I have a dream.................

It has been a tragic week and one which has caused me to look back on something I wrote in 2010 on the 9th anniversary of the September 11th events which shocked the world.  I am reposting this  from 2010 with some adaptation but this continues to be my vision for the future.  I will never give up on this dream.

The Om Namah Shivaya Centre for Global Healing

On the 9th anniversary of the shockingly heart-wrenching events of the terrorist attacks in 2001, I find myself reflecting back to that awful time, as I'm sure many people are doing right now.


I was in some way cocooned from the shock wave which raced its way across the world 9 years ago. I was staying in Scotland, where we had no contact with the outside world and no television for the five days of an Advanced CranioSacral Therapy workshop. I can’t remember exactly how we found out that something terrible had occurred – I just remember finding a phone the day after and calling to ask my husband “Has something happened?” He repeated my words in disbelief. “Has something HAPPENED? You mean you don’t know?

Gradually, the shock-wave reached to every corner of our retreat and into the hearts of the participants on the workshop………and especially into the heart of the Irish lady whose daughter worked in one of the towers. Thankfully, through the Grace of God, her daughter was unwell that day and had phoned in sick. The feeling of disbelief was palpable, as it was across the world and we wondered “How could we not know about this until the next day? How could we not have FELT something through the collective emotions of the millions who were grieving? The purpose of the workshop we were doing was to “clear” ourselves of our own emotional baggage in order to become more able to help our clients with theirs. As you can imagine, it was a particularly powerful workshop with tears of grief for the suffering and bereaved and tears of gratitude for the safety of the people we loved…. all mingled with the tears of our “own” stuff.

The idea of building a mosque at the site of the Twin Towers has caused much controversy and I can’t get out of my mind the image of the Pastor who wants everyone to burn copies of the Koran (and keeps a GUN within reach on his desk – the desk where he probably also writes his sermons).

So I got to thinking what I’d like to see built on the site of the Twin Towers to honour the memory of those who died and to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again.

So here is my “DreamBoard” image for the site of the Twin Towers:-   (Now, 5 years later it is too late for the site of the Twin Towers but wouldn't it be wonderful to have Plazas like these all over the world.)

It is a vast site, so in the pursuit of knowledge and understanding, why can’t it become a multi-belief site? Why can’t we encourage tolerance and understanding by building a church/mosque/temple/synagogue devoted to all religions on the site? A Plaza surrounded by many places of prayer. Call me naïve,  I only know that when I walked into a Mosque in Turkey many years ago, I was struck by the sense of sacredness there. It was the most beautiful, peaceful place but I always feel just as connected to God in Anglican and Catholic churches, in Hindu temples and also sitting out in nature praying with Lakota spiritual leaders because I believe God resides in our hearts…..in the deepest core of our being - we just use different names for the pure Source Energy from which we came and to which we will all return.

My DreamBoard vision for the future contains an image of droves of people daily visiting their chosen place of prayer, having mutual respect for the beliefs of others and happily passing the time of day together, drinking coffee, chai and mint tea in the beautiful, flower-filled Plaza outside.

One of the buildings in the Plaza could be devoted to education, so we can learn about each others values and beliefs without judgement.

Sitting re-reading this blog, I just heard an internal voice telling me to open the Bhagavad Gita sitting beside me on my desk.

This is Ranchor Prime’s excellent interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita “Talks Between The Soul and God” which I received as a gift from a very good friend.

I opened it at random, as I often do when I have asked for inspiration and found myself at Chapter 10. Verses 9-11.

Read that again.

Yes, Verses 9-11.  I don’t believe in co-incidences!

This is what it said:-

Verse 9. With minds absorbed in me and lives surrendered to me, they enlighten one another and find deep satisfaction in speaking of me always, tasting transcendental bliss. (For me, the Plaza has just come alive a place of tolerance and blissful happiness.)

Verse 10. To those always absorbed in serving me with love, I give the understanding that leads to me.(And to non-judgement.)

Verse 11. Out of compassion for them, I dwell in their heart and destroy the darkness born of ignorance with the shining lamp of knowledge. (The Education Centre)

I think Ranchor’s interpretation of these verses (not mine – which are highlighted in blue) should have pride of place at the site, along with the Sanskrit Mantra “Om Namah Shivaya” which, as I understand it, translates as “I honour the Divinity that resides within me”.

If we all, collectively, dream of a tolerant, heart-centred world we might just make it - I hope it will be in my grandchildren's lifetime.


Namaste

Ranchor Prime’s translation of the Bhagavad Gita “Talks Between The Soul and God” is published by Fitzrovia Press. ISBN 978-0-9561846-4-1