This page is for displaying notices of upcoming events and related information on the theme of personal and planetary healing and transformation. The notice board can also be used to alert people to breaking
To submit your notice e-mail it to Rising Earth
World Healing Survey
Rest in Peace by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
The Roots of War by Thich Nhat Hanh
An Emergency Call to Lightworkers by Leigh Tremaine
A Call for Peace by Robert Rabbin
James Twyman Travels to Afghanistan
Thoughts on Osama bin Laden by Palden Jenkins
A Message from Neale Donald Walsch et al.
PAN Alert: Terrorist Attack
Online Peace Petitions
Peace Marches
The Essential Hearts Gathering (October 6)
Environmental Healing Project
A Palestinian/Israeli Joint Appeal
Monthly Meditation in Havant, UK
World Peace Treaty
Universal Hour of Peace
Message From Hopi Elders
The Hunger Site
The Hunger Site Petition
The Rainforest Site
The Rainforest Site Petition
The Millennium Appeal for Peace
Central Asia and the Karmapa - by Palden Jenkins
Unitary World Network
World Peace Experiment
A Call for Help from Romania
A Message from Palden Jenkins
Dear Friends
I have compiled a survey to help us to understand where we believe healing is most needed and how we can maximise our healing capacity, so that we can respond better as healers or as people who just want to help. The survey also asks you for any suggestions for healing projects. The results of this survey will appear on this website. Please consider taking a moment of your time to fill in this survey, which can be found at worldhealing.co.uk/survey.asp. You may also like to let your friends and contacts know about this survey. If you have friends and contacts who are not on the Internet, you can print out survey forms for them at worldhealing.co.uk/survey.html.
May Peace and Love Prevail
Leigh Tremaine
I am a World Trade Center tower, standing tall in the clear blue sky, feeling a violent blow in my side, and I am a towering inferno of pain and suffering imploding upon myself and collapsing to the ground. May I rest in peace.
I am a terrified passenger on a hijacked airplane not knowing where we are going or that I am riding on fuel tanks that will be instruments of death, and I am a worker arriving at my office not knowing that in just a moment my future will be obliterated. May I rest in peace.
I am a pigeon in the plaza between the two towers eating crumbs from someone's breakfast when fire rains down on me from the skies, and I am a bed of flowers admired daily by thousands of tourists now buried under five stories of rubble. May I rest in peace.
I am a firefighter sent into dark corridors of smoke and debris on a mission of mercy only to have it collapse around me, and I am a rescue worker risking my life to save lives who is very aware that I may not make it out alive. May I rest in peace.
I am a survivor who has fled down the stairs and out of the building to safety who knows that nothing will ever be the same in my soul again, and I am a doctor in a hospital treating patients burned from head to toe who knows that these horrible images will remain in my mind forever. May I know peace.
I am a tourist in Times Square looking up at the giant TV screens thinking I'm seeing a disaster movie as I watch the Twin Towers crash to the ground, and I am a New York woman sending e-mails to friends and family letting them know that I am safe. May I know peace.
I am a piece of paper that was on someone's desk this morning and now I'm debris scattered by the wind across lower Manhattan, and I am a stone in the graveyard at Trinity Church covered with soot from the buildings that once stood proudly above me, death meeting death. May I rest in peace.
I am a dog sniffing in the rubble for signs of life, doing my best to be of service, and I am a blood donor waiting in line to make a simple but very needed contribution for the victims. May I know peace.
I am a resident in an apartment in downtown New York who has been forced to evacuate my home, and I am a resident in an apartment uptown who has walked 100 blocks home in a stream of other refugees. May I know peace.
I am a family member who has just learned that someone I love has died, and I am a rabbi who must comfort someone who has suffered a heart-breaking loss. May I know peace.
I am a loyal American who feels violated and vows to stand behind any military action it takes to wipe terrorists off the face of the earth, and I am a loyal American who feels violated and worries that people who look and sound like me are all going to be blamed for this tragedy. May I know peace.
I am a frightened city dweller who wonders whether I'll ever feel safe in a skyscraper again, and I am a pilot who wonders whether there will ever be a way to make the skies truly safe. May I know peace.
I am the owner of a small store with five employees that has been put out of business by this tragedy, and I am an executive in a multinational corporation who is concerned about the cost of doing business in a terrorized world. May I know peace.
I am a visitor to New York City who purchases postcards of the World Trade Center Twin Towers that are no more, and I am a television reporter trying to put into words the terrible things I have seen. May I know peace.
I am a boy in New Jersey waiting for a father who will never come home, and I am a boy in a faraway country rejoicing in the streets of my village because someone has hurt the hated Americans. May I know peace.
I am a general talking into the microphones about how we must stop the terrorist cowards who have perpetrated this heinous crime, and I am an intelligence officer trying to discern how such a thing could have happened on American soil, and I am a city official trying to find ways to alleviate the suffering of my people. May I know peace.
I am a terrorist whose hatred for America knows no limit and I am willing to die to prove it, and I am a terrorist sympathizer standing with all the enemies of American capitalism and imperialism, and I am a master strategist for a terrorist group who planned this abomination. My heart is not yet capable of openness, tolerance, and loving. May I know peace.
I am a citizen of the world glued to my television set, fighting back my rage and despair at these horrible events, and I am a person of faith struggling to forgive the unforgivable, praying for the consolation of those who have lost loved ones, calling upon the merciful beneficence of god/ Yahweh/ Allah/ Spirit/ Higher Power. May I know peace.
I am a child of God who believes that we are all children of God and we are all part of each other. May we all know peace.
The most important practice for preventing war is to stay in touch with what is refreshing, healing, and joyful inside us and around us. If we practice walking mindfully, being in touch with the Earth, the air, the trees, and ourselves, we can heal ourselves, and our entire society will also be healed. If the whole nation would practice watering seeds of joy and peace and not just seeds of anger and violence, the elements of war in all of us will be transformed.
We must prepare ourselves, whether we have one minute, ten years, or one thousand years. If we don't have time, there is no use in discussing peace, because you cannot practice peace without time. If you have one minute, please use that minute to breathe in and out calmly and plant the seeds of peace and understanding in yourself. If you have ten years, please use the ten years to prevent the next war. If you have one thousand years, please use the time to prevent the destruction of our planet.
...Just by your way of looking at things and doing things, you influence others. Approach everyone with love and patience, and try to water the positive seeds in them. We have to help each other, being skilful, kind, and understanding. Blaming and arguing never help.
...In the practice of mindfulness, we nurture the ability to see deeply into the nature of things and people, and the fruit is insight, understanding, and love.
Thich Nhat Hanh, 1991
The terrorist attacks on the United States mark a crucial turning point in world history, the course of which is to be decided by where the focus of the collective consciousness is placed (hence the importance of our participation in choosing the future we wish to focus on and create).
Under the banner of a "war on terrorism", the United States Government and its supporters are preparing for a sustained military strike on Afghanistan. It seems that many people around the world have reacted to the propaganda with endorsement, even in the face of the stark hypocrisy of leaders saying that terrorism is unacceptable when they are preparing to respond to it by using their military might to kill and terrorise people themselves.
We clearly need to take a good look at why violence - the most destructive force that humans are capable of - is so acceptable in our global society. The acceptance and endorsement of violence can only indicate that people are to a large extent living unconsciously, closed off from their spirit and the love that is sleeping in their hearts. When we are unconscious in this way we can not respond to the rest of life as sacred. Yet the key point is that what we are unconscious of we can become conscious of - that is at least one of the meanings of life.
The crisis before us is indeed a great initiation that is presenting the whole of humanity with an opportunity to change, and so our healing energies and peace-building efforts are going to play an unprecedented part in shaping our collective consciousness at this time. The initiation is really about self-discovery and self-recovery. This means moving out of unconsciousness - in other words waking up! - and recognising who we really are, and recovering our power and full identity as spiritual beings.
When we create our own reality there is no point trying to blame others or to pretend to be a victim. As unacceptable as this may sound to some, from a deeper perspective there are actually no victims in the atrocities that have occurred - and may soon occur if there is not a change of consciousness. Realising this is the first step to reclaiming the power that we have given away. Together, we have created the need for governments and other authorities to abuse the power we have given them, in order for us to learn that nobody can be responsible for us except ourselves. Terrorists and governments that abuse their power only exist because of the society we have created as a result of our loss of power and identity. However, unless we act upon this realisation, we will sink into apathy and despair, and back into unconsciousness.
As healers and peace-builders we can take these issues on board and integrate them into our meditations, prayers, and consciousness-raising activities. Focusing on peace will be more effective if part of that focus is on the changes of consciousness required for this peace to manifest. These changes of consciousness necessarily involve the beginning of the recovery of our power and identity - on a physical and a spiritual level.
Other suggestions for our work involve developing and maintaining clarity. For this it is crucial that we remain centred in our own power and identity - in other words that we stand strong in our light and integrity - and are not hooked into a disempowering or gloomy reality through the force of the media and the actions and reactions of those around us. The fear and anger that has been stirred up by the media and the display of propaganda by authorities can easily obscure the clarity of vision that everyone on this planet needs at this time. Therefore, it is suggested that a high priority of our healing will be to focus on clarifying information, de-escalating hyped-up tensions and emotions, and clearing the subtle energetic fields of our planet - which are now probably littered with unhelpful thought-forms.
