9/11 Anniversary Rituals

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 10 Sep 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Strega	10 Sep 2002
How will you observe the anniversary of September 11? Have you written a special prayer? Are you attending a service? Or are you treating it as just another ordinary day? I wish to commemorate this anniversary, not with sadness and grieving, but with joy and hope. I will light candles... pray that those who passed over be at peace and continue their journey... give thanks for all of the lives that were spared... send positive healing energy to the families of the victims... and pray for the leaders of our countries. What about you? :)

cjtarot	10 Sep 2002
Strega, I think your idea is wonderful..everyone around me is talking about watching tv..and the my oldest daughter is to wear red, white and blue so she can honor 9/11... I think I will follow your lead and light candles here and pray..with both my daughters..it will help them understand that it's not just about the loss, but about the good lives the people lost led and the wonderful life in Heaven they are leading now... Blessings, Cj

Bella	10 Sep 2002
I'll be taking the day off of work. I'll go to the park near me and toss flowers into the water, light some candles, and pray. At night my family and I will attend a vigil. When I return to work on Thursday, some of us at the office are planning to step out at lunchtime, walk to the Hudson River, and chant and pray,lay down flowers, and burn sage and candles. We've done that before...the first time was a few weeks after 9/11. We found a little "shrine" with a photo of someone lost there and candles up against the fence. About halfway through, exactly when we were praying that the souls would find peace, a bunch of butterlies flew in and landed right at the fence where we were standing. It was amazing.

catlin	10 Sep 2002
Maybe I will perform a ritual for peace (although I feel more inclined to do something else as a Moslem fundy had hoarded pounds of chemicals and other stuff to build some bombs he wanted to blow in the city of Heidelberg or on a US base nearby on 9/11 to "celebrate"). I have to admit that I feel a bit uneasy about 9/11 with all these Moslems running here around and behaving rather "uppish" at the moment. They kept quiet here after 9/11 but since last week I sense a growing activity among them.

Diana	10 Sep 2002
I started my little commemoration already yesterday. For me, 9/11 started on 9/9 when Commander Massoud was assassinated by the same group that destroyed the WTC. I remember the tears of anger that I shed on the 9th, which led to tears of sorrow on the 11th. I have been doing my stuff to add to the light in the world, so that the world will shine a little more, because sadness, despair and fear must not prevail. Tomorrow I will surely light a candle for world peace and for wisdom to enter the hearts of all mankind.

PurpleGoddess	10 Sep 2002
i will be joining the others from my group and the rest of the medical school community in a vigil, breakfast, speakers and moment of silence when each plane struck. also when the last tower collapsed. i think in my own way i've been trying to send light to the families and the victims souls and for peace throughout the world but not giving in to the media and watching every last "special" or another story on t.v. as usual the american media have gone over board thinking this is what we want to watch. not me...i want to learn how this could've happened and why it did?! there are still questions left unanswered and the americans are still left exposed to terrorism, from inside as well as outside. please understand...that i know there is terrorism all over the world and people must live with it everyday...my life and world changed on 9/11/01..i too am living warily on whether a change in police activity means there's a potential for an attack. we have terrorists of our own that claim to be above the law and will one day...take over the gov't if each voting individual doesn't use their right to vote..because their votes DO count! i will tomorrow after class go down to the beach and offer the sea flowers in memory of the innocents lost and for the future. peace

Umbrae	10 Sep 2002
My Ritual: http://www.king5.com/terrorism/NW_090902AABdanpelletier.83cdc01.html On a lighter note, I recommend that for dealing with fundy Moslems, that everybody stockpile pig fat. Slip it out of the can, an in its raw form, it becomes the Holy Hand Greanade.

napaea	10 Sep 2002
great thread, Strega. i too will light candles, and send prayers for the families and the lost ones. and also prayers for the ones who may be stuck here adn haven't crossed over yet. i haven't figured out what all i will do, but it is good that you posted this thread...to keep us all connected and sharing our love.

