you would not be in a body in this time
moving through this transformation
if at some point in time
you were not learning the lesson of love

Love, what is it?
What is it?
It is not merely love for a partner,
and your children, and your family
Or your community, or your nation,
or your version of God, or your version of me
That is not love
That is the idea of love lived out
because you have joined together
for varying reasons, varying agreements

Much of what you call love
isn't very unconditional
Much of what is called love
is in name only
Much of what is called love
does not act as if love is present

What is love?
Love is that which breathes your existence
You would not be in existence
with a body or without a body
unless love existed
You ARE love
It is not something you do.
It is not something you claim to do.
It is not something to say
to cover up that which you
are not doing or not feeling.
And it is not a feeling
It is the being that you are,
your essence

And every single soul
is of this essence
And every single animal
shares this essence
And every single plant and molecule
shares this essence, as do I
Every rock, every portion of being

Many of my children left this week
Many of my children leave every day
and are not noticed
Many of my animals have left
without even a trace of
recognition or acknowledgment
Many of them in ways that have been horrific

Many of my trees have been cut down
in the name of progress,
for someone, for some reason
To have more money, more space,
more plants that are cultivated
that are not in balance with my soils
that leach the waters
And the waters go away,
or the waters flood
in places where there have never been floods
Why?
Why?
Why, dear children?

It is time,
those who are now hurting each other
Yes, you have been wounded here in the states
Unusual for you, and it hurts does it not?
Why?
Because, dear ones,
dear ones that I love with all my heart,
you have not listened

If you choose only war
out of your woundedness
without addressing your woundedness,
without addressing and listening to that place within,
there will be much more woundedness.

But you are wise,
you are educated in the ways
of listening to your bodies,
to your intuitions.
Those who are not,
it is time to tell them to stop
until they do.

You have enough voices
if you gather all together
to say stop, listen.
Call in your wise ones
Call in the councils from the earth
The native peoples know how to listen

Those in these communities
of light and spirituality
that have opened to me,
opened to Source,
know how to listen.
Those who have been writing
about listening to what is taking place in my body,
how the actions of a few are affecting the whole,
they are listening.

And, at the same time it is important to say
NO, you can not act out in violence
because your version of God,
because your version of what is real
and reality is different than ours.

There have been great inequities
There have been many people
wounded without acknowledgment
These ones are now coming forth
and wounding out of the wounds.

Love knows how to heal, and only love
For it is there that you are whole,
have always been whole,
and are always going to return to balance
and wholeness if allowed, with love.
My heart is open to all
I have said goodbye
to some who have left their bodies
I know they are all in the arms of love
I'm speaking to those who have ears to hear
Who have bodies that know the truth
And who have voices that can speak
I am only one voice,
but I come through many
I come through all
who allow me and my awareness
The Mother within all embodied souls
can speak on behalf of life,
can speak for life

What would you say?
What does your voice wish to express?
And whom do you wish to express it to?
Where will you stand in this next time?
Will I have to say goodbye to you, too,
or will you stand here with me?

For more, go to http://www.lightsmith.com

---

A Global Call for a Moral War
by John McConnell, Founder of Earth Day

THE LOGIC OF POWER HAS COME TO AN END!

"The logic of power is penalty and deterrence. But how can you punish and deter people that give their life for their cause? It is simply impossible to fight terrorism with terror. Terrorism and blind hate is fed by terror. What happened in the USA today might have shown in a dramatic and final way the limits of power and violence. Mankind has reached the point today, where it is very obvious the fight against terrorism has only one realistic option: to eliminate the roots of separation and hatred instead of trying to eliminate human beings."
-- Christa Zettel in Austria

With the terrorist destruction of the World Trade Center it is imperative the whole human family mobilize for a moral equivalent of World War II. The solution is not to kill the killers. The only way to avoid more acts of terror is attention and support for actions that eliminate the causes of terrorism.

Destroying a terrorist group will only increase the determination of other terrorists to have revenge.

