(revised 10/2/01)

Pictorial responses to 9-11 from around the world
From "Ground Zero" NYC.....by a massage therapist
Responding with love, not hate, even as a victim of terrorism
International Mediator, Marshall Rosenberg, Speaks Out
Rabbi Lerner suggests
REST IN PEACE
Recommendations for information on forgiveness from Phil Friedman
This is Not a War on Terror, It's a Fight Against America's Enemies
Gurumayi Chidvilasannda's message in Honor of the World
From: Dr. Tony Kern, Lt Col, USAF (Ret)
The Compassion Exercise from the book 'Resurfacing' by Harry Palmer
Essential oils for dealing with severe stress
Willingness Works - Further practical suggestions for dealing with
   stress
Proposed US Department of Peace
Study in progress on  9-11 responses

Pictorial responses from the heart from around the world to 9-11
Click here: WTC Montage  (long download time)

Subject: from "Ground Zero" NYC.....by a massage therapist

> Dear Relatives and Friends, This was forwarded to me from a
> friend of a friend at Ground Zero. This spirit of giving is what
> is so wonderful about human beings. It is a privilege to be in
> the presence of it. Much love and peace, Clarice
>
> Dear Friends and Family:
>
> It's Sunday night and I've just returned home from spending the
> weekend in New York City, where I volunteered by doing massage
> on the recovery workers, and the families of the victims. I
> would like to share with you some of my personal experience of
> being there. I don't know if I'll be able to capture the depth
> of how this has impacted me, or even give you a very real sense
> of the reality there, but I'll try. I just want to say, it was a
> lot and it's going to take a while for me to fully digest all
> the feelings, impressions, and responses I have to it all. It
> hit me on many, many levels, all at once sometimes. And I feel
> profoundly moved.
>
> Like most people, I was tormented by wanting "to do" something
> and then I heard from a friend of mine, Linda T, that she was in
> the process of trying to organize a way for bodyworkers to be
> able to help. After spending a week on the phone trying to make
> the right connections she got us hooked up with the Olive Leaf
> Wellness Center in Manhattan, who is coordinating an extensive
> Massage/Bodywork effort. I'm grateful to Linda for her
> persistence.
>
> On Friday morning we drove to NYC and went straight to Olive
> Leaf where it took about an hour and a half to get "clearance",
> photo IDs, etc.. Then we were taken by van to Pier 94 at 55th
> St, on the Hudson. We really had no idea what we were walking
> into, however in the van, another massage therapist who had
> already been there the day before gave us a briefing on what to
> expect. That was helpful, yet still, once we arrived it was a
> lot more than I expected. Pier 94 is the primary site they are
> calling the "Family Assistance Center". This is where the
> families of the "crime victims" (as they are being called) come
> to get help with every need they have. Outside our bags were
> searched three times as we entered the building. We found out
> that Rudy Guilliani was there and leaving just as we arrived
> which could be why all the searches. He apparently walked right
> beside me but I was on my cell phone and didn't even see him.
>
> Inside this enormous building, which was set up convention style
> with booths curtained off, separating each function area, were
> all the various departments -NYPD, NJPD, NYFD, FBI, all the
> various religious/spiritual orders, a huge area where the
> families of the victims are being seen by counselors to sort out
> what they need, two cafeterias, one at each end of the building,
> and then the overwhelming predominance of the Red Cross--who is
> coordinating everything. I don't know if you've ever seen the
> Red Cross in action, I hadn't, and I just want to say they are
> amazing! And then, right there in the middle of it all, was a
> booth with a huge sign above it: MASSAGE. When I first saw it,
> it seemed strangely out of place, yet there it was and lots of
> people were waiting to come in.
>
> There were ten massage tables and we were put straight to work.
> The first person I worked on was a detective with the NYPD. As
> he sat down on the massage table I asked if he'd like to remove
> his gun -it hadn't occurred to him, but he did -he put it under
> the table. The next policeman I worked on I said the same thing
> and he chose to lay on his. It was slightly bazaar to be working
> on someone's tension in their back with a gun at their chest. At
> times the whole thing seemed very surreal to me. The bright
> florescent lights, the steady background din of the TV news, the
> constant ringing of cellphones, and so many depressed people
> walking around not knowing what to do next. But I felt lucky, I
> had a job to do and could focus completely on that. One by one
> they came, stressed out, exhausted, overcome with grief and
> sadness, holding so much tension and pain in their bodies -my
> heart was breaking. I felt so honored, so privileged to be able
> to give something to these people who needed it so much. When
> you massage someone you get to feel the human being inside, that
> fragile, vulnerable being who lives inside each of us. I worked
> on many people that first night, policemen, FBI agents, other
> volunteers, and family members, even some children. I was
> touched by all of them in many ways, but of course, the stories
> the families told me sunk the deepest. Stories that seemed
> almost too private to repeat, and yet they all had a need to
> tell them. Many told me of how their loved ones had phoned them
> to say that they didn't know if they'd make it out, but they
> wanted them to know how much they loved them no matter what. And
> this is what they are holding to the most. One policeman told me
> that probably 6,000 people will be found on the stairs, if they
> ever find the stairs. And I thought of the number of people who
> have cellphones and that it's possible that many many of them
> were calling at that same moment, from the stairs, to tell
> someone how much they loved them.
>
> The next day we were sent to work at another location -the
> Medical Examiners office, which was basically a barricaded
> street set up as a morgue. There were no family members here,
> only the police and firefighters and other detectives. In a way,
> it was more intense and people were more openly talking about
> everything. I was coordinating the massage booth that shift so I
> had the opportunity to talk to a lot of the people standing
> around. I was deeply touched by the firefighters and police who
> told me unrelenting stories of grueling 15 hour days of working
> and the intensity of what they were doing. But I was profoundly
> moved by their deep respect whenever an ambulance arrived, to
> stop everything and stand in silence and salute as the body bags
> were taken out. I can't tell you how quiet and still it got, and
> then afterward, the embraces, the tears, the look for some sign
> of strength and courage in each others eyes to get back to what
> had to be done. It was an awesome thing to be a part of really.
> I have never seen anything like it.
>
> Last night we went back to the Pier for one more shift. I worked
> primarily on the families and again heard the heartbreaking
> stories of their pain of love. One couple had lost all of their
> children, all three had worked the WTC. One woman told me she
> had not yet cried in front of her family because she was the one
> holding them all together. Yes, it was sad, profoundly sad, yet
> it was also, profoundly moving to see how much people were
> giving, how much patience, care and understanding were present.
> Even with incredible lines and bureaucratic red tape to go
> through, no one was impatient or complaining. Instead, everyone
> was just very grateful. Inside that building we were like a
> small community of people helping people. Simply being human at
> a time when it is most needed.
>
> Tonight I'm back in Amherst but I feel a big part of me is still
> there where my heart was so deeply touched. I'm so grateful to
> have found a way to give and I'll be going back whenever I can
> to help. I strongly believe with all my heart that something
> good can come out of this horrendous tragedy. It was evident to
> me at Pier 94.
>
> Life is so precious. I send you all my love, Iris
>
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Responding with love, not hate, even as a victim of terrorism
The following material comes from the book
How Far to Follow: The Martyrs of Atlas by Bernardo Olivera. St. Bede's Publications, Petersham, Massachusetts, 1997.

