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| Author: Posted: Nov. 17, 2002 | This Page Viewed: 3,890,128 |
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 |
| The Following Rant May Be Significantly Longer Than I Wanted; I Apologize... | Sep 13th. at 7:30:49 pm EDT |
| Vivhianna (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario CA) | Age: 18 - Email |
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The following rant may be significantly longer than I wanted; I apologize and I want to say right now that I feel very deeply saddened at the horrifying events on Tuesday. When I stepped into the student lounge at school on Tuesday morning, immediately it was clear that something was terribly wrong. Both televisions were set to CNN, which is at most unusual. People were clustered tightly around them, professors and students alike. I asked a friend what had happened. He said, "A plane's crashed into the World Trade Center." Soon after I also heard about the plane which crashed into the Pentagon and about the collapse of the Trade Center's towers. I don't think I fully understood the meaning of this quite at once. It's always hard to believe when something sad happens at best, and I think it would be a very obvious understatement to say that the events on Tuesday were a tragedy almost beyond imagination. (I say "almost" because somebody did think of how to accomplish this and sadly, succeded in making it reality.) To think that somebody could see any kind of sense in such senseless acts of violence as Tuesday's attack is appalling. And though this is two days later now, I personally still find it hard to get my mind around that somewhere, someone or perhaps several someones could be patting themselves on the back after what's happened. And to think that there are some who have celebrated this horrific turn of events is beyond my personal understanding. In such circumstances, it is quite understandable that there are many people who want to wage war on the people who are responsible for this. Even here in the Sault, so physically far removed from the sites of the disasters, I have heard people say that they would gladly go after whoever is responsible. But to add even more senseless, tragic violence into the mix--surely that would only say to the terrorists that they have won? So many people have already died. Plus, who knows right now who is responsible for the tragedy? And if they were a group acting alone, would it be fair to declare war on the country where they came from simply because they came from there? The attack may have been an act of war, but to attack a country simply because it's the country of origin of a group of terrorists who may not have been acting on the will of their government is about as fair as beating up a person because of their skin colour. Yes, I believe that justice must be done in regards to the people who have committed such a terrible crime not just against the United States of America but to all of humanity. But justice can be served in better ways than in committing acts of terrorism of our own--and, although I have never personally had to go to war, I've been told by people who have that war *is* terrorism but with a more poetic name. No, there must be a better way of solving this. Haven't we been told countless thousands of times that violence is never a good answer, even to something so tragic as this? Words fail me now; a prayer comes to mind and heart for those who have perished as a result of these attacks and for those who were injured in them or who were there watching helplessly while they took place. A prayer also for those who knew people who were injured or killed, and for those who are searching for the bodies and the planes' black boxes and for any survivors that might possibly be there. That those who can help, will. And also that we may be guided to react to this tragedy in the wisest possible way and show the terrorists that the human spirit has not been broken, in spite of their efforts. |
| This Is A Poem Of My Feelings Of What Happened On Tuesday... | Sep 13th. at 7:04:50 pm EDT |
| Alicia Hublou (Kansas City, Missouri US) | Age: 18 - Email |
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This is a poem of my feelings of what happened on Tuesday the 11th. Just Another Day By Alicia Hublou I cannot excape the horrible things that happened thes day, I just want to run away, Everywhere I look Isee destruction, I wish someone would wake me with an interuption, If only this was a dream, Something like this could never happen it only seemed, So many people so much grief , Where is this murdering thief, You stole so many lives away, YOU WILL be found and YOU WILL pay, I am here and I am now, I want to help somewhere somehow, I wist that this would go away, And that this was just another normal day. You may forward this to friends or anyone but it must have my name (wich is at the top of the screen). |
