9/11 and a certain Cohen song

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When the event of 9/11 occurred I was working the Netzero(Juno) contract at a Convergys operated call center located in Ottawa Ontario, I happened to be at work that day. And my then spouse was working at 99 bank street. Within minutes of the first plane striking the Trade Towers video feeds started popping up. Live feeds, peoples recordings, raw unedited imagery of the after math of the first plane strike, and live data of the second strike. I saw these things live as well as many of my friends. The horror, shock and disbelief. for the next few days the world was bombarded with this catastrophic event. And I suppose it struck home for me due to my work environment at the time, as well as my former partners. I spoke to people who had to return to work at 1 trade center and other areas that were affected for internet related matters. People were rattled, frazzled and angry but mostly in shock. My ex’s work environment was affected due to the proximity of the Saudi embassy. My work environment was impacted. People of certain ethnicities were advised that they were allowed to use “non ethnic” names on the phones to avoid back lash, and if back lash did occur were allowed to transfer their calls to another agent, and If I recall they were also afforded lower priority on the phones so they would be less likely to take calls.

But where does this fit into a Cohen song you may ask? I am not sure how quickly it happened it may have been the same day, or within days I cannot recall but I do know Jeff Buckleys version of Cohens Hallelujah was set to imagery of the 9/11 attack. And due to my own personal memories of that day it heralded a lot of emotion, a lot of anger, a lot of sadness and tears.

S0 fast forward a few years a bit of Karaoke I became decent at singing this song it still generated some emotion for me but I put that into my singing. Fast forward a few more years and happening on a pagan campground, and things called work week-ends. Well on these work-week-ends after the work is completed, meals are done it becomes dark. Camp fires are lit, guitars and drums and other musical instruments are brought out. Alcohol consumed… Singing begins. Turns out one of the influential people of the campground likes Cohen…. finds out I can sing “Hallelujah” …… guess what I wind up doing at work week-ends singing that song, much to the dismay of other people who hate it, but are afraid to say it. But hey I make someone happy at least.

Now present day I have not much to do with the campground in some ways my choice, in other ways not. I Have also realized I Hate “Hallelujah” just as much as the rest of them. But I have also realized that it does not conjure up the same imagery of 9/11.

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Published by Lugh Sulian

Lugh Sulian Standing on the Ledge · Rebuilding from the Rubble Lugh Sulian is a working name for a working moment. This profile exists to hold Standing on the Ledge: Rebuilding from the Rubble—an ongoing, real-time record of what happens after collapse, when old rules stop functioning and new ones haven’t yet earned trust. This is not myth reenactment. Not spiritual bypass. Not curated healing. It’s a field journal from the threshold. The name Lugh points toward skill, clarity, and responsibility carried with awareness. Sulian gestures toward sight—what can be seen when illusion drops away and pretending becomes too expensive. Together, they frame the posture of this work: to look clearly, act deliberately, and refuse to rebuild what already failed. Through short-form video, spoken reflection, and long-form writing, this project explores: Collapse without spectacle Responsibility without authority Burnout as a systems problem, not a personal flaw Pagan cycles as lived practice, not aesthetic Small fires instead of grand rebuilds This space is intentionally unfinished. It documents: Standing still without freezing Moving forward without rushing Learning from rubble instead of hiding it Unplugged-Pagan.com serves as the grounding—seasonal awareness, ritual stripped of performance, and meaning built from experience rather than doctrine. Standing on the Ledge is one expression of that grounding, focused on the human cost of broken systems and the slow work of rebuilding integrity. This is not a teaching platform. It’s a shared watchpost. If you’re here, you’re likely between versions of yourself—tired, alert, uncertain, and still standing. You don’t need answers yet. You need honesty, boundaries, and permission to move at the speed of truth. No conclusions offered. No certainty promised. Still on the ledge. Still watching. Still working the rubble. Godspeed. Optional Short Versions (for profile headers or bios) Short bio (Facebook / site header): Threshold work. Pagan-rooted, process-driven. Documenting collapse, clarity, and the refusal to rebuild what failed.

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