How do two people who deeply love and respect each other walk hand in hand when they don't see eye to eye?

Uma, her husband of seventeen years, and teenage daughter have relocated to Chicago in the spring of 2008. Within weeks, her mother in Southern India is diagnosed with cancer. Nine months later Uma gets the dreaded phone call. Her mother is dead.

This unfathomable loss triggers Uma's rebirth and spiritual awakening. As she feels compelled to heed the call of her soul, her husband must face a harsh reality: the wife he knew and loved intimately is transforming into a whole new person. Someone to whom the mystical feels more real than the material.

The decades-long marriage faces a crossroads as Uma journeys through a period she calls "the apprenticeship of her soul."

She and her husband must learn a new love language to navigate the changed marital landscape they find themselves in. Can he make space for her evolution and love her through it? Can she love him through the choices he continues to make and a lack of curiosity about the world she now inhabits?

Sacred Fire spans a timeline through New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Chicago, weaving through the years from when Uma and her husband first met and married, through the early storms of their shared life, to a threshold marked by the unfolding of Uma's spiritual journey. Now they must confront whether, and how, two people in intimate partnership can walk together when their paths begin to diverge.

Praise for Sacred Fire

Sacred Fire is a powerful testament to love, individuality, and commitment within marriage. With raw honesty and heartfelt wisdom, it reveals how two souls can honor their unique paths while remaining deeply connected. This inspiring memoir illuminates love's resilience and its capacity to endure and evolve through life's challenges.

- Anita Moorjani, New York Times best-selling author

Sacred Fire is the story of a marriage, but also a reflection of life together in a society that often enables us to grow in different directions. How can two people who are very different stay married for life?

This memoir provides some of the answers, and a lot of inspiration to kindle your commitment to marriage. Uma Girish is an expert weaver of this tale of love, commitment, and values that really matter.

- Daniela I. Norris, author of On Dragonfly Wings

This story invites readers into the complexities of love, identity, and personal growth within an Indian marriage that spans continents. It explores a woman's journey from an unforgettable wedding day to the emotional turmoil of loss and self-discovery.

Uma's heartfelt narrative captures the coexistence of grief and joy, as cultural traditions collide with modern realities. Through moments of turmoil and catharsis, the story highlights resilience, peace amidst chaos, and navigating the quiet spaces between lives shaped by shared memories but tested by time. It will resonate with anyone who has faced relationship challenges or struggled with personal evolution. Uma's honest reflection and beautiful prose make this an unforgettable journey.

- Melissa Kaplan, Somatic therapist

A beautifully written and insightful portrait of a marriage and the unforeseen consequences of the decisions we make. Uma didn't want an arranged marriage, but living alone and working in a city far away from her beloved family ultimately made her reconsider. Her story depicts how a woman can navigate the tumult of being called to a spiritual path not shared by her husband. A must-read!

—Paula Robinson, author of The Healing...