On Christmas eve 1993 a group of terrorists broke into the Catholic Trappist Abbey in Tibhirine, Algeria. At first it appeared that the monks would either be taken hostage or killed as a number of other people had been slain in the previous few months. The Prior, Dom Christian de Cherge, who spoke fluent Arabic, reminded the head of the terrorists that it was Christmas Eve. This seemed to genuinely catch him by the surprise, and after some tense moments the terrorists withdrew. While departing they ominously told the monks that they would return.

Though told they would be allowed to leave by their religious superiors and urged to leave by local military and civil authorities, the monks voted to stay.

On March 27, 1996 the terrorists returned, ransacked the monastery and took seven of the community hostage. The terrorists tried to use them as bargaining chips to win the release of some of their fellow supporters under arrest, but the government authorities refused to negotiate and on May 21, 1996 the seven were beheaded.

After their death the following testament of Dom Christian was found among his papers and opened on May 26, 1996. What is noteworthy is that it was written on December 1, 1993 before the terrorists first ever came to the monastery.

I quote:
"When we face an A-DIEU...
If it should happen one day - and it could be today -
that I become a victim of the terrorism
which now seems ready to engulf
all foreigners living in Algeria,
I would like my community, my Church and my family
to remember that my life was GIVEN
to God and to this country.
I ask them to accept the fact
that the One Master of all life
was not a stranger to this brutal departure.
I would ask them to pray for me:
for how could I be found worthy of such an offering?
I ask them to associate this death
with so many other equally violent ones
which are forgotten through indifference and anonymity.
My life has not more value than any other.
Nor any less value.
In any case, it has not the innocence of childhood.
I have lived long enough to know
that I am an accomplice in the evil
which seems, alas, to prevail in the world,
even in the evil which might blindly strike me down.
I would like, when the time comes,
to have a moment of spiritual clarity
which would allow me to beg forgiveness of God
and of my fellow human beings,
and at the same time forgive with all my heart
the one who will strike me down.
I could not desire such a death.
It seems to me important to state this.
I do not see, in fact, how I could rejoice
if the people I love were indiscriminately
accused of my murder.
It would be too high a price to pay
for what will perhaps be called
the 'grace of martydom'
to owe this to an Algerian, whoever he may be,
especially if he says he is acting in fidelity
to what he believes to be Islam.
I am also aware of the caricatures of Islam
which a certain Islamism fosters.
It is too easy to soothe one's conscience
by identifying this religious way with
the fundamentalist ideology of extremists.
For me, Algeria and Islam are not that,
but rather a body and a soul.
I have proclaimed this often enough, I think,
in the light of what I have received from it.
I so often find there that true strand of the Gospel
which I learned at my mother's knee,
my very first Church,
precisely in algeria, and already inspired
with respect for Muslim believers.
Obviously, my death will appear to confirm
those who hastily judged me naive or idealistic:
'Let him tell us now what he thinks of it!'
But these persons should know that finally
my most avid curiosity will be set free.
This is what I shall be able to do, please God:
immerse my gaze in that of the Father
to contemplate with him His children of Islam
just as he sees them, all shining with the glory of Christ,
the fruit of His Passion, filled with the Gift of the Spirit
whose secret joy will always be to establish communion
and restore the likeness, playing with the differences.
For this life lost, totally mine and totally theirs,
I thank God, who seems to have willed it entirely
for the sake of that JOY in everything
and in spite of everything.
In this THANK YOU, which is said
for everything in my life from now on,
I certainly include you, friends of yesterday and today,
and you, my firends of this place,
along with my mother and father,
my sisters and brothers and their families.
You are the hundredfold granted as was promised!
And also you, my last-minute friend,
who will not have know what you were doing:
Yes, I want this THANK YOU and this 'A-DIEU'
to be for you, too,
because in God's face I see yours.
May we meet again as happy thieves
in Paradise, if it please, God, the Father of us both.
AMEN! IN H'ALLAH!"
(pp.127-129)
End Quote