Human greed, injustice and folly have almost ruined our planet. But with the aid of new technology a vigorous global effort can repair the damage. Until now, Earth Caretakers have been a sad minority. The most powerful institutions (global corporations and rich governments) have usually put financial profit first. The resulting social and environmental damage is disastrous. But vision and action can change that.

Now we have a chance to take the anger caused by the World Trade Center disaster, and use it to eliminate the real causes of violence, war and terrorism.

Press, Radio, TV and Internet play a vital role. Actions, good or bad, begin in the mind. Those able to command media attention have a special obligation to speak out about the crisis and its solution -- attention and headlines for positive actions that are benefiting people and planet.

Mass media has a sacred obligation as the eyes and ears of the public to:
-- Headline cases of peaceful progress in the human adventure that replace hate, fear, greed and lust.
-- Give recognition and attention to people and projects that eliminate pollution and poverty and foster peace, justice and the care of Earth.

We can, and must, direct the anger caused by the destruction of the World Trade Center to vigorous actions for Earth's rejuvenation by friend and foe -- with peace, justice and prosperity for all.

John McConnell -- www.earthsite.org or www.wowzone.com

---

Reflections by Jean Meltesen

I wrote this poem, or rather, it sort of wrote itself, one day when I was so weary of the deep internal conflict I was experiencing, a struggle within myself that was taking me into depression and fear, and not feeling good about myself. At the same time, I could feel, as if in another part of me, that all was well, that support and love and peace and all good things were abundant and waiting for me to let go of the conflict and surrender to faith, to trust, and to the ability to receive and allow the flow to come to me.

I also needed a piece of writing for my writing class and decided, because this conflict was currently occupying me completely, to write about what I was experiencing. As I sat down to write, I decided to write a poem.

When I began to write, I started hearing the words in my head, almost as if someone was dictating them. Many of the lines came to me whole, as if they had been there waiting to come out! It was written in less than five minutes. It is a simple message, but one I need to hear a lot. I hope it will help someone else to remember too.

A Higher Vision...or Divine Advice

Let me lift you up here, where you can see
The truth as it is, as it looks to Me
The fighting is futile, the conflict is nil
The subject won't matter, dramatize as you will
It all comes to nothing but sorry regret
Turn around, let me show you the gift you will get
If you stop just a moment, take leave of the fight
Rest your heart that is weary, let your soul take its flight
Be silent, be still, and all things are yours
Be peaceful, be joyful, and know this for sure
There's only one thing that matters at all
Love is the gift that answers your call
There's nowhere to go, there's nothing to do
It's all in your heart and it's waiting for you

---

A message from Susan Moore

Dear Friends,

What do we do? First, let's get clear that in this country ALL people are presumed innocent until proven otherwise. I have no desire to speculate and categorize the individuals who did this. Whoever they are, they comprise very few people, however powerful.

Whoever perpetrated this, they are fellow human beings one way or another. I suspect the real masterminds may never be discovered. Justice will not be served by labeling whole groups of people just because there are folks who dislike us.

Here's another viewpoint. There are no bad guys. We are ONE. If I look at it from this viewpoint, I am sorry that a part of MY humanity did this deed yesterday. It's a bitter pill to swallow. We have sunk so low...again.

Just when we thought things were getting better.

It is far more empowering to look within to find preventive remedies than to place blame and fan the flames of hatred. As much as I dislike government control, I expect security policies to be changed for air travel as a result of this.

What about looking at our entire international philosophy? Why is it that our methods have brought about so much hatred? We are a small minority of the world's population. Perhaps there is something fundamentally wrong with our "might makes for control" methods.

Let's move into the heart and look at the perpetrators from that vantage point. God help those who lost their lives in suicidal acts of unthinkable violence. How many lifetimes will it take them to clear this Karmic energy from their souls? How many eons will it take them to open their hearts again, if they ever can? These are the real lost souls -- those who have strayed so far from the Truth. Let us pray for them.

What about the masterminds behind the scenes who did not lose their lives but who might gleefully be enjoying their moment of terrorist prowess and victory? Whomever they are -- no matter what race, or religion, or motive -- they are stuck in a worldly hell that has trapped them now and perhaps forever. Those of us who live from the heart cannot even comprehend the thinking of these people. And yet, they are members of our human race.

