Barbara Ardinger

www.barbaraardinger.com

bawriting@earthlink.net 

Barbara Ardinger is the author of seven books: Pagan Every Day: Finding the Extraordinary in Our Ordinary Lives (Weiser, 2006); Quicksilver Moon, a novel (Three Moons Media, 2003); Finding New Goddesses: Reclaiming Playfulness in Our Spiritual Lives (ECW Press, 2003); Practicing the Presence of the Goddess (New World Library, 2000); Goddess Meditations (Llewellyn, 1998); A Woman’s Book of Rituals & Celebrations (New World Library, 1992; revised edition, 1995); and Seeing Solutions (Signet New Age Book, 1989).

A decade ago, she self-published a small book of revisionist fairy tales, for which she also drew the cover art. Although her son (a published poet) refers to her as a “guerrilla poet” who has to put her poetry in her own books because no one else will publish it, Barbara’s poetry has, in fact, been published, initially in Science of Mind Magazine (1980), later in The Isis Papers (1995), Oxymoron (1997), and on a Web site called Pegasus Dreaming. More recently, three of her poems appear in The Pagan’s Muse, edited by Jane Raeburn (Kensington, 2003). Published nonfiction includes a brief historical description of Isis in The Return of the Great Goddess, edited by Burleigh Mutén (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1997), and “Caloria, Found Goddess of Potluck” in Soul Stirrings: The SageWoman Cookbook, edited by Lunaea Weatherstone (Blessed Bee Media, 1999). Her published short fiction includes an anti-war story (set in ancient Delphi) in a Wiccan deployment pamphlet published at McGuire Air Force Base; an autobiographical story, “Inanna on the Rocks,” in Celebrating the Pagan Soul (Citadel, 2005), edited by Laura Wildman; and “A Vision of Sacred Fire” in Sacred Fire, edited by Maril Crabtree (Adams Media, 2006).

Barbara’s articles published in print magazines and e-zines include the following:

• Four columns of reflections on the seasons, SageWoman, Spring-Winter, 1995-96
• “Not Jehovah in a Skirt,” Deolog, January, 1997
• “Popeye as Deity,” a parody of literary criticism and high magick, Green Egg, August, 1997 (reprinted on Barbara’s web site)
• “Domineditrix: The Writer’s In-F-able Friend,” a semi-serious ritual for editors, Green Egg, August/September, 1997
• “Belief, Deity, and the Blessed Bees,” Matrifocus.com, Beltane, 2002
• “Celtic Sex Magic: An Interview with Druid Jon C. Hughes,” Whole Life Times (August, 2002)
• “Nutritia,” a Found Goddess, The Beltane Papers, Issue 28, Autumn, 2002
• “Occult Adventures with Walter Troll,” a recollection of channeling invisible entities, Circle Magazine, Winter, 2002
• “Serenissima, a Found Goddess of Transformation,” “Though the Darkness: A Midwinter Night’s Dream,” “Living Soulfully,” “Auntie Gravity, An Antic Cronish Goddess,” and “Practicing Her Presence,” Soulfulliving.com, June, December, 2002, January, April, and June, 2003
• “A New Way To Look at the Goddess,” an introduction to the Queen aspect of the Fourfold Goddess, The Beltane Papers, Issue 32, Spring, 2004
• “Let There Be Luxury and Good Fortune: Altars to Lakshmi and Lady Fortuna: Two Altars in My Home,” with photographs, Circle Magazine, Spring/Summer, 2004
• “The New Goddess Pillar Meditation,” Circle Magazine, Spring, 2005
• “The Ritual Language of Flowers,” Circle Magazine, Summer, 2005
• “Garlicamma,” the Found Goddess of Healing, Circle Magazine, Fall, 2005
• “Practicing the Presence of the Goddess,” The Beltane Papers, Issue 38, Summer 2006
• “The Goddess Temple of Orange County,” guest blog, http://medusacoils.blogspot.com/, August and September, 2006
• “Found Goddesses:” “Chi-Chi, the Goddess of Feng Shui, and Sha-Na-Na, Her Evil Twin Sister,” Global Goddess Oracle (Winter, 2006; first column of projected regular series in this e-zine) 
•  “Breathing Every Day,” with sidebar, “Puffy, Found Goddess of Oxygen,” SageWoman, Issue 71, “Joy,” Winter, 2006
• “Playing Nice With an Extraordinary Woman,” interview conducted by Lisa McSherry, The Beltane Papers, Issue 39, Winter, 2006
• “How the Goddess Led Me Home, An Account of Homelessness,” Awakened Woman e-Magazine (http://www.awakenedwoman.com/ardinger_goddess.htm), January 1, 2007.
• Brief essays in “Toe-to-Toe” debates on topics of interest to pagans, PanGaia (numerous issues)

Barbara earned her Ph.D. (with straight A’s) in English Renaissance Literature from Southern Illinois University–Carbondale. She has also studied the Tarot, Reiki and other alternative healing modalities, numerology, the Qabalah, drumming, and the Aramaic origins of the Bible (with Dr. Rocco Errico). She holds a third degree initiation from a secret occult order, is an initiated Dianic Witch, was given refuge and the third degree Green Tara initiation by Dagmola Jamyang Sakya, has been a member of the Fellowship of Isis since 1978, and served as public information officer for the Orange County Local Council of the Covenant of the Goddess for two terms. She has several books (including two more novels) in progress. Well known for the dramatic rituals she creates and leads, Barbara lives with her two rescued Maine Coon cats, Heisenberg and Schroedinger, in Southern California, where she is also an active CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) disaster-preparedness volunteer. She has also served as a literacy volunteer and an AIDS emotional support (“buddy”) volunteer.

Barbara Ardinger was interviewed in the February 2007 edition of The Magickal Light Ezine.

©Quotes and images on these pages have been reproduced with the knowledge and kind permission of Barbara Ardinger.

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