“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?”—Psalm 8:3-4
Yesterday the President of the United States, standing behind a podium with American flags behind him, awarded conservative activist Charlie Kirk posthumously with the Medal of Freedom. He called him a martyr. He spoke of “the devil’s ideology,” painting his political opponents as demons. As Trump spoke, sirens wailed in the distance. He called them beautiful. “They’re stopping crime,” he said. “That’s what they’re doing.”
Many of us hear those sirens differently.
We hear them as the groan of a nation slipping further into authoritarian delusion. We hear them as the alarm bells of a democracy under siege by a leader who builds power through imagined enemies and incites violence with the vocabulary of fear. We hear them and remember other times, other places, when national leaders blurred the line between political loyalty and religious faith, when “law and order” became code for repression and the consolidation of power.
In Nazi Germany, pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer1 warned that when the state becomes “god,” the church must respond with radical truth-telling and costly discipleship. He called for a “religionless Christianity,” a faith not co-opted by empire, but grounded in compassion, justice, and courageous resistance. He died for it.
My friend and teacher, Dr. Matthew Fox, writing from the heart of a different but no less perilous era today, reminds us that when religion loses its soul, it becomes a servant of domination. He invites us instead into Original Blessing,2 a way of being rooted in love, creativity, interdependence, and awe. In this view, the sacred is not confined to flags or podiums. It lives in the dignity of every human being.3
When a nation lifts up as heroes those who preach division and deny love, it is not a sign of strength. It is a cry for repentance.
Let us not be seduced by speeches that wrap cruelty in ceremony. Let us not mistake sirens for sanctity. Let us not forget that the goal of White Christian Nationalism is not spiritual revival—it is power, unaccountable and absolute.
Instead, let us remember who we are. Let us remember the deeper truth: Every empire falls. But love endures, justice awakens, and the Sacred calls us—always—to choose the path of courage, compassion, and community.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
When was the last time you felt awe? What did it awaken in you?
In what ways do you forget that you belong—to the earth, to the sky, to something greater?
What helps you return to your center when the world feels disorienting?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer For Remembering I Belong
O Star-Maker, O Source of all that shines, When I feel small, remind me I am part of the vastness. When I feel alone, remind me I am wrapped in light older than time. When I forget who I am, let me remember: I am dust of stars and breath of sky. I am beloved. I am held. I am home. Let my heart be as still as the night sky. Let my soul remember its origin in wonder. And when the world grows loud and harsh, draw my gaze upward again— until awe returns, and with it, peace. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Star-Watching as Sacred Listening
Tonight (or whenever you find a clear sky), step outside. Leave behind your phone, your tasks, your rushing. Let the night greet you slowly.
Look up. Let your eyes adjust. It takes about 10 minutes. Take in the whole sky if you can—but then find one star. Just one. Let it become your anchor. Your teacher.
Now, breathe with it.
Inhale slowly, letting the starlight find you.
Exhale gently, offering your gratitude back to the cosmos.
Notice: what feeling arises in you? Is it longing? Peace? A quiet joy? Stay with it. Don’t analyze—just be.
If you know the Summer Triangle—Vega, Deneb, and Altair—search for it. Let it orient you, not just geographically, but spiritually. Let it remind you: you are not lost.
As you return inside, carry that sense of spaciousness with you. Let it stretch your heart open a little wider for the rest of your day.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
October 18, 2025 - No Kings 2.0 Protest - Scholars of authoritarianism teach us that we need 3.5% of the population rising up to disrupt the rise of authoritarians. The last protest had over 6 million people in the streets in the US (more around the world) which was one of the largest protest in US history. We need to double that number. So here we go again. The movement builds. See you on the streets.
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.
If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietrich_Bonhoeffer
https://dailymeditationswithmatthewfox.org/
We just recorded an event with Matthew Fox and journalist, Gil Duran, speaking directly to this historic moment and how the use of the frame of “anti-christ” by people like Peter Thiel is an inversion of the archetype. Watch it here. Let me know if you need a scholarship.
Soulless religion.
Power hid in sheep’s clothing
loses love’s blessing.
...
Sacred dignity,
in truth, light-led living beings.
True holy heroes.
...
“Path of compassion,
courage and community.”
Together through all.
What is happening today in America happened in the 1930s with Hitler and look what resulted, WWII. Are we headed for WWIII with Trump???
Will Oct 18th produce enough resistance to turn the tide of dictatorship or will this death march continue???