| I Live Right In New York. Right In The Very Zone That... | Sep 13th. at 6:39:04 pm EDT |
| Kim W. (New York, New York US) | Age: 31 - Email |
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I live right in New York. Right in the very zone that is now closed to street traffic because they need the roads clear to speed ambulances to the hospital. Right where I could hear BOTH PLANES hit the towers as it was happening. I spent the past two days weeping, calling and receiving calls from friends across this country and around the world, confirming I was alright and finding out they were. I also made the rounds of a number of volunteer stations yesterday looking to help -- and I got sent away because they had more than enough volunteers. This kind of response has been truly encouraging. However. I have been hearing, and growing increasingly troubled, by reports that there has been a growing backlash against the Muslim and Arabic communities in this country as a result of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Because of this, this morning I thought it may be a good idea to leave a short note at the mosque in my neighborhood stating that even though I was not Muslim, I was still their neighbor and did not condone this type of hatred. Sadly, it was underscored to me exactly how much this type of action may be needed now -- as I was sitting on the steps of the mosque and writing this note, a man walking by stopped and remarked, "So this is where the snake pit is, huh?" (Good manners prevent me from stating my exact response; let me just say it was loud, angry, and vehement, and echoed by another passer-by.) I would encourage all of you, unless your own personal religious sympathies would prevent it, to stop by a mosque in your community and show your support either with a note or a kind word -- simply as a neighbor. I firmly believe that those who hold all of Islam accountable for the actions of a deranged few are no better than the terrorists themselves; if you let yourself hate in this fashion, you are giving in to the same kind of hatred and anti-Americanism that the perpetrators of this act did. And this is a group that is growing increasingly frightened and needs support as well. (After the altercation on the street, a couple of people in the mosque did come out to see what was going on; I explained my actions and they were moved and appreciative.) Please feel free to forward this to whomever you wish and enourage others to do the same. Thanks. Kim W. |
| Prayer For The Victims Of The Terrorist Attack On September 11, 2001... | Sep 13th. at 6:38:46 pm EDT |
| Rev. Crystal Moon, HPS (Deltona, Florida US) | Age: 28 - Email |
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Prayer For The Victims Of The Terrorist Attack On September 11, 2001 Gracious Goddess, The shadow of humanity has reared its ugly head, Spreading destruction and gloom across our great Earth. While it affects us all, My heart goes out to the victims of this horrible act of violence towards humanity. I ask thee, Goddess, to lend thy support and freely give thy love to the injured and missing. I ask thee to assist in healing the grieving families who have lost their innocent loved ones. I ask thee to bless our nation with your strength, courage, and optimism, So we may come together, without hate, and stand firm against the shadow. I ask thee to bless our Earth with peace, solitude, and harmony. And in gratitude, Goddess, I thank thee for awakening the Earth and bringing out the compassion from the hearts of so many, We tend to forget and ignore the compassion thou have blessed us with. Out of every tragedy comes a hope for something better, And I ask of thee, Goddess, That this hope be restored in the hearts and minds of all of your children. I thank thee for stirring the emotions of billions, and opening their eyes, So they may see that the hatred they hold in their hearts everyday is not needed. Maybe they will realize that we are all one being of the Universe before it is too late for humanity. May thy love and compassion protect us all, And may our children never experience this type of disaster. Blessed be! |
| Thoughts. This Is A Personal Reaction, Only One Of Several. They Exist... | Sep 13th. at 6:37:37 pm EDT |
| Ceinwen (Storrs, Connecticut US) | Age: 30 - Email |