They live in a world where illusory (material) power, greed, money, vengeance, retribution, and control are the only the values that exist. This surely is hell. Let us pray for them.

For those who died, I KNOW that the transition takes place only in the blink of an eye. Their individual spirits will have moved from their bodies even before they physically felt the pain. Our prayers can help them to move into the light, and quickly find their way, away from disorientation, to a better, freer way of being. Let us pray for them.

For those who are injured and suffering, I pray for your speedy healing and give thanks your life was spared. I pray for your strength during times of physical and emotional pain. May you have grace.

For those who lost their loved ones, my heart cries for you. I love you. I pray for you. Here is the loss we can never understand; the grief is real; those we cling to are gone from our grasp. Allow yourselves the grieving time, and then move on. Cry now but do not get trapped into the base chakra emotions of fear and retribution. In time you can heal. Love again. Trust again. Life is a great mystery. Your loved ones have graduated. I cry and pray with you.

Now as a nation, it is time to demonstrate our higher consciousness on many levels of action. If there are bears in the woods and we live in the woods, we build a stronger house. We do not blame the bear.

We need to physically build a stronger house. This is not offense or retribution; it is defense.

We need to revamp our international policies so that they reflect the loving consciousness and the practical problem-solving abilities of the American people.

Moving into WILL, it is MY WILL that all people live in peace and brotherhood. THEREFORE I WILL NOT CAST STONES AGAINST MY BROTHERS. I will encourage investigation and justice, but not hatred or ethnic prejudice. PEACE WILL NOT PREVAIL UPON THIS EARTH UNTIL ALL PEOPLE HAVE BASIC PHYSICAL NEEDS FOR FOOD, SHELTER, WATER AND SAFETY MET.

I WILL live in peace, until my last dying breath. Forgive them, father, they know not what they do.

I WILL live in lightness, knowing I am in God's hands wherever I am. I can still see the leaves on the trees and the grains of sand on the ground. I am in sight of God's miracles and abundance. God, stand with me, please, during my time of trial.

Yes, we are in trial. The greatest time of challenge is upon us. I WILL to walk the narrow pathway, with compassion for all suffering, my mind fixed on solutions, my heart open, and my eyes fixed on the stars.

Only in the HEART can we feel the Unity of Humanity. Father, my heart is heavy with a sadness it has never known before. Help me through this time of grief and mystery. Help me to speak of the unspeakable, to comprehend the incomprehensible. Help me to process this deep sadness. Give me the time to heal. Help me to know when the grieving is enough. Guide me gently as I slowly and STEADFASTLY return to joy. I know it is your desire that joy will return to me and my stricken planet. Give me grace within this mystery. I surrender into your hands.

Mother, forgive us. We have once again blighted your beauty with destruction and violence. We are mired in heaviness, anger, sadness and fear. Show us the lessons we need to learn to move out of these energies forever. Show us the pathway. Embrace us in your bountiful love. Keep me bound to your breast, as I am destitute with sorrow.

As I know that you answer our prayers, even before we can get the words out of our mouths, I give thanks for your wisdom, patience and love.

Forgive me my disharmony and help me find my way again, past this sorrow.

May there be Compassion, Humility, Wisdom, Unity, Love and Truth in all I feel, see and do.

So be it.

Now for a few practical steps:
1. JOIN the synchronized peace meditations you have noticed on the internet or search for them and find several. If you can't do it at the noted times, meditate (get into a BLISSFUL state) whenever you can, or do it 24/7 with one piece of your consciousness.

2. It is TIME for the lightworkers (and for those who do not use this word, the gentle people of the earth) to pull out all the stops. Use EVERYTHING you know about healing, counseling, prayer, song, dance, energy work, gridwork, etc., to FLOOD the earth and its atmosphere with harmony, healing, peace, grace and joy.

3. SURROUND each and every person or icon that your mind is tempted to label as possible suspect or "bad guy" with a pink and green healing and loving light. Create this light as a filter, through which every outside stimulus must pass to reach the person or organization. Likewise, the filter will suppress any negativity coming from the person's energy field outward. (Wouldn't it be funny that our fear-icons find themselves saying sweet things without knowing why?)

