As Abbot Joseph, one of the Desert Fathers, his fingers igniting into ten lamps of fire, tells us: "Why not become totally changed into fire?"

"The spiritual journey is life-long, not taking us on a straight line from birth to death, but outward in an ever-expanding orb of light that radiates into our lives, into our families, and out into our world. Often we obey all the rules, but it is not enough. I continue to be astonished by the power of the Spirit, which like the wind we cannot harness or control, but can only invite to fill our emptiness," says author Christina St Clair.

These reflections are contemplative, not as deep or wise, no doubt, as those of Henri Nouwen, certainly not as clever as C.S. Lewis, and not as discerning as Chittister's, but they are the author's attempt to plumb the Mystery of God from the perspective of a woman minister and spiritual director who is a student of wisdom traditions, including Buddhism and Hinduism.