For anyone who does not know how to heal energy fields, there are several approaches to take, and you will eventually find your own right way of working. But basically these approaches involve using coherent and higher vibrational energies to transform discordant energy fields or thought-forms through the power of loving intention and the surrender to the highest aspect of your spirituality. By going into an altered state of awareness and scanning areas of the world, one can get a sense of where energetic healing is required. You may see the thought-forms or clouds of negative energy, may feel suddenly uneasy when you are scanning a particular area, or you may simply be guided in your internal landscape to the right place. Other people work with the power of resonance by visualising archetypes that represent certain aspects of human experience, and check to see if they are complete and undistorted. As you begin the healing it can be helpful to visualise an intense and radiant light cleansing, charging, and restoring the planet's subtle energetic field into a healthy state, and to add a prayer for the recognition of the spiritual lesson behind what is being cleared for those those responsible for it.
The astrology of the time we are in is quite revealing and draws out the themes that are dominating us at this moment.
Three days before the terrorist attack, Mars entered Capricorn - the sign of structure, authority, and responsibility, preparing us for a lesson in the responsible use of will. Three days later, two of the most dominant structures of American society and culture - the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon - were attacked, killing thousands of people in an astonishing acting out of the negative expression of Mars in Capricorn. These structures as key centres of political and economic power are highly symbolic, and for this reason their attack was calculated to undermine the security of the American people in the most profound way. This is revealed by the position of Mars on September 11, which, through an opposition, triggered the sensitive eclipse-point in Cancer that was set up by the Total Solar Eclipse of June 21. Cancer represents security and domestic affairs, and on September 11 it was America's domestic security that felt threatened for the first real time since Pearl Harbour.
It is important that this attack on national security is not used as a reason for restricting civil liberties or excusing military attacks. Interestingly, the feeling of threatened security was articulated by NATO, which issued an unusual propaganda statement effectively equating an attack on America with an attack on NATO.
At the time that the first attack on the World Trade Centre occurred, Mercury was exactly conjunct the Ascendant in Libra - as if the event was timed for maximum public exposure. This kind of alignment in the chart of a world event is guaranteed to affect people worldwide through what they see and hear, and explains the heavy media involvement in sensitising people around the world to these events. The decision of the media outlets to broadcast images of people jumping from windows, and of the World Trade centre being struck from all available angles, as well as playing the last-minute telephone conversations of the victims - as if an action movie for Hollywood was being filmed - shows just how deeply and unsparing of human dignity their involvement was, and for this reason we must take extra care not to be sucked into the emotional drama that is being manufactured on top of this already tragic event. The positive expression of this alignment is that it will help to focus our awareness on the importance of human relations, and will additionally encourage the networking of positive information among people.
On September 11, Venus, the ruler of Libra (and therefore of the chart for this terrorist attack), was in Leo in opposition to Uranus in Aquarius. This indicates great disruption to the way that people relate. Uranus, which represents sudden disruptions and shocks, also rules aircraft flights. Amazingly, Venus was also exactly on the August 11 eclipse-point of 1999, triggering energies to do with the way that power is expressed in relationships. The combination of these two alignments reinforce the fact that we are facing a crisis and an opportunity in the way that we relate individually and as a global society. The Equinox on September 22-23, which marks the entry of the Sun into Libra, will highlight this issue further, and so will be an important time to focus on how we want human relationships to progress. There is great potential to awaken to new forms of relationships through this crisis. However, the chart for September 11 suggests that we must work hard to ensure that through this crisis relationships are not disrupted beyond recovery (relations with the Middle East and China will be critical), while staying open to the positive side of disruption, which is often part of the healing process as the hurts of individuals and nations are brought to the surface to be dealt with. If further disruption does occur as part of the healing process, it is important not to then suppress this healing opportunity by allowing the imposition of extreme authoritarian measures - such as the creation of oppressive global institutions - but to instead develop support structures to facilitate the healing. Regardless of how events unfold, we can all begin right now to create supportive healing structures for human relations by holding a positive vision for the healing of human relations in our meditations, prayers, and hearts, and to feel this vision manifesting as the most probable future in our lives.
On September 11, Pluto, the planet that represents power and transformation, triggered its own memory of the opposition it formed to Saturn on August 5, by returning to the same degree of the zodiac. This opposition tells all. It reveals lessons to do with the responsible use of power, and suggests the destructive use of power (Pluto) by an authority (Saturn), echoing the placement of Mars (will) in Capricorn (authority). A case has been made in the alternative media for the terrorist attack being perpetrated by powers inside the United States. The signs in which the Saturn-Pluto opposition occurred suggest that propaganda is playing a large part in the crisis. One of the negative expressions of Pluto in Sagittarius is to do with manipulating belief systems, including religion. This is probably why Bin Laden has been presented as the prime suspect - whether he is responsible for the attacks or not. Pluto in Sagittarius is also about the manipulation of truth. By opposing Saturn in Gemini, the potential for authorities to distort the truth in their communications is increased.
The lesson is for us all to think for ourselves, and to not hand our responsibility for knowing the truth over to external authorities - whether they be governments, education systems, media outlets, or religious institutions. Throughout history this single act has caused many in the world to become disconnected from their inner source of wisdom, and to reject that which is not consistent with the materialistic worldview. Pluto's position in Sagittarius at this time, along with a Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius in December, and the passage of Chiron (the Wounded Healer) through Sagittarius and over the Galactic Centre several times this year, suggests that there is a great opportunity for truths to be realised by humanity. The more that we can offer ourselves as channels for spiritual energies, and work on our own spiritual development, the easier it becomes for others to awaken to their inner truth, for we create the resonance for this to happen. With Saturn passing through Gemini and linking to Pluto through the opposition, the responsibility for how we think and communicate could not be a more important lesson at this time. Clear, open, and honest communication is also one of the important factors for conflicts to be resolved, so focusing on this in our meditations, and seeking to ensure that this factor is incorporated in the communication we are involved in, will lay important groundwork for world peace and healing.
Finally, it is worth mentioning the two Grand Trines that were interlocking to form an almost perfect six-pointed star on September 16-17. The descending triangle, made up of Saturn in Gemini, Uranus in Aquarius, and Mercury in Libra, is to do with the positive breakup of old thought-patterns, with the help of Aquarian energies, so that new vision can be grounded in our world. The ascending triangle, made up of Venus in Leo, Chiron in Sagittarius, and Midheaven in Aries, represents the healing of human relations as a result of living our truth, and can also represent, in the words of Kiara Windrider, "the ascent of the wounded feminine".
I leave you with the following words, which I received through an e-mail by Deborah Deiss ([email protected]), in connection with the 60-day peace vigil:
"As a race (the human race!), we have a responsibility to ourselves and all other beings on the planet. We also have a resource that has been in large part untapped thus far. This resource is each individual's soul connection to each other and all of the world. A group of dedicated individuals are coming together at this time to work with Spirit and each other to bring higher consciousness energy to bear on this situation. The outcome of such a horrendous situation is not predetermined. The outcome is determined by the largest amount of energy directed to a specific outcome. The collective consciousness is being directed toward fear and separation. We have an opportunity to work with our souls, our Higher Selves, and our Higher Source to create the outcomes that are in our truest hearts and truest selves. Each of us, in essence, has a dream. Our collective dream is peace, plenty for everyone, and the opportunity for each of us to have a forum for expressing our soul's gifts. This dream is being lived by some people on the planet at this time. It is a potential reality for everyone. Let's start today by presencing Spirit right into the middle of this situation."
Since the shattering morning of September 11, we have all tried in our own ways to understand: "How could this happen here? Who did this? What do we do?"
I would like to speak to these questions, even with the knowledge that my words can neither encompass nor illuminate the whole truth of recent events. My prayer and intent is that these words may contribute in some measure to a healing of wounded hearts, to a search for truth, and, most of all, to a resolve for nonviolent action. Violence and peace cannot co-exist. We cannot prepare for war and expect peace. In my heart, I know that all people want peace, in spite of the seeming evidence to the contrary. Therefore, on behalf of all people, I want to call for peace: total and absolute peace throughout the world, without further thought or consideration or calculation of any kind.
It is a universal human experience that suffering, tragedy, and death can awaken us from the surface of life to its depths, from the superficial to the meaningful, from the crude to the beautiful, from the selfish to the selfless, and from the mundane to the transcendent. As we awaken, we are drawn towards deep reflection, inner Silence, and wisdom. It is through deep reflection, inner Silence, and wisdom that we come to know peace. And now, in this moment of escalating passions and convictions, in this moment in which the world is trembling and reeling from past passions and convictions, we must seek that peace, know that peace, and become that peace.