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Thoughts. This is a personal reaction, only one of several. They exist in layers. I am hoping to find some people in this area in the coming days...energy? Peace? Solace? I burn a candle every night for those who might still be alive and waiting, hoping to be released into this or another world's light. -Ceinwen/LS The Ground at Storrs CT at 2:19 September 12 People look strangely at each other if they look at all. I drove in crying this morning but learned how to say ÒIÕm fineÓ by noon. The t.v. is on the t.v. is on the t.v. is on: fbi chairs taken even the chairs they have no people but they have chairs where they sat severely burned this is not everything tears and gashes the er doctor is talking now who came out of the rubble who did not this is not everything coming together unity against a common enemy or one that will do passing out candy waving flags and smiling an act of war president is salivating Mr. Hatch promises a stiff reaction and some preacher instead of praying saying war they say retaliation avenging we are not like that our way of life waving flags and smiling when they are dead will we have ticker tape and cotton candy? this is not everything a man named tom his mother searches another in SanFrancisco her son said bomb a wife said knives an Indian student in the smoking area Wednesday at 10:30 I was supposed to be inside hearing about deviations the root of variance he dressed all in black and said we donÕt understand should not wait should bomb them into the stone age and he is brown and he is scared and he is the only one still saying bombs and war out there at the picnic table inside my proper tweed wrapped professor is talking rationally about controlled manipulations factoring out human variation this is not everything Sunday night a premonition in the kitchen while washing tupperware something outside was the only way to describe and very bad very bad I told only one person and there was nothing we could do not knowing what anyhow being taught to ignore to call it just anxiety paranoia projection of something too awful to allow to exist inside of us small blue shirt exploring hands exploring dirt hover clumsily contemplating their inevitable descent choosing an acorn perhaps. The woman in jeans and sandals bends and straightens legs then knees to stoop to see what parts make up this whole She has learned to ignore. To call simply dirt. From the base of the contorted steel ribbon where the strange shadow of campus art shades me I see blue and the only cloud high and white grass and dirt all safely where they belong a woman, this child my saviors |
| I Curse The Terrorists Who Did This To Their Deepest Hell. And... | Sep 13th. at 6:25:02 pm EDT |
| Roy E. Wilson (Bremerton, Washington US) | Age: 44 - Email |
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I curse the terrorists who did this to their deepest hell. And those who cheered and celebrated I curse them to see their worse fears come true. When attacks occured in the Mideast we didn't cheer most people asked questions and tried to find out the why. The blood has been spilt the fires have been lit prayers and curses have been spoken. Pity not the future of those who awoke the dragon because they have no pity. I am willing to bear the cost of my curses and what they may bring. |
| Daughter Of Freedomwords Can Not Express How I Felt When I... | Sep 13th. at 6:21:25 pm EDT |
| daughter of Freedom (valley, Alabama US) | Age: 43 - Email |
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Daughter of Freedom Words can not express how I felt when I looked upon the burning of the Wtc buildings on tv. Disbelief, shock and pain for the souls released to God. I felt a deep spirit speak to my soul of the things that could come to be. I sensed a great and terrible fear for the safety of my son who is an inlisted member of the Navy. My son is scheduled to go to the middle east in a few days if not sooner, due to this terrible tragedy. I am trying to be brave and I fear, not just for him, but for this entire world. There are many things worse than loosing your life or the life of someone you love. One of which is to lose your soul and your faith. I pray that freedom will continue and people will rise above the hate and prejudice and judge each person for the goodness inside of them. How they react to this tradgedy will impact on each and every person they come into contact with. Let our United States be proud of us in all we do!!!! Let us be Brave and stand for goodness. We will prevail and we will remain free!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our United States stands for freedom to worship as we please and if it harms none do what ye will. May the light of Love, Wisdom and strength shine on our United States. |
| It Is Unforgetable, The Images That Have Been On Television For The... | Sep 13th. at 6:18:09 pm EDT |
| Laddeewolf Stormrider (Granby, Missouri US) | Age: 46 - Email |
