From delicious meals, side dishes, and soups, to powerful hallucinogenic powers, mushrooms are definitely a unique aspect of nature. Thinking of a mushroom may not bring a spiritual inclination to mind, but while it may make us think of mash potatoes as a great filling for a pie, mushrooms actually hold a powerful position in the spiritual world.
In the spiritual realm, mushrooms symbolize a transformation that may take place in your life, whether it is good or bad. It also represents rebirth, good luck, and enlightenment. Additionally, shamans have been known to use mushrooms as a way of accessing the spiritual realm.
Whether you’re simply curious about this unique little fungus that seems to sprout almost anywhere, or because you are seeking a natural means of reaching enlightenment, read on to learn more about the spiritual meaning of mushrooms.
Mushrooms in Your Daily Life
Whether you are spending time outside in your own yard, or out on a hiking trail, especially after experiencing heavy rains, you are highly likely to notice little clusters of mushrooms sprouting up all around.
Often, when faced with mushrooms in our surroundings, we wonder if they are poisonous and whether or not we could pluck them and eat them – not that we ever would. But beyond eating them, encountering mushrooms is a phenomenal spiritual sign.
It may seem mundane, especially because it is not a rare occurrence to spot mushrooms but stumbling upon them could mean that you are encountering a source of good luck and prosperity. Given the surroundings in which mushrooms thrive, it may also mean that you have fertile soil, or that you, on a spiritual level, may experience a manifestation of fruitfulness.
While also not necessarily a bad or a negative thing, coming across mushrooms may mean that you have stumbled across the soul of someone that has departed this earth. However, encountering the soul of someone who has passed on may not be bad because the soul might be at peace and not malicious in any way.
The Role of Mushrooms in Folklore and Shamanism
In modern times, people have turned to the hallucinogenic effects of mushrooms, properties which are most commonly found in psilocybin mushrooms, for recreational purposes, affectionately calling them magic mushrooms.
But in ancient traditions and spiritual belief systems, mushrooms were used as a portal into the unseen, and it was used, in sacred sanctity, to communicate with those in the spiritual realm.
Through psychedelic and hallucinogenic brews made by spiritual leaders and shamans, they were believed to communicate with those that have passed on from the earthly realm and now abide in spirit form. With this great power and ability, shamans were turned to when people in communities needed help or sought to communicate with the dead.
In the culture of Mazatec shamans, they would consume mushrooms as part of a healing ceremony and then go into a deep and quiet meditation where their divine god would communicate with them in a soft voice.
Mushrooms and Its Relation to Fairies
In forests, or even in yards, mushrooms tend to grow in circles. These circles are known as fairy rings and take this form because all the mushrooms sprout from a single root. The fungal root, known as the hyphae, lands in one spot, and spreads out evenly in a circle, leading to mushrooms popping up in a near-perfect circle.
While this concept may make perfect sense from a scientific perspective, it is quite phenomenal to stumble upon if you are wandering through a forest. In folklore, finding these circles of mushrooms meant that you have stumbled upon the home or presence of fairies or elves.
Fairies are mythical creatures that are assumed to be aethereal and can possess good or bad qualities. Mushrooms were taught to be their dwelling place, and that is where the name ‘fairy rings’ originated.
Mushrooms in Biodiversity and in Nature
Mushrooms are a phenomenal part of nature. They are neither plant nor animal, but rather, as a fungus, they play a key role in decomposition, breaking down elements in nature, and producing a nutrient-rich form of food.
They play a fundamental role in maintaining the balance within nature, and maintaining the health of the ecosystem within which they grow. They can be found growing on trees that are dead, or on other plants and organisms that have died, and perhaps this adds to the concept of the spiritual meaning that they hold of rebirth.
Mushrooms in Food
Mushrooms really are the food that has it all. They are low in cholesterol, fat, sodium, and calories, they are rich in nutrients, and they taste phenomenal. But it is well known that you should not pick mushrooms from anywhere and eat them.
Though it may seem like a risky game of trial and error to figure out which mushrooms are poisonous, which are safe to eat, and even which possess strong hallucinogenic properties, one may wonder how people in history figured out which mushrooms were safe to eat.
A lot of the time, people would watch animals, what the animals ate, how they reacted to what they ate, and if the avoided something altogether. By watching animals, they may have known to some degree, which mushrooms were safe, and which were not.
Also, if someone did stumble upon mushrooms, ate it, and got sick, had a physical reaction, or began seeing things that weren’t there, chances are that people within that community would steer clear of consuming those mushrooms again.
Perhaps the spiritual meaning that people found mushrooms to possess were as a result of the effects they felt after it was consumed. When they experienced the hallucinogenic effects, they may have had encounters with their spiritual higher power and thus mushrooms held the power to unlock enlightenment.
Conclusion
Whether you’re preparing your next meal or you’re hoping to achieve a deeper spiritual encounter, mushrooms are a sure way of helping you in your journey. It is a fantastic way of getting in touch with cultures of old and a beautiful way of encountering enlightenment.
