The Illustrated Herbiary

I purchased The Illustrated Herbiary: Guidance and Rituals from 36 Bewitching Botanicals by Maia Toll, and it has been a delightful addition to my collection. The book offers a unique blend of botanical wisdom and spiritual guidance, making it both informative and inspiring.​ Each of the 36 plant profiles is accompanied by a beautifully illustrated oracle card, allowing for a more interactive and personal experience. The rituals and reflections provided for each plant encourage mindfulness and a deeper connection to nature. As noted by Publishers Weekly, Toll's imaginative approach offers "fanciful descriptions and symbolic flights of fancy" that prompt introspection into the natural world. Overall, The Illustrated Herbiary is a beautifully crafted book that offers both visual pleasure and soulful insights. It's a treasure for anyone looking to deepen their connection with the plant world.

I own more books on the topics of plant magick and herbalism than I care to admit, but - despite this - I could not be more delighted with this addition to my collection. Maia's book is wholly unique and provides a very different way of connecting to the magic of the plant world. While she has undeniable street cred in terms of her knowledge of plant-based healing (having done an actual, year-long, old-world-type apprenticeship with a traditional healer and herbalist in Ireland), Maia has written a book that takes a step beyond the rote medicinal and magickal correspondences. The Illustrated Herbiary is an invitation to peel back the layers and sink into a deeper knowing. It's an opportunity to open up to a more personal relationship with these marvelous little beauties of the botanical world. Rather than looking at each plant as simply something to be harvested and used, this book invites you to get to know the personality of each plant, and - in doing so - get to know yourself a little better, too. The descriptions are evocative, speaking to your intuition and sparking your imagination. And the rituals and reflections provide simple but surprisingly effective ways to further your exploration and understanding. And then, of course, there are Kate O'Hara's rich and beautiful illustrations, which grace not only the pages of the book, but also the deck of oracle cards that come tucked in a vellum envelope attached to the back cover. Whether you are reading the book or using the cards for guidance and inspiration, there are so many ways this beautiful work inspires and facilitates a magical journey. Highly recommended.

I won't repeat what other reviewers are already covering. If you are looking to step it up with your intuitive hits that you gather from the plant kingdom, this book is for you. It gets your imagination revving, your eyes excited with the feast of images. Each plant is covered in about 4 pages: a beautiful image to meditate and connect, a page of wondrous word-smithery, and then there are two additional pages with "ritual" and "reflection". There are a LOT of plants covered in this book, and it's guaranteed that you can find a dozen right outside your door (as Susun Weed would say). This is a book for connecting with the essence, the spirit, of the plants. This is not a book to look up your ailment and pair it with an herbal remedy. In that regard, I think this is a great book for beginners who are just starting out, but the book will require some work out of you. You can dig deeply, or you can nibble at bits here and there in the book. It would also serve well for bibliomancy. The oracle cards are fantastic. They are flimsy, but I intend to put a new backing on them so they'll last forever. Also note that you should really bend the perforated folds all the way to carefully separate the cards. Otherwise you risk ripping them. I plan to get a lot of use out of these cards. I intend to do a lot of journaling and create my own "oracle deck" book based on what I get from the cards. P.S. As a side-note, you don't have to be a feminist to appreciate this offering. I am not one, and a lot of times I have a hard time finding materials in this genre that aren't saturated with the ideology. Just a friendly note to individuals. :)

