The Deep State

These powerful beings connect endlessly and constantly. They are unseen but everpresent. Their resources are vast, and they draw strength from unfathomable sources, sometimes colonizing and deconstructing life, even as they burst forth elsewhere, seeking new territory. Their network can send information and materials across vast distances without arousing any suspicion. Their legacy is timeless, stretching across eons and encompassing the ends of the earth. Some say they can possess your mind, make you sick, or heal you. Those who understand them can benefit, and even live in harmony with them, but we all must respect them.

The mushrooms have some things to teach us.

If you’re not a mycologist, what you know as a mushroom may be limited to the brownish, whitish bulbs that can be purchased in a supermarket to be sauteed, stuffed with cheese or crab meat, or even grilled whole and placed on a bun in lieu of a burger. Yum. These morsels, however, represent only a small part of the underlying organism that produces them. Beneath, and powering the emergence of these delicacies is a vast network of mycelium, which can be imagined as roots. They spread through a growth medium, like the soil, a log, or even a living creature. There, they break down their surroundings and absorb the energy, in a manner resembling our own digestion. When they have had their fill and the conditions are right…

The spores must be released! Depending on where the organism deems appropriate, A mushroom emerges, and sends millions of tiny seeds that seek to colonize new areas. What is intriguing is how the network is able to transport the exact nutrients and resources needed to send these spores out into the world at the right place. Those who visualize these networks find that the connections between nodes and mycelium actually resemble our own brains. When I first understood their patterns, I too had ideas emerging and bursting forth.

My network has transported me to my present station, sending resources and support as necessary, and I have arrived in this moment feeling well taken care of, lucky, and loved. I want to bring the same to others. It is my dream that all humans feel this deep connectedness and through religion, spirituality, human contact, or passion erupt into countless particles of love, trust, and hope. Many of these spores will go nowhere, falling on barren soils, but they will be well received and appreciated by some, where they can establish a foothold, and someday send out more like themselves. The surrounding network provides aid. Perhaps each individual affected by these spores will come forth, and make themselves known to improving the world with our spread. Our combined network will be stronger than any one of us, and those given to the mission will reinforce those who need it at any given time, sending aid, prayers, resources, and power as needed. In this, I envision a growing team of individuals and families that will come together when needed to send forth more of the energy that helped us get where we are.

We will lace our way through society, nurturing, giving back, and enriching as we go. We take what is old and help return new life through our labors and natural processes. Transmutation, the upcyle, the dead made life… Whatever you want to call it, we will do it. Miracles, through understanding and belief.

These ideas are worth spreading because they come from an inspiration that regenerates and creates magic everywhere it connects. These ideas and actions will help change the world.

I have a number of silly names for this. Funguys. Mycofriends. Spore colony. All I know for sure right now is that I want to see who might be interested in joining a mutually supporting community, willing to shuttle around and help with each other’s projects, knowing that the stronger we make the network, the stronger we become ourselves. Interested? Does this idea have legs? Or are we reinventing the, uh, pseudopod? Who else can we bring in? The groundwork has already been laid.