The Unfurling of Spring

By Maia Toll

As sunlit hours reach into the evenings and we yearn to connect with the world around us, allow yourself to embrace this season of growth, of expansion, of moving outward.

Many times upon a time, there was an oak tree. This particular oak tree grew at the wood’s edge, in easy reach of the fields beyond. Each year, as autumn came to a close, the tree would throw its acorns toward the sunlit meadow. Each spring, tiny, perfect, miniature oak trees would rise from the soil and begin to unfurl their leaves. As the years went on, the forest expanded, oak tree by oak tree, each tree stretching toward the next open patch of sky.

During the time of unfurling, when the days begin to stretch longer and all of nature is yearning toward the sun, inhale the world around you. Feel your lungs and your rib cage expand as you suck in the scents of spring. Allow the energy of this season to awaken your own energy, to encourage an expansive dream or a creative quest.

This is the time of year to set intentions for your own growth. Pause in the hustle-bustle of daily life and tune in to your heart.

What do you want?
Who do you want to be?
How do you want to show up for yourself and others?

Breathe in these questions. Then, on an out breath, exhale your desires into the world.

Excerpted and adapted from Maia Toll’s Wild Wisdom Companion © Maia Toll.

Maia Toll's Wild Wisdom Companion

by Maia Toll

Maia Toll’s Wild Wisdom series—The Illustrated Herbiary, The Illustrated Bestiary, and The Illustrated Crystallary—introduced readers to the mystical energy of the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms. In this capstone to the Wild Wisdom series, Maia Toll's Wild Wisdom Companion guides readers in developing a personalized earth-based spiritual practice using rituals, writing prompts, recipes, symbols, and reflections tied to each season.

Organized into 12 chapters—Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, Autumnal Equinox, plus early and late stages of each of the four seasons — the book features seasonal practices; exercises for the body and for writing and reflection; plant, animal, and mineral medicine; and symbolic explorations of the gifts and challenges that arise with seasonal change. Original illustrations by Kate O’Hara illuminate the symbolic richness of the text, and 28 pop-out oracle cards plus four bound-in pocket pages enhance the invitation for readers to use this interactive guide as an ongoing tool for cultivating the sacred in their own lives.

$24.95

$30.95 CAD

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About the Author

Maia Toll is the author of Letting Magic In, The Night School, and the Wild Wisdom series, which includes The Illustrated Herbiary, The Illustrated Bestiary, The Illustrated Crystallary, and Maia Toll’s Wild Wisdom Companion. After earning degrees at the University of Michigan and New York University, Toll apprenticed with a traditional healer in Ireland, where she spent extensive time studying the growing cycles of plants, the alchemy of medicine making, and the psycho-spiritual aspects of healing. She is the co-owner of the retail store Herbiary, with locations in Asheville, NC, and Philadelphia, PA. You can find her online at maiatoll.com.

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