In 1977 the band Earth, Wind, and Fire came out with the song “Serpentine Fire.” Musically energetic and abstract, the song and title mimicked the pulse of spiritual creative energy, the fire of transformation, the creative flow that makes each of us unique. While the original idea came from yoga, the metaphor of spiritual fire can also be found in the Jewish and Christian scriptures to indicate the presence of God, the Shekinah, God’s creative power, and the Holy Spirit.

From the smoking pot of Abraham to Moses’ encounter with the burning bush, to his glowing face coming down from the mountain, where he stood face to face with God, to the fiery consumption of Elijah’s altar. From Ezekiel’s fiery seraphim to the baptism of Jesus, the transfiguration of Jesus, and the Pentecost experience, G…