Rick Light, author of the novel of self-discovery, “Sebastian,” discusses his book on the Seekers of Meaning Podcast

This week, author Rick Light discusses Sebastian, his novel that he describes as a personal account of “life, learning, spiritual awakening, and ultimately facing life’s biggest questions.”

In times of uncertainty, when disinformation and divisiveness abound, easy-to-read books with rich spiritual depth can remind us to live our best and most authentic lives.

What does it mean to be kind? What does it mean to awaken to the beauty and richness available through wonder and gratitude even as innocence is lost? What does it mean to grow from mistakes and to trust in life in the midst of uncertainty?

In his creatively written fable, Light explores these questions through a young fox who must face life alone, often alienated and misunderstood. Sebastian, who is the runt of the litter, experiences loss and joy, aloneness and growth. Eventually, with the help of an elder, Sebastian finds brilliance at the end of his winding, at times confusing, and adventurous life’s journey. 

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About the Guest

Richard A. Light grew up as a child of the only Jewish family in Gunnison, a small mountain town in Western Colorado.  After graduating from the University of Colorado, he studied Judaism in a yeshiva in Jerusalem and in the rabbinic program at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles (now called the American Jewish University).  Mr. Light has published four books on Jewish rituals and practices relating to death and dying, one of which won a 2016 Nautilus Book Award. In 1996 he co-founded his local Chevrah Kadisha (a traditional Jewish organization whose members prepare Jewish bodies for burial and support the bereaved in their community) and led it for 18 years. He is a Vice President of Kavod v’Nichum (Hebrew for honor and comfort), a national nonprofit organization that provides information, education, training and technical assistance for bereavement committees and Chevrah Kadisha groups throughout North America. Mr. Light is also a senior instructor for the Gamliel Institute, where he teaches online courses on these subjects to students from the USA (including Puerto Rico), Canada, Israel, and other countries. He lives in Santa Fe, NM, where he continues to teach and raise awareness about Jewish death-related rituals and practices at local, state, and national levels.