4. USE every means available to you for accentuating, expanding and harmonizing the energies you send out. Whatever you know how to do with crystals, earth grids, words, chanting, drumming...some even use the military "harps" in five key places around the world to BROADCAST love and peace. (In the words of Barbara Wolf, "a broadcaster is a broadcaster."

5. CALL on the Angels, Ascended Masters, Archangels, and if you do not use these, God Himself, Mother Earth Herself, the four Directions, and ask them to use their full complement of activity in any form on behalf of the meek and gentle people of this earth who DEMAND PEACE NOW. Higher beings tend not to intercede unless asked, so ASK.

6. Eat right, stay grounded and go about your business. Do not be tempted into fear and depression. Silent meditation will do more good than outward chaotic activity. Act publicly only if you are clear this is your path; it is different for everyone.

7. TURN OFF THE TELEVISION AND THE RADIO. There is no more news, only propaganda.

8. TURN ON your spiritual music, joyful and triumphant music, and dance with your children, anyone handy or yourself. Stay at home and play. Write poetry.

9. IMAGINE THE WORLD as you desire it. Communicate those abundant, peaceful and joyous images to the world through meditation, the internet, email, and any other method available to you.

So Be It!
Susan Moore [firedeva@earthlink.net]

---

A message from Carol Parrish

Dear friends and spiritual family,

In the grief of what is happening around us, we are to be exceedingly courageous and hold the light. We are all in pain--the spiritual path is putting one's self: "in the cooker," as Torkom Saraydarian would say. We are dedicated to taking heaven by storm, not evolving at the collective pace. So we have special assignments.

We are to attempt harmonization wherever we find ourselves. Courage is a must for the spiritual aspirant; we see a vision the world does not see. There is a vast struggle between the new civilization and the old. Will it be power, materialism, and domination, or will the human spirit choose love--"seeing the spirit within each"--and democracy that will encourage each soul to give its gift? We must keep our hearts attuned to the Great Heart and our will to the center where the Will is known. This is truly our work right now.

The human collective is throwing up dark thought forms; we are attempting to neutralize these "warring" thoughts even as we carry our own grief. We know there is no death, only the change back to the reality from which we have come. Many have made a sudden shift to inner dimensions--call forth the angels to love and care for them. Invoke healing and support for the families left behind, for rescue workers, and for the leaders of our government and for all governments. This is truly the planetary crisis for which we have been preparing.

We are to remember the three messages given us by Jesus, the Christ: Love is a great power--therefore love; Spirit acts upon matter--therefore invoke healing and help for decision makers; There is no death--affirm our brothers and sisters who went to the spirit side still live. Expand your understanding and keep hearts open.

The group mind is taking a great test. Do not become nationalist or religionist. There are people of every land that love America and people in every American city from every land. This country is not perfect, but we have been willing to carry a great vision. Now individually we are to affirm the vision and not let freedom and hope be damaged.

Here at the village we had special prayers and meditation yesterday morning as this was unfolding. We had a 12:10 p.m. gathering for meditation and prayers and started a 24-hour vigil. This is continuing until at least Friday at noon. Join us as you can and also hold something with your own family, friends, or group.

Once during the Soviet Union days (l987) I was asked, "what do you do when you can't do anything?" My response was, "create positive thought forms."

Carol E. Parrish

---

THE PEACE IDEATRUST

Peter Lloyd of Gocreate.com has started a website for collecting and sharing ideas for peaceful alternatives to responding to the Sept 11 attack. This site is for constructive ideas focused on the solution rather than opinions and observations. Got some ideas?

The United States has declared that it will respond to the September 11 terrorist attack on its people and property with military action. The Peace
IdeaTrust hopes to collect ideas from around the world for alternatives to a
violent response. All ideas will remain available for anyone, including the
U.S. leadership, to consider and use.