On the back cover of the book in Arabic calligraphy by Dom Christian is the phrase: "Praised be the Lord, the God of the universe! From him come peace and love."

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International Mediator, Marshall Rosenberg, Speaks Out
"Retaliation Will Not Bring Lasting Safety and Peace!"

La Crescenta, CA -- September 27, 2001 -- international mediator Marshall
Rosenberg, Ph.D, issued the following statement today:

After the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, millions of
people throughout the world are feeling deep pain and grief. They feel
outraged, scared, powerless -- and very vulnerable. Many have a deep need
to feel safe again. They long for a world where they can live in peace.
Others have a deep desire to get even. They long for revenge and
retribution.

Currently, the United States has decided that it must take action, and
other countries have decided to join them.

Some people want the goal of these actions to be peace and safety; some
want these actions to focus on retaliation and punishment.

This presents a real problem: If our leaders base their actions on
retaliation and punishment, I believe they cannot achieve the goal of
lasting world safety and peace.

Why do I say this?

For the last 35 years, my associates and I have worked throughout the world to help resolve conflicts between warring gangs, ethnic groups, tribes and countries.

Over and over, we have observed that actions motivated by the desire for
punishment produce retaliation from the other side, and that actions
motivated by a desire for peace produce acts of peace from the other side.
In either case these actions create cycles that can go on for years --
generations -- centuries.

I, and others in my organization, have worked with people from the warring factions in Rwanda, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, South Africa, Serbia, Croatia, Israel and Palestine. Our experience has taught us that real
safety and peace can be achieved, despite enormous odds, only when people are able to see the "humanity" of those who attack them. This requires something far more difficult than turning the other cheek; it requires empathizing with the fears, hurt, rage and unmet human needs that are behind the attacks.

Our work is designed to help people learn to empathize with one another's
needs and concerns, and begin to see that the "other side" is simply a
group of humans trying to protect themselves and meet their needs. We have seen hatred and desire for punishment transformed into hope -- when people received empathy from those who had killed their families. We have seen those who committed the violence sincerely mourn -- when they received empathy from those who had been violated by their actions. We have seen people on both sides lose the desire to punish each other -- and then work together to ensure that everyone's needs are met. We have seen former enemies create programs together to make up for the harm they created and ensure the safety of future generations.

The United States government has declared its intent to make the world safe from violent acts -- such as those in New York and Washington -- and from those who perpetrate them. Other nations have joined them.

If the goal of the nations forming this coalition becomes retaliation and
punishment, each action they take will be determined by the answer to this question: "Will this action take us closer to punishing those responsible for the pain we have suffered?"

However, if their goal is peace and safety for the world, each action will
be determined by answering a very different question: "Will this action
bring us closer to lasting peace and safety for the world?"
It is my fervent hope that our leaders will not seek punishment, but will
keep their focus on creating peace and safety.

To create short-term safety, we will need to protect ourselves from further
threat. This may include actions taken in, what I call, the "protective
use of force." We may need to capture and imprison the perpetrators so
that they cannot attack us again. And we may even have to kill some of
them if we can't otherwise restrain them.

But, for the long-term, we also need to begin creating lasting safety and
peace in the world. Our leaders need to establish relationships that will
give rise to true and permanent cooperation between nations. They need to start now to change the circumstances that give rise to violent behavior. The wealthy countries of the world need to work together to create a world where all people have access to basic life-serving resources and protection for their human rights -- where all people are safe and free, and have the opportunity to create a satisfying life.

