Liturgies of the Wild

Myths That Make Us

By: Martin Shaw

Narrated by: Martin Shaw

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“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.” —GABOR MATÉ, author of The Myth of Normal


From "one of the greatest storytellers we have" (Robert Bly), an urgent invitation to allow the oldest stories—and the Greatest Story—to reshape our own.

There’s an old Irish belief that if you aren’t wrapped in a cloak of story you will be unprepared for what the world will hurl at you. You remain adolescent at just the moment a culture worth its salt requires you to become a real, grown, human being.

In Liturgies of the Wild, acclaimed mythographer, storyteller and Christian thinker Martin Shaw argues that we live in a myth-impoverished age and that such poverty has left us vulnerable to stories that may not wish us well. Drawing on the “ancient technologies” of myths and initiatory rites, Shaw provides a road to wholeness, maturity and connection. He teaches us to read a myth the way it wants to be read; provides vivid retellings of tales powerful enough to carry you through life’s travails; and shows you how to gather and reshape your own thrown-away stories. Most vividly, he shares how these ancient technologies led him—unexpectedly—to Christ, “the True Myth,” by way of a thirty-year journey and a 101-night vigil in a Dartmoor forest.

Combining scholarly erudition with nimble storytelling in the tradition of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, Liturgies of the Wild is a thrilling counsel of resistance and delight in the face of many modern monsters.

Critic reviews

“A journey of heart-expanding magic and redemption.”
—GLEN HANSARD, singer-songwriter and Academy Award winner for Once

“From our greatest living storyteller, a validation of all that is awe-inspiring and implicit in a world where we are confined by the explicit and banal.”
—IAIN MCGILCHRIST, author of The Master and His Emissary

“A book that will help seekers, doubters, and believers alike appreciate faith anew, not by reinventing Christianity, but by retelling its story through the experience of a thousand other stories. Read it . . . then read it again. It will do your soul so much good.”
—JUSTIN BRIERLEY, author of The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God

“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.”
—GABOR MATÉ, author of The Myth of Normal

“Shaw is a harbinger, a sign of the shift in consciousness that all of us, trapped in our techno-bubbles, so desperately need.”
—MALCOLM GUITE, author of Mariner: A Theological Voyage with Samuel Taylor Coleridge

“Decades of learning, practice, and refinement shine in every line.”
—MARK VERNON, author of Awake! William Blake and the Power of the Imagination

“I loved this tender, honest book for the way it defamiliarizes the well-worn pathways of religion, bringing to life the power within and compelling the reader to take note: Here be dragons, but also grace in almost indecently extravagant abundance.”
—CATHERINE COLDSTREAM, author of Cloistered: My Years as a Nun

Amazing

Loved this book and the way Martin delivered it. 1 of 1. The stories speak to the soul. I truly believe I am a changed person after hearing this

A Catalyst

This book had a profound impact on me. I listened to it while recovering from surgery and it served as a contemplative companion. It offered many breakthroughs and new ways of seeing old problems.

Beautiful

With the gentle seduction of storytelling, Shaw brings about an altered state of awareness in which the suggestions of grace and agency can take hold at a deeper level than reason can touch. It is a journey of exploration transcending mundanity that feels more like communion than consumption. It is a work worthy of time, and we are blessed to have it.

Fantastic

The author brings life to world starved of meaning and imagination. He shares wonderful wisdom and tells fanciful stories that help us find God.

Stories for Life

I don't have the words I need to describe this book. It is about Life and Death, of Guilt and Passion, and the long winding path we walk. Some chapters meant more to me than others, but that is because of the places where I am in life. I am sure when I revisit the book, I will be somewhere else in life, and I will be struck by different stories. Different times call for different things. As three princesses once said, "There is a time to comb, and a time to cut."