“We must learn to be still in the midst of action, and to act in the midst of stillness.” —CBT
Yesterday, I sat in council with beloved leaders in the Pachamama Alliance, listening for how we might invite more people into living in sacred reciprocity with the planet and with one another. In an earlier gathering, Shaman Arkan, one of their Indigenous elders, offered a simple, luminous invitation:
“Hold the time with a sense of sacred waiting.”
His advice enfolded us in our gathering. In a world driven by urgency and intoxicated by speed, sacred waiting is a radical act.
Let’s be clear: sacred waiting is not a call to apathy or avoidance. It does not ask us to ignore the injustice unfolding around us. It does not mean silence in the face of cruelty, or spiritual bypassing in the midst of violence.
We are living through a time of political absurdity and moral peril. We have witnessed the desecration of sacred places, the weaponization of power, and the daily diminishment of truth. This is no time for disengagement.
And still—Shaman Arkan’s invitation holds. What sacred waiting offers is not inaction, but depth. It’s not stalling; it’s discerning.
It is the kind of waiting that births prophets. It is the kind of pause that roots us. It’s the inhale before the offering, the stillness that lets spirit speak. It asks us to wait not because we are lost or uncertain, but because something deeper is being gestated. Something real. Something wise.
We are not here to rush a broken world into shallow change. We are here to compost illusion, to mend the great forgetting, to walk in right relationship with the Earth and each other. And that takes time.
Sacred waiting means trusting that the Earth moves at the pace of emergence. Trees don’t bloom on demand. Rivers don’t rush their flow. The Earth teaches us how to wait—alive, alert, receptive.
So today, resist the urgency to act for the sake of acting. Instead, wait like the seed waits—full of quiet power. Wait like the tide waits—knowing its time will come.
And when the moment arrives to move, let it be from rootedness, not reactivity. Let it be a holy yes, rising from your bones.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
Where in your life are you being asked to pause before acting?
What happens inside you when you choose sacred waiting instead of urgent doing?
How might sacred waiting deepen your relationship with the Earth, your community, or your own inner knowing?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer for the Courage to Wait
Spirit of the Living Earth, teach me to wait with wisdom. When the world spins with urgency, pull me back to the rhythm of roots. Let me rest in the quiet without guilt or grasping. When I ache to fix what is broken, remind me that presence is its own medicine. When I cannot yet see the way, help me trust the dark womb of becoming. May my waiting be holy. May it be active, listening, alive. May I move not from fear, but from faith— not from reaction, but from reverence. And when it is time to act, let my steps be sure, my heart be open, and my hands be ready to shape the world with love. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
The Practice of the Holy Pause
At some point today, take 10 minutes to sit in silence.
Place your feet on the ground. Breathe deeply. Close your eyes. Listen.
Don’t pray. Don’t plan. Don’t fix. Just wait.
Notice what stirs. Notice what calms. Let your body remember a different rhythm—the rhythm of the Earth. The rhythm of emergence.
If a word, image, or sensation comes, receive it with gentleness. If nothing comes, let that be enough. Waiting is the prayer.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
October 20-24, 2025 - FREE Online 5-Day Summit on “Made for These Times: Spiritual Leadership for a World in Crisis.” Political extremism. Climate collapse. Cultural fragmentation. People of faith across the globe are asking: How do we lead with clarity, courage, and compassion in a time like this? REGISTER HERE.
October 23, 30, November 13, 20 2025, 7pm ET - In Search of a New Story: Reimagining What Comes Next, A 4-Part Online Series with Dr. Matthew Fox, Cameron Trimble, Ilia Delio, Diana Butler Bass, Caroline Myss and Luther Smith. We are living through the unraveling of many old stories—about who we are, why we’re here, and how we are meant to live together on this Earth. As these inherited narratives collapse under the weight of climate crisis, social fragmentation, and spiritual disconnection, the question becomes clear: What story will guide us now? REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
October 30 - December 4, 2025 - Online Course “Partnering with Life: Our Missing Ally” with Margaret Wheatley. Meg is launching a new course (and I will be tagging along). Partnering with life means much more than getting into nature to soothe our troubled selves. Life is waiting for us to join her as we struggle to maintain sanity through this dark and destructive time. Learn more and register here.
July 19-24, 2026 - Join me and amazing co-facilitator, Victoria, on retreat in the back-country of beautiful Wyoming. The Art of Wilding is a 5-Day Expedition for Women Leaders. We will spend the week reconnecting to nature, exploring our inner landscapes for change, and engage the wisdom of spiritual teachings. Click here to learn more.
I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.
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Dear Cameron, having been in the that meeting, I must admit I did not know what do with Arkan's message about sacred waiting. I wanted to talk about the urgency of the moment, not about patience. Thank you for this clarifying message that waiting can be a radical act. Your insights continue to support and sustain me.
Blessed be the ones who pause on purpose, who let silence sharpen their seeing before they speak. The holy ones are never in a hurry.