If there is an answer to the enormous problem before us, it is to seek
solutions that will meet the needs of all concerned. This is not utopian
idealism. I have seen such solutions created -- over and over again --
around the world.

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) In Action

* In Northern Nigeria, in Kaduna State, Dr. Rosenberg mediated between a warring Christian tribe and Moslem tribe. One year before he got there,
one hundred out of the four hundred people in that community were killed. Midway through the training one of the Chiefs stood and very emphatically said, "If we know how to communicate in the way that you're talking about, we don't have to kill each other. I would like to be one of those people trained." Before he left that day, people from both sides eagerly wanted to be trained and the violence between the tribes ceased.

* At the beginning of peace initiative training in NVC skills, citizens
from Serbia and Croatia were screaming in rage at one another. In 7 days
they left singing one another's songs and dancing one another's dances, and went on to create an educational project that has brought these same skills to over 30,000 children and 3,000 educators in the former Yugoslavia.

* When Dr. Rosenberg entered Palestinian refugee camp a man began yelling, "Murderer!" Immediately a dozen more joined him in a chorus of, "Assassin!" "Child-killer!" "Murderer!" By the end of the evening this same man invited Dr. Rosenberg home for a Ramadan dinner. Since then over 400 schools and kindergartens have been exposed to NVC in the form of shows and presentations, while approximately 24 schools and 100+ kindergartens received in-depth training programs. NVC trainer Miri Shapira has been appointed to the position as National Trainer For The Prevention of Violence of The Ministry of Education. In 1999, the Israeli Education Ministry officially endorsed and recommended NVC as a program for kindergartens and schools.

ABOUT MARSHALL ROSENBERG

Marshall Rosenberg, Ph.D., is an American psychologist and the author of "Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Compassion" (PuddleDancer Press - www.NonviolentCommunication.com). Over the last 35 years, Rosenberg has trained thousands of people in more than 30 countries to use Nonviolent Communication. He and his associate trainers have worked in prisons (with guards and inmates), schools, social service agencies, health care centers, spiritual and religious communities, and with government leaders.

Although he is nearly 67 years old, Rosenberg maintains a grueling training schedule -- 250 days a year in North and South America, Western and Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. (His schedule is on the web at www.cnvc.org.)

ABOUT THE CENTER FOR NONVIOLENT COMMUNICATION

The Center for Nonviolent Communication is an international nonprofit
organization that offers Nonviolent Communication training and educational materials. Founded by Marshall Rosenberg in 1984, it is headquartered in La Crescenta, CA, a suburb of Los Angeles

There are now more than 100 certified CNVC trainers working throughout the world offering training to individuals and organizations, helping to bring peace to troubled areas.

Headquarters for the Center for Nonviolent Communication:
2428 Foothill Blvd., Suite E
La Crescenta, CA 91214, USA
Phone: 818-957-9393 Fax: 818-957-1424
Email: cnvc@compuserve.com

Nonviolent Communication is a registered service mark belonging to the
Center for Nonviolent Communication.

PRESS CONTACT:
Gary Baran, executive director, Center for Nonviolent Communication
gbaran@cnvc.org, 818-957-9393 (USA)
Judy Lloyd, Darryl Lloyd, Inc.
judy@dlloyd.com, 818-551-7360, ext. 12 (USA)

For Interviews, Review Copies, PR kits:
Neill Gibson, Publicist for Dr. Marshall Rosenberg ~ 858-278-2649 or
877-843-2924 ~
Neill@PuddleDancer.com ~ Visit us at www.NonviolentCommunication.com

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Rabbi Lerner suggests
From Bill Manahan

Dear Friends and Family,

I thought I was finished with my passion to read about and then disseminate information regarding the world situation. Unfortunately for you, I find I cannot stay away. So, I have pasted below (and also inserted for copying) some interesting and eloquent remarks from a rabbi who wrote one of my favorite books called Spirit Matters. Thanks in advance to those of you willing to read one more article. With love, Bill Manahan

Michael Lerner is a rabbi and the editor of TIKKUN Magazine: A Jewish Critique of Politics, Culture and Society. Time magazine on October 1 had a short article by Lerner that I thought spoke eloquently to what my feelings are. So, I am sharing parts of that article with you here. If you want to read the entire article, go to Time on page 77. It is titled "The Case for Peace." Here is part of what Rabbi Lerner says:

1. The U.S. was using its economic resources to end world hunger and redistribute the wealth of the planet so that everyone had enough.
2. The U.S. was the leading voice championing an ethos of generosity and caring for others.
3. The U.S. was leading the world in ecological responsibility, social justice and openhearted treatment of minorities.
4. The U.S. was rewarding people and corporations for social responsibility.
5. The U.S. was restructuring its internal life so that all social practices, corporations and institutions were being judged not only on whether they maximized profit but also to the extent that they maximized love, caring, sensitivity, and an approach to the universe based on awe and wonder at the grandeur of creation.

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REST IN PEACE
(by Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh)

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 burne 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 pastor who
must comfort someone who has suffered a
heartbreaking 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.
So May it Be, And so it is.

