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| Author: Posted: Sep. 8, 2002 | This Page Viewed: 7,020,306 |
Question of the Week: 59 - 9/11/2001 911 America: Talking Through The Terror... Talking Through The Terror... And helping each other cope with the tragedies that struck at the very heart of the United States. The Witches Voice has opened up this forum in order that Pagans may express their thoughts on the terrorist attacks that took place in NYC and DC on September 11th. As the full realization of what happened and the toll numbers begin to come in, Americans have many challenges ahead. What are your thoughts on these incidents? How are you feeling? Feel free to post any magickal workings or other support gatherings planned in your area. WebNote 9/16/2001: Since we launched this on 911 this forum as become laced with powerful inspiration and critical information, feel free to use the search functions on your left to better define the info you are looking for. Search for your area, famous Pagans, key words etc. Also check Wren's Nest News for the latest news related to our community. |
| Reponses: There are 969 responses posted to this question. | Reverse Sort |
| May The Goddess Take The Victims Of This Tragedy Into Her Arms... | Sep 16th. at 4:00:16 pm EDT |
| Garnet (Saugus, Massachusetts US) | Age: 51 - Email |
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May the Goddess take the victims of this tragedy into Her arms, and send solace to their family and friends. |
| The World Trade Center Is Attacked, And Strangely I Am Silent For... | Sep 16th. at 4:18:16 pm EDT |
| ~Morganne (Portland, Oregon US) | Age: 28 |
|
The World Trade Center is attacked, and strangely I am silent for I am a woman with much to say. The Pentagon gets attacked, and strangely again I am silent, for no words could describe what I feel inside. Both towers come tumbling down like glass houses of the resulting fires, and strangely I am silent. Not because I heard the screams of the dying, not because I felt a shift in the veil, for I am not that dramatic. I have felt the touch of death too many times in my short life to count, to focus on the metaphysical aspect of this act of terror. In my short years I have comforted too many of the dying as they lay ready to traverse the path over into the Summerland. I am silent, because I am a witch and that is the way I am. I dare to be silent while people pour out their anger and grief, those in pain need someone who will listen. I dare to be silent, for my anger is not meant to be sharedĐto inflame others and cause resulting harm. I dare to be silent, for my heart and will must be active. I must maintain equilibrium and balance no harm may come because of me, for as a witch I am practiced at manifesting my will. It is my chosen responsibility. Thus I maintain my silence except for this simple act. I am here, listening. I am a witch, I am silent. |
| I Know That I Am Only Supposed To Comment Once But, An... | Sep 16th. at 4:24:55 pm EDT |
| S. Garrison (Sacramento, California US) | Age: 53 |
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I know that I am only supposed to comment once but, an email from John made me come out of my own problems and remember what I am supposed to be practicing. This is what I aspire to do and I hope it helps somone else. I am going to bless a white balloon with red, white an blue crepe streamers and then release it on Tuesday morning (Sept 18) in rememberance of the all those who died and the volunteers who are helping in New York City. Thank you---R.BrWo. At the Corner of Sunset & Sunrise They say the hour is darkest before the dawn. But oh, this night has gone on for so long. When will the sun ever rise in my life? Where is my star to lead me through the night? The fire of life is in my soul. The day breaks and the rooster crows. My soul will be as the celestial sun, The positive beams will shine in the morn. Written by S. Garrison(1st verse 1990 2nd verse 1999) |
| Blessings From Londonwe All Share Your Grief And Believe That Somehow... | Sep 16th. at 4:32:22 pm EDT |
| earthspirit - jacquelyn adams (london, England UK) | Age: 41 - Email |
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Blessings from London We all share your grief and believe that somehow out of this there will be a new beginning for all of us. On listening to the news, I hear the cries for war and would ask that all americans make themselves truly aware of other world polital events before making harsh choices about who should die. perhaps some of you are not aware of your country's political actions in other parts of the world. The wisonm comes from learning about other people on this planet. Hope and healing for us all! earthspirit |
| I'm The Sort Of Person Who Often Writes What I'm Feeling, Trying... | Sep 16th. at 5:03:59 pm EDT |
| Deb Barrand-Foisy (North Bay, Ontario CA) | Age: 48 - Email |
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I'm the sort of person who often writes what I'm feeling, trying to cope with everyday life. Yet, here I am, finding I don't know how to put into words what I feel. I guess it's all been said anyway. I can only offer my deepest sympathies to all Americans, of all walks of life and all religions. Words just don't seem to be able to describe the horror of what has happened. Yet it has also brought out the best in so many, with strength, heroics, courage and wisdom. We cannot change that which has happened, but let us focus our energies on the souls of those departed and gone on to Summerland. On those who are trying, as am I, to get past the anger and the ill will we might wish on the people who did this. Let us remember what religious persecution is and remember that only those involved in these actions should be held responsible for them. May they be brought to justice and my the Goddess guide all our steps in the trying times to come. Blessings All, particularly our American friends, south of the border. Damson |
| I Believe That We, As A Nation Of Believers, Should Perform A... | Sep 16th. at 5:50:34 pm EDT |
| Wade White (Menlo) | Age: 24 - Email |
|
