Pagan Every Day: Finding the Extraordinary in Our Ordinary Lives [Paperback]

Barbara Ardinger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2006

Barbara Ardinger teaches us that a contemporary spiritual experience can show up in some of the most unexpected places- such as The Muppet Show and Dirty Dancing. Clearly Pagan Every Day is not your ordinary goddess-a-day or spell recipe book! Rather than writing about the usual sabbat rituals and offering the standard goddess-speak, Ardinger offers 366 (365 plus one to grow on) literate and witty entries on various topics that provoke readers with new ideas and new ways of exploring paganism as a spiritual practice. Included are the holy days of other cultures, pagan elements in literature, lessons from history, famous pagans, and popular culture and paganism. Ardinger teaches us to look for undercurrents of esoterica not only in witch movies or fantasy -television, but in the mainstream culture. Take February 2- reflect on the movie Groundhog Day and how it symbolizes karma and reincarnation. Intertwined are some more traditional pagan beliefs, with a contemporary twist. On August 17, Ardinger retells the familiar story of Odin and his search for runes and transforms it into a shamanic journey for each of us to find our own runes. Jane Goodall, Judy Chicago, John Donne, Miss Piggy, Harry Potter, the Ghosts of all those Christmases, Mary Magdalene, not to mention Saturn, Diana, Sonnenwenda, Adonis, Aphrodite- they all have their places in Pagan Every Day. Pagan Every Day offers good reminders that every day offers something ordinary and luminous at the same time.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ardinger's latest contribution to pagan literature is a short-essay book of days jammed with facts about goddesses and saints, alongside an assortment of random pop culture references and personal musings. The author of several books including Finding New Goddesses, Ardinger is a regular encyclopedia of knowledge not only about paganism but more broadly about significant women figures and goddesses in history (think Julian of Norwich, Mother Teresa, and Isis, all of whom make appearances among the 365 days). Loosely organized into monthly themes with, for example, January taking up "home and community" and July and August taking up "water" and "fire" respectively, Ardinger attempts to give some rhyme and reason to the plethora of information. Chocolate lovers will surely delight to learn the story behind Lady Godiva (July 10) and those uninitiated into the history of Sophia (December 16) will be happy to learn of her illustrious past. But the real question for general readers is whether a calendar of random, though often interesting, reflective paragraphs, with a lot of comments directly to the reader and casual prose thrown in here and there, is worth the investment. For readers looking for pagan trivia, though, Ardinger's book of days is the ultimate find. (Aug.)Correction: The review of The Language of God: AScientist Presents Evidence for Belief by Francis S. Collins (Free Press, PW, May 29) should have been starred.
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About the Author

Barbara Ardinger, Ph.D. is a Witch, teacher, and freelance writer and editor. Her book reviews have appeared in SageWoman, PanGaia, newWitch, Gnosis, and other magazines. She earned her doctorate in English Renaissance Literature and has studied the Tarot, Reiki, numerology, color healing, and the Qabalah. She holds a third degree initiation from a secret occult order, is an initiated Dianic Witch, and has been a member of the Fellowship of Isis since 1978. Ardinger is the author of several books including Goddess Meditations, Practicing the Presence of the Goddess, and A Woman's Book of Rituals and Celebrations. The chambermaid for her 20-year-old cat, she lives in Long Beach, California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 379 pages
• Publisher: Weiser Books (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157863332X
• ISBN-13: 978-1578633326
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #738,177 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am the author of eight published books of women's spirituality, plus innumerable book reviews. I am also a freelance book editor for smart people who do not, alas, have strong writing skills and don't want to embarrass themselves in print. I've edited about 250 books. I live with two Maine coon cats named Schroedinger and Heisenberg, I'm a member of the Michael Ball Fan Club, and just about my favorite activity in the whole world is going to the theater, especially musicals. See my website, www.barbaraardinger.com for my monthly blog, excerpts from my books, the FREE READER'S GUIDE to Secret Lives, and my opinions on many things.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love books like this, August 4, 2006

By 

Songweaver (Anaheim, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pagan Every Day: Finding the Extraordinary in Our Ordinary Lives (Paperback)

Barbara is on my list of authors to buy as soon as I see the book in a store. All of the books I have by her I have enjoyed immensely.

