About

Goddess Alive Radio is delighted to welcome back, Author and awesome Goddess Woman Walking, Maia Toll to talk about her amazing new book, The Illustrated Bestiary!For those of you that are familiar with her first book, The Illustrated Herbiary, you will LOVE the new book which again includes the evocative artwork of Kate O'Hara AND a set of cards in the back. Make sure you flash the cover in the sun too!Maia has chosen 36 "inspiring animals" to share in the book and each animal includes a description, a Ritual, and Reflection. As always, Maia is thoughtful and insightful, introducing us to some very specific forms of animal medicine. As an example, skunk is spotted skunk, bear is black bear, and cat is tabby cat. The detail and wisdom is fantastic and Maia makes connection with these allies easy.I collect quite a few decks, so I am especially appreciative that Maia not only drilled down for particular animals, but has also included some very unusual "animals". As a girl born and raised in Delaware, I could not be more tickled that the Eastern Oyster made an appearance! There is also a surprise in the deck that Maia and I talk about in the podcast.I would LOVE to hear what animals were a surprise and what animals really resonated with you!The Illustrated Bestiary is a must-have for those that love diving into the kingdom of our animal allies. It makes for a great holiday gift as well and so does The Illustrated Herbiary!ABOUT MAIA TOLL:Award winning writer Maia Toll has been many things— a horseback riding teacher, a clinical herbalist, and (oddly) a university professor— but by far her favorite title is author. Her best-selling Wild Wisdom series (The Illustrated Herbiary, The Illustrated Bestiary, & The Illustrated Crystallary) offers a glimpse into the knowings of the natural world and the wilds within ourselves. Maia contemplated these insights during her yearlong apprenticeship to a traditional healer in Ireland. Though apprenticeship sounds terribly romantic, it was most often lonely, leaving Maia plenty of time to listen to the ravens, roses, and rocks. She quickly learned that the world was a whole lot bigger than her human-centric upbringing had led her to believe.When not obsessively reading books and “talking” to trees, stones, and her two dogs, Maia drinks copious amounts of tea and helps run Herbiary, a multi-city natural wellness and sacred living store she owns with her partner Andrew. She teaches and blogs to an international following at maiatoll.com where she constantly reminds people that using critical thinking skills and talking to flowers are not mutually exclusive activities.