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Recommendations for information on forgiveness from Phil Friedman
Forgiveness is a Choice (Robert Enright, Ph.D)

Forgiveness* by Gerry Jampolsky, M.D

Radical Forgiveness: Making Room for the Miracle*
by Colin Tipping
which Neale Donald Walsch (Conversations with God) highly recommended.

A Course in Miracles

Websites on Forgiveness
www.forgiving.org
www.forgivenessinstitute.com
www.stanford.edu/~alexsox/forgiveness_article.htm

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This is Not a War on Terror.
It's a Fight Against America's Enemies
by Robert Fisk

Published on Tuesday, September 25, 2001 in the Independent/UK

While covering the Russian occupation of Afghanistan, I would, from
time to time, drive down through Jalalabad and cross the Pakistan
border to Peshawar to rest. In the cavernous, stained interior of the
old Intercontinental Hotel, I would punch out my stories on a
groaning telex machine beside an office bearing the legend "Chief
Accountant" on the door. On the wall next to that office - I don't
know if it was the Chief Accountant who put it there - was a framed
piece of paper bearing four lines of Kipling that I still remember:

A scrimmage at a border station
A canter down a dark defile
Five thousand pounds of education
Felled by a five-rupee jezail

Or, I suppose today, a Kalashnikov AK-47, home-produced in Quetta, or
one of those slick little Blowpipe missiles that we handed over to
the mujahedin with such abandon in the early Eighties so that they
could kill their - and our - Russian enemies.

But I've been thinking more about the defiles, the gorges and
overhanging mountains, the sheer rock walls 4,000 feet in height, the
caves and the massive tunnels which Osama bin Laden cut through the
mountains. Here, presumably, are the "holes" from which the West is
going to "smoke out" Mr bin Laden, always supposing that he's been
obliging enough to run away and hide in them. For there is already a
growing belief - founded on our own rhetoric - that Mr bin Laden and
his men are on the run, seeking their hiding places.

I'm not so certain. I'm very doubtful about what Mr bin Laden is
doing right now. In fact, I'm not at all sure what we - the West -
are doing. True, our destroyers and aircraft carriers and fighter
aircraft and heavy bombers and troops are massing in the general
region of the Gulf. Our SAS boys - so they say in the Middle East -
are already climbing around northern Afghanistan, in the region still
controlled by the late Shah Masoud's forces. But what exactly are we
planning to do? Kidnap Mr bin Laden? Storm his camps and kill the lot
of them, Mr bin Laden and all his Algerian, Egyptian, Jordanian,
Syrian and Gulf Arabs?

Or is Mr bin Laden merely chapter one of our new Middle Eastern
adventure, to be broadened later to include Iraq, the overthrow of
Saddam Hussein, the destruction of the Lebanese Hezbollah, the
humbling of Syria, the humiliation of Iran, the reimposition of yet
another fraudulent "peace process" between Israel and the
Palestinians?

If this seems fanciful, you should listen to what's coming out of
Washington and Tel Aviv. While The New York Times Pentagon sources
are suggesting that Saddam may be chapter two, the Israelis are
trying to set up Lebanon - the "center of international terror"
according to Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon - for a bombing run
or two, along with Yasser Arafat's little garbage tip down in Gaza
where the Israelis have discovered, mirabile dictu, a "bin Laden
cell".

The Arabs, of course, would also like an end to world terror. But
they would like to include a few other names on the list.
Palestinians would like to see Mr Sharon picked up for the Sabra and
Chatila massacre, a terrorist slaughter carried out by Israel's
Lebanese allies - who were trained by the Israeli army - in 1982. At
1,800 dead, that's only a quarter of the number killed on 11
September. Syrians in Hama would like to put Rifaat Al-Assad, the
brother of the late president, on their list of terrorists for the
mass killings perpetrated by his Defense Brigades in the city of Hama
in the same year. At 20,000, that's more than double the 11 September
death toll.

The Lebanese would like trials for the Israeli officers who planned
the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982, which killed 17,500 people,
most of them civilians - again, well over twice the 11 September
statistic. Christian Sudanese would like President Omar al-Bashir
arraigned for mass murder.

But, as the Americans have made clear, it's their own terrorist
enemies they are after, not their terrorist friends or those
terrorists who have been slaughtering populations outside American
"spheres of interest". Even those terrorists who live comfortably in
the US but have not harmed America are safe: take, for example, the
pro-Israeli militiaman who murdered two Irish UN soldiers in southern
Lebanon in 1980 and who now live in Detroit after flying safely out
of Tel Aviv. The Irish have the name and address, if the FBI are
interested - but of course they're not.

So we are not really being asked to fight "world terror". We are
being asked to fight America's enemies. If that means bagging the
murderers behind the atrocities in New York and Washington, few would
object. But it does raise the question of why those thousands of
innocents are more important - more worthy of our effort and perhaps
blood - than all the other thousands of innocents. And it also raises
a much more disturbing question: whether or not the crime against
humanity committed in the US on 11 September is to be met with
justice - or a brutal military assault intended to extend American
political power in the Middle East.