That said, this book is a gem! 366 one-page essays, one for each day of the year including Leap Day. They are dated so they can be read on the actual date, or just one a day start to finish, or you can just open the book at random for a bit of bibliomancy. They're the perfect length for someone like me, whose daily ritual consists of waking up before everyone else in the house, lighting my altar candles, saying "hi" to the elements, Goddess, and God - I'm very informal but it works for me - then taking a few minutes to contemplate *something* before getting on with the daily chores, work, kid stuff, etc; that *something* is usually whatever is bothering me at the moment, and that would stress me out more. Reading one of these essays is perfect for me; it takes my mind off whatever I'm worrying about and gets me thinking, and thinking is good. Sometimes I'll even have an "aha!" moment later in the day after the reading has had time to percolate in my subconscious mind. Good stuff.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Treasures you can use in your daily life...., October 9, 2006

By 

Patricia Grace "patriciagrace" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pagan Every Day: Finding the Extraordinary in Our Ordinary Lives (Paperback)

When I sat down today, October 9, to write this review I thought I'd check again to see what Ardinger says about it. Here's only a portion of what she says:

"Rome honored Felicitas, the goddess of good fortune, on October 9. What good fortune have you recently had? What has happened in your life that is 'felicitous'? Make a point to honor Felicitas by celebrating every little good thing you can think of ...."

Well, this book is certainly a not-so-little good thing I celebrate, as I knew it had to be. I've read most of Ardinger's books to date and been edified and entertained by them all. I find Ardinger's books refreshing, too, as they are written with economy and clarity. No fuss, no bother, just the juice.

The above quote is a good example of the kind of information and suggestions you will find in "Pagan Every Day" -- i.e., a book with ideas for a Pagan observance for every day of the year. Some days have ideas for thought or ritual, others tell the stories of ancient and new Deities, some days have both. Ardinger's rituals and Deity stories are a delightful mix of the traditional, and the newly minted -- such as an occasional rib-tickler like Elvis, that on reflection makes archetypal sense. She occasionally asks deep questions in clear, simple ways that we can then readily ponder. Ardinger also offers many suggestions for both inner personal work and that which can connect us to others, our local communities and the world.

The upshot of all this is I was left feeling at the end of the book as if I'd just taken a ride on an extremely intelligent and well-read living spiral, with a cool sense of humor! (BTW, the book has a wonderful list of reading resources and related web sites at the end.)

I looked through the book for other quotes to use in this review but my list quickly got out of hand. There is such a variety of gems to choose from. So I'll just end my review with what a friend and fellow writer said about Ardinger's book:

"....an exciting pagan panorama. A lot of juicy tidbits, succinctly revealed. I'm having such a good time tonight." [email correspondence, Mary Joneve McCormick]

Yes, have a good time, nay, a great time with this book and then see how you can use some of its many treasures in your daily life.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Like Having a Word of the Day Calendar On Your Desk, June 7, 2009

By 

Garnet (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pagan Every Day: Finding the Extraordinary in Our Ordinary Lives (Paperback)

Pagan Every Day is a collection of short page-long pieces that cover the entire calendar of the year. You can read it from front to back, or open the book to a page and read a message for the day, or read the corresponding essay for that particular day. This book is essentially pagan in nature and certainly eclectic in taste. It includes mythology about various Gods and Goddesses, saints, festivals from around the world, pagan and Christian holidays, odd tidbits of history and language, and the odd allusion to pop culture.

Just to give some idea as to the range you will find here, some of the chapter titles include "Our Cybercommunity," for January 26, "Barbie" for March 9 (yes, that Barbie), "The Green Man" for April 6, "Sheela na Gig" for June 5, "St Martha" for July 29, "Odin's Ordeal" for August 17, "Xena, Warrior Princess" for September 8, "Transformation of the Bennu Bird" (the Egyptian origin of the European phoenix) for October 6, "Harry Potter" for November 14, and "Dion Fortune" for December 6.

It is a quite easy book to read. Each page attempts to relate the story, saint, God, or history to something meaningful to today's pagans, and ends with some questions to think about. It certainly does leave you with the desire to delve deeper into some of the Gods, stories, books, and myths that she references since the pieces tend to be pretty surface level.

But then since the book is intended to inspire you in regards to reading, meditating, journaling, or creating ritual, it is successfully doing its job. It would also make a nice gift, certainly for someone who enjoys an eclectic view of the world or is a newbie who is exploring possibilities for what God, Goddess, or path they are most interested in following. Non-pagans would probably find it unfrightening, as well. But I wouldn't get it for someone who had been around the pagan block for a while.