Liliana	10 Sep 2002
My major ritual was this past sunday. We have a levee along our river and an ampitheatre. There was Christian music and a service at the ampitheatre, with prayers and hymns and prayers for elected officials and firefighter/ambulance workers and what not, and they had all the fire trucks and ambulances parae across the bridge with lights and sirens on, some with American flags. Also a jet flew over. But the part I love best is a rtradition we started the Sunday after 9/11 last year. Everyone, thousands of us Id guess, went and lined up on the path on the levee wall, which is like 3 miles long, and lit candles and had 3 minutes of silence while the church bell rang 11 times. Wih the levee lights off its truly amazing to look down the wall and see 3 miles of candles lit, as fr as you can see in both directions. After that they set off fireworks to honor the American spirit Still wasnt as moving as the first year when the jet flew over during the 3 minutes of silence and no one knew it was coming. Everybody cried I think Theres also a quiet service at my church tomorrow i might go to. :THP

blue_fusion	10 Sep 2002
i'll probably light a candle outside my window. :)

Laurel	10 Sep 2002
I think I will light a candle and offer up a non-demoninational prayer for the world.

Violet Gargoyle	10 Sep 2002
I'll probably light some candles and watch TV, Im sure there will be plenty of rememberance shows to choose from. I dont want to overdo it. I would rather my child not be bombarded with all those images over again, I think I could barely get away with that last year, but now she's beginning to understand. Umbrae- I think the Lard thing would really only work with Moby.

jade	10 Sep 2002
i will have a 'different' kind of homeschooling day with my kids. we will talk about negativity and hate and what they create (in the physical) in light, jade

amyel	10 Sep 2002
I am walking up to the US Embassy and observing a moment of silence. During work hours. And I'm billing the client.

zorya	10 Sep 2002
i will be lighting a candle and putting out prayer sticks, for those that have had to live with the after affects.

Ladyhawke	10 Sep 2002
I created a tile at Yahoo's remembrance site. (Feel free to link to mine if you want...) A friend of mine and I are going out to dinner tomorrow night. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to watch the media coverage. I work for a newspaper, and from the moment I walked in the door at 8:30-ish Sept. 11 last year, I did nonstop Web site updates for 10 hours a day the rest of the week. Talk about some big-time burnout in regards to the events. My mind was utterly numb by the end of the day. So I may just do what I did at the end of the days last year -- curl up in the tub with a very unrealistic book and an alcoholic drink. Ladyhawke

starr	10 Sep 2002
I will go to downtown Seattle with Umbrae, we will walk in procession to the Seatle Center Fountain; from there to the television station and then home. I will let the feelings run and the tears flow I will remember I cannot forget. A candle for all, a prayer for calm and hugs to all who may need. Starr

PurpleGoddess	10 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Violet Gargoyle Im sure there will be plenty of rememberance shows to choose from. I dont want to overdo it. VG - the t.v. coverage is already overdone and i can't take it anymore. for the last 2 weeks or even more the news shows on every channel...even HBO!!!!!! i'm freaking out w/the heighten alert news...started noticing change of behavior in the local authorities. i know freaking out is giving in to the terrorist but i'm scared AGAIN! this is how i felt last year a few days after wtc went down. there are planes flying too low, helicopters in the air. i'm scared. :( i don't like living like this...how do those who live w/it everyday cope? do they become numb? please i want to understand! anyway, Goddess bless everyone here in this community. I love you all!

Violet Gargoyle	10 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by PurpleGoddess VG - the t.v. coverage is already overdone and i can't take it anymore. for the last 2 weeks or even more the news shows on every channel...even HBO!!!!!! i'm freaking out w/the heighten alert news...started noticing change of behavior in the local authorities. i know freaking out is giving in to the terrorist but i'm scared AGAIN! this is how i felt last year a few days after wtc went down. there are planes flying too low, helicopters in the air. i'm scared. :( i don't like living like this...how do those who live w/it everyday cope? do they become numb? please i want to understand! anyway, Goddess bless everyone here in this community. I love you all! Namaste to you too (((PG))) It is a pain to teeter on the edge of being cautious and being *too* cautious and causing mass hysteria. The fact that they have been billing the heightened alert thing off and on since last year, I think my fear is actually the "Boy who cried wolf" syndrome, meaning that eventually if they keep ringing the warning bell, people will stop listening. But then you would feel bad if we didn't heed any warnings. I don't think that anything but time can help this (and perhaps a change of congress) but it will be a long time. So yes, I sort of have working shell, I have to because working on computers all day means (for my job anyways) knowing world news and events. Then I get home and I look at one of the Charlie Brown's Cyclopedias' that I passed on to my daughter (orginally mine when I was a kid) and see the pages in it that lists the WTC as the tallest buildings in the world, and has this huge picture of them. Its like seeing a photo of a person that has passed away.