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It is unforgetable, the images that have been on television for the last 2 days are forever burned in the minds and hearts of all of us. I wonder if the magnetude of what he has caused has ever occured to Osmama bin Laudin. I wonder if he has thought beyond his own hate and anger. I think that he is one of those souls that should be stopped from continuing the cycle of birth and rebirth. I think that this should be in our thoughts more than the punishment of all who have dark skin. This soul has probably been around for some time accumulating hate and anger in each lifetime. I truly believe in the laws of Karma. Any magic I do will be aimed at him specifically. All the evidence collected so far points to him. I do not feel that I am jumping to a conclusion either. I dont want to see the innocent suffer. I know that we americans tend to jump on anything that resembles the enemy, for now people cant reach bin laudin- so they are attacking anything that resembles an Arab. People seem to need something to hate. I know that we are all hurt and angry- but be carefull, These people will turn on us when its all over and they need someone else to hate. We are different and strange, most of my friends and family know what I am, And since I have always been different, I know what its like. I have always been treated like an evil child-my mother was a devout christian. And anyone who was different or didnt think the way she did was evil. If anyone should suffer for this it should be the leader, not the sheep that think they are wolves. If you must aim your anger and hate at someone make sure that it is in the right direction. I have aimed mine at Osama bin Laudin |
| Think For A Moment, And I Know How Hard It Is, So... | Sep 13th. at 6:12:17 pm EDT |
| River Fox (Cliffwood Beach, New Jersey US) | Age: 14 - Email |
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Think for a moment, and I know how hard it is, so take your time. Back to the time when life was normal. When the most important worry on your mind was whether the Yankees would win their next game. If you can see it, if you can remember... New York, we knew it was important, but what was it really? Another city. Another dot on the American map, only with a reputation for snobs and modern sophisticates too aloof for us mere mortals. On the front page of the Star Ledger, there is a picture of a fountain somewhere in Manhattan. And New Yorkers, the same New Yorkers made legendary for their high-and-mighty attitudes... stranger holding hands with stranger, forming a ring around the fountain. No matter how depraved these saddeningly idiotic terrorists maybe be, there is hope. We are still Americans, and we do not fold so easily. As Thomas Paine once said, 'These are the times that try men's souls.' The comfort we find must be within each other. There must be no hanging separately. In the Goddess, or in Jesus, or in an Allah untainted by human malice- please. If humans can learn to come together, so can their gods. In these days and the heavy days to come, let there be no difference between us. We are the world's children, united in mourning for the loss of our own. And in that mourning, we buoy ourselves up out of an abyss of grief and undescribable tragedy. We move forward in the name of a justice that must be rendered balanced by an innocence that must be honored. In the end... WE ARE NOT MOURNERS. WE ARE NOT COWARDS. WE ARE NOT MURDERERS. WE ARE NOT FOOLS. We are American. And we will move on. |
| Pro Patria Et Populoby Trade, I Am A Writer. I Spend... | Sep 13th. at 6:04:38 pm EDT |
| reese mack (Dallas, Texas US) | Age: 31 - Email |
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Pro Patria et Populo By trade, I am a writer. I spend a good portion of my life, it seems, transfixed by glowing phosphorous emissions, generated in a monotone hum from an unconscious box, found scant inches away, as I await the visitation of a friendly or familiar Muse. By the word, by the page, by the article, by the project, I earn my livelihood through the staccato peck-peck-pecking out of what are often moribund, unfeeling keystrokes. Today is not one of those days. Today I write for myself, for my nation and for all those whose hopes have crumbled in a terrible roar of dust, debris and destruction. Today I write from the heart. I have, as many of you have also, sat shell-shocked at the unfolding events of September 11, 2001. The urgent need of so many, and the urgent cause held by so fanatical a few which has wrought it, has left me numb; a casualty of a different sort. My mind reeled in revulsion of it, at the unfathomable notion that it was happening. Here. Now. But happened, it has, and make no question of it, it has happened to each and every one of us. No matter your ethnicity, your nationality, your religion, your far-flung distance from any particular blue shore, it has happened to us all. Only those without empathy, with a soulless incapacity for seeing the worth of life, and especially its senseless loss, will feel truly isolated and immune from its consequence. Indeed, this HAS happened to us all. I am reminded that this is the time, in the life of our Ancients, of the enactment of the Eleusinian mysteries. Great fields of wheat and other grains were cut down in single, explosive blows from a sharpened scythe. The Mysteries were to remind our Ancient brethren that, though the grains' sharp and sudden death had been brought on by our own hands, further life would again spring forth, in its own time, through the divinely-given acts of faith, love, hope and labor. Thus, through the process of death and rebirth, life would