Liturgies of the Wild

From one of the master storytellers of our time, here is a rosary of soaring myth, gripping narrative and deep wisdom, all told with breathtaking verve that enchants and sweeps us along, from first word to last. A superb, inspiring read. * Dr Gabor Maté, Author of The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in A Toxic Culture *“With potent, lyrical language and a profound knowledge of storytelling, Shaw encourages and illuminates the mythic in our own lives. He is a modern-day bard.” * Madeline Miller, author of Circe and The Song of Achilles *It is only in myth, and through its counterpart in liturgy, that the true depth of meaning in our world can be brought forth. Martin Shaw is our greatest living storyteller, and here he offers an enraptured validation of all that is awe-inspiring and profoundly implicit in a world where we are cabined, cribbed, confined by the explicit and banal. I celebrate the message of this wonderful book. * Iain McGilchrist, author of The Master and His Emissary and The Matter With Things *Shaw is blessed with turns of phrase only the masters possess. Once you fall into this world of a wild God and bush prophets, you realise you’d follow him anywhere. Liturgies of the Wild is a journey of heart-expanding magic and redemption. It’s written with the mastery of the great storytellers. * Glen Hansard, musician *

This is easily my book of the year.It is heartfelt, poetic and tender, yet immensely challenging and utterly real. Martin Shaw has written a book that will help seekers, doubters and believers alike appreciate faith anew, not by reinventing Christianity, but by re-telling its story through the experience of a thousand other stories. Nothing is wasted. Every word is crafted with a seasoned storyteller’s skill. In the process Shaw plumbs the forgotten depths of faith and brings back precious jewels. This is a call to life in all its fullness - untamed, honest and free. A living faith in the company of a wild God. Read it… then read it again. It will do your soul so much good.

Dr. Martin Shaw is a writer, mythographer, and Christian thinker who has authored seventeen books. He founded the Oral Tradition and Mythic Life courses at Stanford University and is director of the Westcountry School of Myth in the UK. For twenty years, Shaw has been a wilderness rites of passage guide, working with at-risk youth, those who are unwell, returning veterans, as well as women and men seeking a deeper life.