destinyawaitsme	11 Sep 2002
I think I'm going to light a candle, and say a prayer. Maybe watch some tv. That day changed my life in so many ways. It's just weird how airplanes went unnoticed before. Now I find myself watching the sky. With the heightened terror risks announced today, I do feel a bit anxious about it. I have faith that there will be no catastrophic attacks tomorrow, but then again I can't be sure. A year ago on 9/11 I was just taking a math test...I go back to my dorm and the tv was on in the lobby. But I didn't notice it. I remember hearing the word "terrorism" and thinking that it wasn't important. That wasn't something that happened in America. I took a shower, and remember a girl in the hall talking about a tower falling. I went to my room and turned on the tv. My life changed. I cried as I watched a building that I've never been to, or seen, or really even cared to notice fall to the ground. I wasn't a selfish college brat anymore. More existed in this world other than myself. I never knew that something so far away could hit so close to home. I think after I light my candle. I'll call my mom. And thank her for being there. And thank her for being a comfort to me a year ago on that day while I sat crying in my dorm room.

divinerguy	11 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Ladyhawke I created a tile at Yahoo's remembrance site. Ladyhawke, I could not imagine a more appropriate legacy than the image you displayed.

Kiama	11 Sep 2002
*Sigh* I thought I had gotten over the tears and the anger. But I haven't. This morning, I woke up at 8:46am in the UK. I know it isn't the same time for you guys in the USA but for you at 8:46 I believe the horror was beginning. I woke up not only with my heart going out to the families and friends of those who were affected, who now have to face the anniversary of their death, but I woke up thanking the Gods that the people I know are still here. I have not known of anybody lost in the attack. All my US Aeclectic friends who were there on that day are still with us. My remembrance today will be a short prayer, reflecion, and a celebration and thanksgiving for the fact that life and love prevails even in the darket of times. Kiama

Liliana	11 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Ladyhawke I created a tile at Yahoo's remembrance site. (Feel free to link to mine if you want...) Ladyhawke I made one and linked to you, also made one for each of my daughters linked to mine. Other things Ive decided to do today is work with my runestones that Umbrae made me, since he was there and he's the closest person to me that was near the attack. Also CompTarot started a discussion of 9/11 memorial readings so later Ill do a reading of my own to share wuth them. :THP

catlin	11 Sep 2002
I was fasting in remembrance to all those affected by 9/11 and I will light some candles and do a ritual this evening. I too well remember my feelings when I saw the pics of collapsing WTC on tv. I could not believe my eyes. It still gives me shudders to think about . When I went to work this morning I hoped that today will pass without some crazy folk "celebrating" this day with similar actions.

Molly	11 Sep 2002
Hi all. I made a tile at yahoo also last night. It is #6a679ade or http://dir.remember.yahoo.com/view/6a679ade I made one for my son and daughter as well and linked it - (hoping that worked). Last year I was working on the computer when my mother-in-law called. She said "two planes crashed into the towers at New York"... I am so sheltered I suppose that the first thing I said was, "wow, some air traffic controllers are really going to be in trouble..." I thought of a mistake by an intoxicated person, not terrorism. I wondered for so long after that how it is that people stand up under constant fear and death in the nations where this occurs commonly. I became so depressed ... I found out later that I was pregnant which actually relieved me b/c I could contribute some of the sorrow to the pregnancy hormones. But not all of it. I still feel such sorrow today for those that so suddenly and unexpectedly lost loved ones. I feel sorrow that there is such hatred disguised as conviction - that there are those so decieved as to believe they did something honorable. I am amazed by the lovingkindness of nations everywhere who were moved by the tragedy and grieved with the U.S. I don't have any special plans today - home with the two babies - but to relieve my thoughts, I will light some candles and arrange a spread: the tower on the bottom with the star and the world overlapping and on top as well as judgment. Love and peace will always be victorious and the knowledge that evil-doers are "judged" (laws of karma, laws of man, laws of the spirit) are comforting thoughts.

