The Illustrated Bestiary

People across cultures and through the centuries have felt a spiritual, symbolic connection to animals. In The Illustrated Bestiary, author and spiritual wellness guide Maia Toll turns the insight and wisdom that birthed The Illustrated Herbiary - her best-selling volume on the mystical power of plants - to the animal kingdom. Through profiles highlighting 36 animals' most meaningful traits, Toll explores how those qualities can illuminate our habits, guide our intentions, and inform our actions. Spring Peeper's ability to reemerge from frozen hibernation can inspire us to reinvent ourselves. Katydid's five eyes can lend clarity of vision when we need to see the bigger picture. Rituals and reflections guide readers in cultivating each animal's energy, while 36 oracle cards featuring art by Kate O'Hara further shape readers' meditations. From the humble House Mouse to the magnificent Elephant, this beautifully illustrated guide to animal spirits provides new ways of connecting with the creatures that walk, crawl, slither, swim, and fly.



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  From the best-selling author of The Illustrated Herbiary comes a lushly illustrated guide to the symbolism of the animal kingdom, with beguiling profiles of 36 mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects, along with oracle cards, rituals, and reflections to shape readers' meditations. Maia Toll is the author of The Wild Wisdom series which includes The Illustrated Herbiary, The Illustrated Bestiary, The Illustrated Crystallary, Maia Toll's Wild Wisdom Companion, and oracle card decks, box sets, and puzzles. Toll apprenticed with a traditional healer in Ireland, spending extensive time studying the growing cycles of plants, the alchemy of medicine making, and the psycho-spiritual aspects of healing-and studied at The University of Michigan and New York University. She leads the annual Witch Camp retreat, and is co-owner of the retail store Herbiary in Asheville, NC. You can find her online at maiatoll.com. 

Kate O'Hara is a freelance illustrator currently based in Reno, Nevada. She received a BFA in Illustration from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, in 2014. Her work combines intricate nature drawings with decorative hand-lettering and rich color schemes.  Discover the wisdom of the wild...and the depths within yourself. Includes 36 stunning oracle cards to inspire your meditations. Preface

Introduction



The Bestiary

White-Tailed Deer: Pause, Assess, Act

Red Salmon: Navigate Life with Determination

Common Raven: Align Your Inner Compass

Monarch Butterfly: Digest Your Past

Spring Peeper: Evolve into Your Next Becoming

Common Tortoise: Steady On

Black Snake: Grow Your Truth

Screech Owl: Get Creative

Cow & Bull: Appreciate the Process

Black Bear: Sync with the Cycles

Gray Wolf: Nurture Connections

Broad-Winged Katydid: Discover the Pattern

Whooper Swan: Love Fiercely

House Mouse: Work Together

Sea Turtle: Find Your Element

Nuthatch: Change Your Perspective

Spotted Skunk: Stand Up for Yourself

Barn Owl: Listen for Spirit

Orca: Dive Under the Surface

Beaver: Make Manifest

Zigzag Spider: Everything Is Connected

Pileated Woodpecker: Free Your Inner Fire

Asian Elephant: Honor Lineage

Earthworm: Discover Your Purpose

Sea Eagle: Renew Your Life

Andalusian Horse: Transcendend Yourself

Eastern Oyster: Deal with the Dirt

Honeybee: Navigate by the Sun

House Finch: Know Your Song

Tabby Cat: You Are Worthy

Five-Lined Skink: Delight in Daring

Little Owl: Key In to Wisdom

Red Fox: Shape-Shift

Blue Damselfly: Commune with Nature

River Otter: Slide into Joy

Human: Remember Forgetting



How to Work with the Bestiary Cards

Sources & Resources

Thank-Yous "O'Hara's bright, bold colors and energetic designs match Toll's impassioned prose… This poet