To honor the truest expression of humanity, we must all call for peace, stand for peace, and act for peace. We must accept only peace. But first, we must become peace itself, not an idea or image of peace, not the rhetoric of peace, not the passions of peace, but actual peace, the peace in which violence cannot arise, because its true causes have been seen, understood, and transformed. There are many among us who have given their lives to such peace, who have become such peace, and who can speak for such peace. We must listen to them, learn from them, and give them seats in those rooms of power in which government and military officials now decide our nation's priorities and course of action.
This is a crucial moment in human history. What we do now, as individuals and as a nation, will lead our world down one path or another. The path we choose now will create our future for years and generations to come. Our every thought, word, and act holds the power to create or destroy. In the simplest of terms, our choices are between the paths of war or peace, between violence or nonviolence, between hatred or understanding, between fear or love, between retribution or reconciliation, between aggression or restraint. It is of supreme importance that before we retaliate against those we believe sponsored the attacks, before we choose one of these paths, we reflect and learn. We must learn, because what we already know, what we already think and feel and believe, the ways in which we already behave-are all links in the causal chain that culminated in the catastrophe of September 11. In order to learn, we have to empty our cup of these things-the already known. We must create within ourselves a sky of uncluttered awareness, in which we can rest in the clarity, equilibrium, and peace of our purest essence and deepest truth. We must allow our first and second thoughts, our inflamed feelings, and our habitual reactions to dissipate in this sky of awareness, into stillness and Silence.
Wisdom flows from Silence, and we need wisdom. We need a clarity of perception and understanding beyond what we already know. Differing points of view and perspectives are useful, but a higher level of consciousness is essential. Beyond thoughts and words, beyond concepts and beliefs, beyond all that is known and imagined, beyond the mind itself, is Silence-the sacred hub of the universe, the place where all differences dissolve, where all conflicts cease, where all fear turns to love, where all souls shine with the same single flame of radiance. Silence reveals what we don't yet know, and Silence will teach us what we must learn. From these teachings we will understand, and from this understanding we will grow wiser, and as we grow wiser we will act wisely. Henry David Thoreau wrote, "It is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things." If we do not grow wiser, then we will do desperate things, and our desperate acts will cause violence to escalate in ways we cannot even imagine. I pray that we will not take our world down this path.
Sitting in Silence and deep reflection, we will find a wisdom that is not diminished by the dualism of the mind, not driven by surface appearances, not defined by the commotion of passions and convictions, not ruled by the chaos of habitual thoughts and reactions. In times of crisis such as we are now experiencing, we instinctively pause, reflect, and seek the solace and guidance of Silence. But for how long? For a moment? For a day? For a weekend? Typically, that is what we do, and it is not enough, because when we again take to the streets of "business as usual," the quiet voices of reflection and silence are overcome by the louder noise of of habit and convention, of thoughts and beliefs, of anxiety and tension, of ego, fear, and separation. Instead, let us forge an enduring and unbreakable relationship to Silence and deep reflection, one that is constant and sacred, one that is attended to and cultivated in each moment, so that we may be ever and always guided by that to which we too rarely turn, and even then only in times of crisis, loss, and grief. We must surrender to Silence as a way of life, for it is in this Silence that we find the true heart and spirit, the true soul, of our humanity. Silence is the supreme summit from which we can see the past, present, and future of the human drama, and what lies behind it. It is upon this summit that the saints and sages from every country and culture have stood, and it is upon this summit that we must all now stand.
Within this Silence, we learn much about the deeper nature and purpose of human life, about the nature of the world, about cause and effect, about immutable laws of existence. If we are to know peace, we must learn from Silence. So far, we have not. So let us begin now, together, in our call for peace. Let us learn from Silence.
In the aftermath of the events of September 11, we can scarcely confront, let alone accept, the enormity of the pain and suffering that has invaded countless lives and communities. We hear the numb and incredulous refrain, "How could this happen here?" We do not know what to do with our unbearable emotions, with our helplessness and fear and anger and sorrow and grief. Silence teaches us that we must not only bear our unbearable emotions and sadness, but enter them fully and with eyes and hearts wide open, feeling and seeing them to their very depths. In this way, we touch the universality of suffering, stripped of names and flags and uniforms and rationalizations and national anthems. We come without defense to feel the starkness of human suffering.
The people of the United States have been shielded from much of the world's suffering, protected by our wealth and might and distracted by the privileges they allow. Indeed, these same privileges of wealth often blind us to the poverty, hunger, pain, and injustice within our own borders. But now, the shield has been shattered, the protection has been breached, and on September 11 our shores, our homes, our lives were violated, and thousands were hurt, wounded, and killed. Such violation, suffering, and grief is the daily bread of much of the world, the world we have been shielded from. Until now. As we struggle to bear the sorrows of our recent devastation, so do all people throughout the world struggle with the same devastation of war and violence.
In this moment of our personal and national grief, we must find the courage to see not just the torn and mangled bodies in New York and Washington, but to see also the mass graves and mounds of torn and mangled bodies everywhere. If we are willing to truly see and feel the world's suffering, not just our own, then we will end war now, right now, and we will accept only peace.
If we can see the madness and horror of war, stripped of justification, then we will call for peace. We will accept only peace because the tragedies of war will be unendurable. This is why we must now gather all of the world's sorrow and add it to ours, because the weight will break our hearts. With broken hearts and unendurable sorrow, we will no longer be willing to tolerate war and violence, and we will call for peace. We will accept only peace.
The magnitude of humanity's suffering may seem to much to face, especially at this moment. But we must. The world is small and we all share a single table, we all share the same meal. We cannot end violence at one end of the table and not the other. "Here" and "there" are the same place. We cannot end violence here, and not there. We cannot enjoy wealth here, if there is no wealth there. We cannot be safe here, if there is no safety there. We cannot be free here, if there is no freedom there. We do not live in separate countries, in separate cities, in separate houses. That is an illusion.
The suffering in our world is beyond calculation: hundreds of millions of people clinging tenuously to life, displaced, malnourished, starving, brutalized, raped, imprisoned, tortured, slaughtered. Ted Koppel's "Nightline" special "In the Heart of Darkness" tells of the story of war in the Congo: 2.5 million deaths in the last three years. In countries whose names we can't even pronounce, the same suffering is being felt, the same horror is being lived. Before the Congo, there were a million deaths in Rwanda. Before that, a million deaths in Tibet. And all the suffering is from hatred and violence and war, mutilating not thousands, not tens of thousands, but millions of people. All fingers point blame at someone else. Does that matter? Are we not yet ready to admit the universality of suffering? Have we not had our fill of it? Are we not ready to end it? Are we not yet ready to call for peace, to accept only peace?
It seems we are addicted to war. We are always ready to open the treasury, mobilize armies and navies, launch planes and missiles for the sake of war. We seem always eager for more wars: wars on crime, wars on drugs, wars on poverty, wars for freedom and democracy. We have never won these wars, and yet the wars rage on. Can we live without war? Are we not yet ready for peace? The effects of violence and war are caused by violence and war. If we don't want to suffer violence, we must not engage in violence. We must find another way, even if we do not know how.
Fox News tells us in bold headlines of "America's New War." It is not a new war, nor is it America's. It is the old war, the original one, the one sponsored by hatred and fear, and it is humanity's war against itself. This is but another battle. No one will win, because no one can win. Wars cannot be won; wars can only be lost. Everyone loses, and everyone suffers. Waging war is an antiquated, obsolete impulse that is not worthy of true human beings. It is, regardless of justification, a form of madness and insanity.
We must find another way, even if we don't know how. In the early '60s, we were all astonished when President Kennedy declared: We will land a man on the moon before the end of the decade. It was beyond imagining. It had never been done. No one knew how. And yet, people accepted the challenge, and they began. We watched as rocket after rocket exploded, collapsed, spiralled into the ocean, one after the other, for months and years. We did not know how to land a man on the moon. Finally, before the end of the decade, a man was landed on the moon.
President Bush has declared a war against terrorism, a war that may take five or ten years, a crusade against evil. This is not a worthy enterprise. It is a crusade of foolishness to a land of sorrow, and that journey has been taken thousands of times before. We already know how to do that. We must now do what we do not know how to do. We must undertake another crusade to another land. We must take another kind of journey, one that is also foolish, one that dwarfs Kennedy's challenge. It is the kind of foolishness that Martin Luther Kind and Mahatma Gandhi proposed, a foolishness that has never yet been achieved on global scale.
What is this foolishness? To meet violence with nonviolence, to meet war with peace, to meet fear with love, to meet hatred with compassion. We do not know how to do this. But if we make an absolute commitment to this, if we resolve with our whole heart and spirit to do this, we will find a way. It is said that necessity is the mother of invention. It is now necessary to commit to peace. We will find a way. If retaliatory violence is not an option, what shall we do? This is the great challenge before us.
We have no choice but to call for peace. And so we must find peace within ourselves, we must know peace, and we must become peace. We must find everything within us that is not peace and turn it into peace. We must breathe peace into every cell of our body, into every synapse of our brain, into every strand of our soul. If we do not know how, we must find a way. This is not a dream; this is a necessity.