DarkElectric	11 Sep 2002
I lit a memorial candle last night, put my flag up today, and am planning to attend the memorial service for the heroes of 9/11 which is being held at U-Mass tonight. I've stopped crying (for the time being) but I know there will be more, so I'm just going to let the tears fall. I personally think Sept 11 should be designated a National Holiday to remember and honour those who were so cruelly murdered, and those who survived such a cowardly, and dishonourable attack on American Citizens. And I created a tile too, I linked to LadyHawkes. Mine is c1f7c6020

Ladyhawke	11 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by divinerguy Ladyhawke, I could not imagine a more appropriate legacy than the image you displayed. Thanks. I've always thought I was born a couple decades too late....I woulda been a great hippie. ;) BTW, I don't know if anyone's visited Yahoo's main page but they've gone gray for the day. Ladyhawke

napaea	11 Sep 2002
Ladyhawke, sorry you had to go through such an intense time of focus on this tragedy. the media coverage today so far has been very good. very emotional, very honoring of the victims, and their families. i'm impressed with the fact that they set up a place for people to come and honor the loved ones as they call out their name on the loudspeaekrs. i hope this helps them cross over if they haven't. what an emotional time. everyone please pray for each other as well. this definately hurts many people around the world, but those of us that are more "sensitive" or of a spiritual nature will likely feel others emotions and pain. let us hold each other, those of us on this site, in our prayers, that we might be strong and focused today, and not overwhelmed with the pain. blessings to you all, blessings to your families

Sally Gardens	11 Sep 2002
I am fighting off a sort of "anniversary" reaction of numbing and grief, as much over some of the retaliatory sentiment (and actions) against innocent people as over the original attacks. I am wearing all black today, with a button that says "Peace in the world, or the world in pieces." I will light a candle tonight, in remembrance of that brief moment in which the whole world united in peace and solidarity, not against a particular nation or ethnic group, but as human beings against inhumanity. As a side note, I also wrote a MASH fanfic this past winter, as part of my own healing process. It incorporates 9-11-01 into the storyline, tying it into the horrors/aftershocks of war experienced by Charles and by his family in the decades after Korea. Anyway, here's the link, for anyone interested. http://sallygardens.tripod.com/LifeAsExpected01.html You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one; I hope some day you will join us, and the world will live as one. - John Lennon :TSTAR Peace be with you all. Sally

Minderwiz	11 Sep 2002
I watched the News during the afternoon here (morning in NY) and must admit I just cried. Minderwiz

Liliana	11 Sep 2002
Does anyone else remember the story of the little 2 (or was it 3) year old boy who was on one of the planes that hit the towers? They knew what was going to happen long enough to get out teir cell phones and call loved ones, and he talked to his grandparents. Cany you even imagine being that boy or those grandparents? That story kills me worse than any other considering my youngest is his age. It always makes me cry and I feel a closeness for that little boy and his family. :THP

Strega	11 Sep 2002
When great trees fall, rocks on distant hills shudder, lions hunker down in tall grasses, and even elephants lumber after safety. When great trees fall in forests, small things recoil into silence, their senses eroded beyond fear. When great souls die, the air around us becomes light, rare, sterile. We breathe briefly. Our eyes, briefly, see with a hurtful clarity. Our memory, suddenly sharpened, examines, gnaws on kind words unsaid, promised walks never taken. Great souls die and our reality, bound to them, takes leave of us. Our souls, dependent upon their nurture, now shrink, wizened. Our minds, formed and informed by their radiance, fall away. We are not so much maddened as reduced to the unutterable ignorance of dark, cold caves. And when great souls die, after a period peace blooms, slowly and always irregularly. Spaces fill with a kind of soothing electric vibration. Our senses, restored, never to be the same, whisper to us They existed. They existed. We can be. Be and be better. For they existed. - Maya Angelou

Molly	11 Sep 2002
thank you strega for such a lovely poem. thank you all for these sentiments which are so necessary for healing. I tried to link my tile to ladyhawke and lilliana but I was not able to as it was already created, but I noticed Darkelectric linked to us all. Thanks, Darkelectric... it was a good feeling - finding my aeclectic family banding together with this tribute. I look at my beautiful daughter today who was just being formed last year on this day, and I am so thankful for all that I have and for having so little taken from me so far. My thanks and gratitude fills me with even more sorrow, I'm afraid. Darkelectric - your message was beautiful.

