On October 11, 2001, The Rainbow Ark Foundation and The Lifebridge Foundation gathered a council of peacemakers and media makers on board a symbolic Rainbow Ark (The Dutch Tall Ship Europa, docked beside the USS Intrepid on the Hudson River) in order to attempt to heal a part of the ancient collective broken heart at the core of it's most recent break, New York City. It is an ancient broken heart that has suffered so many losses ... that has experienced so many terrors.  During the five hour council, many emotions rose to the surface of our collective chalice. Anger...sorrow... fear...and hope...yes...even hope.

"I feel so hopeful, right now," said Alice Slater of The Grace Foundation, as she hugged me right after the council, ...so incredibly hopeful."

In this Age of Information, in a society of experts always looking outside for the answer, we are able to download facts from the internet at lightning speed, yet this enormous expansion of knowledge has not allowed us the time or the space to tap into our own inner wisdom...the truth of our hearts.

Diane Perlman, a psychotherapist from Philadelphia, was able to access some inner wisdom on that warm October evening. "I was able to get to a level of clarity about how to possibly heal the collective trauma."

Whether Jew, Buddhist, Christian, black, white, red...whatever ideology we hold and insist is right, whatever our ethnic group, when someone is suffering, a touch of a hand, a prayer or a kiss can generate a greater healing than a banner or a demonstration.

"I wasnt sure at first if my prayer was well received in the circle, said minister Louise Riskin of the Mount Nebo Church in Harlem. Im so used to gathering with groups that come together with an [overt] spiritual intention. This Council was so varied...people coming from all walks of life...and yet there was this togetherness, those of science with those of us that are more spiritually oriented...I think thats the importance of these kinds of Councils...this togetherness."

"I was able to access and process such deep grief and finally feel some closure," said filmmaker Donna DeSalvo about her experience of the Council.

Our individual pain slices right through the illusion of righteousness to show us the fragility of life.

"I felt so fed," Jennifer Muller said, "fed and wanting more...more time together, more contact. It all went by too quickly."

Yes, the time was indeed short and there is a definite need to hold more of these Councils...now... right now. But no matter what the actual amount of time was, it allowed our hearts to speak and hopefully, begin to heal as well as to seed the intention for a greater collective healing.

The Council Circle