Either way, we are being asked to support a war whose aims appear to
be as misleading as they are secretive. We are told by the Americans
that this war will be different to all others. But one of the
differences appears to be that we don't know who we are going to
fight and how long we are going to fight for. Certainly, no new
political initiative, no real political engagement in the Middle
East, no neutral justice is likely to attend this open-ended
conflict. The despair and humiliation and suffering of the Middle
East peoples do not figure in our war aims - only American and
European despair and humiliation and suffering.

As for Mr bin Laden, no one believes the Taliban are genuinely
ignorant of his whereabouts. He is in Afghanistan. But has he really
gone to ground? During the Russian war, he would emerge, again and
again, to fight Afghanistan's Russian occupiers, to attack the
world's second superpower. Wounded six times, he was a master of the
tactical ambush, as the Russians found out to their cost. Evil and
wicked do not come close to describing the mass slaughter in the US.
But - if it was Mr bin Laden's work - that does not mean he would not
fight again. And he would be fighting on home ground. There are
plenty of dark defiles into which we may advance. And plenty of cheap
rifles to shoot at us. And that wouldn't be a "new kind of war" at
all.

© 2001 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd

###

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Gurumayi Chidvilasannda's message in Honor of the World
Community. Gurumayi is a wonderful teacher of Siddha Yoga. A very great
spiritual Master/Teacher. Please enjoy this heartfelt, uplifting message
during these trying times.

September 21, 2001

During the satsangs in honor of the world community, held from September 11
to September 16 Gurumayi offered her wisdom and guidance to the Siddha Yoga
community. As soon as news of the unfolding tragic events was received,
chanting began in Muktananda Mandir, the meditation hall.
Gurumayi responded immediately by holding a series of satsangs. In her
talks, she encouraged all of us to fulfill our responsibility as world
citizens through direct action, by supporting friends and co-workers, and by
offering our prayers. I am honored to share with you the heart of Gurumayi's
message to us all.

GURUMAYI'S MESSAGE
In Honor of the World Community
Shree Muktananda Ashram, South Fallsberg, New York
September 2001

The very world we live in is under attack, and we must work even harder
to create better energy, to bring back the health of this world, for
ourselves and for many generations to come. Your good thoughts, your good
feelings, your good energy, and your practical actions do make a difference
in this universe. In our yoga, we are taught you never lose your focus on
this world. This whole world is your own home, and everybody in this world
matters. We belong to the world community. You must have noticed that even
without thinking, tears just come to your eyes, your lips quiver, and your
ribcage rattles. There are definite physical symptoms from this very
sad event. Nonetheless, you cannot give up. You have to keep going and
allow the strength to build up within yourself.

Our leaders tell us it is not over. We need continued strength to face what
is taking place and do the right things. Trust, trust, trust your own inner
wisdom and strength. Offer it to other people. When there is a dark cloud
over someone's head, they cannot see the light. Be there for such people. Be
there for such times. Do not hide yourself. If you have lived your life
helping others, you will know what to do in a crisis. In Siddha Yoga we talk
about this all the time-not only when there is tragedy but also when there
is ecstasy.

We talk about being there for others, being there for loved ones. Being
there for our world leaders. Being there for everything and everyone. Being
conscious. Being alert. Being vigilant. Being generous. When the time comes
to give, just give. Do not analyze it, do not judge it, do not criticize it.
It is God's gift to you. Just give. It will expand in someone else's life.
Truly it will. We must remember that we have chosen these world leaders. And
therefore, we must send our caring love to them. They need it as much as
anybody else. We must send them good energy, and we must believe that they
will make the right decision . . . for our country and for the planet we
live on: "O Lord, may they have the right discrimination."

Thank you for expanding your understanding and realizing that you are
responsible for spreading the importance of human life by giving love and
respect. I want you to be courageous and strong. I want you to be able to
look into the eyes of your brothers and sisters and give and receive love.
Continually access your own deeper power, your greater power, so that you
can literally send your blessings to everyone everywhere who needs to
experience them.

Gurumayi Chidvilasannda

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From: Dr. Tony Kern, Lt Col, USAF (Ret)
Recently, I was asked to look at the recent events through the lens of
military history. I have joined the cast of thousands who have written
an "open letter to Americans."

14 September, 2001

Dear friends and fellow Americans,

Like everyone else in this great country, I am reeling from last week's
attack on our sovereignty. But unlike some, I am not reeling from
surprise. As a career soldier and a student and teacher of military
history, I have a different perspective and I think you should hear it.
This war will be won or lost by the American citizens, not diplomats,
politicians or soldiers.