Bella	11 Sep 2002
Ladyhawke--thank you for letting me know about such a wonderful site. I've created a tile as well, and linked to yours and the other people here who's number I know (Lilliana--I didn't have your tile #). I'm going to create one for my daughter and link to mine. My # is: 148ba18cdd

Logiatrix	11 Sep 2002
Faith is real. I met her today. Faith has dimples, long, black braids and shining brown eyes, and she is four years old. When I meet her, she is proud to announce that she will be participating in a "memorial-ling" today for 9/11. Her part is to join about a dozen other preschoolers in leading the audience through the "pledge of 'legiance". I recognize most of her rendition when she practices it for me, until she gets to the end: "...not invisible, she is liberty, and there for us all." That was this morning, when I met Faith. She's stayed with me all day. Her version of America's pledge sang in my head every time I saw a flag on the way to work (and they are everywhere!), or as people gathered for the parades, or to collect donations. With all the media coverage and patriotic songs on the radio, I hear Faith's words behind them. I have already participated in a few events today, and I must admit that much of it is a blur of emotions. However, I will not forget Faith. Thank you, Faith, for teaching me about "memorial-ling"...May you continue to grow ever prouder of your country as you grow in a blessed life, and may Liberty remain "not invisible...and there for us all."

Kazz	11 Sep 2002
In the last few days here there has been alot of unseen footage and stories etc of the attacks and for some reason I was just glued to the TV.....people will probably think that I am morbid, but I think it is human nature to want to see and to know all about it so that we can try and get some understanding. I have taped some of the coverage and heroic stories, so when my girls have grown up they can look at this and see how devestatingly horrific this one day was to all who live in this world. I had a candle burning all day til midnight, and in the major cities all around Australia, people drove with their headlights on. My heart went out to all who perished and their families and to all the heroes who put their lives at risk for others. We will never forget them. Cheers Kazz :TQC

Liliana	11 Sep 2002
They've been playing songs on the radio that have been mixed to have quotes from 9/11 mixed in today, and theres one i cant get through without crying hysterically. I dont know what the name of the song is, its by a female and goes baby you're all that i want, when lying here in your arms, its hard to believe, we're in heaven, something like that. Anyway they have it mixed with a kindergarten girl talking to her dead daddy and its sooooo sad, even worse she sounds just like my daughter when she talks about tickling her belly. I just cry and cry, I probably wont hear it again now. :THP

Umbrae	11 Sep 2002
http://www.komotv.com/stories/20282.htm

Liliana	11 Sep 2002
Wow Umbrae, Ive been thinking of you all day since you are the only person I know who was there, and Im glad I now know your whole story. No mention of runes tho? ;) :THP

Frequency	12 Sep 2002
I don't think my post was offensive, but if it was it's gone. The last thing I want is to make enemies here. I like this place and the people in it alot. There've been a few people who have offended me before but I have felt a greater amount of kindness from the large majoriety of you. Let cooler heads prevail.

Diana	12 Sep 2002
Frequency: Your post certainly stands out on this thread. I suspect that this was your aim - to show people that you couldn't care less about what happened on 9/11. So you don't care about this tragedy that destroyed the lives of thousands of people, and their families? So why should anyone care about the lousy 35 dollars that you had to pay on customs duties? Do you have any sense of proportions? The foreign policy of America is one thing. The mourning and day of remembrance for thousands of grieving, bewildered and shattered families is another. Do not mix up the two. Or did you just get up today and say "Today is a provocation day. Let's do it, man, just for the hell of it."

Molly	12 Sep 2002
Well Frequency, I really have to agree with Diana - if you had told your story on any other thread, I would have tried to get into your shoes and convey empathy to you. Instead, I got the distinct impression that you are completely selfish and self-involved and have no ability to reference anything going on beyond yourself... you don't want to hear the "heartstring" stories, which is perfectly fine, but those stories are actual real people, not dramatizations or "after school specials." I found your entire post oozing with "the world owes me" attitude and if I were your mother, I doubt I would be giving you money for anything. Now maybe life has been hard on you, but that should be even more reason for you to feel sympathy for the thousands of people that woke up a year ago yesterday to a normal beautiful September morning, only to have their entire lives shatter to pieces a few hours later. I am sorry if I sound harsh to you - I do realize we all need time to grow and mature - but I feel very angry, plain and simple. Life isn't fair sometimes, but I don't think $35 compares to death and suffering of countless human life.