President Bush has also asked us to be willing to sacrifice much for freedom. Keeping in mind that sacrifice is a holy offering, something renounced for the sake of greater truth, we must ask: What shall we sacrifice for freedom? What shall we renounce for freedom? The wisdom of Silence teaches us to sacrifice and renounce war, hatred, and violence. The wisdom of Silence teaches us to sacrifice and renounce fear and ignorance, and all forms of sectarianism. Wisdom teaches us to eradicate the conditions that give birth to hopelessness, despair, and suffering. Wisdom asks us to offer the gold in our treasury to feed people, to educate people, to heal people-that all people may enjoy peace, safety, and prosperity.
Wisdom also teaches us that we must never sacrifice a peaceful heart, a steady and quiet mind, or a compassionate spirit. Nor must we sacrifice civil liberties, human rights, a government accountable to its people, a free press, or due process of law. These are hallmarks of a peaceful people and of a peaceful society. Without them, fear becomes institutionalized. We must find a way to provide for national security and public safety without sacrificing the emblems of peace, without repressing the expressions of peace. If we sacrifice these, we will have sacrificed peace on the alter of fear, and freedom will have been lost.
In our suffering and sorrow, in our anger and rage, we want quick answers. We want immediate and dramatic action. We want to blame someone and exact our revenge. Silence teaches us that there are no quick answers, that we must not take immediate and dramatic action, and that blaming and punishing others does not illuminate cause. If we do not understand the cause, our actions will perpetuate suffering.
In Silence, with a peaceful heart and quiet mind, we can see through eyes not clouded with bias and prejudice, through eyes cleared of the cataracts of cultural, religious, and ethnic values so ingrained as to appear real. With eyes unclouded, we begin to see that the causes of violence are numerous and interrelated. The events of September 11 are connected to other events in an intricate web of events, created by the past and present thoughts and actions of all people.
An immutable law of human existence, one which we little appreciate though we often speak of, is "We reap what we sow," or "What goes around, comes around." All of us stand upon a common and fertile ground and upon that ground fall the seeds of our every action. When time ripens, the harvest appears. No matter how much we protest, blame, or deny, "what goes around, comes around" is an immutable law of human existence. Retribution and retaliation are embedded in our every action.
In years past, as the United States has pursued its ideological, political, and economic interests, our government has sold pieces of our national soul. We have made many dubious alliances. It is a matter of public record that our government has trained, funded, and supported many Osama bin Ladens. One day they are our allies, and the next our enemies. We have made secret deals; we have undertaken covert actions of violence and terrorism. We have often intruded violently into other countries, without regard for their human rights. We have used direct and indirect forms of violence to influence, affect, and dominate other nations whose aims and purposes threatened or conflicted with ours.
In 1996, Amnesty International reported, "Throughout the world, on any given day, a man, woman, or child is likely to be displaced, tortured, killed, or "disappeared" at the hands of governments or armed political groups. More often than not, the United States shares the blame." For the sake of freedom and justice, can we look into this mirror?
President Bush's father authorized our invasion of Panama, ostensibly to bring General Noriega to justice. Many civilians were killed in that invasion. Even as our troops returned home, we left something behind. We called it "collateral damage," but it was not. We left behind angry ghosts. And now the angry ghosts of those whom we violated have come to our shores for their day of justice. All actions find their way home. No amount of justification, rationalization, or denial can change this.
In many countries, the United States has written and continues to write stories of violence, leaving thousands of angry ghosts. Do we remember? Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Chile, Lebanon, Guatemala, Grenada, the Balkans, Iraq, Sudan.
Since the end of the Persian Gulf War, UNICEF reports that United States-sponsored sanctions against Iraq are responsible for the otherwise preventable deaths of 5,000 Iraqi children per month. They die slowly and painfully, from starvation, from malnutrition, from disease. Our political rationalization is that the sanctions will somehow squeeze Hussein from power. The effect has been to squeeze life from thousands of children. We blame Hussein, but there is no wisdom in blame. Through the eyes of wisdom, we see that these are not Iraqi children, they are our children. Like all children, they deserve the innocence and happiness of childhood. And so we must make them safe, we must feed them with food as well as love. We must nourish them in every way we want our children nourished. They are our children. But we have turned them out of our hearts, and now they are orphaned, and many of those orphans have become angry ghosts. I pray that we can see this with wisdom, so as to not commit the same acts against the people of Afghanistan, where poverty and sorrow already oppress the lives of millions. Let us not add to their burden, but find a way to relieve their burden and ease their suffering. For this, we must become peace itself, and then accept only peace.
A recent segment on "60 Minutes" reported that the family of a murdered Chilean general plans to file a lawsuit against former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. The civil suit claims the CIA supported a kidnapping plot which led to the death of Gen. Rene Schneider, the commander of the Chilean Army. The CIA's support for the kidnapping was part of a larger effort by the Agency to instigate a coup in Chile-an objective ordered by President Nixon and overseen by Kissinger. The plot succeeded, President Allende was assassinated, and in the aftermath of that coup thousands of other Chileans were brutally tortured and murdered. While you and I may never know the truth, a higher law knows the truth. Their Kissinger has become our bin Laden.
These stories must be remembered and told if we are to end the cycle of violence. We must speak of these things, not to blame or punish, but to learn what wisdom teaches us about higher laws to which we are all subject. We must listen to the angry ghosts of our past actions, so that we can understand how their terror and agony have become ours. We believe that we are beacons of freedom and democracy, and that our violence is justified and righteous. We believe God is on our side.
Everyone believes God is on their side. If we are to invoke the name and power of God, we must see things as God sees them, not as we want God to see them. We enter God's kingdom through Silence and humility, and as we enter we must shed all our separating labels and loyalties. God has never heard of Americans or Afghanis, Israelis or Palestinians. God has never heard of Christians, Jews, or Muslims. God does not bless one and not the other. God only knows a pure heart and a peaceful spirit, for these are in the image and likeness of God. God does not have enemies. Though our bombs and missiles target our enemies, they explode in the belly of humanity. In God's kingdom, might does not make right; it only makes angry ghosts.
We are called by peace to look clearly and honestly at the recent past, and the present, to acknowledge and admit our role in world violence. There are no loopholes in the law of what goes around comes around. It is simple and straightforward: If you participate in or contribute to violence and war, you should fully expect to be visited by the same. And now we have been visited in a most cruel way. This visitation should inspire us to a deeper inquiry into the ways in which we may be contributing to world violence, and to the violence within our own backyards, our own communities. We will have to be more honest than we have ever been to discover the truth of this. We will have to look at how we may have invested ourselves in the commercialization of violence, how we may profit from it. Do the weapons that we manufacture, stockpile, and export contribute to violence? Do television programming, the movies we produce, and the video games we sell contribute to violence? Does our culture of convenience and entitlement contribute to violence through the exploitation of others? Does our way of life have violent consequences to nature, to the environment that sustains life on this planet? Does the unequal distribution of wealth in our society contribute to violence? We would do well to ask these questions with sincerity, honesty, and humility. We will have to answer as God would answer.
We want to find strength and unity in our national resolve to triumph over terrorism. But we can never achieve this through violence, because every act of violence creates an angry ghost who one day will come from a country not of this world to exact retribution. This is simply the law of human existence, and this law is not mitigated by the declarations of presidents or tyrants. We all share this earth, and we are bound together in a web woven by our collective actions. Whatever we sow, so shall we reap. This is why we must call for peace, stand for peace, and act for peace. It is the only way. We cannot wage war on terror, because violence is the expression and means of terror. Waging war on terror is suicide.
Terror is a state of intense fear, and a terrorist is one who acts from fear. When people are afraid, they do bad things. Terror is not natural, hatred is not natural, violence is not natural. They are slow-roasted into existence over time, basted with loneliness and sorrow, resentment and humiliation, hunger and poverty, ignorance and anger. We must work to eradicate these causes within all countries. But there is an even greater cause of fear, anger, and violence-a wound that is cut deep into our collective soul.
The Indian poet Kabir wrote "We sense that there is some sort of spirit that loves birds and animals and the ants-perhaps the same one who gave a radiance to you in your mother's womb. Is it logical you would be walking around entirely orphaned now? The truth is you turned away yourself, and decided to go into the dark alone. You have forgotten what you once knew, and that's why everything you do has some weird failure in it."
Have we forgotten what we once knew, have we betrayed our inner radiance, have we entered a darkness of our own making? Looking at our world, it seems so. It seems that we have become lost, confused, and afraid. It seems we have all lost touch with the spirit that loves birds, animals, and the ants-the spirit that loves all of creation. The weirdest failure of all is that we have forgotten that we are that spirit. We are that spirit.
The natural and innocent state of all human beings is freedom, clarity, and joy. Kindness, compassion, and nonviolence flow effortlessly from this natural state. If we want to end terror and acts of terror, we must return to the natural state within our own self. We must remember what we once knew. We must leave the darkness and enter the light that we are. This is not a dream, but a necessity. This is why we are called to Silence, because in this Silence we remember what we once knew, we see our true Self, and we know there is only this one Self. Within this Self, violence does not exist.