Go to http://gocreate.com/idea/peace/index.htm

---

HOLD THE STILL CENTRE TO CALM THE CHAOS

Over the last few years, a world wide web has been built by humanitarians linking and sharing. It has created a strong global spiritual community that is ready to do the job that is now asked of it.

We are united in our focus, our faith and our understanding of what is needed. We are holding a still space filled with peace and unconditional love. United we can maintain a strong centre to steady and calm the chaos that is whirling around us.

The messages that have flowed between us since September 11th's tragic events have been uplifting and inspiring. In our Oneness, we are doing the job we came here to do!

Pam Perry [pbc@globalnet.co.uk]

---

WTC Collapse: Is it an Apocalypse?
by Sri Siva

Billy Graham, during his recent national prayer meeting, raised questions about the mystery of evil. I believe every one is intrigued by the question, “Why does God allow evil?” I totally agree with his conclusion that there is no satisfactory answer. You can only kneel down and pray and have faith in the mercy of God. We live at a time of spiritual crisis. We have come to a point that we can wipe and be wiped out of the planet in a matter of few minutes through our weapons of mass destruction that we have proudly developed. Humanity is at a point that God alone can save us because no body is listening to no body and every body thinks that he somehow is right. Now, God has to do his thing, and that is what is happening.

He has allowed evil profusely so that we can get a wake up call. We are haunted with the reality of death, pain and suffering in a massive quantity.

Almost every religion in the world speaks of the ending of the world and the appearance of their god on the face of the earth. Christians are looking for the second coming of Jesus, the Buddhists look for Maitreya, the Hindus the Kalki, avatar of Vishnu, the Native American Indians talk about the white Buffalo. Again, there is confusion with the manifestation of different gods. Are they all going to come at the same time? Or, is it just a belief that is highly improbable in the physical world?

Every religion unanimously agrees that there will be catastrophic destruction before the advent of the new epoch of God. However, no body has seen God in historic time. The prophets and messiahs have only seen God’s apparitions and heard His voice. It is an exciting time to be on the earth plane to confront God face to face. The Revelations describe the new world of God:

And I saw a new heaven and new earth; for the first heaven and first earth passed away; and there was no more sea.

…………

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold the tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself
shall be with them, and be their god.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Meaning of Life and Death

The massive loss of lives at the World Trade Center collapse is an eye opener.
Particularly people want to know about the phenomenon of death. Death is a horrible reality. First of all it hurts the person who dies; then, those who are near and dear to him. There are however, very useful teachings from great spiritual teachers about death and dying. In the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna, while urging Arjuna to kill his kiths and kin in the war, gives out 3 important teachings:

• It is important to kill the bad guys, even if they were your relatives, using both right and wrong methods.
• After all, killing the body does not amount to killing the soul because the soul is immortal.
• Even if you kill someone don’t think that you are the doer. God is the only doer and you are only an instrument of God.

In the book ‘Vasista’s Yoga’ by Swami Venkatesananda, there is an important teaching about death. Leela, the queen, mourns the death of her husband. She prays to the goddess of learning, Sarasvati, to help her cope with the situation. Sarasvati gives her some extra power of consciousness to see the reality of the matter. Immediately Leela is able to perceive that the birth of her husband is only his dream and so is his death. She simply participates in the dream through consent. Life and death are no more then dream experiences. There is no need to rejoice or grieve.

A woman goes to the Buddha asking him to revive her dead son. The Buddha says that he could resurrect the son very easily and that he needed some mustard seeds. The Buddha sends away the woman to get some mustard seeds. The condition however is that the seeds should be taken as alms from a household where no death has occurred. The woman comes back with the understanding that death is so common and her son is no exception.

The general sense of the Eastern teaching is that birth and death are diseases of the soul impelled by desires to incarnate over and over again. So, get rid of your desires and you will not come back here.

My teaching about death does not fall in line with these great teachers. Having said
all these great things, death is still a painful reality. It is said that while on the Cross,
Jesus is reported to have said, “god, you have abandoned me.”