Poetlove	12 Sep 2002
I was in school yestarday, so I made sure I was showing support by wearing ared, white and blue ribbon. I also keep the people who's lives were lost in my heart, and thoughts. I regret that this happened, and though I understand the reasons, and see points of view. I wonder what made some people be so violent.

blue_fusion	12 Sep 2002
some people might not like what i'll say, but i'll say it anyway. although i feel deep sympathy and regret for what has happened (i'm referring to september 11), in fact, i lighted a candle outside my window the other night, i still have some feeling that what is happening is rather unfair. i mean that lives here were lost, but don't we go through that everyday? with countless individuals dying of starvation in third world countries, or even in military regimes in other nations, and we go on with our lives. i'm not saying that we shouldn't put importance or significance in september 11, it's just that the lives lost in those i mentioned are equally important and should have equal weights in our hearts. znd they also deserve the same sympathy that we put in the september 11 victims. i better end this, as i find that there is no flow in my rambling. oh well, just wanted to share this with you guys. :)

Kazz	12 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Frequency It was so miserable. I got up in the morning expecting good coverage on CBC but they were just pulling at the heart strings, so to speak, which offended me. I just turned it off. Personaly, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm very angry at the huge hooplah they've made it out to be and the way they used it as an excuse What a stupid day. How INSENSITIVE, you are a very sad person. Did you sleep through the whole day on Sept 11 2001??? Did you miss something???, or are you just plain selfish. Huge hooplah!!!!I think not,.... think of how you would feel if you lost a family member or close friend on that day!!..now really......can you even imagine what pain you would be feeling??? I don't think so. This day is for all the victims' family and friends to remember and say goodbye, as they try and get on with life. How hard that must be. I am on the other side of the world to New York, I feel as though I was next door, this affected the whole world. I cannot even try to comprehend how you could possibly feel so "Put Out!!" and have no feeling for anything or anyone. You clearly are a miserable human being. (I am sorry if I was too harsh....my emotional anger just took over)))

Umbrae	12 Sep 2002
Lighten up on Frequency. In the move ‘Star Wars’, there is the scene where Luke is practicing with the light saber and drone. Obi Wan sits down, suffering from psychic shock and says, “"I feet a great disturbance in the force, Like millions of voices cried out in terror, then were silenced." Not every one felt it, or heard it. Nine eleven was not dissimilar. Not everyone felt or heard.

jade	12 Sep 2002
i was thinking, when i read frequency's post, that he was affected by the day without even realizing it. in the same way my kids were. they had a very sad, dissappointing day. couldn't really explain why they were sad, they just were. we all felt the energy, whether we wanted to or not. in light, jade

Umbrae	12 Sep 2002
ON Tuesday, September 10, 2002 the S&P 500, the broadest index of US stocks closed at 911. On September 11, 2002, the New York state lottery winning numbers were – 911. (All of these are verifiable)

Frequency	12 Sep 2002
Bah, Unescessary.... (edited) My mom left a message telling me I CAN get the Osho deck. Thank goodness. I'm picking it up tomorrow. I wish I could trust her with my spirituality. I'd love to explain why I've felt so much better recently and how I met my girlfriend but I can't. *sigh*

jade	12 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Umbrae ON Tuesday, September 10, 2002 the S&P 500, the broadest index of US stocks closed at 911. On September 11, 2002, the New York state lottery winning numbers were – 911. (All of these are verifiable) wow, i wonder how many winners there were? frequency, your post shows that you were also hurt and yes, the thread is asking about how you spent your day. many people here lost loved ones in this tragedy as you have also, because of this tragedy. everyone, let's just try to see the similarities in our anguish and pain rather than attempting to say.........mine or theirs is worse. in light, jade (moderator)

fairyhedgehog	12 Sep 2002
I went in to work as usual. On the way in, I listened to some coverage on the radio, including a fire-fighters story. Some of it is too hard to bear and I turned it off. I feel for the people who can't 'turn it off' cos they were there, or their loved ones were there. I think of the people who are still recovering from terrible injuries - our Sunday paper seemed to imply that they are the forgotten ones. There was a 1 minute silence at 1.46pm (the time it was here when the plane went into the first building). I think all British schools may have observed that. The teachers were telling the children about the need for tolerance, and how it is intolerance that causes these awful things. No politics about who exactly to blame, just an attempt to work towards a better world. I felt sad and kind of numb. I felt afraid too. Whatever the rights and wrongs of revenge and justice, I hate the thought of another war. And we aren't exempt in the UK from being a potential target even now. Anyway, that was my day.

