Mass Tragedy and Spiritual Response

In the wake of yet another horrific school shooting, I always find myself fielding emails from people who want to know what they can do, because for the love of Pete, thoughts and prayers don’t seem like enough. And yet, for some, thoughts and prayers offer comfort, and it’s the only thing they can think of as a response to a horrible and brutal event.

One of my readers says, “I know this sounds crazy, but every time something big and terrible happens–like an earthquake or a mass shooting–I feel so emotionally connected. I don’t even know these people and I still find myself sobbing and crying and reacting as though I was there. I think part of why I react that way is because I want to help and I don’t know how, and lighting a candle seems like such a small and insignificant gesture. Should I do a ritual of some kind? Is this normal?”

I’d say it probably is normal, yes. Many people react that way in the wake of mass tragedies. In the times we live in, it’s not uncommon for information and images to spread within matters of seconds. Due in no small part to the technology we have, many of us learn about tragic events, particularly those on a large scale, just moments after they take place. Terror attacks like school shootings, or natural disasters like tsunamis and tornadoes inundate our televisions and computer screens on a frighteningly fast basis.

Because mass events like these often affect those of us not directly present on a very emotional level, it’s sometimes hard to put into words what we feel. Many of us feel helpless, or angry, or at the very least wish we could help in some small way.

Ritual and Prayer

Prayers and rituals can be helpful on two very different levels–the first, and most obvious, is that if people on a national or even global scale send prayers and healing energy to victims, those victims are aided. While the physical results of those prayers and healing energy can help, often it’s just the knowledge that the rest of the country or world is thinking of them can be of some small comfort to those who are suffering, although often it’s not enough, which we’ll talk more about in a moment.

The second way that ritual and ceremony helps is by offering comfort to those who are performing the ritual, sending a prayer, or simply lighting a candle at a memorial. If you’re not someone who lives in an affected area, for instance, after a natural disaster, or if a horrible crime has taken place on the other side of the country from you, it may be even more difficult to articulate what you’re thinking and feeling–but offering a ritualized response allows you to DO something. Again, sometimes it’s not enough, but it can help motivate us to doing even more.

And that can help us cope with our stress, anger, and sorrow that we’re feeling on behalf of people we’ve never even met. What are some things you can do, on a magical and spiritual level, when there’s been a mass tragedy and you want to help out? Well, you could hold a vigil, healing ritual, or some other ceremony in memory of people who have been injured or killed. This can involve lighting candles, petitioning the gods and goddesses of your tradition, or simply asking the universe to remember those in need. Don’t forget the survivors as well–they need love and support too, to get them through whatever tragedy has taken place.

Make Mundane Changes

Prayers, rituals, and candle-lighting are all very well and good, and you should definitely focus on those if they help you heal or cope. However, it’s also important to remember that in times of great tragedy, mundane needs have to be met as well. Following any sort of natural disaster, people need mundane things. They often need money, sometimes they need donated items such as diapers and bottled water, or rebuilding assistance. Be sure to check with local relief groups before you pack up a box of stuff to send; often you can make a donation to a relief group and earmark it for the victims of that particular tragedy.

In the case of the recent school shooting in Florida that left seventeen dead, millions of people are not just saddened but angry by the fact that for decades, America has been facing one mass shooting after another. Many of us are tired of it, and are mobilizing. We want to see changes in legislation, changes in our policymakers who happily accept blood money in the form of contributions from the National Rifle Association.

For crying out loud, get involved. Actively work to vote people out office if they make it clear that they don’t care about dead kids. If you can’t run for election yourself, find someone who will, and get your feet on the ground to campaign on their behalf. Write letters, make phone calls, send emails to your elected representatives. Stage protests. Advocate for responsible gun ownership and manufacturing and sales, and stiffer penalties for crimes like this one. If you’re a student, teacher, or parent, find out what your local board of education is doing to keep you safe.

And if you’re not sure it’s worth the effort, here are seventeen reminders.

• Nicholas Dworet, 17, had been recruited to swim at the University of Indianapolis.
• Aaron Feis, 37, was an assistant football coach, who died shielding students from the gunman.
• Jaime Guttenberg, 14
• Alyssa Alhadeff, 14
• Scott Beigel, 35, was killed when he unlocked a classroom door for students to hide. He was shot in the doorway.
• Meadow Pollack, 18, had planned on attending Lynn University in Boca Raton next year.
• Christopher Hixon, 49, the school’s athletic director.
• Luke Hoyer, 15
• Carmen Schentrup, 16, a National Merit Scholar finalist
• Gina Montalto, 14, part of the school’s state-champion marching band.
• Alex Schachter, 14
• Peter Wang, 15, a member of the school’s Junior Reserve Office Training Program.
• Alaina Petty, 14, part of the school’s JROTC program, who volunteered with her church to clean up the Florida Keys after Hurricane Irma.
• Martin Duque Anguiano, 14
• Helena Ramsey, 17
• Joaquin Oliver, 17, who was born in Venezuela and came to the US as a toddler. He became a US citizen in January.
• Cara Loughran, 14

Say their names.