So, what is the solution? I pin my faith in the teachings of the Revelations. God is
coming to the earth plane to evolve the human race. Accordingly those who do not
want anything except enlightenment will get a light body similar to Babaji’s. That’s the end of your pain and suffering. When you don’t have a meat body, it doesn’t hurt. You won’t need food or sex, money or housing. This is total liberation. The rest of humanity will have some interim relief ,but will have to come back to work their way.

---

Ten Top Tips to Heal the Individual and National Psyche
by Petrene Soames

1. Recognize that things will not ever be the same again, but decide that you will move on and heal any pain in justice, anger and imbalance within yourself, heal yourself and the world and that you and the world will win through.

2. Allow a period of mourning to take place within yourself. It's needed and normal. Recognize that you have been in shock. Be gentle and nurturing with yourself. Take time to find small ways to make you feel good.

3. Take action; help others; reach out in small or big ways. Give blood; give a hug; make friends with people you have fought with in the past. Allow forgiveness to take place. Reach out to others in pain. Recognize that we are all one.

4. Re-look at your world. Enjoy all the positives and be honest about the negatives. Recognize all that is not OK and take action to bring positive change.

5. Keep radio, TV and printed media consumption to a minimum. Allow yourself to stay informed but not saturated with tragedy coverage and world response.

6. Express yourself. Write to your local newspaper. Call your local radio station. Participate in a forum or chat room on the Internet. Share your thoughts, feelings and ideas with others about what has happened. Join a think tank to help create a positive solution.

7. Bring something beautiful and simple into your home, i.e. a plant, a bouquet of flowers. Walk in woods, parks, and mountains or by the beach. Seek out natural surroundings. Watch wildlife. Listen to beautiful words and music. View and create beauty and harmony in all forms to renew your spirit.

8. Send out positive thoughts to the whole world. Start by imagining your house, street, city, country and the world being flooded by a beautiful bright yellow colored light and energy.

9. Get plenty of sleep. Allow yourself to rest. Eat good natural whole food. Drink water, not alcohol or coffee. These actions will allow the emotions and nervous system to recover and heal fast.

10. Repeat the following affirmations, either in your mind or say the words out loud often:

• My body heals, clears and balances itself
• I am without fear
• I am free and powerful
• I am safe and open to wonderful and positive change

---

Awakening to our Truth
In a Time of Terror
By E. Johannes Soltermann

Newsflash: On September 11, 2001, two hijacked passenger planes plow right into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City; a third one hits the Pentagon; and a fourth abducted plane slams into the ground south of Pittsburgh.

I watch in horror and disbelief, tears running down my cheeks, as the cameras show people jumping out of windows, falling to their certain death. They choose to die quickly instead of burning or choking to death slowly.

People on the streets of New York City, looking up as the drama unfolds, turn their faces away in shock and bury them in the shoulder of a loved one or a do-worker. Thousands of people die within minutes, in the heart of our own country, the United States of America.

I decide not to go to work. During the whole day, I call friends and family, checking how they are coping with the news and talking about it. At first, I feel strong -- until fear gets the better of me. We're all together in this, I sense. The human experience. Facing our own mortality. How precious is a single day. How precious is this moment.

I think of a line I once read somewhere: "Nobody ever regretted on their deathbed not having spent enough time at the office." In times of danger, we reduce our attention to what counts. Thousands of individuals now call others to tell them, "I love you." It might be their last chance. As was the case for the passengers of the four flights, some of whom managed to call a mother or a spouse to tell them that their plane was hijacked. But most of all, they called to say they loved them.

A nation in shock. A nation in disbelief. A nation in fear. A nation opening its heart. Everybody wants to help. In their own way. To ease the pain. Giving blood. Giving money. Pulling together.

Today as I write this it is the second day after. Thursday. Many conversations, meditations and spiritual exercises later, fear gives way to resolve, in me -- and nationally -- I sense. My old self returns, and I sort through rubble. How to make sense of all of this? How to be happy again? How to function again?

One of my book projects is called Fear is not an Option. And this is what I want to talk about: Fear. There is a psychological explanation for fear: Fear alerts us to a danger so we may react accordingly to escape or avoid it. But what is the spiritual perspective on fear? I don't know if Yogi Berra ever uttered something about it. But I remember, of course, Franklin D. Roosevelt's line: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Each take on fear has some truth in it.