Let me briefly explain. In spite of what the media, and even our own
government is telling us, this act was not committed by a group of
mentally deranged fanatics. To dismiss them as such would be among the
gravest of
mistakes. This attack was committed by a ferocious, intelligent and
dedicated adversary. Don't take this the wrong way. I don't admire these
men and I deplore their tactics, but I respect their capabilities. The
many parallels that have been made with the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor are apropos. Not only because it was a brilliant sneak attack
against a complacent America, but also because we may well be pulling
our new adversaries out of caves 30 years after we think this war is
over, just like my father's generation had to do with the formidable
Japanese in the years
following WW II. These men hate the United States with all of their
being, and we must not underestimate the power of their moral
commitment. Napoleon, perhaps the world's greatest combination of
soldier and statesman, stated
"the moral is to the physical as three is to one." Patton thought the
Frenchman underestimated its importance and said moral conviction was
five times more important in battle than physical strength. Our enemies
are willing - better said anxious -- to give their lives for their
cause. How committed are we America? And for how long? In addition to
demonstrating great moral conviction, the recent attack demonstrated a
mastery of some of the basic fundamentals of warfare taught to most
military officers worldwide, namely simplicity, security and surprise.
When I first heard
rumors that some of these men may have been trained at our own Air War
College, it made perfect sense to me. This was not a random act of
violence,
and we can expect the same sort of military competence to be displayed
in the battle to come. This war will escalate, with a good portion of it
happening right here in the good ol' U.S. of A.

These men will not go easily into the night. They do not fear us. We
must not fear them. In spite of our overwhelming conventional strength
as the world's only "superpower" (a truly silly term), we are the
underdog in this fight. As you listen to the carefully scripted rhetoric
designed to prepare us for the march for war, please realize that
America is not equipped or seriously trained for the battle ahead. To be
certain, our soldiers are much better than the enemy, and we have some
excellent "counter-terrorist" organizations, but they are mostly trained
for hostage rescues, airfield
seizures, or the occasional "body snatch," (which may come in handy). We
will be fighting a war of annihilation, because if their early efforts
are any indication, our enemy is ready and willing to die to the last
man. Eradicating the enemy will be costly and time consuming. They have
already deployed their forces in as many as 20 countries, and are likely
living the lives of everyday citizens. Simply put, our soldiers will be
tasked with a search and destroy mission on multiple foreign landscapes,
and the public must be patient and supportive until the strategy and
tactics can be worked out. For the most part, our military is still in
the process of redefining itself and presided over by men and women who
grew up with - and were promoted because they excelled in - Cold War
doctrine, strategy and tactics.
This will not be linear warfare, there will be no clear "centers of
gravity" to strike with high technology weapons. Our vast technological
edge will certainly be helpful, but it will not be decisive. Perhaps the
perfect metaphor for the coming battle was introduced by the terrorists
themselves aboard the hijacked aircraft -- this will be a knife fight,
and it will be won or lost by the ingenuity and will of citizens and
soldiers, not by software or smart bombs. We must also be patient with
our military leaders.Unlike Americans who are eager to put this messy
time behind us, our
adversaries have time on their side, and they will use it. They plan to
fight a battle of attrition, hoping to drag the battle out until the
American public loses its will to fight. This might be difficult to
believe in this euphoric time of flag waving and patriotism, but it is
generally acknowledged that America lacks the stomach for a long fight.
We need only
look as far back as Vietnam, when North Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen
Giap, (also a military history teacher) defeated the United States of
America without ever winning a major tactical battle. American soldiers
who marched
to war cheered on by flag waving Americans in 1965 were reviled and spat
upon less than three years later when they returned. Although we hope
that Usama Bin Laden is no Giap, he is certain to understand and employ
the
concept. We can expect not only large doses of pain like the recent
attacks, but also less audacious "sand in the gears" tactics, ranging
from livestock infestations to attacks at water supplies and power
distribution facilities.
These attacks are designed to hit us in our "comfort zone" forcing the
average American to "pay more and play less" and eventually eroding our
resolve. But it can only work if we let it. It is clear to me that the
will of the American citizenry - you and I - is the center of gravity
the enemy has targeted. It will be the fulcrum upon which victory or
defeat will turn.He believes us to be soft, impatient, and
self-centered. He may be right, but if so, we must change. The Prussian
general Carl von Clausewitz, (the most often quoted and least read
military theorist in history), says that
there is a "remarkable trinity of war" that is composed of (1) the will
of the people, (2) the political leadership of the government, and (3)
the chance and probability that plays out on the field of battle, in
that order.
Every American citizen was in the crosshairs of last Tuesday's attack,
not just those that were unfortunate enough to be in the World Trade
Center or Pentagon. The will of the American people will decide this
war. If we are to
win, it will be because we have what it takes to persevere through a few
more hits, learn from our mistakes, improvise, and adapt. If we can do
that, we will eventually prevail.

