The 11:11 Anniversary

Numerologists and Spiritual Leaders speak of the significance of numbers and number sequences.  One of the most discussed sequences is 11:11. There are many interpretations of its meaning. Many people say that 11:11 speaks of awareness, life balance or global consciousness.  Others say that 11:11 is the doorway between two worlds. There are those who believe that when you encounter this number sequence your guardian angel or spirit guide is trying to connect with you.  Any of these interpretations standing on their own is special, but a combination of them is nothing short of amazing!

This sequence can present itself in an array of ways.  It may appear as the change you receive at a store, your car odometer may display these numbers and it catches your eye, you may notice it on a license plate or it may even show up as part of a telephone number. Today 11:11 appears in a less obvious form. Today’s tie to the 11:11 sequence is unique but also very significant. Eleven years ago on the eleventh day of September the world that we were living in was forever changed.

On this day, the significance of 11:11 is not lost.  It is the eleventh anniversary of September 11^th.  The feelings and emotions experienced years ago are once again unpacked from our memory banks and relived.  The horror and heartache resurface.  For me there is still rawness tied to this day. I live fifty five miles north of Manhattan.  My town and many of the surrounding towns experienced some sort of loss.  Whether it was a neighbor, friend or family member we were all touched. Eleven years ago two of my sisters worked within a few blocks of the World Trade Center.  I was on the telephone checking in with my youngest sister when the second Tower collapsed.  Horror was within an earshot and death and danger was closer.

  I have many vivid memories of that day.  One very significant memory of mine occurred before the first plane hit. As I drove to work that morning I was mesmerized by the deeply blue morning sky.  There was not a single cloud to be seen. It was crystal clear and I was in awe of the intense richness above me.  Blue is a color that is often associated with clarity.    But clarity seems to be an odd word to use in relation to September 11^th. That day was one of chaos and confusion.  Maybe the sky that morning was foreshadowing the clarity that we were to achieve when we finally digested all that had transpired.  

 

 On September 11, 2001 and those days that followed thereafter, our focus was on the grief, the pain, the anger and the loss.  As communities we rallied and supported those who suffered and sacrificed the most. Candlelight vigils were held, donations collected and solace sought within our places of worship.  In those moments following the attacks the shift in our collective consciousness had begun.

   Before that day our priorities were out of line. We were consumed with accumulating things, large things.  Along with our meals our houses were oversized. The bigger the better, the term Mc Mansion was in born. Lots and lots of space left little room for human interaction.  We needed the latest and greatest electronic devices, and if we had one for each room in the house, so much the better.  Cars were expensive, vacations exotic and social status was important. We idolized entertainers and athletes.  They were placed upon a pedestal and revered no matter how badly they may have behaved. Time and connections were not important, wealth and power was paramount.

 And then the first plane hit a New York skyscraper when people were arriving for work. In a single instant our reality was realigned. We no longer needed big homes with lots of space, we sought comfort and closeness.    Financial wealth was no longer equated with happiness. The sense of community that had existed in the 1940’s, and 1950’s had returned. We needed and relied upon one another.  We craved community. The shift had begun.  We realized that people and relationships are paramount, not possessions. 

 The athletes that we idolized understood the meaning of hero.  The true heroes were the ones running into the buildings while others were running out. They were focused on service not self. To pay homage to the real heroes baseball players who had been idolized by the masses ditched their team logo caps and donned those of the New York City Fire Department and the New York City Police Department. This was an amazing display of perspective. What achievement defines a hero? A person who can strike out three batters in a row, or hit a ball over a distant fence, or is it a person who puts their life on the line to save another human being? No contest.  Those caps were proudly worn by the NY Yankees and NY Mets. The real heroes were honored for all that they did and all that they do each day.

  In the days and months following the attacks we buried our neighbors and comforted their survivors.   We organized community fundraising events to fund scholarships in their memory. A sense of community had re-emerged. Memorial parks were designed, planned and constructed. Bricks were engraved and laid in their honor.  We would not forget September 11^th and all of the innocent victims or the selfless people who tried to save them, not on our soil, not on our watch.

  Through the years the intensity of the emotions felt on that day may have waned but their undercurrent remains.  As I walked through my neighborhood yesterday I could not help from noticing the display of American flags.  The red, white and blue were proudly attached to fences and mailboxes. They flew mightily upon flag poles.  Yes, on that day a shift had occurred. Compassion replaced competiveness. Eleven years later we are aware that each and every day is a gift.  It is understood that it is essential to balance the must do’s with the want to do’s. Time carries more value than money.  And if 9/11 taught us anything it is that we are all connected somehow, someway.

  More importantly on this 11:11 anniversary, we garner comfort in knowing that no matter where we are or what we are doing there are angels watching over us. Eleven years later the message that was delivered at that moment when the first airplane hit World Trade Center is still strong. It remains crystal clear. We are all in this together. We are never alone.  Someone always has our back and is guiding us from above……angels, 11:11.