As we reflect deeply and simmer in stillness and Silence, we begin to see the ways of our Self-betrayal, the ways in which we forget what we once knew and, instead, come to believe things that are not true. The light of the Self illuminates the various ways we have defined and diminished ourselves. We see how we create realities out of our thoughts, beliefs, and concepts. From these seeming realities, we set forth on quixotic adventures and crusades, as we may now do yet again. Within Silence, these seeming realities disappear, and only the light of the Self remains. We must not be fooled into believing what is not real.
We must be very careful now to not believe everything we think. Certainly, we must not believe everything we hear. Twenty-five centuries ago, the Greek philosopher Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." There is much wisdom in these words. If we are to know truth, we must question and examine everything that we believe to be true, everything that we hear, everything that we feel. We must examine everything with the light of the Self, through the magnifying glass of Silence.
So much is being said now, and with such conviction. Just as we need to know the inner truth of who we are, we also need to know the outer truth of what we are doing, of what is actually happening. We cannot assume that what we see, hear, and read is true. We must embody the spirit of Socrates and examine everything. Two questions that can help uncover truth are "What does that mean?" and "Is that true?" Asking these questions is difficult, because we are conditioned to think that beliefs and concepts are real. They are not. Reality lies beyond the world of abstract thoughts and concepts. That is why we must examine everything, especially those things about which we are most convinced. The truth is rarely so simple as our passions and prejudices would like them to be.
Last night, President Bush addressed the nation. He said, "Every nation in every region now has a decision to make: Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists." These words may satisfy our emotions, they may confirm our beliefs, they may create a rallying point for unity and a launchpad for retaliatory action. But what do these words mean? Are they true? We must seriously and soberly investigate these words in order to find out where truth lies. Such rhetorical righteousness makes complex situations seem simple, and this simplicity colors the world in black and white. Are those the only two colors with which God created this world? We should find out. We must question all things. What is "every nation"? What, indeed, is "America"? Both are abstractions, and both do not correlate to the realities behind them. Inquiry penetrates the false world of abstractions and reveals a truer world, one with names and faces of people like you and me, trying to live in peace. Behind such a word as "nation" are millions of people, each with different stories, many carrying burdens, many suffering, many in pain, many oppressed. What, indeed, is a nation, any nation?
Behind the highly managed and staged public official appearances, we do not know what is actually going on, what deals are being made, what money is being spent. We do not know if other pieces of our national soul are being sold for short-term gratification. We must be very persistent in our inquiry, in our questioning, in our search for truth. We should not abdicate our capacity for insight, clarity, and wisdom to those who may use popular prejudice, emotional passions, patriotic fervor, and false claims to call for unwise actions. We must call for peace.
In the same way that self-inquiry reveals the true nature of one's own Self, so too can inquiry reveal the true nature of unfolding events and their cause. If we do not examine and question what we think, what we believe, what we hear, and what we say, it is very likely that we will prove Socrates right: life will not be worth living. Let us be worthy of a life worth living.
Mahatma Gandhi said, "I do daily perceive that while everything around me is ever changing, ever dying, there is underlying all that change a living power that is changeless, that holds all together, that creates, dissolves, and re-creates. That informing power or spirit is God. I see it as purely benevolent, for I can see in the midst of death, life persists. In the midst of untruth, truth persists. In the midst of darkness, light persists. Hence I gather that God is life, God is light, God is love. God is the supreme good."
Silence teaches us that we are that we are that God, we are that supreme good. All else is a distortion of that truth, a delusion that is created by us as we turn from what we once knew-from what we are-and and walk into a darkness of our own making.
Last week, children from Hollywood-area elementary schools wrote letters to President Bush. One fifth-grader wrote, "When I hear the news, I cry sometimes. I ask God: When is this going to be over?"
Let it be over now. It will be a miracle, but creation itself is a miracle, and we have within us the power of that creation. We also have the ingenuity, the means, the resources, and the knowledge to eradicate all the causes of violence from within all societies. If we now add our absolute resolve to do so, it will be done.
This is not a dream, but a necessity.
© 2001/Robert Rabbin/All rights reserved. Robert Rabbin is a contemporary mystic and catalyst for clarity. Voicemail: 415.705.0807. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: http://www.robrabbin.com. Mailing Address: 20 Sunnyside Avenue, Suite A-118, Mill Valley, CA 94941-1928, USA.
Author James Twyman will travel to Afghanistan to focus a world-wide prayer vigil for peace. The trip will take place in either November or December and will be sponsored by a spiritual organization in either Afghanistan or Pakistan.
James will carry with him a printed compilation of one million peace prayers contributed from around the world. These prayers, called the Million Prayer March, were originally intended to be delivered by a political emissary.
In order to meet the goal of one million prayers we need your help. Simply go to and add yours today, then pass this message to everyone on your own email list so word will spread around the world. You will then be added (only if you choose) to a list of hundreds of thousands of people who will be alerted no more than two days before the vigil takes place. (The short timing is for the security and safety of Mr. Twyman.) The goal is to have the ability to mobilize millions of people almost instantaneously to use the power of prayer to bring peace. Please join us in this initiative by adding your prayer today.
(James Twyman is the author of five books on peace and has traveled to countries like Iraq, Northern Ireland, Israel, Kosovo, Serbia and many others at times of war. For more information go to )
The key issue with bin Laden is that he's a financier and facilitator, not necessarily a commander or perpetrator. He finances, networks and trains footloose, terror-inclined people who started out with similar noble intentions to those of many young Western protesters. It is entirely likely that bin Laden was not part of the organisation of this specific attack - secrecy and independent cellular action is clearly used by these terrorists. Learned earlier from CIA instructors.
There's something of a holy man and philanthropist to bin Laden too - though this shouldn't be taken too far. His original intentions were to support underdogs against the 'megamachine' - first Soviet, then Western. Subsequent alienating experiences twisted this into something far more unwholesome. Like many of the wealthy and powerful, his street-level experience of real life is inadequate. Holy men can also make major errors, possessing shadow aspects we all variously share. Let us take a lesson from these extremists who mix the truths of Islam with far more irreligious sentiments and actions. Western Christianity, scientism and consumerism, themselves religions, suffer the same problems.
There's guilt here too. Bin Laden's wealth (apparently about $200m) is oil-derived, Western-derived. The power structures and ruling clans of the Muslim world are tied in to this, their representative legitimacy being questionable. Some of them were installed by the West, even if eighty years ago. There is concealed guilt concerning the source of this power and advantage. People (ultimately all of us) engage in intricate tricks and use other-directed blame to cover guilt. Bin Laden is a family man, believing he supports oppressed people and a just cause. So he levels his patrician feelings against symbols of Uncle Sam.
There is something noble here too - the sincere commitment of Muslims to protect their fellows. The corrupted extremity of this Muslim sense of solidarity played out in USA last week is seriously mistaken, yet it is nevertheless rooted in sincere social sentiment. Similarly, the notion of 'God-and-America' is genuinely-rooted and seriously mistaken in its more extreme expressions. In the end, we're not talking about Muslims and Americans, we're talking about humans with interchangeable narrownesses and shared tendencies.
One of the factors being exposed here is the sheer insidious negativity driving the Taliban (amongst others). In addition to the oppression the Taliban bring to Afghans, they shelter international mayhem-makers, encouraging them in globally-significant activities. This does happen when world powers isolate and demonise 'rogue states' - which then become 'hothouses' for resentful activists, just as prisons have become schools for criminals.
It would be counterproductive to over-demonise bin Laden and over-personalise this conflict. He is expendable: the terrorist movement benefits from but does not depend on him. This movement is not centrally recruited or organised. Counterproductive also is the resolution of this issue into a good-guys/bad-guys scenario - such an approach will surely exacerbate the issues longterm, long after George Bush and Tony Blair are gone.
To declare war is counterproductive longterm, unleashing a deeper, hidden, hawkish agenda on the Western side. We have seen this before. War-threats conceal the inherent flaws in the West: the ruthless aspect of capitalism, inflated militarism, concealed nationalism and significant chronic social discontents. We Westerners aren't rioting because, mostly, we have full bellies and plenty of credit with which to buy off hard truth. Hunger, loss and raw oppression changes things, producing restive crowds and 'freedom fighters'.
Osama bin Laden is a biggish cog in a terror machine, but he is not the machine itself. Announcing crusades against him perpetuates the global power-bloc schizophrenia we suffered last century. Still suffering Cold War withdrawal symptoms, we lock back into polarisation, even when disinclined to do so. Pavlov's dogs, yet again. Someone somewhere is trying to undermine the open, liberal, internationalist and empathetic aspect of America's and the West's contribution to the world, and to itself. Americans legitimately worry about their freedoms, yet a bigger issue at stake here is the freedom of the world to evolve and develop as a whole planet.
USA is hereby called, by events, to take its rightful place in the world community, and to drop the domination, manipulation and violence underlying its 20th Century standpoint. This challenge applies to the whole 'developed world', and to wealthier and privileged people in all nations - to step back a bit, to give others a chance of a decent life. This is an enormous challenge, with a certain inevitability - the main question concerns the optional fuss, friction and strife involved. In the 21st Century, is war the best way to adjust our relative positions?