I believe that we, as a nation of believers, should perform a specific ritual for peace every year on the 11th. of September. Raise our voices to The Divine and send out all the posative energy that we are able to! It's what I've done as a gay Witch since the passing of Matthew Shepard on October 12th. I carve a lavender candle specific to gay issues such as homophobia and light it to dispell the darkness of the human heart, in the hours of the night...I'd like to see more folks do this. Let's all be 1, 000 Points of Light!!! However, what I have seen that is rather disconcrting, is the stong fact that the Nation seems to be ignoring The Goddess, The Divine Mother of us all!!! It's almost heart breaking in a Nation with so many diverse religions. Even during the "Inter-Fait Memorial" there was no one there to represent The Goddess. All I saw were 3 basic "mainstream" religions which have what can best be termed as a "Patriarchal Divinity". I would have been prouyd to be a Pagan had I seen anyone invited to The Cathedral to represent The Goddess, in any form! But, alas...I saw nothing similar. How about you??? You may respectfully E-Mail me if you like concerning this message. |
| I Was At Work On That Horrible Day, When My Boss Came... | Sep 16th. at 5:56:57 pm EDT |
| Lisa (Ft. Myers, Florida US) | Age: 34 |
|
I was at work on that horrible day, when my boss came into the restaurant, turned on the tv, when we gathered to wonder how the "accident" had come to be. Oh, there's another plane, you can see how big that hole really is. Then the world turned inside out. They stood stunned, horrified. I ran to the bathroom and threw up, sobbed alone in the kitchen in a corner, lost, suddenly aware of what the people in Israel live with every single day. The few customers we had were all gathered around the tv when I came out, composed but shaking. I called my husband, told him to turn on the news, any channel, it didn't matter-- and could barely bring myself to say the words, to make it REAL. I went back to the tv, my coworker telling me, "This is war." No, it can't be...then the Pentagon. The President was already in the air, and oh so selfishly we were GLAD he was on his way out of Florida; he'd been only an hour away from us, what if airplanes were the least of what was to come? I wanted to run home, crawl under the bed, find someplace safe from the new reality. I listen to the calls for retribution, and the blood lust rises quickly, eagerly inside me. What happened to that confident voice of reason I've always had? Where is my desire to "work things out?" I keep watching those horrible images of the planes ripping through the towers. I watch them willingly now, even though I flinch each and every time. Because those fiery scenes feed my sorrow, and as long as I am mourning, the anger can not come. My anger that I keep such a tight reign on. I fear my anger. I fear the combined energy of this great country's anger. Because if it is anything like my own temper, it will rage until there is NOTHING left. Mostly I fear that there will be nothing left of us. I have worked no magick, for I fear that I too will call upon the dark aspects of the Goddess and use all my energy for retribution. War has truly come; it wages inside me daily. I light my candles in silence and tell all my loved ones how much I cherish them, how glad I am that they are safe. I read this board and am glad for those older, wiser than me, who have seen the horrors of what can come, who speak to that rational core inside me. Your words strengthen me, and I can only hope that our leaders have people like you to strengthen them. The savage within me still screams for bloody retribution. I have no answers for it. Goddess help us all. |
| Hello,i Came Here Today Looking For Solace And Comfort. As The... | Sep 16th. at 6:37:21 pm EDT |
| Nancy Liedel (Ann Arbor, Michigan US) | Age: 37 - Email |
|
Hello, I came here today looking for solace and comfort. As the week has unfolded I too have felt sad and helpless. We held a candle lighting ceremony in my home on Wednesday. Each of us placed our well wishes and healing thoughts on paper and placed the paper in water and then watered the earth with it. I am saving the paper to burn at Samhain. It is my hope that many of the families will have some closure by then. However, more than any act of terror, more than any threat to national and personal security I am sickened, disgusted and ashamed that some have taken this time of tragedy and are attempting to use it to bolster their personal power and view of how America "should be" shaped. I receive three channels where I live now, the clearest is the PAX channel. On Friday I turned it on, hoping to get news (They had been running continuous NBC coverage) I flipped on the TV just in time to hear an exchange between Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell that made my blood run cold. Instead of calling for national unity they were blaming anyone who does not think and believe as they do for this terrible act of terror. As many of you now know they blamed, in addition to the Gay community and the ACLU and its members, the Pagan community. To take something as heinous as what has happened and blame it on people to suit your own personal belief system is not something new with extremists. I should not be surprised. But I was surprised, shocked and scared. I have been out of the broom closet for many years and yet when my husbands aunt made a joke about "getting off my broom and coming to join the family (we had a family reunion yesterday, they were taking pictures and I was cooking the food) I shuddered and almost told her not to talk about my faith. I hold my faith as the closest thing to my heart. Before I am a wife and mother I am a Pagan High Priestess. It surrounds, envelopes and enfolds me. It is my comfort when the world is cold, it is my rock when I am unsteady, it is my trust when trust is all but broken. To consider, even for a moment, hiding who I am was to break a covenant between myself and Goddess. A year ago I chose to never again hide my Pentacle, to be proud and strong and stand up for my right to practice the faith I choose. I almost broke this sacred promise and left Goddess alone without me to support her, as she has always supported and sustained me, however, it was only a moment. No one, no matter who they are or what power they hold can take from me my faith. Never again will I hide from fear. The burning times are over. I am a pagan woman and even if I lose my life, I will never hide or deny it again. My belief in God and Goddess sustains me and my family. May it also sustain you and yours. May her precious light shine down on those who are buried in grief, and may it guide the rescuers to someone who is holding fast to their God in the dark, waiting in faith for that dim light. May her arms comfort those who have died alone and cold and may their families, who have gone before, welcome them with joy and erase the fear. May we all be strengthened by whatever we believe in these dark and troubled times. |