Everyone I've talked to in the past few days has shared a common
frustration, saying in one form or another "I just wish I could do
something!" You are already doing it. Just keep faith in America, and
continue to support your President and military, and the outcome is
certain. If we fail to do so, the outcome is equally certain. God Bless
America

Dr. Tony Kern, Lt Col, USAF (Ret)
Former Director of Military History, USA

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The Compassion Exercise, from the book 'Resurfacing' by Harry Palmer

(forwarded by Jane Smolnik,
a Licensed Avatar Master)

The Compassion Exercise*
From the book 'Resurfacing' by Harry Palmer

Honesty with one's self leads to compassion for others
Objective: To Increase the amount of compassion in the world.
Expected Result: Increase in understanding and a personal sense of
peace.

Instructions: This exercise can be done anywhere that people congregate
(airports, events, beaches, etc.). It should be done on strangers,
unobtrusively and from some distance. Try to do all five steps on the
same person.

Steps:

1. With your attention on the person, repeat to yourself: "Just like
me, this person is seeking some happiness for (his or her) life."

2. With your attention on the person, repeat to yourself: "Just like
me,this person is trying to avoid suffering in (his or her) life."

3. With your attention on the person, repeat to yourself: "Just like
me,this person has known sadness, loneliness and despair."

4. With your attention on the person, repeat to yourself: "Just like
me,this person is seeking to fill (his or her) needs."

5. With your attention on the person, repeat to yourself: "Just like
me,this person is learning about life.

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Essential oils for dealing with severe stress

Hi! I just came back from my first volunteer shift at St. Vincent's Hospital
and I brought some of the oils with me. The rest will go to other locations.

It was a pretty amazing experience as this site is set up to provide care to
the community in general and the health care workers as opposed to the rescue
workers. The community is really really in need and so many people are very
freaked out. I was so glad to be there, really. There were all levels of
care provided there from very new practitioners to me, a 14 year veteran. As
Spirit would have it, the people who knew that they were in need of deep,
multi-level healing found their way to me - and the oils. It was such a
blessing to have those oils.
Even though we work on people through their clothing I found a way to get the
oils on them - including the Ortho Ease. It made a huge and immediate
difference, as you can imagine.

I put my head together with Evelyn Li and our choices could have gone so many
different ways, but this is what we finally ordered;
Valor
Thieves
lavender
pine
Sacred Mountain
eucalyptus radiata
White Angelica
peppermint
Ortho-Ease
(editor's note: blends are capitalized, single oils are not)

So I know you have questions like; Why pine? They teach oils applications in
the Chinese system at the Swedish Inst. where everyone around here is
trained. Evelyn said that if practitioners don't know much about oils at
least they'll know what to do with pine in terms of working on points.

Valor; I started with it on the back of their neck and massaged it in deeply
while I had them rub some in their hands and cup it over their faces and
inhale it deeply. (We were working on them in massage chairs so no feet
available). Everyone I worked on today (non-stop for 5 hours) loved this oil
and it immediately shifted their energy!

Thieves; everyone is getting sick around here so on the throat it goes.

Eucalyptus radiata for breathing and oxygenation, it's cheaper than
R.C. and "softer" in it's fragrance - easier for those who are new to
oils to take. People are often feeling tired after their bodywork
sessions but have to go and function so I used eucalyptus radiata or
peppermint to wake them up as well.

Peppermint - in case of traumatic injury, illness, preventive, "hot"
conditions, etc.

Lavender - tons and tons of neck and shoulder tension here!!! Everyone loves
lavender and it's soothing and "familiar."
I do wish that I also had marjoram or cypress with me as well but the
Ortho-Ease works in it's place to warm the muscles. I feel that people need
"warming" now.
Many people are injured. I think everyone's "radar" has gone wacky and
people are getting hurt. Also, so many people can't give themselves
permission to take time to rest and grieve (especially men) so they're
getting injuries to help them slow down and do that!

Sacred Mountain. - I found to be very helpful today and have been putting it on
people's heart and lung areas during the session. So many are feeling
unsafe, afraid, etc. and some are not even sure what they're afraid of and so
they feel confused. The Sacred Mountain has been grounding and the
Ylang Ylang in it helps balance them.

White Angelica to put on the practitioners at the beginning and on the client
at the end. They are going back out into the city not to a quiet car in the
country to take them home, so we need to protect them (and us).

As I said, there are many way to choose depending on which system you look
at. My experience was that these were excellent choices for where I was
today. I'll check with Evelyn and Robert to see how these choices worked for
them.

Most of all, Vicki, thank you for your generous gift. I know that it helped
a lot of people already and it's just the beginning. And it certainly helped
me to stay focused while providing care.
A little bit goes a long long way.

Namaste,

Tina

Willingness Works
Dear Friends of Willingness Works & the Drs. Grudermeyer,
Rebecca and I want to offer you our reflections on the September 11 attacks. At this time of international upheaval, we send this e-mail to you with prayers for your own wellbeing and for the wellbeing of those around you. If you are among the countless many who have lost someone in the New York or Washington attacks, or the plane that went down in Pennsylvania, Rebecca’s and my hearts are with you and those who perished.
The first part of this e-mail is Rebecca’s