Yes, if necessary, 'take out' these guys, but do it subtly by laying traps for them to fall into, while largely holding fire. Move faster than they, and undermine them on their weak points. Meanwhile, attend to the key root causes. This doesn't even have to involve pumping aid into nations and cultures to help them rise to their full potential - aid too can have questionable effects. This involves removing the significant blocking influences which USA specifically, and the developed world in general, currently applies to hamper other nations' and cultures' efforts to get a better life - usually called 'national interest'. Stop dominating the proceedings and claiming precedence in naming the game. Remove obstructions to progress. We all stand to gain - especially our children.
To disempower such figures as bin Laden, erode their constituency through creative action. Pop groups are conceivably more effective here than troops and missiles. Render terrorists unsupportable and irrelevant by acting to de-polarise the world's societies, economies and belief-systems. Do anything which generates good-naturedness. Encourage healthy, co-existent cultural variety. Address causes of conflict, promote shared needs and goals, and give less air-time to antipathies and conflicting parties. Our task in the 21st Century is to engage with wholeness. It's a big challenge: may we start now?
Disagreeing with terrorists' destructive methods is fair and good. Yet they have made a valid point, and we avoid learning from it at our peril.
Palden Jenkins
17 Sept 2001
E-mail: [email protected]
Dear friends around the world
The events of this day cause every thinking person to stop their daily lives, whatever is going on in them, and to ponder deeply the larger questions of life. We search again for not only the meaning of life, but the purpose of our individual and collective experience as we have created it - and we look earnestly for ways in which we might recreate ourselves anew as a human species, so that we will never treat each other this way again.
The hour has come for us to demonstrate at the highest level our most extraordinary thought about Who We Really Are.
There are two possible responses to what has occurred today. The first comes from love, the second from fear.
If we come from fear we may panic and do things - as individuals and as nations - that could only cause further damage. If we come from love we will find refuge and strength, even as we provide it to others.
This is the moment of your ministry. This is the time of teaching. What you teach at this time, through your every word and action right now, will remain as indelible lessons in the hearts and minds of those whose lives you touch, both now, and for years to come.
We will set the course for tomorrow, today. At this hour. In this moment. Let us seek not to pinpoint blame, but to pinpoint cause. Unless we take this time to look at the cause of our experience, we will never remove ourselves from the experiences it creates. Instead, we will forever live in fear of retribution from those within the human family who feel aggrieved, and, likewise, seek retribution from them.
To us the reasons are clear. We have not learned the most basic human lessons. We have not remembered the most basic human truths. We have not understood the most basic spiritual wisdom. In short, we have not been listening to God, and because we have not, we watch ourselves do ungodly things.
The message we hear from all sources of truth is clear: We are all one. That is a message the human race has largely ignored. Forgetting this truth is the only cause of hatred and war, and the way to remember is simple: Love, this and every moment.
If we could love even those who have attacked us, and seek to understand why they have done so, what then would be our response? Yet if we meet negativity with negativity, rage with rage, attack with attack, what then will be the outcome?
These are the questions that are placed before the human race today. They are questions that we have failed to answer for thousands of years. Failure to answer them now could eliminate the need to answer them at all.
If we want the beauty of the world that we have co-created to be experienced by our children and our children's children, we will have to become spiritual activists right here, right now, and cause that to happen. We must choose to be at cause in the matter.
So, talk with God today. Ask God for help, for counsel and advice, for insight and for strength and for inner peace and for deep wisdom. Ask God on this day to show us how to show up in the world in a way that will cause the world itself to change. And join all those people around the world who are praying right now, adding your Light to the Light that dispels all fear.
That is the challenge that is placed before every thinking person today. Today the human soul asks the question: What can I do to preserve the beauty and the wonder of our world and to eliminate the anger and hatred - and the disparity that inevitably causes it - in that part of the world which I touch?
Please seek to answer that question today, with all the magnificence that is You.
What can you do TODAY...this very moment?
A central teaching in most spiritual traditions is: What you wish to experience, provide for another.
Look to see, now, what it is you wish to experience-in your own life, and in the world. Then see if there is another for whom you may be the source of that.
If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another.
If you wish to know that you are safe, cause another to know that they are safe.
If you wish to better understand seemingly incomprehensible things, help another to better understand.
If you wish to heal your own sadness or anger, seek to heal the sadness or anger of another.
Those others are waiting for you now. They are looking to you for guidance, for help, for courage, for strength, for understanding, and for assurance at this hour. Most of all, they are looking to you for love.
We love you, and we send you our deepest thoughts of peace.
Neale, James, James and Doreen
www.topica.com/lists/EmissaryofLight
Dear Friends
The people of the USA today have experienced what many people throughout the world have been experiencing for generations - the fundamental insecurity that comes with terrorism, whether it is perpetuated by an underground organization or a government. Those who felt they had no voice and no power have been both heard and felt today in a very dramatic and tragic manner.
We have reached both a crossroads and a turning point. Everything stands in the balance. We have received a Great Wakeup Call.
In this decisive moment I am calling upon the Global Network of Light, represented by the PAN association of networks, to assume Spiritual Leadership in helping to transform this crisis into a major evolutionary step forward for our Planet. This begins first and foremost within our own hearts and Spirit.
At a human level there is the temptation to lock into the emotional body and be dominated by fear, anger, despair & uncertainty. As spiritual beings, we know that nothing is by accident and all things are in Divine Order and are but steps to toward Ultimate Good.
Today I invite you to join me in opening your heart in deep compassion for those who have died and those who have experienced the profound loss of loved ones.
Today I invite you to remember Who You Really Are, Why You Are Really Here and What This Is All About.
Today I invite you to step outside of the drama as it unfolds on your TV screen and go inside to Your Reality Source.
Today I invite you to join me in holding a Vision Of Positive Transformation For Planet Earth - at all levels: Socially, Politically, Ecologically, Spiritually.
Today I invite you to hold a vision that the annals of history will record that September 11, 2001, was a turning point in history. That through a great tragedy of unspeakable horror, the people and government of the most powerful country on Earth, woke up. And through its leadership; political, financial and spiritual, a New Earth was conceived - a place and time of Peace, Prosperity & Justice for all people everywhere; where there were no longer desperate people resorting to desperate means to right the wrongs they felt.
Now is the time for leadership. It begins within each of our hearts. Now is the time to decide whether we will be swept away by media prompted mass hysteria or step outside of the drama - reconnect deep within, and hold firm to what we know is the true Destiny of our Planet.
To this end, I am not inviting you to do a meditation at a certain time. No, I am inviting each of us to Become A Meditation; to move into a continual state of meditation with a quiet mind and peaceful heart, asking only for the Highest Good to ultimately evolve out of this crisis. It will be the quiet, calm spiritual leadership that we exemplify in this moment that will transform both our own lives, the lives of those around us, and the planet.
I Am Michael
Michael Lightweaver
Network 2012/PAN
www.N2012.com
To keep informed of meditations on this subject, please visit Rising Earth's Global Linkups section.
We, the undersigned, endorse the following petition:
CALL FOR PEACE & JUSTICE!
Target: George W. Bush, President of the United States, The US Government.
Website: www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/224622495
Other peace petitions can be found at the following sites:
For listings of peace marches and events that are being organised around the world see http://pax.protest.net. You can add to these listings if you are organising something similar.
In Washington DC there will be a week of events leading up to protests on the 29th and 30th.
Please come and join us for a day and night of healing and music. We aim to channel healing energy, unconditional divine love and light into the universe to effect dramatic changes around six areas of need.
Time: Please arrive at 12.30pm for a prompt 1pm start. We will finish at 10pm.
Place: Haddo Hall, Greenwich West Community and Arts Centre, 141 Greenwich High Road, London.
Donation: We are asking for a £5 donation to cover expenses. Thank you.
Bring: A blanket or cushion to sit on (chairs are available), water, light food, and tea lights (no candles).
Wear: comfortable clothes and something white.
Contact: Sandie 0208 244 2494.
Rising Earth is initiating an Environmental Healing Project for the UK. Through the power of meditation and positive intent we will focus on clearing, balancing, and uplifting the Earth's energy field at the local, regional, and national levels.
By working at the subatomic or subtle-energetic level of being, which gives rise to physical manifestation, we will expect to see changes within physical reality at some point in time afterwards, that will be statistically significant and consistent with our work. We will use crime, pollution, and weather statistics as indices of resultant social and environmental change. We would also invite dowsers in the UK to monitor changes within the Earth's grid.
This exciting new project will require the coordination of individuals to direct healing on a regular basis, for a sustained period of time. You do not need to be in the UK to take part. If successful, this project will prove to be an important landmark in healing research, for there will then be sufficient evidence to demonstrate that meditation and positive thought alone can heal our environment - regardless of where we are located geographically. This kind of work has already been explored by with some success by Transcendental Meditators, Fountain International, and the Institute of HeartMath.
If you are interested in participating in this project or assisting it in any way, please e-mail the coordinator, Leigh Tremaine, stating your name, location, and interest in the project.
