The terrorist attacks on the USA on Tuesday, September 11, 2001 have impacted millions of people throughout the USA as well as around the world. Freedom, Peace, and Security have been threatened for many.

What can be done in the aftermath to make the situation better rather than worse? Here are some suggestions:

Express and process feelings and perspectives

Comfort others

Check in with loved ones and find out how they are doing. Invite them to share their feelings and concerns with you, and be a comforting presence and support for them. Dialoguing, even briefly, about these circumstances with others can help all concerned move through the feelings of sadness, uncertainty, vulnerability, anger, and other emotions that have come about as a result of the situation. If you are part of a family, household, or other group, make time to share feelings together and end by sharing comfort, love, and other support. If there are children and other young people in your life, make time to share feelings and support just with them. If any of your loved ones are having difficulty coping, help them find a compatible counselor who can work with them further.

Create an altar as a focal point for spiritual work

Create a healing altar in your home as a place for personal and household meditations, prayers, rituals, and other spiritual activities helping with the aftermath of the attacks. Place on it at least one USA symbol such as Lady Liberty or the American flag for directing blessings to the Spirit of the country as a whole, as both a people and a place. Also place on it symbols and tools you associate with healing, protection, and renewal. If you have loved ones who perished, were injured, and/or are still missing, and/or have loved ones directly involved in relief, security, and other related work, put on at least one symbol for each such as a piece of paper with their full name on it, a photograph, or a letter, email, or object they have given you.

Do spiritual work

Pray, meditate, do rituals, and other forms of spiritual practice to deal with the tragedy and its effects. Use prayers and rituals created for this purpose or create your own. Send blessings of healing, protection, and renewal to the USA as a whole. Send blessings to those who have perished to aid them in their journey to the Otherworld. Send healing and renewal to those who are injured. Send support to those alive who are still missing in the rubble or elsewhere so that they will be swiftly rescued and reunited with loved ones. Send blessings of strength, endurance, and protection to relief and security workers, including medical people, fire fighters, police officers, and the clean-up crews. Send blessings of wisdom and protection to government officials, investigators, media reporters, and others directly dealing with the situation.

Contribute to relief efforts

Call the local chapter of the Red Cross, set up an appointment, and donate blood. Send financial contributions to the Red Cross and to other organizations involved in relief efforts. If you live in the vicinity of where the deaths occurred and have particular expertise to contribute, call the appropriate volunteer hotline.

Participate in interfaith and multicultural happenings

Take part in prayer services, vigils, memorials and other happenings that bring people of many religions, ethnicities, and backgrounds together to build and sustain bridges of spiritual understanding and collaboration. Be part of interfaith community efforts to stop stereotyping and scapegoating. Give special support to those who are practitioners of Islam and Judaism in your area, especially if there has been anti-Muslim and anti-Jewish rhetoric and harassment as part of the aftermath of the attacks.

Stay informed

Learn about developments from multiple sources, including from person-to-person communications, television, radio, press, internet, public forums, etc. in order to get a more complete understanding of what occurred and subsequent happenings as they occur. Gather information and perspectives from not only those whose views are similar to your own, but also from those who have different ones. Spend time considering the situation from many points of view, in addition to your own. Keep yourself open to taking in new information. Educate yourself and carefully consider both short term and long range implications of possible actions before forming and expressing political opinions to elected officials, media, and others.

Be centered

Center yourself through Nature walks, meditations, rituals, and other forms of spiritual practice. Keep yourself centered as much as possible, so that you can be a peaceful, healing presence wherever you are. Recognize, process, and then dispel any stereotyping, hateful and vengeful impulses, and other negativity within yourself and others that might emerge in the aftermath of the attacks. Through sustaining being centered, you can more readily stay attuned to the Divine as you know It/Her/Him/Them and be a catalyst for bringing more healing, protection, and renewal into your own life and the lives of those you connect with as well as in your country and the world as a whole.