| I Heard A Joke Once About Someone That Got Killed By Bringing... | Sep 16th. at 6:49:37 pm EDT |
| Adam Morris (Omaha, Nebraska US) | Age: 31 - Email |
|
I heard a joke once about someone that got killed by bringing a knife to a gun fight. Of course the punchline of the joke was racist, but it does bring up a point. Bringing the wrong weapon into a conflict is fatal. All the work that the pagan community has done in sending healing and protective energy is greatly appreciated. However neither magick nor prayer or the entire solution to this problem. I ask the Lord and the Lady to keep my household safe but I also make sure and lock the doors. I also ask them for food on my table and the health of my body as I go to work everyday to be able to buy groceries and exercise and eat properly. If people hadn't been willing to fight and die we'd still be paying taxes to Great Britian and there wouldn't be a United States of America. If people wouldn't have been willing to fight and die then there would still be slaves in the South. If people wouldn't have been willing to fight and die then we might very well have seen the extermination of the Jewish people and we'd be speaking German or Russian. There are times for peaceful resistance and there are times to break out the guns and fight for the freedom that so many of us seem to be taking for granted. No, we do not have a solid target as in the past. We are facing a group of people who are literally living amongst us waiting for their chance to go out in a blaze of glory to earn a place in heaven. I've met many Muslims and they have been just like people of every other faith, some good, some not so good. However these terrorists are ticking bombs and unless we find and stop them then the tragedy that happened on tuesday will not be the last one to bring tears to our eyes in the years to come. Somethings are complicated and others are simple. We have asked Afghanistan to turn over the criminals they are giving shelter too and they are refusing. If they refuse we can wait for him to strike again and again and see how high the body count gets before we invade or we can go in now. Either way a lot of people are going to die and it is going to be unpleasant. Diplomacy will only take you so far. Do not misunderstand me, I do not hate the people behind this. But that does not stop me from wanting them dead and the threat that the represent ended. When a dog goes rabid you put it down so it can't infect anything else and can do no more harm. The same thing needs to happen to these terrorists. I know the drill, as you sow so shall you reap but if the Gods mark no exceptions for killing to protect your home and family then it's time to start worshipping new ones. Everything boils down to choice. We can sit and pray with our throats raised to the sky to make it easier for the knife that will be along to slit it (like a lamb to the slaughter) Or we can take positive direct action and hunt out the disease that lives among us and abroad. When I made the decision a long time ago to become Wiccan I also cast of the role of being a sheep. I respect the views of the people that have posted here during the past few days, but I do not understand most of them. If someone comes to your home to attack you will you stop trying to defend yourself after casting a protection spell or will you then procede to fight with everything you have to survive? The potential for innocents to be hurt is staggering whether it be from all out armed conflict or petty hate crimes performed in ignorance and fear. Innocent are going to keep being hurt until the terrorists have been stopped. |
| My Family And I Did A Small Ritual And Lit One Solitary... | Sep 16th. at 6:55:58 pm EDT |
| Nuriel (Sycamore) | Age: 27 - Email |
|
My family and I did a small ritual and lit one solitary white candle in remembrance of those who died. Trying to explain these horrific acts to my 8 and 9 year old has been a nearly impossible task. My heart aches for all of the families and friends. Being an empath, it's like I can feel every one of them. I do take some comfort in the wonderful way inwhich our nation has become a family. All races...All religions...All one. |
| I Offer All Americans My Condolences And My Grieving For The Awful... | Sep 16th. at 7:05:29 pm EDT |
| Elena Ricci (Chiavenna, Italy) | Age: 33 - Email |
|
I offer all americans my condolences and my grieving for the awful facts of Tuesday September 11. I lived in the USA four years and I still feel very close to the people there. I also found the Goddess and the God, there, and this is something I will not forget. Without Them I think I would feel much more scared and helpless. The United States of America did a lot, for me personally and for my country, and I feel almost as if my country had been hit. All my love and my prayers for your country, especially for those who lost someone. I also pray for wisdom to all the Powers of the Earth, to so overcome this crisis. Your sister in the Lady and the Lord Elena |
| I Would Like To Offer My Services A Free Religious Counselor At... | Sep 16th. at 7:13:11 pm EDT |
| Delriece (Seattle, Washington US) | Age: 20 - Email |
|
I would like to offer my services a free religious counselor at this time. Please visit my web page at http://www.stormpages.com/askawitch/ or email me directly at delriece@yahoo.com |
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