Change surrounds us, from human intervention with time (daylight savings) to the cycle of death and rebirth brilliantly represented in nature’s Autumn Blaze Maple trees. Amid change, what remains consistent is the choice we make to either practice stress or practice peace. The inundation of hyper-sensationalized descriptions of citizens in political ads reminds me of how judgment and criticism permeate the election landscape and the religious scene.
In the last month, I’ve driven from Pierre, SD, to Ft. Myers, FL, to Lincoln, NE, witnessing extraordinary architectural representations of faith: The headquarters of the Assemblies of God, Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, Missouri’s Islamic Center against a midwestern sunset, the illuminated steeple of the St Louis Church of the Latter-Day Saints, the resilient statues of San Damiano Monastery after Hurricane Ian, and iconic Memorial Stadium. Sacred spaces where people gather, honoring ancestors of the past to help awaken a more conscious relationship with the community to bring meaning to the present moment.
Gazing at the clear sky in South Dakota, I encountered a cosmic sanctuary and thought about how each star was like a sanctuary, a representative of the Infinite Divine. Here we are on this planet, composed of electrons, protons, and neurons, the very same elements as every other human and the universe.
Election day looms—how to choose peace in the discord. Why do we disparage one another? There was a time on my spiritual journey, with loving intention, I sought to evangelize those whom I thought were going to Hell. Unfortunately, I held on to a restrictive narrative until realizing we are one with all others. Recognizing our unity with God, the harmonizing power helps to practice peace. May you be your chemist in the Infinite laboratory, creating a world where we elect to embrace love and unity.