Website: worldhealing.co.uk/ehp
Hi
This is Hagit Ra’anan from Israel and Ali Abu-Kumail from Palestine. We have been working together since the Mid-east light workers summit in 1998 on a people-to-people peace mission between our two peoples. Given the history of the situation and many complicated factors, it has been a real challenge, but we continue to have faith in the basic goodness of the human heart and our two peoples, in spite of the frustrations that we all experience.
As you are probably aware from the news, we are going through a very dark time here right now. Sometimes it feels like all of our work was in vain. With the renewed violence and building frustration with the political process, we sometimes feel overwhelmed.
We are writing to you to ask you to help us hold the vision of Peace, Justice, Security and Prosperity for our two peoples and the whole Mid-east. Help us hold the vision of our living together in family harmony as the children of Abraham. If enough of us around the world can steadily hold this vision - even for just a few moments each day, then we know that we can shift the energy here and ultimately have the peace, justice, security and prosperity that we have yearned for so long for both of our peoples. We write you in deepest appreciation for your help in holding this vision and forwarding our appeal to others. Messages of encouragement are also welcomed. Sharing these with our coworkers is sometimes the only thing that stands between us and despair.
Gratefully
Ali Abu-Kumail, Gaza, Palestine
E-mail:
Hagit Ra’anan, Israel
E-mail:
Past is History - Future is Mystery
This Minute is a Gift, That is why it Called
"PRESENT"
Please visit:
www.mideastweb.org/hagit/gazeng2.htm - English
www.mideastweb.org/hagit/gazheb2.htm - Hebrew
www.mideastweb.org/hagit/askar.htm - Pictures
I thank Ami Isserof for giving me the floor, I also thank Uzi Keren for sharing the pictures with us and to all of you for your support.
For Thousand Years in Peace - May Peace Prevail on Earth
Be blessed with Peace-Shalom-Salam, Love-Ahava-Hube & Light-Or-Nur
Hagit Ra'anan
POB 39, Kiryat Ono 55100, Israel
Tel/Fax 972 (0)3-5353496
Mobile 972 (0)52-533240
On the fourth Sunday of every month in the Havant area, a meditation will be held at 4.30pm followed by a shared meal. If you wish to attend please phone Liz Merritt on 023 92 486021 or 07971 303082 prior to the day. Venues may vary. You are asked to arrive by 4.15pm at the latest.
Liz Merritt
Dear Friends,
You are invited to join us in a global effort to bring peace to the world. Please read, and, if you can, sign the "World Peace Treaty".
The "World Peace Treaty" belongs to the world. Please gather as many signatures as possible. We would like to take a global collective declaration of peace to the United Nations and the Hague. We are seeking an acknowledgement that they need to seek other alternatives to technological warfare and that they have the support of people rooted in peace from all nations.
We are asking that copies of the "World Peace Treaty" be taken to all villages that have no voice, all of the towns, all of the places, where people wish to be heard and acknowledged.
It is important to understand that the "World Peace Treaty" is separate from treaties based on economic, religious, or territorial concerns.
This Treaty is a call to the People of the World to seek and affirm peace first and foremost to one another. It is intended to show all governments of the world that the instruments of war are no longer the sounds we will allow to be played. They must, for the sake of all creation, learn a new song.
And, this song must be one of peace in which each and every one of us from all over the earth are the instruments that will be heard in our symphony of life.
This is not an academic peace treaty. We would ask for the signatures of the birds, the trees, and of all the creatures of the earth, if it were possible. And so, each of our signatures is also their signatures.
Thank you for your support and your help. If you would like additional information, please contact us. We hope to gather as many original signatures as possible and ask that you send us the signatures which you collect in hard copy form. Our contact information is listed below.
Carlo Hawk Walker and Robin Light Spirit Drifter
PO Box 503
Zanesville
Ohio 43701
USA
E-mail:
We have been healing the planet regularly since our inception as a not-for-profit organization in 1973 and more recently have begun to promote the Universal Hour of Peace on January l each year. Our goal is to have one million people pledging for peace by the year 2001. Can we publish this goal and ask people to pledge for peace? There is no cost, just people saying, yes! I am committed to peace. Please respond by e-mail, our address is or by regular mail: HCR 1, Box 15, Windyville, MO 65783, USA.
Peace be with you all ways
Dr Laurel Clark
School of Metaphysics
To my fellow swimmers,
There is a river flowing now, very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly. Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water.
And I say, see who is in there with you, and celebrate. At this time in history, we are to take nothing personal, least of all ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt. The time of the lone wolf is over.
Gather yourselves! Banish the word 'struggle' from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
WE ARE THE ONES WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!
Oraibi, Arizona Hopi Nation
Visit the Hunger Site and click a button to send a donation of food to hungry people around the world - at no cost to you!
Website: www.thehungersite.com
Sign The Hunger Site Petition, which will be delivered to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations on World Food Day, 16 October 2000. The petition urges the UN to dedicate more resources to the fight against global hunger. All you have to do is click on the link below to sign up - and don't forget to pass this e-mail along to all of your friends:
www.thehungersite.com/rbt/THSPetition/h061322
The Rainforest Site was founded May 1, 2000 to help protect our environment. Visitors to The Rainforest Site can save a free area of rainforest with the "click of a button". These donations, distributed by The Nature Conservancy, are paid for by The Rainforest Site's sponsors. The Rainforest Site was founded by GreaterGood.com, which also operates The Hunger Site.
Website: www.therainforestsite.com
Sign The Rainforest Site Petition, which will be delivered to the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development this Fall 2000. The petition urges the UN to enforce the international community’s political and legal commitments to protect the rainforests. All you have to do is click on the link below to sign up - and don't forget to pass this e-mail along to all of your friends:
www.therainforestsite.com/rbt/TRSPetition/r061322
MAP - the Millennium Appeal for Peace - invites you to put your name on the MAP for peace. It aims to help UNESCO collect 100 million signatures from people in every part of the globe. And most importantly MAP shows the leaders of the world that individuals are willing to take active steps towards creating peace.
MAP is initiated by Life Foundation International, health professionals who teach peacebuilding and detraumatisation in war zones. In our work in war-zones, we notice that peace arises only when people actively go out and create it. Our earth will find peace when there are more people 'waging peace' than there are 'waging war'!
On 1-1-2000, we walked into to Downing St, the UN in New York, and the EC in Brussels to deliver the first signatures, the Millennium Appeal for Peace will be represented in September along with UNESCO's Manifesto 2000.
To go to the Millennium Appeal for Peace site, where there is a page on which you can add your name to the MAP, please visit:
www.web-2-net.com/petition/map.htm
Julie Hotchkiss & Louise Rowan
Life Foundation International
Dear Friends
I wish to share with you my 'take' on a few current affairs happening at present.
What is the connection between the Chechen war, Afghanistan, Kashmir and the recent flight of a 14-year old Tibetan Lama (HH Karmapa XVII) from Tibet?
I would suggest that it is this. Central Asia is the last area of the world which suffers outright imperialism. This used to be called 'The Great Game', and it involved Britain too, in the days of the Raj 100 years ago. The connection between these disparate events is: Central Asia (from the Caucasus to Sinkiang to Mongolia to Tibet to Afghanistan) is on the edge of finding its true identity and key role in the world - and these separate events are advance signs of a mega-situation building up. And, I would suggest, the likely catalyst of this big change is this lama, Karmapa - who stands not only to be the personage who presides over the 'freeing' of Tibet, but also the one who might, by indirect means, shepherd the freeing up of Central Asia.
Culturally-religiously, this involves the fusion or interaction of very different cultures - Buddhist, Muslim, shamanistic and post-Socialist (note that Christianity isn't involved). The first stage of this change was the fall of USSR and the founding of the post-socialist Sunni Muslim Central Asian republics in the 1990s. The next stage is the rebirth of Tibet, Afghanistan, Mongolia and East Turkestan, from the Caucasus to the borders of 'China proper' - which, except for Afghanistan and Kashmir, concerns the political future and the prevalence of truth/reality in China, the world's most populous nation, and in Russia.
The Karmapa is both a religious and a political figure, like the Dalai Lama. He's a kind of joint Buddhist papal figure, with the Dalai and Panchen Lamas. While the Dalai Lama is a philosopher who has admirably 'held' the Tibetans during their exile/oppression phase in history, the Karmapa is, for want of a better term, an advanced enlightened shaman - and he and the Dalai Lama are also deep soul-friends. Karmapa's walking out of Tibet over the Millennium is a sign and omen of large import. Check out www.maui.net/~tsurphu/karmapa for more information on him.
While I must own my own bias here - the Karmapa in his last incarnation was my teacher in the 1970s, and my adopted Tibetan name (Karma Palden Sonam) was given to me by him, and his voluntary exile from Tibet is personally significant to me - I suggest that you watch this man carefully. He's young at present - what an act for a 14-year old to make! He will probably be kept hidden for a while - amongst other things, for him to complete his religious and political education - but by 2010 things will be different, and a new generation of Tibetans and post-Communist Central Asians will be in the ascendancy. Karmapa's HQ in exile is Rumtek monastery in Sikkim - which itself is in slightly disputed territory between India and China.
