Mushroom Mindfulness

Having a connection to nature is a connection to the divine.

If you have started to hear the call of nature, consider it a gift. A gift and an invitation to a world that is here to support us and provide an abundance of resources for our

Just so you know, the sky is not falling and we are not heading towards catastrophe. Don’t believe the hype.

Yes, I’ll admit on a large scale we have not been good stewards of the environment. However, in the cosmos of time, it is but a faction of a moment. We will be okay, the earth will be okay, everything is as it should be.

In order to turn this massive ship around from hitting the rocks, a pilgrimage back home is in order. A journey back to what is right before us and always has been.

Thankfully we have some allies that hide in the soil beneath our feet that watch us do our humanly things. Once in a while they popup to say hello, see what’s going on, spread their spores, and return back into the darkness.

They have their way of doing things and can lend us their support to discover what lies beneath the surface of ourselves.

Like the mushrooms, we come from nature. Therefore we are adaptable, resilient, and possess deep wisdom. The difficulty is digging up that wisdom buried deep below the surface and excavating through the noise of the modern world.

That wisdom is a tremendous gift and excavating things from the depths is one of the fungi’s many abilities.

Go on an Adventure

You too have special talents and gifts buried somewhere in the landscape. Finding the treasure is a challenge since there is no map and there is no “way”; that’s what qualifies it as an adventure.

I wanted to share a few things that have helped me reconnect with nature and where nature started communicating something to me and I got curious about the world I live in. Primarily the natural world.

One of the realizations I came to was that I was never taught how to grow anything. You know, like food, a basic necessity. So basic yet so foreign. Thankfully, nature had other plans and began to guide me to investigate all sorts of subjects, mycology and botany being two of them.

But before I get into the weeds, I want to share a few simple things you can do if you feel that your connection to nature is faint or you are looking to gain a better understanding of the outdoors.

Activities & Tips For Reconnecting

The first and easiest is to go for a walk at one of your local parks. As you make your way, look around you. Find a plant or tree that catches your attention. Go over and say Hello! They really enjoy that since they don’t get many visitors like you.

Don’t worry about what its name is, that’s not important. What’s special about this communication is the direct experience you two are having. That’s where it all starts.

Or you can take it a couple of steps further…

Step out into your backyard and do the same.

What trees and plants are there?

What are their botanical names?

Are they edible or medicinal?

How do they help your yard maintain its ecological vitality?

Are they native or invasive?

What birds do you see most of the time?

What are their calls? What do they like to eat?

Are they attracted to the plants and trees you have on your property?

Is your yard washing away? Is your property on a slope or is it relatively flat?

How much sunlight does your property get? Can you plant something in that area?

What kind of soil do you have?

I hope you can see what I’m getting at. The idea is taking the time to be present with the natural world. Even if it’s only for a few minutes.

Try your best to allow your time perception to sync up with nature’s time and see how you feel afterwards.

How to Integrate Your Nature Experiences

“Ok, I went outside and did all the things. Now what?”

I don’t know…. it depends.

Think of a tree, plant, or the wildlife you came across. Now take that image, in your mind and see if you can hear anything from it. I know it sounds weird but you should get a thought of something. I could be something totally random and unrelated to the image.

This is what a connection feels like. It’s sort of silent but also… telepathic in a sense. It’s a certain type of communication taking place in your mind. And it is very specific; to you.

Maybe it reminds you of being a kid and climbing trees.

Or how you’ve heard that seeing certain birds are the visiting spirits of our loved ones who have passed on.

Or you’re just drawing a blank.

Either which way, something is happening. Something real. Something that only you are experiencing. That’s what makes it special.

Your relationship to what all this stuff means is only a piece of the puzzle.

Ok, we’re backing out of the weeds now 🙂

In Parting

I hope you enjoyed yourself and have added a few things to your list of fun things to do. Make sure to take some pictures and share what you come across out there. It’s the beginning of August and very dry out so you may not encounter fresh mushies but there’s definitely some tough plants out there.

I know I only briefly mentioned mushrooms in this writing but I’m only on the surface right now. I’ll be taking you to different places and sharing more of these musings with you in the future.

Peace be with you.

Stay Real,

Louis San Miguel