I've been slowly working my way through The Illustrated Herbiary since receiving it on release day - I made sure to pre-order this one. This isn't a reference book - there are plenty of (wonderful) herbals and materia medicas out there, and this is not one of them. No, this is a feast for the senses. This book gets you out of your head and dares you to get into your body, to experience the colors of the illustrations, feel the magic of the plants. This is a feeling book, not a thinking book. Kate O'Hara's illustrations take it over the top - out of the head, into the heart. The cover has a light shimmer in spots - as though the wisdom shared inside is buzzing, excited to come out. The binding is sturdy, but loose all the same, allowing the book to lay flat, like a well-used family cookbook. I am very neurotic about my books - no cracked spines in my house. Thankfully, this was not a concern with The Illustrated Herbiary - the book falls open and invites you to dive in and get comfortable. No worries about "hurting" it - the Herbiary feels like a book your best friend would loan you - cherished and loved, yes, but ready to be put to work. Allow the Herbiary to fall open to a random page, then consider what you find. Did you land on Apple? Elderberry? Take in the illustration - look at the symbolism, consider how you feel, how it resonates with you. If you already know about the plants, excellent - allow your knowledge to intertwine with the gorgeous representation of the plant's spirit. Does Maia's interpretation incorporate smoothly with what you already knew? If you don't know the plants, this is an amazing introduction to them. Look upon the symbolism with fresh eyes, allow yourself to feel into the suggested rituals and reflections. You may be inspired to learn more about our plant allies, and what a beautiful point from which to start. Buy the hard copy. The Kindle version might be a nice addition later, but you will cherish the hard copy of the book - plus you'll have the oracle cards! I first learned of Maia Toll around a year ago, and have been enjoying her blog and classes ever since. She has shared a gift with the publication The Illustrated Herbiary. Thank you, Maia.

These books (I got all 3 by the artist) are AMAZING. The art work is so unique, detailed, spiritually and artistically engaging. I was completely amazed at the quality for the price. The cover art, cover quality, even the cover pages are just so high quality! It’s insane to me that people are complaining about the cards. First of all these are a bonus, not meant to be the main focus. They’re amazing in terms of print and they’re on pretty good card stock, yes they have some perforations you have to separate them but you’re not paying $30 for an oracle deck here you’re just getting a usable deck as a bonus to an amazing book. I am beyond satisfied and I’ve shown this book to many others and they were in awe of the quality and art and concept. I will buy anything else this artist does. Just incredible. I have many Oracle decks and these cards are fine enough quality and you should get this book and the others, you really won’t regret it! Really brought me so much joy.

The book is beautiful! I haven’t had a chance to really read and appreciate it. The art is stunning. Now if I made this purchase strictly for the book, I would have given this five stars. What nobody mentioned in the reviews is that the Oracle cards are not a very thick stock, and they are connected to each other on sheets of four. You have to separate them. Each place that they were connected leaves these little nubs on the side. When they are stacked in a deck, you see those nubs and you feel them on all four sides of the deck. While the artwork on the cards is beautiful, had I known this I probably would have chosen a different option.

The Illustrated Herbiary by Maia Toll is a luscious combination of factual information and reflective questions to help build a connection to the plant world. I own a few herbal books that are written for the purpose of providing scientific information and recipes. This book is completely different - it was written for the person who wishes to come into relationship with the plants and themselves. Each of the 36 herbs presented in the book start with an overview of its traditional/medicinal use. Then you turn the page where a ritual and reflection is offered. Here is where intuition, inner knowing, and a sense of connection start. I love that I can go as deep as I want with the lessons. This book is a treasure of traditional wisdom. Maia Toll shares pathways to awaken our intuition and our ability to observe how deeply connected humans are with the natural world. This book also includes a set of 36 Oracle cards - one card for each herb presented in the book. While the cards are not made from as heavy card stock as most decks, they are sturdy and will withstand regular use. The illustrator, Kate O'Hara did an amazing job! The Oracle cards and the drawings that accompany each herb are vibrant, beautiful, realistic and symbolic. The book and cards hold a noticeably positive energy. I love this book, and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a way to connect to herbs, and/or for anyone looking for a unique set of Oracle cards.

THE ILLUSTRATED HERBIARY is a delicious feast for the eyes and nourishment for the heart connecting plants to humans in a magical way. I love the bonus cards so I can randomly select one to consider how it connects with my life. I would not consider it a reference book but an inspirational book for personal growth and meditations. It is also a beautiful small coffee table book to just pick up anytime to enjoy the artwork. The binding is fabulous because the pages immediately open out flat like a well used recipe book. The vibrant colorful illustrations jump off the page and entreat me to explore the message the plants have for me. The typeface is large enough to be easily readable for my senior eyes that get tired from lots of reading. The cover is irresistible with the metallic sheen in the colors. I look forward to Maia's next version because I know she has more plants to share.