Reflections

Breathing Room for the Spirit

Breathing Room for the Spirit

As days lengthen and spring arrives in the Sonoran Desert, wildflower season begins. We went for a walk at nearby Sanctuary Cove and found fourteen species. My favorite is the yellow-golden Mexican poppy. We’re also planting petunias and marigolds on our porches. Tessa is a more avid and attentive gardener than I am, so her porch is...

Alchemy of Earth and Soul

Alchemy of Earth and Soul

March arrived bringing snowfall in the Sonoran Desert and the arrival of our third Fire and Light podcast: "Alchemy of Earth and Soul." Tessa rhapsodizes on the beauty of compost. She celebrates the season of Lent as alchemy: allowing the cast-off peelings, the inedible “garbage” of our lives to be transformed into fertile soil for future...

Weird Stuff I Love

Weird Stuff I Love

All my life, I have heard the adage: “Count your blessings.” It works for me. And our friends at Grateful Living offer myriad ways to cultivate gratitude.  Romanian novelist Petru Dumitriu witnessed and did some terrible deeds in his life. Yet he was still amazed by a beam of light striking a staircase or a jumble of kittens playing on a...

Blessing Candles and Celebrating John Lewis

Blessing Candles and Celebrating John Lewis

In our second Fire and Light podcast, we explore the beauty of candlelight and the Feast of Candlemas. In honor of Black History Month we reflect on the spirituality of the late civil rights activist and congressman John Lewis. We celebrate the universal appreciation of candlelight and blessing candles in spiritual ceremonies. We suggest a...

Mother of Candlelight and Sorrow

Mother of Candlelight and Sorrow

I grew up in a Protestant family, so I learned about Roman Catholic feast days such as Candlemas when I was in college and began going on retreats at the Spiritual Life Institute’s Nada Hermitage in Sedona, Arizona. I discovered the feasts that followed Christmas and loved the reading from Isaiah that accompanied the Epiphany mass. With its...

Welcome to Fire and Light Podcast

Welcome to Fire and Light Podcast

We are very excited to announce our first Fire and Light podcast. Head over to tessabielecki.com to listen. Just click on the host of your choice and you’ll be directed to our list of episodes. Here’s what to expect in our...