fairyhedgehog	12 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Sally Gardens As a side note, I also wrote a MASH fanfic this past winter, as part of my own healing process. It incorporates 9-11-01 into the storyline, tying it into the horrors/aftershocks of war experienced by Charles and by his family in the decades after Korea. Anyway, here's the link, for anyone interested. http://sallygardens.tripod.com/LifeAsExpected01.html You truly have a gift with words - that's a story to make you laugh and cry and think.

the hermit	13 Sep 2002
I wasn’t going to post here, but decided that there is something that, though it’s more or less already been said, needs to be repeated... I feel sorrow (not sorry for... but sorrow) for those directly and indirectly effected by 9/11. I also know that Umbrae is right that those who weren’t there will never understand how “real” it was. I’ve never had a building come down around my ears and watched the pieces of it snuff out the lives of people right before my eyes... but I’ve seen a mortar round drop 20 feet away and erase the life of a friend. I’ve had another die in my arms from a bullet he never heard. When I came home, people kept asking me “what was it really like?” and I couldn’t tell them because they had no reference. I know most of you will never know what that “really” feels like any more that you “really” understand what it was like for Umbrae... And I’m glad... and I think that Umbrae is too. I don’t want you to know... I certainly don’t want my son or his son to ever know, and I hope they never will. I will mourn those lost comrades for the rest of my life along with the 50 thousand + others who died in the jungles of southeast asia. I will see them in my dreams and nightmares until the day I die, just as Umbrae will see his dreams and nightmares for the rest of his. and I’m glad you won’t. It won’t be easy... and it won’t be quick... but eventually Umbrae will only have a “scar” in stead of a scabbed over, barely closed wound that pops open WAY too often and when he least expects it. It will take time and patience and friends and lovers. And one day, Umbrae will realize that it doesn’t hurt so much any more... as I did. I also feel sorrow for the starving both here in america (yes HERE) as well as the world. I feel sorrow for the oppressed both here in america and the world. But I feel nothing but anger for those who would hurt others as happened on 9/11. I feel nothing but anger for the individuals and the governments that support them. Yes... this people of this country have allowed the government to make mistakes. Yes... we supported the wrong people on many occasions in the past and will do so again in the future. But that does not give anyone or any nation the right to attack innocents the way they were attacked on 9/11. You got a beef with me? Then poke me in the nose. But don’t you DARE drop a rock on some poor unrelated, unsuspecting innocent just trying to do their job. And that goes for my country too... we better be damned sure if we go to pick a fight with a bully somewhere. So Umbrae... take heart. It’s good that you can talk about it, and I’m glad that you’ve got someone to hold you and comfort you when the nightmares come. And I understand your need to give back. It’s been almost 30 years for me now... I still feel the need from time to time. I suspect I always will and that’s ok... because though I don’t want to be haunted, neither do I wish to forget. I also understand why you don’t feel “blessed”. We were lucky, you and I. We got to “go home” when others didn’t. We were no more blessed, nor less blessed than those others... We simply were and are the ones who got to go home. So... what did I do on 9/11? I walked down to my town's memorial park. I placed a little branch of miniature red roses from my garden at the base of the flag where many others had already placed their flowers. I remembered long lost comrades who died suddenly and tragically in a jungle thousands of miles from home. And I thought about innocents who’d died tragically with little or no warning a year ago. And I hoped that it won’t happen again, but feared it will. I hoped for world peace, but feared it won’t come. And I hoped that no more will have to die, here, or thousands of miles from home, though I fear they will. Why? Because, my friends, peace never comes easily, nor does it EVER come cheaply.

jade	13 Sep 2002
the only words that i can find to express how i, as a canadian, as a human sharing this planet with you, feels about your words and experiences is..... thank you. thank you for everything you did, everything you lost, all of your suffering. thank you. cause we have all benefited in some way, from your wounds and the wounds of those that were around you. in light, and peace, jade

The 9/11 Anniversary Rituals thread was originally posted on 10 Sep 2002 in the Chat board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Chat, or read more archived threads.