From the position of my own personal bias, I ask that you extend supportive prayers toward the Karmapa. From my position as a geopolitical analyst and historian, I suggest you simply watch this man! And also: look into the inner significance of the struggles going on in Central Asia at present - Chechnya, Kashmir, West China, Afghanistan, the oilfields in Azerbaijan, the Siberian republics of Russia, Mongolia and the C Asian republics. Keep an eye on this issue, because I think it is important for the world as a whole. This area of the world has been hidden away for a long time, and it's about to emerge again. Remember, in history, that the largest empire the world has ever seen - that of the Mongols - came from here. Something is brewing....
Palden Jenkins
E-mail:
We invite you to take part in the new international spiritual project - a Unitary World Network.
The basic purpose of the Unitary World Project - creation of conditions for free information interchange between the representatives of the various nations, cultures and spiritual traditions. The modern information technologies erase borders between the countries and peoples, and we want to take advantage of this unique opportunity for creation of the Network, which will help to erase barriers of misunderstanding between the representatives of different spiritual traditions.
Our efforts are not directed on creation of new universal world religion. Each spiritual tradition is valuable and unique. The nations inhabiting our planet are various and have various needs. But though we have many differences, we also have many common purposes and interests. Therefore Unitary World Project is directed on association of spiritual forces of a planet on the basis of mutual interests, search of the reasonable compromises and realisation of the joint projects.
The project is realized in two languages - English and Russian. In each language the directory of spiritual resources the Internet will be created. Also for each sections the newsgroups, chat, service of a subscription and thematic pages will be created. In parallel with this work we shall collect the information for creation of the directory of world spiritual movements and organisations. This information will be in section of Organisation, and also will be published in two languages.
We invite you to visit our site and to find out more about this project. The address of the English home page: http://www.trans4mind.com/one_world/home_eng.shtml. We shall be grateful to you for your wishes and recommendations concerning creation of sections, newsgroups, and also other opportunities, which you would like to see on this site.
Peace and Love
Leonid Yurkovsky
The International Spiritual Consciousness Network
E-mail:
Website: www.trans4mind.com/one_world/home_eng.shtml
Become a Catalyst for Peace - Join the World Peace Experiment.
We are seeking 80,000 people who are willing to be part of an experiment to see if we can shift the world's perception of "good and evil" to a perception of love. It won't cost you any money and will take only seconds a day. We believe we are all one mind and that if enough people (critical mass) could shift their own personal perception - change their minds - about the existence of evil, then the whole planet could shift into a perception of love.
We also believe that world peace begins with each individual achieving a state of peace within themselves. We can begin to do that for ourselves by becoming aware of the "negative" influences in our lives and choosing consciously to eliminate or shift those influences.
What we propose is a two step process as follows:
STEP 1: Whenever you perceive that a negative event is occurring say the words "ONLY LOVE PREVAILS." This phrase sends "positive" energy to the perceived negative event as you stand as an observer in non-judgment. It will also help shift the perception that for good to exist, evil must also exist (polarity theory). As your perception shifts, you will perceive less and less negativity. This process therefore acts as a barometer to measure your own sense of inner peace. The less negativity you perceive, the less you will find yourself needing to affirm "Only Love Prevails".
STEP 2: Become aware that the news media has a profound impact on your perception. Do whatever you need to do to protect yourself from exposure to "negative" or fear based stories in the media. This might mean giving up watching or listening to newcasts or reading newspapers, or it might mean that you filter your exposure to the news media and become very selective about what you do read or watch or listen to. Just bringing your awareness to the negativity that permeates the news media will help shift your consciousness.
The media feeds us with negative reports of world events and therefore we personally get pulled into the negative energy. Very seldom does the media report "positive news" events. If we only had the media as our benchmark of what was happening on our planet, it would be easy to believe that only evil exists. The truth is, the reports of so-called negative occurrences that permeate newscasts are in most cases isolated incidences. Most of what happens on this planet falls into the "good" news area, but positive news is rarely reported because it doesn't sell newspapers. We have become conditioned to want to hear about the horror stories that the media has become so good at reporting. Many of us have become addicted to it. We can't wait to hear the next chapter in the OJ story or sit for hours by the TV to watch in fascination as one country bombs another.
We feel that if enough people (critical mass) stopped exposing themselves to the "negative energy" generated by the news media and repeated "ONLY LOVE PREVAILS" whenever exposed to a report of an incident that appeared to be negative that we could shift the consciousness of the planet to a perception that ONLY LOVE PREVAILS. This would be a giant step toward achieving a state of peace.
If you would like to participate in this experiment, we would love to hear from you. You can contact us in one of four ways:
In order for us to know when we reach our goal of 80,000, we are keeping track of number of people who are participating as well as the demographics (how many in each country).
We invite you to share this idea with your friends and acquaintances -- with anyone and everyone. You can make a difference! You can be a catalyst for world peace!!
This experiment began in December 1997. As of January 18, 1999 we had over 3700 people from 47 different countries around the world participating. For the most current numbers, see our participants page. We encourage you to join in this world changing experiment and to tell your friends. Together we will create a world of peace where ONLY LOVE PREVAILS.
Website: www.openheart.com
Here in my country the alternative healing methods are not well viewed by conventional doctors and health officials, so any attempt to give alternative healing to people in need or to the children in the orphanages is forbidden without a lot of official approvals which are not possible to get without a large amount of money. The only way to get these approvals is to ask for them as a non-profit organisation and the registration of such an organisation requires a lot of money. It is possible to avoid the law prescription only by working with a doctor or by working in an educational organisation in which people can receive help or healing as a demonstration of the methods taught.
Here there are some healers but most of them are not interested in teaching or educating patients about the real reason of their illness. We do not have any organisations that provide useful information about alternative healing methods at a price that most interested people can afford. This is one reason why those who have trained as practitioners end up charging high prices for treatment. We have some books donated by other lightworkers but we have not found any sponsors to pay for the publishing of them. I have received a lot of useful files but I don't have enough time to translate them all or the facilities to print the translations. There is translation software available but I can't afford to pay for it.
We try to make something for the children in the orphanages and for the families with children on a very low cash income because we feel that the most useful thing for all will be the healing of a new generation. We are well trained in alternative healing methods by foreign specialists and we have a few people who want to work with children but we do not have the registration forms for financial reasons.
It would be possible to get all the approvals more easily and at a lower price if a non-profit organisation from another country opened a branch in our country. For those who might be interested, information on how to go about this can be provided.
We are open to any other cooperation proposal.
Any advice, help, or donations that you are guided to send us will be most welcome.
Love and Joy
Stanuta Gheorghe
E-mail:
Dear friends
I have great pleasure in announcing the online re-publication of an out-of-print 1987 book of mine called 'Living in Time', available at no charge for viewing and download at www.isleofavalon.co.uk/time.html
The book was perhaps ahead of its time in the late 80s when published by Gateway Books, yet it was highly valued by nature-lovers, pagans, shamans, meditators and others of similar ilk. A trickle of fan-mail and enquiries continues to this day. The book clarifies key issues in understanding the nature of time and living astrology, and it's comprehensible to astro-laypeople. It covers the cycle of the Moon, the annual solar cycle (solstices, equinoxes and cross-quarters), the movements and interrelations of the planets, how to identify and work with 'power-points in time', and the astro-history of the last two centuries.
Nowadays, people get terribly excited about eclipses and planetary line-ups, injecting exaggeration, dramatic forecasts and planetary quick-fixes into what is, in reality, an endless, cyclic and organic fluxing of Time. This book gives the background to help put things into context. It emphasises the free-will we have in making use of our times, personally and in the transformation of our world.
If you sense that Time has qualities worth learning about, this book is for you. It doesn't talk about birth-charts (a singularly modern self-preoccupation)! It goes back to the transpersonal, ancient roots of astrology, when it was an integral part of the knowledge-base of shamans, priests, seers and ordinary folk. It points to the different levels, agendas and opportunities Time unveils. "Time is what stops everything from happening all at once!".
Ancient people reckoned that if we omitted to *invoke* the passage of time and season, then the seasons would not come or 'deliver the goods'. This concerned fertility, migrations, agriculture, births and transitions, weather and the wider fortunes of people and tribes. In our closeted modern techno-world, this kind of 'primitive' thinking is forgotten and derided. Yet it is highly relevant today for people involved, in their deepest hearts, with nature, consciousness and humanity's future. This book gives an overall picture. It can be read or printed off selectively too. You don't need astrological knowledge, or to become an astrologer. To quote Sig Lonegren, who prompted me to re-publish this book (thanks, Sig!): "We seek not to emulate the ancients - we seek what they sought".
I offer it with love, and with a prayer that it brings magic benefits in copious directions. It's free. Please make links to the above web-address, recommend the book/site to your friends, forward this e-mail, and give the book a whizz yourself!
Palden E-mail:
Website: www.isleofavalon.co.uk/palden.html
Tel: 01458 834576 (+44 1458 834576)