When facing a challenge, our attention almost automatically jolts into focus on the task at hand. We take care of it, and relax again. That would be the normal scenario. But what happens if, for whatever reason, we do not take care of the challenge? Our adrenalin is up, our heart rate is up, our muscles are tight, our consciousness is narrowed to a tiny field -- and no release! I can think of three situations that lead us to a prolonged response to danger: The first is, "I don't want to react." Second, "I think there is nothing I can do." Third: "I don't know what causes my fear."

I like to divide mankind into two groups. One consists of all individuals who focus on spiritual growth and the best for all. The other group is formed by people who love to control others. Have you seen the movie The Dark Crystal? It shows those two groups of beings. The "good guys" are creatures that are a source of love each unto themselves. The "bad guys" are beings that suck the life energy out of others to survive. They haven't discovered their own "sourceness" yet. I think, as people, we are the same. Once we gain an appetite for unfoldment, we become eager to contribute to life, while enjoying it deeply. We accept the fact that everyone is the same: Soul. We taste freedom. And we learn to understand that this spiritual freedom has to be earned though self-discipline.

But before we discover those precious gems of realization, we might be mired in mass consciousness, fear, hate, putting ourselves down and limiting ourselves without knowing it. We still believe in "outside enemies" that have to be battled. And we haven't found out yet that each of us is a wonderful and free creator.

Because fear narrows our focus and keeps us attached to a certain topic, it is a very powerful mechanism to prevent us from being aware of our own true nature, even more so if we don't even know its cause. I'm not talking about being afraid or alerted once in a while. I'm talking about being afraid all the time. Often without our knowing. If I'm afraid all the time, from childhood on, I don't even know it is fear I'm experiencing -- because I have nothing to compare it to.

Slaves are bed that way. Throughout world history, "wise" leaders controlled the masses through techniques that instilled fear. The more covertly done, the better it works. The best way is to actually appear very friendly, tell your "subjects" that you take care of them, implying heavily that they could not take care of themselves. After they are used to your benevolent handouts and care (which, of course, are funded by the people's own money), they lose trust in their own, independent abilities. Then you have them in the palm of your hand and you can milk them at will. This is what has happened throughout our history.

This time right now is very special, because more and more individuals are growing out of this illusion of dependency. They are rediscovering that we are all the same, that each of us only experiences what we ourselves created in the first place. And that this wonderful, new-won freedom has to be earned and sustained through loving discipline. Every day. Every hour.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited the Twin Cities a few months ago. In his address, he pointed out that, in every minute of every waking hour, he consciously screens his thoughts and emotions. He keeps those he prefers and he discards those he chooses not to have. He emphasized this technique when asked about his feelings toward the Chinese people.

Without promoting paranoia, there are people who would love to control us -- if we let them. Staying sane and spiritually healthy requires a conscious effort on our part. It requires keeping our attention on the Highest, on Love, on the best for all.

When I saw the horrific pictures of New York City and Washington, I couldn't help but think that this is the action of individuals who believe in fear and control over others. And I hoped that as few people as possible would fall for that trick. If a population feels insecure and threatened, especially if the source of the threat is not known, they might accept almost any measure from their own government that promises to alleviate that fear. If officials in that government are spiritually wise, things are OK. But if the leaders are power hungry and spiritually immature, driven by fear themselves, believing in revenge, it is good to be very awake and screen every proposed measure before allowing it to be implemented.

Any given country is only as strong as the number of individuals who are spiritually awake -- souls who know that strength is not based on alienating others but on knowing themselves.

I know that the birth of a new consciousness can cause pain. I hope that whatever shocks we go through, individually or collectively, may serve us well on our path to a greater awareness. May our sense of appreciation grow. And may the love that flows between all of us increase abundantly.

E. Johannes Soltermann is author of the book The Gate -- A Tale for the 21st Century. He teaches workshops on writing and spirituality. Contact him at (612) 338-2351.
Copyright 2001 E. Johannes Soltermann