continue and we, as beneficiaries of that revealed knowledge, would be fed again from its divinely given bounty. So it is with the events we face on this day. Shock and fear will cause some to think, speak and act from positions of imprudence. Vengeful acts will be called for against those faceless cowards whom we do not yet know. As yet, paranoid warnings against the encroachment of an Orwellian, omnipresent oppressor, waiting in the shadows of our darkest fears and on our own shores, will be echoed in the smoke-filled antechambers of our deepest mental recesses. Verbal fusillades and passing gestures will be assigned to those who look, act and dress differently from "us, " and against their own wholly-innocent houses of worship. Caution, dear friends, for time is long and holds its memory, while we ourselves are fleeting and often live to forget our own transgressions, by choice or through our shame. Focus this day on hope, instead: hope for the families who have lost a great deal, hope for those who might yet survive, hope that our own human natures are better and more divinely-inspired than what we have recently and previously witnessed. Hope for a world changed, forever and for the better. Focus hope this day that we will find a solution. I recall the words of a famous philosopher and student of history, a student of no small amount of education and experience, himself, in the ghastly, unthinkable horrors of war: "Toleration, holding that every other man has the same right to his opinion and faith that we have to ours; and liberty, holding that no human being can with certainty say, in the clash and conflict of human faiths and creeds, what is truth, or that HE is SURELY in possession of it, so every one should feel that it is quite possible that another, equally honest and sincere himself, and yet holding the contrary opinion, may himself be in possession of the truth, and that whatever one firmly and conscientiously believes, IS truth, TO HIM Ð- these are the mortal enemies of that fanaticism which persecutes for opinionÕs sake, and initiates crusades against whatever it, in its imaginary holiness, deems to be contrary to the law of God or verity of dogma. And education, instruction and enlightenment are the most certain means by which fanaticism and intolerance can be rendered powerless." Focus this day on the acts of education, instruction and enlightenment, not for any one people, but for all people; both the "we, " as well the "them." Sadness is unavoidable. This I know. What I also know is that satisfaction will not come in the form of fear, at least at this time, of the encroachment upon our liberties, nor will it come via the acts of blind and hot-blooded vengeance. We have already seen enough of that, recently as well as in the past. Let's not see any more. Let us focus on noble ideals, instead. Let us focus our efforts on the motto, and the pledge, to whom this piece is directed: Pro Patria et Populo, "for country and people." I, for one, will not permit harm to befall either, through my fault or my fear. I am sworn to it, but right-thinking people might, upon reflection, see the wisdom housed within those five simple words. Brightest Blessings. reese mack AN EXEGESIS -- http://soluna.org/reesemack.html ::(The writings and ramblings of reese mack.):: |
| Why? To Be "right"? In Who's Name Were Children Men And Women... | Sep 13th. at 5:56:30 pm EDT |
| Mark Kemper (Williamsburg, Virginia US) | Age: 45 - Email |
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Why? To be "right"? In who's name were children men and women murdered?In the name of god by chance?Where does it go from here? Totalitarrianism of the "right" is my fear we must stand strong tall pround and together if this battle is to be won by those of pure kind and simple hearts, Peace and love to all. Skydancer |
| I Am So Happy To Hear Of Others On The Pagan And... | Sep 13th. at 5:56:05 pm EDT |
| Kumari (Cleveland, Ohio US) | Age: 50 - Email |
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I am so happy to hear of others on the Pagan and Wiccan paths who are finding ways to remember and send energy to the victims of this terrible tragedy. And I am proud of the thoughtfull comments you all have made. No knee-jerk reactions here! You have inspired me to light my own pillar candle every day until the candle is gone in vigil for those killed, maimed and their families and friends and the rescuers. It may seem that we cannot do much, but our intent and magic have power. I would not be suprised to learn that there were some in the buildings attacked that were of our path and they will specifically need our help, but any energy I raise will be offered to all without regard to their path or lack of it. Please, all, keep up the effort, this will take months to resolve and we may be called upon to defend our country in many ways. I am proud to be an American and a Witch! Goddess Bless! |
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