Letting Magic In

What is the word for craving a relationship with the earth, plants, rocks, and stars? What do you call someone who finds their spirit sparked by these relationships; whose concept of the sacred is altered by the scent of jasmine in bloom or the deep indigo of a sky awaiting nightfall? We're taught that doctors know our bodies and priests know our souls. But what if you're a person seeking to understand both for yourself without an intermediary? What is the word for these feelings and the person we become when we honour them?

For writer Maia Toll, that word is magic. Magic points to something intrinsic to, and necessary for, the wholeness of the human spirit. It's a marker for the gnawing craving for a connection which includes, but also stretches beyond, the human realm. The exploration of this word was part of her search for both personal empowerment and a sense of cosmic connectedness, the yin and yang of our lives. In Letting Magic In Maia shares the story of her own magical becoming-from the untimely death of a friend that leads her to abandon Brooklyn in favor of the small town of Beacon, NY, to taking a yearlong sabbatical of exploration, and finally to Ireland, where she studied under an herbalist and learned the true magic of listening to the earth itself.

This book is the story of one woman's becoming-the story of pushing past the boundaries of what once seemed possible to discover the extraordinary all around us. In it Maia shares how she learned to let magic in so she could live the life she longed for-one filled with curiosity, connection, and the deepest kind of inner knowing. In this soulfully written recollection-peppered throughout with magical learnings and rituals gathered along the way-Maia uncovers the things that change you in unexpected ways and guide you to become the person you never knew you wanted to be, but perhaps, always were.

This she could call magic.

And through Letting Magic In you will gain the courage and the wisdom to find your own.

“"Every sentence, every page, every chapter of this book shines as a singular star. This alone is a boon for the reader. The real gift though, of Letting Magic In , is the way Toll brings them all together in the end--a constellation of light from seemingly separate stars, a path forward for any and all of us who are willing to step out of our ordinary (and often disconnected lives) and into the web that is magical living."-- Steph Jagger, author of Unbound and Everything Left to Remember”

"Toll focuses on her own winding path, one that will resonate with seekers."--People
"Maia Toll has opened her heart to us all and we find inside magic, wonder, honesty and love. So much love. She's both teacher and student, and through her we learn that a magical life isn't about the destination. It's about the journey. Letting Magic In is about the nurturing and life-changing lessons we can learn when we have the courage to change our narrative from 'What is possible?' to 'Everything is possible.' A must-read for the soul searcher, the magic seeker and anyone who just loves a story well told."
--Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times bestselling author
"At last! A memoir for those of us who sense that there is far more to our existence than what's immediately before us . . . a wide-open place of wonder and mystery, of synchronicity and interconnection. Maia Toll chronicles her first steps into this world, which we can follow like a roadmap until we, too, emerge as mystics in our own right."--Barbara Becker, author of Heartwood: The Art of Living with the End in Mind
"Every sentence, every page, every chapter of this book shines as a singular star. This alone is a boon for the reader. The real gift though, of Letting Magic In, is the way Toll brings them all together in the end--a constellation of light from seemingly separate stars, a path forward for any and all of us who are willing to step out of our ordinary (and often disconnected lives) and into the web that is magical living."--Steph Jagger, author of Unbound and Everything Left to Remember
"In Letting Magic In, Toll recounts the extraordinary journey that, beginning in her late 20s, led her to uncover a life of bigger meaning and real magic. Profound, funny, and gorgeously written, this memoir will leave the reader exhilarated--and ready to set off on their own quest, guided by Toll's wisdom and uncommon voice." --Carrie Frye, editor of four New York Times bestselling books
"In this spellbinding memoir, author Maia Toll explores identity and self-discovery while deftly weaving in the knowledge she has gained through her vast studies of herbalism, spirituality, and philosophy. Maia's story is a sacred gift reminding us to explore the deepest parts of ourselves and to pay attention to the magic that always dwells within."--Kate Oliver, author of The Modern Caravan
"Maia has such a gorgeous and generous way of weaving a web of story--and of drawing the reader in. Her journey is personal and intimate and yet so beautifully and compellingly told that, soon, you're hearing the wind rustle the leaves, seeing the moon's trail ripple the sea, and responding to the whisper of your own dormant parts, inviting you to listen, imagine, re-awaken." --Paige Gilchrist, host of the Embodied Meditation podcast

Maia Toll is the author of The Wild Wisdom series, including The Illustrated Herbiary, and The Night School. After pursuing an undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan and a master's at 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-and studied at The University of Michigan and New York University. 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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