 Reviews and Testimonials |
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Praise for How to Bury a Goldfish:This book is filled with rituals for many important occasions. Rituals are
simply events given what Mary Oliver calls "the rich lens of attention." But in
the end, they are what give us mindful joy and connect us to each other. I
recommend this book as a way to be more intentional in the life of your family
and community. How to Bury a Goldfish is a great gift. Filled with rituals that
bring simplicity and clarity to our busy lives, it reminds us that everyday
traditions are what give our lives meaning. Customer Reviews (2nd Edition)I had
a copy of Ms. Lang and Ms. Nayer's earlier edition of HOW TO BURY A GOLDFISH,
but a friend borrowed it and never gave it back. So I eagerly bought a new copy
when this new Skinner edition came out, and it's better than before. The authors
give charming insights into their lives and advice about how to celebrate all
occasions. Burying a goldfish is one kind of ceremony; welcoming a newly adopted
child is another. You should order two copies of this helpful enchanting book,
because you'll be lending it to someone who won't part with it! Customer Reviews (1st Edition)This is a book to treasure; a book to read from cover to cover, or a book to
read in snatches whenever you are so moved by an event in your life that you
cast about for some way to commemorate it, to mark it, to make it special. It is
a recipe book for creating celebration and ceremony around those moments in our
lives, both large and small, that warrant marking, that warrant respect, that
beg for us to stop and notice. Authors Lang and Nayer have gone to the heart of
what is missing in the ingredients from which we draw to make our lives
memorable. They have added the spice, that missing "something," that can make
any occasion remarkable and unforgettable. This is a recipe book for creating
ritual. They give us all we need for a perfect result. This book belongs in
every home. Give it away freely; share it with friends as you would a treasured
family recipe; but, most importantly, use it to create beauty and meaning to
mark special passages in your life. Reading this book was such a comfort. As a society full of people with
overloaded schedules, its wonderful to have this guide for inspiration on how to
stop and experience bits of our lives that would otherwise pass without the
attention they deserve. This is true especially for children. We owe them a
slower pace with wonderful rituals and traditions so that their childhood will
have memories and meaning. This book is a wonderful primer! This is a timely book filled with thoughtful reminders of how to easily
integrate spirtual aspects into our busy everyday lives. The authors notice and
write about daily transitions, as well as lifetime rites of passage, and offer
insightful examples that serve to guide the reader towards an appreciation of a
more spiritually-centered life. The format of ~How to Bury a Goldfish~ is
elegant in its simplicity, and the easy accessiblity of materials used in the
rituals facilitates the initiation and celebration of "family rituals". The authors have provided a warmly personal guidebook which will help the reader to become more aware and appreciative of daily routines, to respond more positively and creatively to both positive and negative events, and to nurture and deepen important relationships. I believe that the use of these rituals will create a greater awareness of the magic and power of everyday life, a truth of which we all need to be reminded. The suggested rituals are clearly explained and easily implemented. Best of all, they provide a basis from which anyone can create other rituals to celebrate and/or commemorate the unique journey which all of us take. This book would make a great gift for almost any occasion! Right now with the hustle and bustle of life, you can't really take time out and
really think about your life and the events happening in it. This book takes you
one step closer to being able to do that by offering thoughtful rituals and ways
living your life from day to day. Especially if you're under a lot of stress,
this book could provide some tranquility and you might find something that you
can add to your daily routine. Mrs. Lang and Mrs. Nayer have written a book that
can only be benefitted from and I hope that anyone who is interested in finding
solace look up this book. Thanks. It is a feel good book, if you have imagination and an inner child, this book will make it bloom. A must! I loved the combination of down to earth, mundane practical instructions,
spiritual quotations, poems and heartfelt anecdotes that offer simple recipes
for adding a dose of grace into those everyday situations that we often let go
by - that first day of school, bringing baby home, divorce, death - all I can
relate to starting with that old burying the pet problem that can be so
transformed by a prayer, a candle, a song, a photo. This book held my attention,
didn't push me away with esoterica and speaks to so many different versions of
family that it should appeal to my old, young, married, divorced, gay, rich,
poor, religious, secular, artistic, intellectual community of friends and
family. I will put it on my gift lift today and know I will refer to it often
over the years to come - a keeper. We lament the loss of meaning and values in the U.S. that leads to horrifying phenomena such as adults preying on children, and children slaying children. Values that are potent give rise to rltuals that celebrate those values, in gratitude for them, but as our values have faded our rituals have lost their power to invigorate and nourish us. Ms. Lang and Ms. Nayer are providing a blueprint for the solution, and it doesn't require a guru or external authority. Drawing from the search for the Good in the interplay of people they know, in their families and among their friends, they demonstrate that sane modern ritual must spring from internal roots not from external authority. Most historical rituals have died from the rigidity of external control, but the rituals of Ms. Lang and Ms. Nayer make room for serendippity. In showing us their own private road map for the spirituality accessible in any person's everyday life, they are also teaching all of us how to discover our own road maps. Their many rituals should generate as many in the imaginations of their readers, freeing us all to be our own gurus, priests and priestesses. When Ms. Lang asked if she could use my verse, "A Wail Sighting off Kehoe Beach," in a section of her book, I thought it a very odd idea, wondering how such a dark poem could help anyone. Then reading it in the context of her book I remembered that it was my mood that day that was dark, that the writing of the verse had liberated me--and that is precisely what Ms. Lang and Ms. Nayer are getting at: Each of us has within us the creative key that can unlock all the prisons to which we confine our lives. While she describes how her four-year-old daughter YuWen sees the sun: "Every day you see a dandelion floating in the sky as big as a storm," Mses. Lang and Nayer help us see that each of us has a sun, small as a dandelion, in our hearts, and the reassuring power of a lion in our spirits. I can hardly wait to begin creating my own rituals. |